Cognizant-Freshers’ pay backlash: Cognizant clarifies annual pay for fresh engineering grads at ₹4-12 lakh

Cognizant Technology Solutions’ annual compensation for fresh engineering graduates ranges from ₹4 lakh to ₹12 lakh annually. This depends on categories of hiring, skill set, and advanced industry accredited certifications, said Surya Gummadi, EVP and President, Cognizant Americas.

The clarification comes after a recent post on X stated that the US-based IT company offered entry-level salary of ₹2.52 lakh. This created an uproar with a large number of people criticising Cognizant for paying such a low salary.

However, Gummadi on Sunday clarified that the the recent job posting for talent from non-engineering backgrounds, with a 3-year undergraduate degree has been grossly misrepresented.

“This job posting, with compensation of ₹2.52 lakh annually was only for candidates with a 3-year undergraduate degree and not for engineering graduates,” said Gummadi.

• Also read: A post on social media creates a debate on salary to IT freshers

“The compensation Cognizant offers for engineering graduates is highly competitive within the IT services peer group.”

“Further, when the company hires for entry-level roles, it invests ₹2-3 lakh per associate in the initial years to train, mentor and upskill in advanced technologies. This is for both engineering and non-engineering associates,” he said.

“Hundreds of our associates who joined the company with a 3-year undergraduate degree, today hold key positions from Manager to Assistant Vice President across the company,” he said

“India is the heart of Cognizant and its largest talent hub — with over 70 per cent of its over 336,000 global workforce — based in major metros and Tier-2 cities, across the country,” he added.