--- title: "CGPA Below 6.5? Which Tech Companies Still Hire Freshers in India" slug: "tech-companies-no-cgpa-cutoff-freshers" description: "A low CGPA rules you out of some drives but not all. Here is how the common 60%/65% cutoffs actually work, and where to look when yours is below that line." seo_title: "CGPA Below 6.5? Tech Companies That Still Hire" published_at: "2026-10-13T07:30:00Z" updated_at: "2026-10-13T07:30:00Z" author: name: "Guaq AI Research Team" role: "Career and Hiring Research" url: "https://jobs.guaqai.me" avatar_url: "/assets/brand/wordmark-light.png" category: "Career & Hiring" tags: - "freshers" - "eligibility" - "cgpa" - "off-campus" reading_time_minutes: 6 featured: false og_image: "https://jobs.guaqai.me/assets/hero-product.jpg" faqs: - question: "Which companies hire freshers with CGPA below 6.5?" answer: "Cutoffs vary by employer and change each hiring cycle. Several IT services firms have historically set the line at 60% aggregate (roughly 6.0 CGPA); others, including Infosys for its Specialist Engineer track, have moved the cutoff to 65% (6.5 CGPA) in recent cycles. Startups, GCCs and smaller product firms are more likely to evaluate on a project portfolio or a coding assessment instead of a fixed cutoff." - question: "Is 6 CGPA enough for off-campus placements?" answer: "It depends on the specific drive. A 6.0 CGPA (60%) clears the threshold reported for several services-sector programmes, but falls short of the 65% line some employers apply to graduation marks specifically. Check the live posting's stated criteria rather than a general rule." - question: "How to get an IT job with less than 60 percent in a degree?" answer: "Target employers that evaluate on a skills test or portfolio rather than a fixed percentage — this is more common at startups, smaller product companies, and roles filled through a coding assessment first. A strong GitHub history or demonstrated project work carries more weight in that path than it does in a CGPA-gated services drive." cross_links: - label: "10th/12th percentage rules explained" url: "/blogs/10th-12th-percentage-criteria-it-companies-india" - label: "Browse live roles" url: "/feed" data_sources: - "PrepInsta and PapersAdda eligibility trackers for TCS NQT and Infosys SE/DSE, accessed 12 October 2026" - "Company-specific off-campus drive notifications cross-referenced across multiple placement trackers, accessed 12 October 2026" --- **There is no single CGPA cutoff across the Indian IT industry — it is set per employer, and it has been drifting upward.** Several large services firms have historically used 60% aggregate (around 6.0 CGPA) as their cutoff; Infosys raised its Specialist Engineer cutoff to 65% starting with recent batches. If your CGPA sits below 6.0, the realistic path is away from CGPA-gated drives entirely, toward employers that assess on skills or a test first. ## 1. What "CGPA criteria" actually means in these drives The number usually applies across three separate checkpoints — 10th, 12th and your degree aggregate — not just the final CGPA. A candidate can clear the degree cutoff and still be filtered out by a single weak 12th-grade percentage, because employers that state this criterion tend to apply it at every level, not just the most recent one. ## 2. Cutoffs reported across major employers (verify before applying) | Checkpoint | Pattern reported | Notes | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Services-sector entry programmes | 60% aggregate widely reported as a floor | Applied across 10th, 12th and degree in several drives | | Infosys Specialist Engineer / DSE | 65% (6.5 CGPA) in recent cycles | Raised from 60% starting with 2024-batch drives per multiple trackers | | Product companies | No fixed public cutoff | Usually filtered by assessment and project evidence instead | | GCCs and startups | Varies widely, often unstated | More likely to weight a coding test over CGPA | These numbers move every hiring season and are set per drive — they are not a published, standing company-wide policy anywhere we found, which means the only reliable number is the one on your specific application portal. ## 3. If your CGPA is below the common cutoffs 1. **Target assessment-first employers.** Startups, GCCs and smaller product companies more often lead with a coding round or take-home task, where a low CGPA doesn't auto-reject you before you're seen. 2. **Build a visible project record.** A portfolio or GitHub history is the thing a CGPA-gated process can't see — put it where a recruiter outside the gated process will. 3. **Check "Immediate Joiner" and referral routes separately** — a referral can sometimes route an application around an initial CGPA filter, though it rarely removes a joining-time check. 4. **Re-read the posting, not a forwarded summary.** CGPA requirements are the single most commonly misquoted criterion in shared placement messages — the number people repeat is often last year's. ## Not stated anywhere official No major Indian IT employer publishes a blanket statement like "CGPA does not matter." Where a cutoff exists, it is stated on the specific drive's eligibility page — treat any number you haven't seen on an official portal as unverified. ## What Employed does and does not do here Employed's eligibility filters are **batch year, degree and branch** — the fields consistently stated on a job description. CGPA and backlog status are not something Employed filters on, because they are set by drive-specific policy that a career-page job description rarely states. This guide reports the market pattern; it is not a claim about what any single live listing requires. ## Sources and limitations Figures above are drawn from placement-prep trackers and drive notifications cross-referenced as of 12 October 2026, not a single primary source — CGPA policy is the fastest-moving criterion in this space and should be verified against the live application before you rely on it.