Cognizant GenC eligibility is checked at registration and again during onboarding document verification — a mismatch at either point ends the candidacy, so verify every criterion against the official drive posting before applying.
Cognizant GenC eligibility (2026 cycle)
| Qualification | Full-time B.E/B.Tech, M.E/M.Tech, MCA or M.Sc — 2026 batch; all engineering streams eligible, CS/IT preferred |
| Academic marks | Minimum 60% or 6 CGPA throughout — Class 10, Class 12, diploma (if any), UG and PG |
| Backlogs | No pending or active backlogs at the time of selection or joining |
| Education gap | Overall academic gap of at most 2 years |
| Age | 18–30 years |
| Nationality | Indian citizens, or PIO/OCI card holders with non-Indian passports |
| Course type | Full-time courses only — part-time and correspondence degrees are not eligible |
| Work experience | Freshers; postgraduates may have up to 2 years of experience |
Points candidates miss
- The 60% rule applies to every academic stage — one semester below the bar in UG can disqualify you even with a strong aggregate.
- Your degree must state first-class graduation at joining, and marksheets are verified against what you entered at registration — enter marks exactly as printed.
- Reapplication is allowed, but a minimum gap (typically 6 months) applies between attempts.
Criteria can vary slightly by drive — always confirm against the exact posting on careers.cognizant.com or your Superset drive page. Eligible? See how to apply.