CS colleges in India

Company Secretary or CS is one of the most popular career choices amongst Commerce students. However, students from various fields can apply for the Company Secretary course. It is a senior position in private or public sector organisations. Company Secretary of any organisation deals with the legal activities. Their role is to maintain annual records, tax returns, ensure dividends are paid and taking care of the legal aspects of the company. Now the question is, ‘How to become Company Secretary?'. To become a Company Secretary, students must complete the following courses conducted by the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI).

• Foundation Programme: Duration is eight months
• Executive Programme: Duration is nine months
• Professional Programme: Duration is 15 months

After successful completion of the above courses, students have to undergo practical training to become a member of ICSI. Post the training, students are considered as a professional member of the institute and are issued membership number.

In India, there are around 18 CS Colleges that trains candidates to become a professional Company Secretary. The popular specialisations are Company Secretary and Accounting.

Admission to the CS course is open throughout the year. ICSI CS exams are conducted twice a year: June and December. Some of the cities that have CS colleges are Delhi/NCR, Pune, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Chennai, etc. CS Colleges in India along with their fees and location are given in the table below:

CS Colleges in India

CS Admission Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility criteria for various Company Secretary programmes which candidates need to fulfil are given below:

• Students who choose to join the course after Class 12 have to undergo three-programmes to pursue the Company Secretary courses: Foundation Programme, Executive Programme and Professional Programme
• Student who would like to join the course after graduation can pursue an executive and professional programme
• A Graduate of all streams except Fine Arts can pursue executive Programme
• Professional programme can be pursued after clearing the Executive Programme of CS course

Skillset requirement for Company Secretary

Students willing to pursue Company Secretary must have the following skillsets:

• Dedicated and hardworking
• Knowledge of legal aspects of accounting, taxation, auditing and other financial activities
• Good written and oral communication skills
• Management skills
• Knowledge of business law and finance law

What are the study options after CS?

As already mentioned earlier, there is a very bright future of students after pursuing CS. They can find positions in the private and public sectors, banks and financial institutions. Candidates can also apply for openings in Company Law Boards, Financial Institutions, Stock Exchange Corporate Advisory Services, Departments of Company Affairs, Banks, Company Secretaryship Consultancy Firms, Stock Exchanges, Financial Management etc. If candidates want to pursue higher studies, they can opt for PhD after completing their courses. Candidates can also pursue courses in fields such as Taxation, Banking Laws, etc.

CS Placement Trends

ICSI offers good placement to its members. The Institute has a dedicated placement cell to assist companies to recruit Company Secretary both freshers as well as experienced. Candidates are placed in PSUs, banks, NBFCs, etc. The placements of ICSI are coordinated by four regional offices and 70 chapters. Company Secretary Placements are done for corporates seeking CS and members seeking jobs. The institute has a placement portal where candidates can register free of cost. The Institute organises mega placement drives providing its members' suitable platform to find employment opportunities.

Students are offered profiles such as Company Registrar, Legal Advisor, Corporate Policymaker, Chief Administrative Officer, Principal Secretary, Corporate Planner, Administrative Assistant, Administrative Secretary, Investor Capital Market Relations, Contents Coordinator, etc.

In 2018, 178 students participated in the placement drive conducted in four regions Southern India Regional Office (SIRO), Western India Regional Office (WIRO), Northern India Regional Office (NIRO) and Eastern India Regional Office (EIRO). Out of these, 120 students got placement in 71 companies. The highest salary offered to candidates Rs 7 lakh per annum while the average salary offered to candidates was Rs 3.5 lakh per annum. Top recruiters were Apollo Tyres and Axis Bank. Candidates were offered the role of Associate Company Secretary in fields such as Secretarial Department, Risk Management, Corporate Governance & Corporate Social Responsibility, Capital Markets, Finance and Accounts, etc.

Placement highlights of ICSI

The placement highlights of ICSI for the year 2018 is summarised below:

 The region-wise placement highlights of ICSI is given below:

Top recruiters for CS Graduates

Many companies participated in the ICSI mega placement drive conducted in various regions. Some of the companies included Vedanta Industries, Apollo Tyres, HT Media, Vodafone, etc. Here is the list of top recruiters:

CS Mode of Study

CS courses are offered through full-time, part-time and distance mode. Listed below are the colleges under each category:

Full Time

• ICSI Delhi - Institute of Company Secretaries of India
• Navkar Institute
• Elite IIT
• Shiksha Guru
• Academy of Commerce
• Finovative Solutions
• Good Shepherd Professional Academy
• Master Mind Academy
• Toppers Institute
• Commerce and Management
• Samarthya Institute of Professional Studies
• ASD’s Academy
• Gurushikhar Professional Studies Pvt Ltd
• ExPro Education

Part-Time

• Siddharth Academy
• Aaaradhya Financial School for Excellence
• Toppers Institute
• Payal’s Commerce Academy
• SoftDot HI-Tech Educational & Training Institute, Delhi

Distance/Correspondence

• ICSI Delhi - Institute of Company Secretaries of India

The graph below highlights the number of colleges offering full-time, part-time and distance mode of study for Company Secretary courses:

How affordable is studying CS in India?

Nearly 22% CS colleges in India offer an affordable fee structure of less than Rs 1 lakh. Some of these colleges are listed below:

• ICSI Delhi - Institute of Company Secretaries of India
• Siddharth Academy
• Commerce and Management
• Shiksha Guru

Nearly 6% CS colleges in India offer fee structure from Rs 3 to 5 lakh. Some of the colleges are as follows:

• ICSI Delhi - Institute of Company Secretaries of India

CS specialisations offered in India

This is a professional corporate course. The Foundation Programme includes Business Environment, Entrepreneurship, Management, Communication, Economics and Accounting, etc. The Executive Programme comprises Company Law, Commercial Law, Tax Law, General Law, Securities Law, Audit and Account Practice. In the final level, students are exposed to Secretarial Practices, Financial and Treasury Management. In the final module, students have the opportunity to choose from any one specialisation such as Banking Law and Practice, Capital, Commodity and Money Market, Insurance Law and Practice, Intellectual Property Rights-Law and Practice International Business-Laws and Practices.

The graph below highlights the number of colleges listed in Shiksha offering each specialisation:

CS Entrance Exams in India

To become Company Secretary, students need to appear for ICSI CS exam conducted in three levels. Recently, ICSI had discontinued CS Foundation Programme and replaced it with CS Executive Entrance Test (CSEET). Students will have to appear for CSEET to be eligible for the Executive Programme.