Zoho Off-Campus Hiring 2026: Eligibility and Application Process

Zoho runs three distinct hiring paths in 2026: an off-campus Software Developer drive, a separate ML Engineering track, and Zoho Schools of Learning.

Each has its own eligibility profile, application timeline, and selection structure. Matching yourself to the right track before you apply is the cleaner approach.

Three Hiring Paths in 2026

Zoho is a bootstrapped, Chennai-headquartered company that reached 1M+ paying customers and employs 19,000 people globally as of February 2026. It is not a mass-recruiter on the TCS/Infosys scale, but it hires consistently across Tamil Nadu through off-campus drives rather than large campus programmes. The company’s growing internal AI platform, which includes the Zia LLM family and 25+ Zia Agents, means ML Engineering roles are now a recurring fresher entry point alongside the traditional Software Developer track.

Track	Who it’s for	Format	Typical timeline
Software Developer	2024–2026 pass-outs, BE/B.Tech/MCA	Written test + technical rounds	Multiple drives per year across Tamil Nadu
ML Engineering	0–4 years experience, freshers eligible	Written test + ML technical interviews	Recurring open position on careers portal
Zoho Schools of Learning	Class 12/diploma graduates (ages 17–20) or college graduates	Annual entrance test + Zestober pathway	Next intake: October 2026 via Zestober

The Software Developer track is the higher-volume, faster-cycle path. ML Engineering roles run continuously and target candidates who can work on production ML systems. ZSL is a two-year education programme, not a placement drive. The comparison is included here because many students consider it an alternative entry point into the company.

Eligibility Criteria

Software Developer

Criterion	Requirement
Degree	BE/B.Tech (any branch) or MCA; full-time, government-recognised
Pass-out year	2024, 2025, or 2026
Minimum CGPA	Not officially published by Zoho
Experience	0–1 year (fresher drives)
Backlog policy	Not officially disclosed; check the specific drive notification

Zoho does not publish a minimum CGPA cutoff. Individual drive notifications may add criteria, so confirm requirements at careers.zohocorp.com rather than relying on third-party aggregator listings, which sometimes carry outdated or inferred figures.

ML Engineering

Criterion	Requirement
Degree	BE/B.Tech, ME/M.Tech, MCA, or M.Sc (CS/IT/ECE or related)
Experience	0–4 years (freshers explicitly eligible)
Core languages	Python or Java
Frameworks	TensorFlow, PyTorch, or Keras
AI/ML topics	NLP, Generative AI, Reinforcement Learning, LLMs, MLOps
Big Data	Apache Spark, Hive, Hadoop, Kafka
Work location	Tamil Nadu (specific city not guaranteed)

Freshers are explicitly eligible. The context behind this: Zoho launched its proprietary Zia LLM on July 17, 2025 in three model sizes (1.3B, 2.6B, and 7B parameters), covering structured data extraction, summarisation, RAG pipelines, and code generation. Engineers working on Zia and Zia-adjacent products are exactly the profile these ML roles target. If your final-year project or internship involved LLMs, NLP, or transformers, it is directly relevant to what Zoho’s ML teams are building.

Zoho Schools of Learning

ZSL’s 20th anniversary expansion (April 2025) added two new Tamil Nadu campuses, bringing the total to four: Chennai, Tenkasi, Tharuvai, and Kumbakonam. The programme has produced 2,000+ graduates who now make up over 10 percent of Zoho’s global workforce, and receives approximately 20,000 applications annually for around 300 intake spots. Key eligibility details:

• Main programme: ages 17–20; Class 12 or diploma pass-outs
• School of Graduate Studies: open to college graduates (separate eligibility window)
• Age cap (main programme): 20 years at the time of application
• No tuition fees charged at any stage

How to Apply

All Zoho off-campus applications go through careers.zohocorp.com. The process is the same for both the Software Developer and ML Engineering tracks:

• Search for the role: filter by “Software Developer” or “Machine Learning Engineer”
• Apply online: submit your resume and fill in the application form
• Wait for drive notification: Zoho emails shortlisted candidates with venue, date, and format details

A January 2026 off-campus drive for Software Developer and QA Engineer roles ran across five Tamil Nadu cities: Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Salem, and Tirunelveli. Zoho does not run a fixed annual calendar; drives are announced on the careers portal without a predictable schedule, so setting up a job alert on the portal is the most reliable tracking method. For a closer look at what to expect on drive day, including documents and venue logistics, the Zoho off-campus drive guide covers those details.

For ZSL, the 2026 batch admissions are closed. The next intake pathway is the Zestober challenge, held annually in October. Zestober is Zoho’s annual coding and problem-solving challenge open to Class 12 students and recent graduates; strong performance can serve as an alternate pathway into ZSL’s admissions process. Registration opens on the ZSL website when Zoho announces the event. If you’re a Class 12 or diploma graduate considering ZSL as your route into Zoho, October 2026 is the target window.

No application fees apply to any Zoho hiring path.

The Selection Process

The Software Developer off-campus process runs 5 to 7 rounds:

• Round 1 — Written aptitude test: quantitative aptitude and logical reasoning; 25 questions in 90 minutes; no negative marking reported
• Round 2 — Basic programming: write fully working code; pseudo-code is not accepted
• Round 3 — Advanced programming: more complex problems; same no-pseudo-code rule applies
• Round 4 — Technical interview: data structures, algorithms, OOP, DBMS
• Round 5 — HR interview

The ML Engineering track modifies rounds 2 and 3. The programming rounds are replaced by ML-focused technical interviews that cover probability, statistics, linear algebra, classical ML algorithms, deep learning concepts, and a discussion of your projects, particularly anything involving LLMs, NLP, or production ML deployments. DSA questions still appear in round 1.

For the full written test breakdown, including section-wise question counts, exact time limits, topic distribution, and what the advanced programming round actually looks like, the Zoho test pattern guide covers every round in detail.

Compensation Snapshot

Zoho does not officially disclose fresher CTC figures. The estimates below are from AmbitionBox’s aggregated salary data and reflect reported ranges, not guaranteed offers.

Track	AmbitionBox Estimate
Software Developer (fresher)	₹6.5–8.5 LPA
ML Engineering (0–4 yrs experience)	~₹9 LPA
Zoho Schools of Learning — Year 1	₹10,000/month stipend
Zoho Schools of Learning — Year 2	₹15,000/month stipend

ZSL’s stipend structure is the only officially confirmed figure, per the ZSL 20th anniversary announcement. No tuition fees are charged. Successful ZSL graduates are automatically inducted as full-time Zoho employees; Zoho’s own materials describe the induction as automatic on programme completion. The post-induction CTC is not publicly stated.

Where to Go Next

Once you’ve confirmed your eligibility track and submitted your application, preparation splits by path. For the Software Developer route, the Zoho test pattern guide gives you the section-wise breakdown of every round. Start there to understand exactly what the written test and programming rounds test and how much time you have for each. Once the written stage is clear, the Zoho interview process guide walks through what technical interviewers ask in rounds 4 and 5, with real question types from both the technical and HR stages.