IT Companies Hiring Freshers 2026, Complete List & Prep Guide

If you are a 2025 or 2026 pass-out looking for an IT job, this guide maps out every major company actively running fresher drives this year, what they pay, and exactly what you need to clear their hiring process.

The IT hiring market in 2026 is recovering after the 2023–2024 slowdown. Mass hiring has resumed at Tier-1 service companies, and product-based firms have opened structured campus programs again. Knowing which companies are hiring, when, and at what cut-offs saves you months of misdirected preparation.

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Which IT Companies Are Actively Hiring Freshers in 2026?

The table below groups companies by tier, role type, and minimum eligibility. Figures on package ranges are based on verified candidate reports from 2024–2026 hiring cycles.

Company	Tier	Role	Min. CGPA	Package (CTC)
TCS	Service	Engineer Trainee / Digital	6.0	₹3.36 – 7 LPA
Infosys	Service	Systems Engineer / SP / DSE	6.0	₹3.6 – 9 LPA
Wipro	Service	Project Engineer / Turbo	6.0	₹3.5 – 6.5 LPA
Cognizant	Service	Programmer Analyst Trainee	6.0	₹4 – 7 LPA
Capgemini	Service	Analyst / Sr. Analyst	5.0	₹3.8 – 7 LPA
Accenture	Service	ASE / Packaged App Assoc.	6.0	₹4.5 – 9.5 LPA
HCL Technologies	Service	Graduate Engineer Trainee	6.0	₹3.5 – 5 LPA
Tech Mahindra	Service	Software Engineer	6.0	₹3.25 – 5.5 LPA
LTIMindtree	Mid-tier	Software Engineer	6.5	₹5 – 8 LPA
Mphasis	Mid-tier	Software Engineer	6.5	₹5 – 7 LPA
Persistent Systems	Mid-tier	Software Engineer	6.5	₹5.5 – 8 LPA
Hexaware	Mid-tier	Software Trainee	6.0	₹4 – 6 LPA
Amazon	Product	SDE-1	7.0	₹22 – 45 LPA
Microsoft	Product	SDE-1	7.0	₹20 – 55 LPA
Google	Product	L3 SWE	7.5	₹35 – 70 LPA
Samsung R&D	Product	Software Engineer	7.0	₹15 – 30 LPA
Dream11	Product	SDE-1	7.0	₹20 – 42 LPA
KPMG (Tech)	Consulting	Associate	6.5	₹7 – 13 LPA

Package ranges are estimated ranges based on verified candidate reports from 2024–2026 drives. Variable components, joining bonuses, and stock grants not included in CTC figures above.

For a broader view across non-IT sectors, see the top 100 companies for placements in 2026.

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2026 Fresher Hiring Calendar, Month-by-Month Timeline

Knowing when to apply is as important as knowing where. Most students miss early drives simply because they do not track the calendar. Below is a consolidated timeline based on previous-year reference dates and 2026 announcements confirmed as of April 2026.

Month	Companies with Active Drives	Hiring Stage
Jan – Feb 2026	TCS NQT (Off-campus), Infosys InfyTQ, Wipro NLTH	Online Test (open registration)
Feb – Mar 2026	Accenture (off-campus), Capgemini (off-campus), Cognizant (campus + off)	OA + Interview scheduling
Mar – Apr 2026	LTIMindtree, Mphasis, Persistent Systems	Offer letters for Jan batch
Apr – May 2026	Amazon SDE (off-campus), Microsoft (select colleges)	OA / Interviews
May – Jun 2026	HCL, Tech Mahindra, Hexaware	Large volume drives; walk-ins + off-campus
Jul – Aug 2026	Samsung R&D (campus + off-campus), Dream11, KPMG Tech	Lateral-fresher hybrid drives
Aug – Sep 2026	TCS Campus Commune (2027 batch begins), Infosys Campus Connect	2027 batch early access
Oct – Dec 2026	Mass drives resume for backlogs; supplementary Infosys / Wipro cycles	Second-chance drives

Dates are based on 2024–2025 reference timelines. Verify on each company's official careers page before applying.

If your degree had a gap year, check the IT companies gap year policy for 2026 before applying, several companies revised their gap tolerance in 2025.

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Eligibility at a Glance, Service vs Product Companies

Service-based companies (TCS, Infosys, Wipro, Cognizant, Capgemini, Accenture) typically require:

• B.E. / B.Tech / M.E. / M.Tech / MCA / M.Sc (CS/IT) from a recognised university
• Minimum 60% (6.0 CGPA) in 10th, 12th, and graduation, no active backlogs at time of joining
• Gap year: Most allow up to 1 year; Accenture and Capgemini accept up to 2 years with justification

Product-based companies (Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Samsung, Dream11) require:

• Strong DSA fundamentals, expect 2–4 coding problems on LeetCode-medium to hard difficulty
• Preferred: 7.0+ CGPA, CS/IT branch, participation in competitive programming
• No strict gap-year ceiling for most, but a blank resume period raises screening red flags

For detailed branch-wise and CGPA-wise eligibility breakdowns, see service-based companies eligibility 2026 and product-based companies eligibility 2026.

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Salary Trend Data, What Freshers Actually Took Home (2022–2026)

This table tracks the trajectory of fresher CTC at major IT companies across four years. Figures are estimated ranges based on verified candidate reports; actual in-hand varies with tax slab, city, and variable payout.

Company	2022 CTC	2023 CTC	2024 CTC	2025 CTC	2026 Projected
TCS (Engineer Trainee)	₹3.36 LPA	₹3.36 LPA	₹3.36 LPA	₹3.36 LPA	₹3.5–3.8 LPA
TCS (Digital/Prime)	₹7 LPA	₹7 LPA	₹7 LPA	₹7 LPA	₹7–9 LPA
Infosys (SE)	₹3.6 LPA	₹3.6 LPA	₹3.6 LPA	₹4 LPA	₹4–4.5 LPA
Infosys (SP/DSE)	₹6.5 LPA	₹7.5 LPA	₹8 LPA	₹9 LPA	₹9–10 LPA
Wipro (Project Eng.)	₹3.5 LPA	₹3.5 LPA	₹3.5 LPA	₹3.5 LPA	₹3.5–4 LPA
Wipro (Turbo)	₹6.5 LPA	₹6.5 LPA	₹6.5 LPA	₹6.5 LPA	₹6.5–8 LPA
Accenture (ASE)	₹4.5 LPA	₹4.5 LPA	₹4.5 LPA	₹4.5 LPA	₹4.5–5 LPA
Capgemini (Analyst)	₹3.8 LPA	₹3.8 LPA	₹4 LPA	₹4 LPA	₹4–5 LPA
Amazon (SDE-1)	₹22 LPA	₹24 LPA	₹26 LPA	₹30 LPA	₹32–45 LPA

All figures are estimated ranges based on verified candidate reports. In-hand will be lower after tax. Variable pay, relocation allowance, and joining bonuses excluded.

For the full breakdown of which companies pay the most, check top 10 highest-paying IT companies in India 2026.

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Step-by-Step Preparation Strategy for IT Fresher Hiring 2026

Phase 1, Foundation (6–8 weeks before the drive)

Aptitude: Every service-based company screens on quant, logical reasoning, and verbal. Cover:

• Number systems, percentages, profit & loss, time-speed-distance
• Seating arrangements, blood relations, syllogisms
• Reading comprehension, fill in the blanks

Use profit and loss questions for placement and pipes and cisterns for placement, both topics reappear consistently in TCS NQT, Infosys, and Capgemini OAs.

Coding basics: If you are targeting service-based roles, you need only basic programming, loops, arrays, strings, simple pattern programs. If you are targeting product roles, move straight to Phase 2 DSA.

Phase 2, Technical Depth (4–6 weeks)

DSA for product companies: Arrays, strings, linked lists, trees, graphs, DP, sliding window. For linked list interview questions 2026, focus on reversal, cycle detection, and merge operations, these appear in 60–70% of SDE-1 OAs based on candidate reports from 2024–2025 drives.

Web tech for full-stack roles: React and Angular are the two dominant frontend frameworks asked in interviews. Cover component lifecycle, hooks, state management basics. See the Angular roadmap if you are targeting Accenture, Capgemini, or Mphasis full-stack tracks.

Core subjects: DBMS (SQL queries, normalization), OS (scheduling, deadlocks), CN (OSI model, TCP/IP), mandatory for Infosys SP, Wipro Turbo, and Cognizant GenC Next interviews.

Phase 3, Mock Tests and Drive Simulation (2–3 weeks before)

Run full-length mocks under timed conditions. Use the OA cheat sheet for campus hiring 2026 to understand how each company's platform behaves, TCS iON, AMCAT, Cocubes, and HirePro all have platform-specific quirks.

Prioritise:

• Wipro placement papers 2026 for Wipro NLTH pattern
• KPMG placement papers 2026 for tech consulting OA format
• Samsung interview questions 2026 for R&D-specific technical rounds

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Practice Questions, IT Fresher Hiring 2026

Common Mistakes Freshers Make, and How to Avoid Them

1. Applying to everything without a target list. Spraying 50 applications kills focus. Pick 8–10 companies that match your CGPA, branch, and skill level, and prepare specifically for their process.

2. Ignoring sectional cutoffs. Scoring 90% overall but 40% in verbal will get you rejected at TCS, Infosys, and Wipro. Every section has an independent cutoff. Practice every section, not just coding.

3. Preparing DSA for service-based OAs. Most service-based companies test basic programming (output prediction, simple loops), not LeetCode-hard problems. Over-investing in DSA while neglecting aptitude is a common mismatch. Know your target company's actual pattern.

4. Skipping the communication round. Infosys Versant, Capgemini SVAR, Wipro spoken English tests, these knock out technically strong candidates. Practice speaking clearly about your projects and about technical topics. Record yourself.

5. Not tracking offer letter timelines. Joining date extensions are common (Infosys famously delayed 2022–2024 batches). A second offer in hand before the first joining date gives you leverage. Never quit the search after one offer, continue until you have physically joined.

For more on what skills actually matter in 2026 interviews, see top skills for IT freshers 2026.

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Related Resources

• Top skills for IT freshers in 2026, what hiring managers actually screen for
• IT companies gap year policy 2026, company-wise rules on career gaps
• OA cheat sheet for campus hiring 2026, platform-specific tips for TCS iON, AMCAT, HirePro
• Service-based companies eligibility 2026, full eligibility matrix
• Product-based companies eligibility 2026, CGPA, branch, and backlog rules
• React interview questions 2026, for full-stack and frontend tracks
• Wipro placement papers 2026, NLTH pattern with solved papers
• Top 10 highest-paying IT companies India 2026, salary benchmarks by role

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FAQs

Q: Which IT companies are hiring freshers in 2026 without a CGPA cutoff?

Capgemini is the most prominent company with a 5.0 CGPA threshold (effectively no cutoff for most graduates), followed by Hexaware and Tech Mahindra which have hired candidates with 6.0 CGPA on record but show flexibility for strong OA scorers. No major IT company has a zero-CGPA policy, all have at least a 50–60% aggregate requirement at some stage.

Q: Can a 2024 pass-out apply to 2026 fresher drives?

Yes, most service-based companies accept candidates who passed out up to 1–2 years ago, provided they have no full-time work experience. TCS and Infosys consider 2023 and 2024 pass-outs for off-campus drives. If you have freelance or internship experience, you still qualify as a fresher. Full-time employment of 6+ months or more typically moves you to the lateral track.

Q: Is off-campus hiring as good as on-campus for freshers in 2026?

For service-based companies, yes, the offer is identical (same package, same role). Off-campus drives through the company's official careers portal are the primary channel for candidates from non-target colleges. For product companies, campus hiring at IITs/NITs still gets easier access, but off-campus OA portals (Amazon, Microsoft) are fully legitimate pathways.

Q: How many rounds does a typical IT company have for freshers?

Service-based companies: 3–4 rounds, Online Assessment (aptitude + coding) → TR (technical interview) → HR. Some companies like Cognizant and Accenture now run a communication or essay round between OA and TR. Product companies: 4–6 rounds, OA (DSA) → 2–3 technical interviews (DSA + system design basics + CS fundamentals) → HR / bar-raiser.

Q: What is the joining date for IT freshers hired in 2026?

For candidates selected in January–March 2026 drives, joining is typically scheduled for June–August 2026 after final exam clearance. Infosys and Wipro have historically pushed joining dates by 3–6 months, always get the offer letter in writing and continue other interviews until you receive a confirmed joining date with a training location.

Q: Do IT companies in 2026 verify CGPA during background checks?

Yes, all Tier-1 IT companies (TCS, Infosys, Wipro, Accenture, Cognizant) conduct third-party background verification before or shortly after joining. Discrepancies in CGPA lead to offer revocation. Do not misrepresent your academic score at any stage, the OA application, resume, or HR form.

Q: Which IT company has the fastest hiring process in 2026?

Capgemini and Hexaware have the shortest OA-to-offer timelines, typically 2–4 weeks from test date to offer letter, based on 2025 candidate reports. TCS NQT to offer can take 2–3 months. Product companies vary widely: Amazon runs a structured 6–8 week loop; smaller product startups can close in 1–2 weeks.