UPSC CSE 2026 Eligibility: Age Limit & Qualification

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

Age limit

You must be at least 21 and under 32 years of age on 1 August 2026. This means you were born between 2 August 1994 and 1 August 2005 (both dates included). Only the date of birth on your Class 10 (matriculation) or equivalent certificate is accepted.

Category	Age relaxation
SC / ST	Up to 5 years
OBC (eligible for reservation)	Up to 3 years
Defence personnel disabled in operations during hostilities or in a disturbed area and released because of it	Up to 3 years
Ex-servicemen, including Commissioned Officers and ECOs/SSCOs, with at least 5 years of military service as on 1 August 2026, released as per the notice	Up to 5 years
ECOs/SSCOs who completed 5 years of service, with their assignment extended and a Ministry of Defence certificate	Up to 5 years
Persons with Benchmark Disability (PwBD)	Up to 10 years
SC/ST/OBC candidates who are also Ex-servicemen or PwBD	Both relaxations can be added together

Educational qualification

Posts	Requirement
All services under CSE 2026	A graduate degree from a university set up by a Central or State Act, a deemed university, or an institution set up by an Act of Parliament, or an equivalent qualification.
Final-year students / result awaited	You can apply and write the Prelims and Mains. If you qualify for the interview, you must show proof of passing (degree certificate, final mark sheet or provisional certificate) within the time UPSC sets.
MBBS and other medical degrees	If you have passed the final professional exam but not finished your internship, you are admitted provisionally. You must show proof of completing all degree requirements, including the internship, at the interview.

Nationality & other conditions

For IAS, IFS (Indian Foreign Service) and IPS, you must be a citizen of India. For the other services, you can be a citizen of India, a subject of Nepal or Bhutan, a Tibetan refugee who came to India before 1 January 1962 to settle permanently, or a person of Indian origin who migrated from certain listed countries (such as Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia or Vietnam) to settle permanently. Everyone except Indian citizens needs a certificate of eligibility from the Government of India.
Number of attempts: 6 for General and EWS candidates; 9 for OBC; unlimited for SC/ST (within the age limit); for PwBD, 9 if General/EWS/OBC and unlimited if SC/ST.
Appearing in even one Prelims paper counts as an attempt.
Fee: Rs 100 for Prelims and Rs 200 more for Mains. Women, SC, ST and PwBD candidates pay no fee.
If you are already in the IAS or IFS from an earlier exam and still a member of that service, you cannot take CSE 2026.
If you were already selected or appointed to the IPS from an earlier exam, you cannot choose the IPS again through CSE 2026.
OBC (non-creamy layer) certificates must be issued between 01 April 2025 and 24 February 2026, based on income for FY 2022-23 to 2024-25. EWS certificates must be based on income for FY 2024-25 and issued in the same period.
You must meet the physical and medical standards in Appendix III of the CSE Rules 2026.
Applications cannot be withdrawn or edited after submission.

Practise for UPSC CSE free

Chapter tests, full mocks and previous-year papers with full solutions — no sign-up needed.

Free mock tests →Score calculator

UPSC CSE 2026 Eligibility: Age Limit & Qualification

Age limit

Educational qualification

Nationality & other conditions

Official sources