In a major achievement, a student from IIT Hyderabad has secured a record-breaking ₹2.5 crore annual package, the highest ever in the institute’s history. This remarkable offer came despite a tough hiring market.

Who Is the Student?

The offer was bagged by Edward Nathan Varghese, a final-year Computer Science Engineering student. He will join Optiver, a Netherlands-based firm, as a Software Engineer starting July. According to reports, this is the highest package offered since IIT Hyderabad was established in 2008.

Internship Turned Into a Dream Offer

At just 21 years old, Varghese converted his two-month summer internship into a pre-placement offer (PPO). He was the only student among two interns selected by Optiver to receive a PPO.

The internship included two weeks of training followed by a six-week project, which helped him prove his skills.

‘First and Only Interview’

Speaking about the moment, Varghese said this was the first and only company he interviewed for. He shared that he felt extremely happy when his mentor hinted about the offer, and his parents were equally proud.

Born in Hyderabad and later schooled in Bengaluru, Varghese said he stayed confident even during the hiring slowdown. He credited the IIT tag, his strong background in competitive programming, and being among the top 100 coders in India.

Role of IIT Hyderabad’s Curriculum

Varghese also praised IIT Hyderabad’s flexible curriculum, which allowed students to explore a wide range of courses. He said this flexibility played a key role in helping him crack the interview.

Both his parents are engineers, and he believes the learning environment at IIT Hyderabad shaped his success.

Placements See Big Jump in 2025

The 2025 placement season has been exceptional for IIT Hyderabad. Along with the ₹2.5 crore offer, another CSE student secured a ₹1.1 crore package, raising the institute’s placement standards.

Earlier, the highest package at IIT Hyderabad was around ₹1 crore, recorded in 2017.

Strong Overall Placement Performance

The institute also saw a 75 percent rise in average packages, jumping from ₹20.8 lakh in 2024 to ₹36.2 lakh in 2025. During Phase 1 of placements, which ended in December, students received 24 international offers.

Focus Beyond Big Salaries

Mayur Vaidya, faculty in the charge of the Office of Career Services, stated that the institution focuses on providing quality jobs for every student, not only high-paying jobs. He also said the fact that IIT Hyderabad is also giving preference to engineering positions in the core as well as PSUs and national possibilities, particularly to postgraduate students. In the first month, 196 of the 650 PG student have already been offered jobs in jobs with an average salary that is worth Rs 22 lakh. the majority of undergraduate students have been offered jobs. This achievement highlights the increasing popularity of Hyderabad’s IIT and the growing demand worldwide for its expertise.