Is pay after placement a scam? What PAP costs and where the risks are
No. PAP is a fee-deferral model with fixed terms, but it has costs and conditions and a job is not guaranteed. Here is what Masai's PAP programme with MICA asks of you.
Quick answer: Is pay after placement a scam? No. PAP is a fee-deferral model with fixed terms, offered here by Masai in collaboration with MICA, Ahmedabad. It has costs and conditions, and it is not a job guarantee. You pay ₹99, ₹10,000 plus GST and, at Elevate, ₹5,000 before a job, all non-refundable. The main fee, ₹1,80,000 or ₹2,50,000 plus GST, falls due only after you join an eligible job.
Masai resumes its flagship Pay After Placement (PAP) programme in collaboration with MICA, Ahmedabad. The Pay After Placement Certification Programme in Business Analytics with AI comes with costs and conditions, and this post sets out what you pay, what you accept and what protects you.
Fees and terms as of 4 November 2026.
Is pay after placement a scam? What PAP is and is not
Pay after placement is a payment model, not a trick. The main fee is deferred until you join a job that meets an agreed threshold, and the terms sit in the Acceptance Agreement and the Placement Agreement you sign. The post on what is pay after placement gives the full definition.
| PAP at Masai is | PAP at Masai is not |
|---|---|
| A fee-deferral model: the main fee falls due after you join an eligible job | A no-cost route: ₹99, ₹10,000 plus GST and ₹5,000 are paid before a job and are non-refundable |
| A fixed fee set by your CTC band: ₹1,80,000 or ₹2,50,000 plus GST | A share of your salary |
| Offered by Masai in collaboration with MICA, Ahmedabad | A job guarantee. Masai provides placement support, and placements take months |
| A programme with terms you receive before you pay the ₹10,000 | A route that lets you choose your first employer or city |
The costs and conditions you take on
A learner in this programme accepts the following.
| Term | What applies |
|---|---|
| Paid before a job | ₹99 qualifier test, ₹10,000 plus GST enrolment and ₹5,000 for Elevate if you reach Unit 6: ₹15,099 plus GST in all. None of it is refundable |
| Leaving | A drop-off fee may apply if you leave or are removed. The ₹10,000 enrolment fee is non-refundable in the first five weeks, then a fee that starts at ₹50,000 from week 6 and reaches ₹1,80,000 from about week 20 |
| Credit check | A TransUnion CIBIL score of 700 or above, a signed agreement and documents are needed to enter Unit 2 |
| Staying in | 90% attendance, 80% assignment completion, 60% in assessments, every required project and the Code of Conduct |
| Offers | You cannot reject an eligible offer. Rejecting one triggers the fee as if you had accepted it. Company and location preferences are not accepted |
| A job you find yourself | It still triggers the fee, because the fee is for the teaching and upskilling |
| The EMI route | ₹6,944 x 36 = ₹2,49,984 or ₹9,722 x 36 = ₹3,49,992. It costs more in total: ₹69,984 and ₹99,992 more than the one-time fee, with subvention cost and GST extra where they apply |
| Elevate | In person in Bengaluru, with mandatory attendance. Food, stay and travel are not included in the ₹5,000 |
| Timing | Placements happen in a staggered way over several months after the programme ends |
For the total in every outcome, see MICA Business Analytics with AI fees. The guide on when do you pay in pay after placement explains the trigger.
What protects the learner
- The fee follows the job. The PAP fee falls due only after you secure an eligible offer and join. It applies one month after joining. An eligible offer is at or above the minimum CTC in your agreement, typically starting from ₹3 LPA.
- No job, no PAP fee. If you met every requirement, appeared for placements, kept the Code of Conduct and Masai could not place you in an eligible role, the PAP fee is not triggered. What you already paid is not refunded.
- A fixed fee by band. It is ₹1,80,000 for a placement CTC of ₹3.00 to ₹4.99 LPA and ₹2,50,000 for ₹5.00 LPA and above, plus GST. It is not a share of your salary.
- Terms before payment. After the qualifier test, a mandatory webinar and an information email give you the terms, FAQs, brochure and acceptance letter. One-to-one counselling follows, and you pay the ₹10,000 only when you sign the Acceptance Agreement.
- An institute behind it. MICA lists the programme on its own website. Prof. Aditya Naishadam of MICA is the Programme Director, MICA faculty teach in it, and it leads to a MICA Certificate. The guide to who does what in the MICA Masai Business Analytics with AI programme sets out the roles.
What a fair PAP offer states
A pay after placement offer is fair to the learner when it states the points below. The right-hand column shows how the MICA x Masai programme handles each.
| A fair offer states | In the MICA x Masai programme |
|---|---|
| What counts as an eligible job | An offer at or above the minimum CTC in the Placement Agreement, typically from ₹3 LPA |
| Every amount paid before a job, and whether it is refundable | ₹99, ₹10,000 plus GST and ₹5,000 for Elevate, all non-refundable |
| What leaving costs | A drop-off fee may apply, and it rises as the programme progresses |
| The total on the EMI route | 36 EMIs add up to ₹2,49,984 or ₹3,49,992, which is more than the one-time fee, and subvention cost and GST are extra where they apply |
| What happens if you are not placed | No PAP fee if you meet every requirement and Masai cannot place you in an eligible role |
| That placement is support, not a promise | Placement is not guaranteed. Elevate gives preparation and access to opportunities |
Under the ASCI guidelines for educational institutions, programmes and platforms, an advertisement may not suggest that enrolling guarantees a job unless the advertiser can prove it. Masai describes its placement work the same way: it is support, not a guarantee. For a decision-focused view, read is a pay after placement course worth it.
Masai's placement record and hiring partners
On the Masai placements page, Masai publishes a 94% placement rate, an average alumni salary of ₹6.9 LPA and a highest package of ₹36 LPA. Masai also publishes 4,000+ hiring partners and 10,000+ graduates placed in top companies. Placement figures as published on masaischool.com on 4 November 2026. Masai's hiring partners include Swiggy, Ola, Paytm, ShareChat, Dream11, BharatPe, Ajio and IBM.
These figures describe Masai's programmes to date, not the MICA Business Analytics with AI programme, whose first learners have yet to complete it.
A record of this kind is history, not a promise. What this programme offers its own learners is preparation. The Elevate unit in Bengaluru covers resume building, LinkedIn profile optimisation, mock interviews, interview preparation and communication skills training, and it gives access to opportunities.
Is Masai School legit?
Masai is a venture of Nolan Edutech Pvt Ltd. It works with 16+ institutes of national importance and top institutes such as IITs, IIMs, XLRI and BITS. The placement figures above are the ones Masai publishes on its own site.
Reviews of Masai School and of pay after placement differ from learner to learner. The fee terms and conditions above apply to every learner in this programme, so read them alongside any review.
Read next
- When do you pay in pay after placement: the fee trigger, rejected offers and what happens if you are not placed.
- Who does what in the MICA Masai programme: MICA's role and Masai's role, including faculty.
Frequently asked questions
Do I pay if I am not placed?
You do not pay the PAP fee if you met every requirement, appeared for placements, kept the Code of Conduct and Masai could not place you in an eligible role. The ₹99, ₹10,000 plus GST and ₹5,000 you already paid are not refunded.
Can Masai charge me more later?
The PAP fee is fixed by band: ₹1,80,000 for a placement CTC of ₹3.00 to ₹4.99 LPA and ₹2,50,000 for ₹5.00 LPA and above, plus GST. Other costs are set out in the terms: subvention cost and GST on the EMI route, Elevate travel and stay, the optional campus immersion, and a drop-off fee that may apply if you leave.
Is Masai School legit?
Masai works with 16+ institutes of national importance and top institutes such as IITs, IIMs, XLRI and BITS. This programme is offered in collaboration with MICA, Ahmedabad.
What certificate does the programme give?
The programme leads to a MICA Certificate, earned with at least 60% in each unit plus the other completion criteria. MICA lists the programme on its own website, and MICA faculty teach in it. MICA is an autonomous non-profit institution established in 1991 in Ahmedabad.
What if I reject an offer?
You cannot reject an eligible offer. Rejecting one triggers the PAP fee as if you had accepted it, and company and location preferences are not accepted.
To read the full terms, fee bands and registration steps, open the MICA Business Analytics with AI course page.
Placement support is not a job guarantee. Past record is no guarantee of future prospects. The programme is offered by Masai in collaboration with MICA, Ahmedabad.