📝 About UPSC · Eligibility Criteria 2026

UPSC Eligibility
Criteria 2026

Check your eligibility for UPSC Civil Services Examination — age limit, number of attempts, educational qualification & nationality requirements. Updated for 2026.

21–32Age (General)

6Attempts (General)

GraduateMin. Qualification

✅ Quick Eligibility Check

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Age (General/EWS)21 – 32 years

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Min. QualificationAny Graduate Degree

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Attempts (General/EWS)6 attempts

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Nationality (IAS/IPS/IFS)Indian citizen only

🏳 Nationality

The nationality requirement differs based on the service being applied for.

IAS, IFS & IPS only: Candidate must be a citizen of India.
Other services — candidate must be one of the following:
- ✓ Citizen of India
- ✓ Subject of Nepal or Bhutan
- ✓ Tibetan refugee who came to India before 1st January 1962 with intention to permanently settle
- ✓ Person of Indian origin migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia) or Vietnam with intention to permanently settle
Candidates under categories (b)–(e) above must have a Certificate of Eligibility issued by the Government of India.

📅 Age Limit

(1) A candidate must have attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 32 years on the 1st of August, 2026 i.e., the candidate must have been born not earlier than 2nd August, 1994 and not later than 1st August, 2005.

Category	Minimum Age	Relaxation	Maximum Age
General	21 Years	No Relaxation	32 Years
OBC	21 Years	32+3 Years	35 Years
SC/ST	21 Years	32+5 Years	37 Years
Physically disabled (Blind, Deaf-mute, Orthopedically handicapped)	21 Years	32+10 Years	42 Years
Ex-serviceman discharged from duty due to disability	General: 21 Years	32+3 Years	35 Years
	OBC: 21 Years	32+3+3 Years	38 Years
	SC/ST: 21 Years	32+3+5 Years	40 Years
Ex-serviceman discharged after 5 years duty	General: 21 Years	32+5 Years	37 Years
	OBC: 21 Years	32+5+3 Years	40 Years
	SC/ST: 21 Years	32+5+5 Years	42 Years

⚠ Age relaxations are cumulative in some cases. PwBD candidates get +10 years over their category limit (e.g., PwBD + OBC = 35 + 10 = 45 years max).

(2) The upper age-limit prescribed above will be relaxable:

(a) up to a maximum of five years if a candidate belongs to a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe;
(b) up to a maximum of three years in the case of candidates belonging to Other Backward Classes who are eligible to avail of reservation applicable to such candidates;
(c) up to a maximum of three years in the case of Defence Services Personnel, disabled in operations during hostilities with any foreign country or in a disturbed area and released as a consequence thereof;
(d) up to a maximum of five years in the case of ex-servicemen including Commissioned Officers and Emergency Commissioned Officers (ECOs)/ Short Service Commissioned Officers (SSCOs) who have rendered at least five years Military Service as on 1st August, 2026 and have been released:
1. (i) on completion of assignment (including those whose assignment is due to be completed within one year from 1st August, 2026, otherwise than by way of dismissal or discharge on account of misconduct or inefficiency); or
2. (ii) on account of physical disability attributable to Military Service; or
3. (iii) on invalidment.
(e) up to a maximum of five years in the case of ECOs/SSCOs who have completed an initial period of assignment of five years of Military Service as on 1st August, 2026 and whose assignment has been extended beyond five years and in whose case the Ministry of Defence issues a certificate that they can apply for civil employment and that they will be released on three months’ notice on selection from the date of receipt of offer of appointment.
(f) up to a maximum of 10 years in the case of candidates belonging to Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) categories viz.
1. (i) blindness and low vision;
2. (ii) deaf and hard of hearing;
3. (iii) locomotor disability including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy;
4. (iv) autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability and mental illness;
5. (v) multiple disabilities from amongst person under clauses (i) to (iv) including deafblindness.

Note-I: Candidates belonging to either the SC or the ST or the OBC category who are also covered under any other clauses of para 3(II)(2) above, viz. those coming under the category of Ex-servicemen or PwBD, will be eligible for grant of cumulative age-relaxation under both categories.

Note-II: The term Ex-servicemen will apply to the persons who are defined as Ex-servicemen in the Ex-servicemen (Re-employment in Civil Services and Posts) Rules, 1979, as amended from time to time.

Note-III: The age concession under para 3(II)(2)(d) and (e) will be admissible to Ex-servicemen i.e. a person who has served in any rank whether as combatant or non-combatant in the Regular Army, Navy and Air Force of the Indian Union and who either has been retired or relieved or discharged from such service whether at own request or being relieved by the employer after earning pension.

Note-IV: Notwithstanding the provision of age-relaxation under para 3(II)(2)(f) above, candidates of PwBD category will be considered to be eligible for appointment only if they (after such Medical Examination as the Government or appointing authority, as the case may be, may prescribe) are found to satisfy the requirements of physical and medical standards for the concerned Services to be allocated to the candidates of PwBD category by the Government.

Note-V: Save as provided under para 3(II)(2) above, the age-limits prescribed can in no case be relaxed.

🎓 Educational Qualification

Candidate must hold a Graduate degree from any University incorporated by an Act of Parliament/State Legislature, or an equivalent qualification.
Candidates who have appeared in the final year of their qualifying exam (awaiting results) are also eligible to apply for Prelims.
Candidates with professional/technical qualifications recognised by the Government as equivalent to a degree are also eligible.
MBBS/Medical degree candidates who have not completed internship at the time of application may be provisionally admitted to Mains, provided they submit a certificate from their University.

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Any

Stream or subject — no restriction

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Final yr

Students eligible for Prelims

📝 Number of Attempts

An attempt at the Preliminary Examination counts as an attempt at the Civil Services Examination.
If a candidate appears in even one paper of the Prelims, it counts as an attempt.
Even if candidature is subsequently disqualified/cancelled, the attempt is counted.

Category	Number of Attempts
General	6
EWS	6
OBC	9
SC / ST	Unlimited (up to age limit)
PwBD — General / EWS / OBC	9
PwBD — SC / ST	Unlimited (up to age limit)

⚠ An attempt is counted even if you appear in only one paper. If you are absent from Prelims entirely, the attempt is not counted.

🚫 Restrictions on Applying

(1) A candidate who is appointed to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) or the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) based on the results of an earlier Examination and continues to be a member of that Service will not be eligible to appear at the Civil Services Examination-2026. In case such a candidate is appointed to the IAS or IFS after the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination-2026 is over and the candidate continues to be a member of that Service, the candidate shall not be eligible to appear in the Civil Services (Main) Examination-2026 notwithstanding having qualified in the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination-2026. If such a candidate is appointed to the IAS or IFS after the commencement of the Civil Services (Main) Examination-2026 but before the result thereof is declared by the Commission and continues to be a member of that Service, the candidate shall not be considered for appointment to any Service/Post on the basis of the result of the CSE-2026.
(2) A candidate who has been selected or appointed to the Indian Police Service on the basis of the results of the earlier examination shall not be eligible to opt for or allocated to Indian Police Service on the basis of the result of CSE-2026.
(3) A candidate allocated to Indian Police Service or a Central Service Group ‘A’ on the basis of result of the CSE-2026, will have the option to appear in immediate subsequent CSE-2027, if otherwise eligible, subject to following restrictions:
1. (a) Such a candidate shall be eligible to appear for the CSE-2027 if he/she is granted exemption from training for the service allocated to him/her on the basis of CSE-2026 from the Authority concerned. He/she will be eligible for grant of one-time exemption only from joining the training in order to enable him/her to appear in CSE-2027.
2. (b) The selected candidate shall join the training in Foundation Course (FC) only.
3. (c) However, if such a candidate neither joins the training for the service allocated on the basis of CSE-2026 nor takes exemption from joining training, his/her allocation of service on the basis of CSE-2026 shall stand cancelled.
4. (d) If he/she is finally recommended on the basis of CSE-2027, he/she can accept the service allocated either on the basis of CSE-2026 or CSE-2027 and will join the training scheduled for CSE-2027. His/her allocation to the service other than the one opted shall stand cancelled at this stage. In case he/she is not allocated to any service on the basis of CSE-2027 then he/she can join the service allocated through CSE-2026.
5. (e) However, if he/she doesn’t join training for service allocated on the basis of CSE-2026 or CSE-2027, his/her allocation to both the services shall stand cancelled.
6. (f) The seniority of such candidates will be decided according to his/her joining the service allocated on the basis of CSE-2026 or CSE-2027 and the same shall not be depressed.
7. (g) However, he/she shall not be allowed to appear for CSE-2028 and any CSE thereafter, unless he/she resigns from the allocated service.
8. (h) If the candidate is desirous of availing his/her remaining attempts to appear in any subsequent CSE, if otherwise eligible, after availing such one-time exemption from joining training, he/she must not join any service allocated to him/her on the basis of CSE-2026 or CSE-2027, as the case may be, and the said Service Allocation shall stand cancelled automatically.
9. (i) In respect of a candidate who has been allocated to any service based on CSE-2025 or earlier years, he/she will be given a one-time opportunity to appear in either CSE-2026 or CSE-2027, as per his/her choice to enable him/her to utilize his/her remaining attempt, subject to fulfilling other eligibility criteria, without the need to resign from service. However, such candidates desirous of appearing in CSE-2028 or beyond, he/she shall have to resign from his/her allocated service.

🩹 Medical & Physical Standards

Candidates must be physically fit as per standards prescribed in the Gazette of India.
Candidates who clear the Personality Test (Interview) undergo a medical examination at prescribed hospitals in Delhi.
IPS & Railway Police / Pondicherry Police: Specific physical standards apply (height, weight, chest measurements).
Non-technical services: No stringent physical requirements, but basic physical fitness and mental stability are expected.

⚠ Medical standards are checked after the Personality Test. Not qualifying the medical test after interview can affect final appointment.