UPSC CDS 2026 Eligibility: Age Limit & Qualification

From the official Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) documents · last checked 3 October 2026

Age limit

Age limits for CDS (II) 2026 depend on the academy. IMA and INA: 19 to 24 years, unmarried men born between 1 July 2003 and 1 July 2008 (both dates included). AFA: 20 to 24 years as on 1 July 2027, born between 1 July 2003 and 1 July 2007. OTA SSC (Men): 19 to 25 years, unmarried men born between 1 July 2002 and 1 July 2008. OTA SSC Women (Non-Technical): 19 to 25 years, born between 1 July 2002 and 1 July 2008. Your date of birth is taken only from your Matriculation/Secondary School certificate or an equivalent.

Educational qualification

Nationality & other conditions

• You must be a citizen of India, or a subject of Nepal, or a person of Indian origin who has moved from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia or Vietnam to settle in India permanently. The second and third groups need a certificate of eligibility from the Government of India. Gorkha subjects of Nepal do not need this certificate.
• Marital status: IMA, INA and OTA (Men) are for unmarried men only. For AFA, candidates below 25 years must be unmarried; married candidates aged 25 or above can apply but get no married accommodation during training. OTA Women is open to unmarried women and to issueless widows or issueless divorcees (with divorce papers) who have not remarried.
• Male divorcees and widowers are not treated as unmarried and cannot apply for any CDS course.
• You must not marry until you finish training. A candidate who marries after applying will not be selected. A cadet who marries during training is discharged and must repay the training cost.
• Women can apply only for the OTA Short Service Commission course and must choose OTA as their only choice.
• Men who want AFA must give AFA as their first choice. Men who apply for both OTA and IMA/INA/AFA must give OTA as their last choice.
• Air Force: candidates who have failed CPSS and/or the Pilot Aptitude Battery Test before, who have failed at the Indian Navy Selection Board, or who wear spectacles regularly are not eligible.
• NCC 'C' Certificate reserved seats (IMA, INA, AFA): you must have served at least 3 academic years in the Senior Division (Army Wing, Air Wing or Naval Wing) of NCC. For IMA, INA and AFA you must not have left NCC more than 24 months before the last date of applying.
• Medical standards follow the Joint Order Manual of Medical Standards for Entry into Armed Forces (1st Edition), available on joinindianarmy.nic.in.
• Permanent tattoos are allowed only on the inner forearm (inside of elbow to wrist) and the back of the hand. Tribal tattoos as per custom are considered case by case.
• Minimum fitness on arrival at IMA and OTA: 2.4 km run in 10 min 30 sec (men) or 13 min (women); 40 push-ups (men) or 15 (women); 6 pull-ups (men) or 2 (women); 30 sit-ups (men) or 25 (women); 2 sets of 30 squats; 2 sets of 10 lunges; basic swimming.
• Application fee: Rs 200. Female, SC and ST candidates pay no fee. OBC and EWS candidates must pay the full fee.
• Candidates debarred by the Ministry of Defence from holding any commission cannot apply. Candidates removed from NDA, IMA, AFA, INA or OTA on disciplinary grounds are not considered.