IIM Amritsar audit report and NIRF data mismatch: What is the data discrepancy?

IIM Amritsar’s audit report and NIRF data show a mismatch. In this article, we take a look at what this mismatch between IIM Amritsar’s audit report and NIRF data is and the discrepancy.

The graduation outcome mentioned in the NIRF pertains to the placement percentage, median salary and the recruiters that come for the placement sessions.

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The placement statistics for any institute especially a public one generally is presented differently in a marketing brochure, a Govt of India report or the audited one. But the data set is always the same.

In this article we take a look at the official data records available for IIM Amritsar – NIRF or IIM Amritsar’s placement brochure or the audited report to understand this data discrepancy.

IIM Amritsar Placement Data for 2024, 2025 (NIRF) vs Audited Data

The table above has been compiled using the data from NIRF as well as the official audited reports of IIM Amritsar. It shows gaps between the two. The NIRF data for the number of students who graduated and got placed differs vastly from the audited reports of the same institute.

In the NIRF report, it is mentioned that 279 students graduated in 2024 and 277 of them were placed. The median salary has been mentioned as 15.6 lakhs. The same year’s audited report shows that 277 students passed out and only 251 were placed and the median salary was 15 lakhs.

Similarly, the data for 2025 also takes the same path with an interesting turn. According to NIRF, 318 students graduated and 210 were placed. The median salary is mentioned as 12.29 lakhs which is a good drop from the previous year. Now, the audited report says 318 students graduated and 267 were placed. Moreover, the audited report doesn’t mention the median salary. Instead it gives the median salary of the top 20%. This figure doesn’t give the true picture as the top students will always get good placements.

The audited reports and NIRF pages can be seen in the video above. Careers360 wrote to IIM Amritsar asking clarifications on these points. The IIM Amritsar office to their credit did reply but their replies left things short. There was no clarification of the data discrepancy other than a lame excuse now was anything properly addressed.

From the comparison of the NIRF reports and IIM Amritsar’s audited reports, there is a massive drop in the median salary. There is also a discrepancy in the numbers of students who have graduated and been placed. The audited reports also have undergone a change in the data presented. In the earlier years, the median salary was clearly given and in recent ones, the median salary for the top 20% is given.

Now this raises serious questions on various fronts. One – what should students consider – NIRF or the audited reports? Second, how can students consider the median salary for the top 20% and why has IIM Amritsar masked the actual median salary? This raise more questions than answers.

Careers360 wrote to IIM Amritsar regarding this and their replies are given below. However, the answers do not throw any light on the actual issues. Instead, it raises more questions.

Official Response from IIM Amritsar

To the explanation that the discrepancy is due to a time lag, there is clearly not much time between the NIRF submissions and the audited reports. Moreover, the institute would know how many actually sat for placements and how many were placed.

IIM Amritsar plays down the discrepancy as minor but when looked at closely, it is not a minor thing. The numbers of the students placed as reported in NIRF are higher than the ones mentioned in the audited reports. There cannot be data differences like this for the same year and the same institute.

Why does the salary metric in the placement report not directly reconcile with NIRF's median salary? Why has the institute mentioned the top 20 percentile and not the entire thing? The answer given by IIM Amritsar is far from satisfying. This only raises doubts that the median salary may not be that good and may have dropped further.

Some metrics are given to NIRF. What stops the IIM Amritsar to mention the same in the audited reports unless the data submitted to NIRF is not the actual picture.

If one looks at the top quartile – again, they have not been consistent with the figures presented. In one year, the top quartile is 19.73 lakh and in the next they mention the median top 20% at 19.11 lakh and not top quartile. This may mean that they needed to maintain a consistent figure hence the roundabout way of presenting the data.

IIM Amritsar has a legacy to live up to, and what the data says here very clearly proves something: that this institution is sliding downwards. What is wrong here is the effort put in by the institute to maintain a narrative that everything is hunky-dory and good. For this IIM Amritsar is changing the metrics, the rule sets, the measurable metrics and that is totally wrong.

It is far better that the institution focuses on improving the placements, improving the quality of the intake, students and education thereby ensuring that the best companies come for recruitment.