How many ISB PGP students remain unplaced near the end of the placement season?
Around 50-70 students from ISB's PGP batch of roughly 900 remain unplaced as the formal placement season closes, but that number shrinks considerably through rolling placements. For the Class of 2024, Reddit reports pointed to approximately 62 students still interviewing with over two months left before graduation, which was actually an improvement on the prior year's figure at the same stage.
Who Makes Up the Unplaced Pool?
The unplaced cohort is not a single type of candidate. It includes strong profiles still in final-round interviews, students targeting niche roles in venture capital or product management, and those holding firm on minimum salary thresholds.
A smaller group opts out of campus placements entirely for entrepreneurship, family businesses, or pre-arranged off-campus opportunities.
Reddit threads from the Class of 2024 season noted that several students in this pool had live final rounds with firms like Uber, Salesforce, and boutique consulting shops well into April. One peer reported receiving an offer during the rolling phase in late April, a full month after the main cohort had closed.
Rolling Placements Fill Most Gaps
ISB operates rolling placements extending into May and June through its Career Advancement Services team. Companies return with lateral openings, practice-area expansions, and backfill roles.
Historically, the final unplaced count at graduation drops to 20-30 students, most of whom either opted out voluntarily or secured roles independently off-campus.
The Class of 2024 saw fintech, e-commerce, and consulting roles emerge through this extended window. McKinsey and BCG occasionally reopen mandates for specific practice areas post-season, and growth-stage firms like Razorpay and CRED hire in waves that don't align with formal placement schedules.
How the Numbers Compare Across Batches
| Batch | Approx. unplaced at season close | Estimated final unplaced at graduation |
|---|---|---|
| Class of 2023 | ~75-80 | ~30-35 |
| Class of 2024 | ~62 | ~20-25 (estimated) |
| Typical range | 50-70 | 20-30 |
The trend is gradually improving, partly because ISB has tightened recruiter engagement and expanded sector diversity. Still, this is a batch of 900 high-achieving people competing in a single season. Some gaps are inevitable.
Salary Context and Who Waits It Out
ISB's average CTC for recent batches sits around ₹34-35 LPA, and the median is meaningfully lower. Students holding out for roles above ₹50 LPA in consulting or PE are the ones most likely to sit in the unplaced pool longer.
That strategy sometimes pays off; sometimes it doesn't. The risk is real, and pretending otherwise does no one a favour.
The broader placement picture remains strong: over 500 companies participate across the formal and rolling seasons, spanning consulting, BFSI, technology, and consumer sectors. Firms like Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, HUL, and Bain anchor the season, but the long tail of mid-tier and startup hiring is where rolling placements live.
The honest takeaway: being in the unplaced pool at ISB after the formal season is not a crisis, but it requires active follow-up, flexibility on role type, and willingness to engage off-campus channels independently.
Pro Tip: If you enter the rolling placement phase, reach out directly to ISB alumni at target firms on LinkedIn rather than waiting for Career Advancement Services to surface every opening, because alumni referrals close faster than cold applications.