CS — Company Secretary
The governance and corporate-law qualification (ICSI) — compliance, secretarial audit and board advisory.
Course overview
Company Secretary is the governance, corporate-law and compliance qualification awarded by the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI), a statutory body — a professional course, not a university degree, structured around an entrance test and two exam stages plus practical training. A CS is the recognised expert on the Companies Act, board procedure, secretarial audit and regulatory filings, and is a key managerial person for companies above a prescribed size. Like CA, it is demanding and self-study-heavy with modest stage-wise pass rates, so it rewards persistence rather than offering a quick, guaranteed outcome. Qualified CS professionals find roles in compliance, governance and company law, with fresher salaries typically more modest than CA but rising well with experience.
Is CS — Company Secretary right for you?
✅ Choose it if you…
are interested in corporate law, governance, compliance and board-level processes, and can self-study legal and procedural material with consistency.
⚠️ Reconsider if you…
you dislike law, drafting and procedural detail, or want a campus degree with placements built in.
Eligibility & entrance exams
Eligibility: Class 12 (any stream) to register for CSEET; graduates and CA/CMA final-passed candidates can get CSEET exemption and enter Executive directly. No upper age limit..
Entrance exams
What you’ll study
CSEET (Entrance)
Computer-based test covering Business Communication, Legal Aptitude & Logical Reasoning, Economics & Business Environment, and Current Affairs. Graduates and CA/CMA-final candidates can skip it.
Executive Programme
Two modules: Company Law, Setting up of Business, Tax Laws, Corporate & Management Accounting, Securities Laws and Economic/Commercial Laws — the legal-and-compliance backbone.
Professional Programme
Advanced papers on Governance, Secretarial Audit, Drafting & Conveyancing, Resolution of Corporate Disputes, and electives like Insolvency or Capital Markets. The toughest stage.
Practical Training (21 months)
Mandatory training with a company or practising CS, applying secretarial audit, ROC filings, board-meeting compliance and drafting before membership.
Core subjects covered
Popular specialisations
Admission process
🗓️ CSEET is held several times a year (typically around Jan, May, Jul and Nov) with Executive/Professional exams in June and December cycles. Confirm exact dates on the official sites each year.
Duration & fees
Duration: Minimum ~3 years after Class 12 (CSEET → Executive → Professional + 21-month practical training); realistically 3–5 years., full-time.
| Institute type | Indicative fees | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| ICSI institute fees (all stages) | ₹40,000–₹55,000 total | CSEET ~₹1,000–₹2,000, Executive ~₹18,000–₹20,000+, Professional ~₹20,000+ (indicative) |
| Coaching / classes (optional) | ₹50,000–₹1,50,000 | Private CS coaching for Executive + Professional; many self-study with ICSI material |
| Exam forms, training, misc. | ₹10,000–₹25,000 | Per-exam fees over re-attempts, plus pre-membership training and renewals |
📋 Source: official institute fee structures (2024–25). Indicative; confirm with the institute.
Career outcomes & salary
| Role | Indicative fresher CTC market |
|---|---|
| CS Fresher (in-company / firm) | ₹6–9 L (varies by company size) |
| Compliance / Governance Officer (2–4 yrs) | ₹8–14 L |
| Company Secretary (listed company, 5+ yrs) | ₹15–30 L |
| Practising CS (own practice) | ₹4–25 L+ (builds with clients) |
| Head of Secretarial / Compliance (senior) | ₹30–60 L+ |
📋 Source: indicative market ranges (AmbitionBox, Glassdoor, 2026) — not official figures. Official institute placement averages are shown on each college below. Actual outcomes vary by college, skills & year.
Top recruiters
📋 Source: companies reported by institute placement cells (2024). Recruiters vary by college & year.
Scholarships & funding
Scope & future
India-focused (rooted in the Companies Act and SEBI rules) but governance and secretarial skills transfer to MNC India arms and overseas group-compliance roles.
📈 As Indian corporate-governance and disclosure rules tighten (Companies Act amendments, SEBI LODR, BRSR/ESG), demand for qualified CS professionals in compliance and governance roles stays steady, though fresher pay is generally below CA and depends heavily on company size.
Source: ICSI placement & student dataWhere this degree can take you next
Top colleges offering CS — Company Secretary
0 colleges · ranked by NIRF
*Median = institute-level NIRF median salary (official — institutes publish median, not average), where branch-specific data isn’t published. Fees from official institute structures (2024–25).
CS vs CA
| CS | CA | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Corporate law, governance, compliance | Audit, taxation, financial reporting |
| Core role | Company Secretary / compliance officer | Auditor / tax & finance professional |
| Best for | Those drawn to law & governance | Those drawn to audit, tax & finance |
Frequently asked questions
What is the eligibility for the CS course?
You can start CS after Class 12 by taking the CSEET entrance test, then progressing to Executive and Professional. Graduates in most streams can get exemption from CSEET and enter at the Executive level. Confirm current rules on the ICSI website.
What are the stages of the CS course?
The CS course by ICSI has three stages: CSEET (entrance test), CS Executive, and CS Professional, followed by mandatory practical training before membership.
How long does the CS course take?
Completing all levels typically takes around 3 years of study, and roughly 3-5 years overall once the mandatory practical training (about 21 months) is included. Duration depends on how quickly you clear each stage.
What are the CS course fees?
ICSI registration and exam fees across the three levels commonly total in the region of ₹40,000 or so, excluding coaching. Fees are revised periodically, so check the official ICSI fee structure before registering.
Is the CS course worth it?
CS is a respected professional qualification for corporate governance, compliance and secretarial roles. It demands sustained self-study and low pass rates make it challenging. Outcomes depend on clearing exams and gaining practical experience.
What does a Company Secretary do?
A Company Secretary handles a company's legal compliance, board processes, corporate governance and regulatory filings under the Companies Act. The role is often mandatory for larger companies, so demand exists but varies by sector.
Interested in admission?
Share your details and we’ll send admission info, fees and updates for CS — Company Secretary colleges. Free, no obligation.
📋 Sources & data vintage
- Fees: official institute fee structures (2024–25).
- College placements (avg / highest): NIRF 2024 & institute placement reports.
- Role-wise salary ranges: indicative market estimates — AmbitionBox, Glassdoor (2026). Not official.
- Eligibility & approvals: UGC · AICTE · official college websites.
Figures above are drawn from the official releases listed — they are indicative, not quotations. Official data typically runs 1–2 years behind the current admission cycle; that is the publishing rhythm of the source, not an omission here. CourseLane is a data reference point, not the issuing authority — for the fee, seat or placement figure that applies to you, please contact the institute's admission or placement cell directly.
Verify against: UGC·AICTE·NIRF · the institute's official website
Is CS — Company Secretary the best-fit for you?
Treat everything above as a starting point rather than a verdict. What decides it is what you want the qualification to do — the fee you can commit to, the place you can move to, and the outcome you are actually after. Where a figure here is blank, it is blank because we could not source it officially, and we would rather show you the gap than fill it with a guess. Weigh CS — Company Secretary against your own shortlist and decide whether it is the best-fit for you.
Disclaimer. Course details, fees, eligibility, salary and career information on this page are for general reference only, and may vary by location, institution, company, experience and market conditions. Figures are indicative and are not a guarantee of admission, employment or earnings — always verify with the official institution before deciding. CourseLane is an independent information platform and shall not be responsible for any decision made based on the information on this page.
Written by the CourseLane Research Team · reviewed by a senior counsellor · Last updated June 2026.