Cognizant Technology Solutions’ annual compensation for fresh engineering graduates ranges from ₹4 lakh to ₹12 lakh annually. This depends on categories of hiring, skill set, and advanced industry accredited certifications, said Surya Gummadi, EVP and President, Cognizant Americas.

The clarification comes after a recent post on X stated that the US-based IT company offered entry-level salary of ₹2.52 lakh. This created an uproar with a large number of people criticising Cognizant for paying such a low salary.

However, Gummadi on Sunday clarified that the the recent job posting for talent from non-engineering backgrounds, with a 3-year undergraduate degree has been grossly misrepresented.

“This job posting, with compensation of ₹2.52 lakh annually was only for candidates with a 3-year undergraduate degree and not for engineering graduates,” said Gummadi.

“The compensation Cognizant offers for engineering graduates is highly competitive within the IT services peer group.”

“Further, when the company hires for entry-level roles, it invests ₹2-3 lakh per associate in the initial years to train, mentor and upskill in advanced technologies. This is for both engineering and non-engineering associates,” he said.

“Hundreds of our associates who joined the company with a 3-year undergraduate degree, today hold key positions from Manager to Assistant Vice President across the company,” he said

“India is the heart of Cognizant and its largest talent hub — with over 70 per cent of its over 336,000 global workforce — based in major metros and Tier-2 cities, across the country,” he added.