The ICAI campus placement programme is the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India’s flagship hiring drive for newly qualified CAs, and its 65th edition ran across August and September 2026. In the first phase, 78 organisations notified 5,339 vacancies at nine major centres. A total of 6,399 newly qualified Chartered Accountants registered, out of 7,931 candidates who passed the CA Final examination in May 2026. Interviews were held in person at 29 centres, and the whole process, from registration to consent to the final offer, ran on the ICAI placement portal. This guide records how the drive worked, who could apply, what recent salary data looks like, and how to prepare for the next one. For more openings like this, browse the CA jobs section.
ICAI Campus Placement 65th Programme at a Glance
The 65th ICAI campus placement drive connected 6,399 newly qualified CAs with 78 organisations offering 5,339 vacancies across 29 centres in August and September 2026. Registration cost Rs 1,500, shortlisting ran in two rounds, and every candidate could hold one offer only.
The programme is organised by the ICAI Placement Directorate and runs twice a year, for one moment in a CA’s career: the weeks right after the CA Final result. Companies register on the portal, declare centre-wise vacancies, shortlist from the database, and interview at physical centres in a fixed window.
| Detail | 65th Campus Placement Programme |
|---|---|
| Edition and window | 65th, August to September 2026 |
| Vacancies notified (first phase) | 5,339 |
| Candidates registered | 6,399 |
| Organisations participating (first phase) | 78 |
| Interview centres | 29 (9 bigger centres, 20 smaller centres) |
| Candidate registration fee | Rs 1,500, inclusive of taxes |
| Interview mode and timing | Physical interviews, 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM |
ICAI Campus Placement Key Dates 2026
The drive moved in two phases: bigger centres first in August, then smaller centres in September. The dates below are from the official programme brochure and candidate guidelines.
| Stage | Dates |
|---|---|
| Candidate registration on the portal | Closed 2 July 2026 (smaller-centre-only registrations open until 2 September 2026) |
| Organisation registration, bigger centres | Last date 14 July 2026 |
| Shortlisting round 1, bigger centres | 16 to 20 July 2026 |
| Candidate consent round 1 | 21 to 22 July 2026 |
| Shortlisting round 2 | 23 to 25 July 2026 |
| Candidate consent round 2 | 26 to 27 July 2026 |
| Aptitude test, psychometric test and pre-placement talk (virtual) | 29 to 31 July 2026 |
| Interviews, bigger centres | 3 to 17 August 2026 (Delhi 3 to 7 Aug; Mumbai, Pune 4 to 8 Aug; Kolkata 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 Aug; Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai 10 to 14 Aug; Hyderabad, Jaipur 11 to 14 and 17 Aug) |
| Organisation registration, smaller centres | Last date 6 September 2026 |
| Shortlisting and consent rounds, smaller centres | 8 to 19 September 2026 |
| Interviews, smaller centres | 18 to 25 September 2026 |
ICAI Campus Placement Centres: 9 Bigger and 20 Smaller
The nine bigger centres were Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi and Pune. The 20 smaller centres were Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Coimbatore, Durgapur, Ernakulam, Guwahati, Indore, Kanpur, Lucknow, Nagpur, Noida, Patna, Raipur, Rajkot, Ranchi, Ratlam, Thane, Vadodara and Visakhapatnam.
The two-centre design matters. A candidate not selected at the bigger centre, or who declined the offer there, had the database merged with the smaller centre of second choice, with four fresh chances to select a company. Accepting an offer at the bigger centre ended the run.
Who Could Apply: ICAI Campus Placement Eligibility
Three categories of candidates could take part in the August to September 2026 drive, per the ICAI candidate FAQs.
- May 2026 pass-outs: passed both groups of the CA Final in May 2026, with articleship completing on or before 31 October 2026.
- January 2026 pass-outs: passed the CA Final in January 2026, with articleship completing between 1 March 2026 and 30 June 2026, and did not take part in the 64th programme in April to May 2026. They registered with the letter N added after the CA Final roll number.
- Reverification and revaluation candidates: January 2026 results declared after 31 March 2026 following verification of marks, with no participation in the earlier drive. They also used the N suffix.
Two rules applied to everyone. Registration had to use the roll number under which the candidate cleared the CA Final, and a May 2026 qualifier whose articleship was not completing by 31 October 2026 had to wait for the next programme. Candidates below 21 who could not yet apply for membership needed special permission by email to cajob@icai.in.
How to Register for ICAI Campus Placement, Step by Step
The process is fully online and repeats in the same shape every edition, so learn it before the next drive opens.
- Read the announcement and the general guidelines for candidates on the ICAI website.
- Register as a candidate on the placement portal, icaiplacements.icai.org, using the CA Final roll number.
- Fill the form carefully and choose one bigger centre and one smaller centre. The form cannot be edited after submission.
- Submit the undertaking in the candidate login.
- Pay Rs 1,500 online by credit or debit card. Cash is not accepted. The centre code, such as DEL or MUM, is allotted once the payment succeeds.
- Generate and print the photo ID card from the login.
- Watch the shortlisting rounds. Companies shortlist up to ten times their declared vacancies. Consent only to companies you will actually attend, within that round’s window.
- Attend interviews at your centre between 9:30 AM and 6:00 PM with the printed photo ID card and profile printout. Once you sign the acceptance declaration for a company, you exit the process.
What Salary to Expect: Past ICAI Campus Placement Data
The 65th edition’s own results come after the drive closes, so the honest benchmark is the official data for the two editions before it, printed in the 65th programme brochure. Read these as past data, not a promise for any single candidate.
| Edition | Organisations | Candidates offered jobs | Highest CTC | Average CTC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64th, April to May 2026 | 185 | 2,570 | Rs 27.50 LPA | Rs 13.31 LPA |
| 63rd, December 2025 to January 2026 | 145 | 2,503 | Rs 32.33 LPA | Rs 13.00 LPA |
Two patterns stand out. The average package held close to Rs 13 LPA in both editions, while the highest package swings because it depends on a handful of premium recruiters. The brochure’s day-slot norms show why: at bigger centres, companies offering at least Rs 20 LPA get the premier day, so top payers interview first.
How to Prepare for the Interviews
Start with the free help ICAI itself runs: orientation programmes and pre-placement talks at the centres. Companies also upload their presentations, job profiles, posting locations and CTC details to the login of shortlisted candidates, so read every presentation for the companies you consent to.
Then prepare like a professional, not a student. Shortlisting usually weighs overall qualifications, number of attempts, and articleship completion, so your profile data must be accurate. Practise narrating two or three articleship assignments in depth, because interviewers test whether you did the work or only watched it. Revise the standards and tax updates in your target domain, and expect a written test, psychometric test or group discussion on the day itself, since several recruiters in the 65th drive used these rounds. Finally, plan your consents: company choices per centre are limited, so spend them on roles you would genuinely join.
Common Mistakes That Cost Candidates
- Rushing the form: it cannot be edited after submission, so a wrong detail or centre choice stays locked.
- Missing a consent window: consent for a first-round shortlist can only be given in the first-round window, never later in round two.
- Consenting and not showing up: attending the interview is mandatory after consent. Treat consent as a commitment, not a bookmark.
- Accepting and then not joining: signing the acceptance declaration and not joining brings Rs 5,000 commitment charges, possible disciplinary action, and a bar on future ICAI Placement Directorate drives and the job portal.
- Paying twice: if a payment seems stuck, the FAQs advise waiting about 12 hours for the transaction ID before paying again. Extra payments are refunded within about a month, but patience saves paperwork.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the ICAI campus placement programme?
It is ICAI’s centralised hiring programme for newly qualified Chartered Accountants, run twice a year by the ICAI Placement Directorate. Companies register on the portal, shortlist from the candidate database, and interview at centres across India.
How many vacancies were there in the 65th programme?
In the first phase, 78 organisations notified 5,339 vacancies, and 6,399 candidates registered out of 7,931 who passed the CA Final in May 2026. Interviews ran at 29 centres in August and September 2026.
What was the registration fee for candidates?
Rs 1,500, inclusive of taxes, payable online by credit or debit card only. The centre code is allotted on successful payment.
Can I move to a smaller centre if I am not selected at a bigger centre?
Yes. If you are not selected there, or you do not accept the offer, your database merges with your second-choice smaller centre and you get four fresh chances to select a company, with a new centre code and photo ID.
What happens if I accept an offer and then do not join?
You face Rs 5,000 commitment charges, possible disciplinary action, and a bar on future ICAI Placement Directorate drives and its job portal.
The 65th drive is now complete, and the next edition will follow the same pattern for the following CA Final batch. Prepare early: keep your portal profile clean, your articleship stories sharp, and your consent choices deliberate. More openings for CAs sit in the jobs hub.
A Maheshwari is a Chartered Accountant writing on CA exams, tax, and finance careers in India.
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