Is culture and inclusion the new campus-hiring test?

Campus hiring has long been about numbers, roles and salaries. Now, employers are looking beyond skills to ask: do these young hires fit the culture and will that translate into performance?

Aon’s 15th annual Campus Study Report 2026-27 finds that 90% of organisations assess culture alignment while hiring from campuses, most commonly through HR-led interviews. For 32% of employers, the connection goes further: they see a clear link between cultural alignment and individual performance, making culture an increasingly important consideration in how companies build and retain early-career talent.

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The shift is also visible in how employers are thinking about inclusion. More than half of organisations have set gender representation goals across major talent cohorts, while around 30% are reaching beyond their traditional campus lists to widen the talent pool. Together, the findings point to a campus hiring market where employers are thinking not just about filling roles, but about building talent pools that fit their culture, perform effectively and are more representative of the workforce they want to create.

At the same time, campus hiring remains resilient, with employers continuing to prioritise skills, critical roles and job readiness. Demand is healthy across qualifications. According to the study 56% of organisations plan to increase hiring of Chartered Accountant and Company Secretary graduates, 51% expect to hire more interns, 40% more diploma holders and 36% more engineers. However, median intake sizes across several cohorts remain largely unchanged.

“India’s campus hiring market remains resilient, but employers are becoming more selective about the skills and roles they hire for,” said Roopank Chaudhary, Partner and Head of Talent and Rewards Consulting, India, Aon. “Organisations continue to invest in campus talent, while hiring decisions are increasingly shaped by business demand, specialised skills and graduate readiness. Early-career talent pipelines are being built around the capabilities needed to support future growth.”

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Campus compensation is expected to see a moderate 2% to 7% year-on-year increase across major streams. For BTech graduates, the median total cost to company (TCC) for the 2027 cohort at the seven IITs covered in the study is projected to remain broadly unchanged at ₹16.46 lakh. At Tier-1 engineering colleges, however, median TCC is expected to rise from ₹13.85 lakh to ₹14.75 lakh.

For MBA graduates, median TCC at the top IIMs is expected to remain at ₹26 lakh, while Tier-1 management institutes are projected to see a modest increase from ₹20.89 lakh to ₹21.50 lakh. The TCC figures include fixed pay, one-time cash components such as joining bonuses and annual variable pay, but exclude long-term incentives. Overall, the numbers suggest steady growth in campus compensation rather than a sharp upswing in pay levels.

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Internships remain a key part of the early-career talent pipeline, with around 90% of organisations hiring interns across the qualifications covered. Of these, 80% to 85% use pre-placement interviews or offers to convert strong interns into full-time employees, making internships an important route to campus hiring.

The focus is also shifting to what happens after campus hires join. Offer-to-joining ratio is the most widely tracked metric, monitored by 66% of respondents, while 55% track both first-year performance and early voluntary attrition. Overall, 82% monitor early attrition, with just over half defining it as exits within the first year.

Slow career growth and a mismatch between employees’ expectations and the realities of their roles remain key reasons for early exits. In response, organisations are strengthening onboarding, role clarity, career development, mentorship and regular career conversations to improve engagement and retention.

“AI is helping organisations assess candidates more effectively, with greater focus on skills, role relevance and job readiness,” said Amit Kumar Otwani, Associate Partner, Talent Solutions, India, Aon. “As talent needs evolve, employers are using these tools to make more informed hiring decisions and build stronger talent pipelines. Campus hiring is no longer just about filling roles; it is about building the capabilities and workforce resilience needed for long-term growth.”