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Tech Hiring Shift: Why Zoho, Apple, and NVIDIA Hire from Tier 3 Colleges

A surprising new report shows that over one-third of Indian employees at major tech companies come from tier 3 colleges. This highlights a significant shift toward skills-based hiring in the technology sector. While traditional financial firms still prioritize college reputation, tech giants are focusing more on actual capabilities. The survey reveals that many employees from tier 3 colleges believe their education had limited impact on their career success.

Key Points: Zoho Apple NVIDIA Hire One-Third from Tier 3 Colleges

  • 34% of surveyed employees at Zoho, Apple, NVIDIA are tier 3 graduates
  • Skills-based hiring gaining prominence over college pedigree in tech
  • 59% of tier 3 alumni see college as just a resume line
  • Traditional firms like Goldman Sachs rely more on campus recruitment
2 min read

Over one‑third of Indian employees in Zoho, Apple, NVIDIA from tier 3 colleges: Report

New report reveals 34% of Indian employees at top tech firms graduated from tier 3 colleges, signaling major shift toward skills-based hiring over pedigree.

"While traditional financial firms still place value on college names, major tech firms tend to prioritise skills. - Blind Report"

New Delhi, Oct 22

Over one-third of Indian employees at major tech firms such as Zoho, Apple, and NVIDIA graduated from the country’s tier 3 colleges, a report said on Wednesday.

This highlights a shift towards skills-based hiring, the report from Blind, an anonymous social media app, said, based on its survey of 1,602 Indian professionals.

The survey categorised colleges based on the NIRF 2025 rankings into tier 1, tier 2, tier 3, and overseas institutes.

"While traditional financial firms still place value on college names, major tech firms tend to prioritise skills. At companies like Zoho, Apple, NVIDIA, SAP, and PayPal, where many respondents said college had no influence on their careers, an average of 34 per cent of surveyed employees were Tier 3 graduates," the report said.

Traditional financial and tech firms such as Goldman Sachs, Visa, Atlassian, Oracle, and Google continued to rely on campus recruitment, with an average of 18 per cent of respondents being tier 3 graduates.

While 59 per cent of tier 3 alumni and 45 per cent of overseas graduates considered their college education merely a line on their resume, the vast majority of tier 1 and tier 2 alumni attributed their career development to campus recruitment.

As many as 15 per cent of tier 3 alumni reported significant salary benefits from their education, while 74 per cent indicated it was helpful only in the early stages or not at all.

Around 53 per cent of overseas graduates reported that college had little or no effect on their earnings.

Blind said that 41 per cent of surveyed professionals graduated from tier 1 colleges such as IITs, IISc, top IIMs, BITS Pilani, etc., 30 per cent from tier 2 colleges, 25 per cent from tier 3 and 4 per cent from overseas institutions.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

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Priya S
While I appreciate the skills-first approach, I'm concerned about the 74% of tier 3 graduates who said their education was only helpful in early stages. This shows our tier 3 colleges need major curriculum upgrades to stay relevant.
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Arjun K
Finally! The IIT-IIM monopoly is breaking. I know brilliant developers from local colleges who outperformed IIT grads in my team. Talent is everywhere if companies look beyond brand names.
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Sarah B
Interesting data, but I wonder about the quality of education these tier 3 graduates received. The fact that only 15% reported significant salary benefits suggests there might still be gaps in foundational knowledge.
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Vikram M
This gives hope to millions of students studying in smaller towns across India. The digital revolution and online learning platforms have truly leveled the playing field. Jai Hind! 🇮🇳
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Kavya N
As an HR professional, I've seen this shift firsthand. Companies are realizing that practical skills and problem-solving abilities matter more than prestigious degrees. This is healthy for our tech ecosystem.

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