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Beyond Doctor, Engineer, CA

Part One: Before you choose, chapter 3

How to judge a degree

Five questions, reading the numbers, and common myths

Five questions to ask of any degree

Is a famous name enough? Rarely. A good degree fits the student and pays back its cost. A brochure tells you what a college wants you to hear. These questions tell you the rest.

  1. 1

    What will it cost in total?

    Add tuition, hostel, food, travel and coaching (private exam classes) for every year, not just the first.

  2. 2

    How hard is it to get in?

    Look at the exam, the seats and last year's cut-off (the last rank admitted), and keep a backup.

  3. 3

    What happens to graduates?

    Find how many were placed in jobs, their median pay (the middle value), and how many studied further.

  4. 4

    How long before it pays?

    Some routes pay in four years, others only after a master's degree, a PhD or long training.

  5. 5

    Will it hold up as AI spreads?

    Some work is changing faster than other work.

Reading the numbers

Colleges in NIRF, the government's college ranking, publish placements (jobs arranged through the college), median pay and higher studies for a recent batch.

At a top engineering institute, about 3 in 4 graduates were placed, with a median of about 20 lakh, and 1 in 4 studied further. At a private engineering college, about 6 in 10 were placed, with a median of 4 to 5 lakh.

Read them with care: a top humanities college may place few students because most take a master's. The median counts only those placed. Colleges self-report, so compare two or three years. Pay varies widely, so treat every figure as a range.

3 in 4

placed at a top engineering institute, median about 20 lakh

6 in 10

placed at a private engineering college, median 4 to 5 lakh

Checking a college is genuine

NAAC grade

NAAC, the national body that grades colleges, gives grades from A++ down to C that last five years. Only about 1 in 4 colleges has a grade, so ask about a missing one.

The right regulator

AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education) for engineering and management, NMC (National Medical Commission) for medicine, the Council of Architecture, and the Bar Council of India for law.

The UGC list of fake universities

UGC (University Grants Commission) keeps it, and about 30 were on it in early 2026. Their degrees are not valid, so check the live list.

Common myths

Some beliefs, repeated at every family wedding, are wrong.

MythOnly engineering and medicine lead to good jobs

FactTop law graduates report medians of about 17 to 19 lakh, and many other routes pay well.

MythA famous college guarantees a good job

FactElite graduates earn more but, one Indian study found, test no better at exit.

MythHumanities is for weak students

FactAbout 3 in 10 civil servants chosen by UPSC, the national recruiting body, studied humanities.

MythYou must go to Kota, the coaching town

FactCoaching is optional for every exam in this book, and Kota's student numbers roughly halved in 2024.

MythPrivate colleges are better because they cost more

FactISI (Indian Statistical Institute) is free and among the hardest to enter.

Good to know

About 13 per cent of graduates were unemployed in 2023-24, against about 3 per cent overall. A degree is no guarantee.

My advice: ask all five questions of every degree, especially the one your uncle recommends.

Official links and free material