TCS Off-Campus Eligibility: Branch, Batch, Percentage and Backlog Rules in One Place

TCS NQT is commonly reported as open to any engineering/MCA/M.Sc specialisation, with a 60% minimum across 10th, 12th and degree independently, one active backlog allowed at the exam stage, a two-year cumulative gap limit, and a roughly six-month reapplication cooldown after a rejection. These are patterns reported across multiple placement trackers, not a single official TCS policy document — confirm against the current NQT notification before applying.

# TCS NQT eligibility at a glance

# What this means in practice

• Branch is not the filter — the NQT assessment itself is. See our full branch-eligibility explainer.
• The percentage criterion is applied at three separate checkpoints, not just your most recent score — see our 10th/12th percentage guide.
• The cooldown only starts if you actually attended the exam or interview, not just registered.
• TCS runs more than one entry track. NQT is the primary off-campus route, but TCS also runs campus-specific drives and occasional specialised hiring programmes — if NQT's criteria don't fit your situation, it's worth checking whether a different TCS track applies before assuming you're ineligible company-wide.

# Why these figures move every cycle

TCS runs NQT multiple times a year, and the specific cutoffs — particularly the percentage floor and the exact cooldown length — are reported to shift between cycles based on hiring volume and labour-market conditions. A figure that was accurate for the previous cycle's drive is not a guarantee for the one you're applying to. The patterns above are a reasonable starting expectation, not a fixed company policy you can rely on indefinitely.

# Sources and limitations

Compiled from drive notifications and placement-tracker data as of 12 October 2026, not a single official TCS policy page — TCS does not appear to publish one consolidated public document covering all these criteria together. Each figure changes by hiring cycle; verify against the current NQT registration page before relying on it.