UPSC CSE Eligibilty Criteria 2026

Are you Eligible for the UPSC Civil Services Exam?

You are eligible for the UPSC Civil Services Exam if you are a citizen of India with a minimum age of 21 years and hold a graduation degree or pursuing final year of graduation from a recognised university. Understanding the eligibility criteria helps aspirants plan their study schedule effectively, avoid disqualification, and begin their preparation journey with clarity of mind and confidence.

For IAS/UPSC Eligibility, the candidate should have Indian citizenship or specified PIOs, be between 21-32 years of age with relevant relaxations, (OBC +3, SC/ST +5, PwBD +10) possess a bachelor's degree issued by a recognized university, and have restricted attempts: General-6, OBC-9, SC/ST- unlimited till the age completion as provided under upsc notification. A final-year student qualifies on a provisional basis. Let us have a detailed look on the eligibility criteria before applying for the UPSC Civil Services exam.

General Overview of CSE Eligibility Criteria

Below is the general or synoptic overview of the eligibility criteria for appearing in the UPSC Civil Service Exam.

S.No.	Criteria	Description
1.	Age Limit	General – 32 years OBC – 35 years SC/ST – 37 years PwBD – 42 years (Person with Benchmark Disability) PwBD (OBC) – 45 years PwBD (SC/ST) – 47 years
2.	Age Relaxation	As per the category (mentioned in the section below)
3.	Education Qualification	Graduation (Bachelor’s degree in any stream) or pursuing final year of graduation
4.	No. of Attempts	General – 6 attempts OBC, PwBD – 9 attempts SC/ST – Unlimited attempts
5.	Nationality	For IAS, IPS, and IFS – Indian Citizens only For other services – Indian Citizens as well as some other nationals
6.	Medical and Physical Standards	Candidates must be physically fit according to physical standards. For other categories, discussed below

Age Limit for UPSC Civil Services Examination

To be eligible to apply for the UPSC CSE of a particular year, a candidate must have attained the minimum age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 32 years on the date 1st August of that particular year. While the minimum age limit remains the same for all categories of aspirants, the maximum age limit criteria are relaxed for some categories of aspirants. Accordingly, the minimum and maximum age limits for different categories of aspirants are as follows:

S.No.	Category	Age Limit
1.	General	21-32 Years
2.	OBC	21-35 Years
3.	SC/ST	21-37 Years
4.	Person with Disabilities (PwD)	21-42 Years

To know more about the Age Limit and Age Relaxations, refer to the official notification.

Minimum Educational Qualification for UPSC CSE Exam

To be eligible for the UPSC Civil Services Exam, a candidate must:

Hold a Graduate degree from any of the Universities incorporated by an Act of the Central or State Legislature in India or other educational institutions established by an Act of Parliament or declared to be deemed as a University under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956, OR
Possess an equivalent qualification.

There are certain conditions attached to this general educational qualification criteria. To know more about them, please refer to the official notification.

How Many Attempts are allowed in UPSC CSE?

The number of attempts allowed for candidates belonging to different categories in the UPSC exam are as follows:

S.No.	Category	No. of Attempts
1.	General	Six (6)
2.	OBC	Nine (9)
3.	SC/ST	Unlimited attempts (till age limit)
4.	Person with Disabilities (PwD)	Nine (9)

Nationality Criteria for UPSC CSE

For the Indian Administrative Service, the Indian Foreign Service, and the Indian Police Service, a candidate must be a citizen of India.
For all other services, a citizen of India along with nationals of some other countries are also permitted, subject to some conditions.

To know about the eligibility criteria regarding nationality, please refer to the official notification.

Medical and Physical Standards for UPSC CSE

The physical and medical eligibility criteria for the UPSC Civil Service exam:

There is no height, weight, and chest girth minimum requirement as such for candidates for the IAS, unlike the technical services. However, if the candidates’ measurements are disproportionate as regarded by the medical board, the candidates can be hospitalized for investigation and a chest X-ray can be taken. Please note the technical services have certain minimum requirements.
Candidates should have a proper vision in the eyes. Corrections permitted are spectacles, CL, and refractive surgery like LASIK, ICIL, IOL, etc. Those who have myopia with macular degenerative changes will be declared unfit for service in the IAS. People with a squint in the eyes are fit for service. Night blindness is also not a ground for candidates to be declared unfit.
Blood pressure over 140/90 should be subjected to further testing in the hospital to ascertain whether the abnormal BP is temporary due to excitement, etc., and not an indication of any disease. Only candidates free from any complication of hypertension will be declared fit for service.
Only candidates free from any complication of diabetes mellitus will be declared fit for service.
The hearing ability of the candidate should be ‘good’ in each ear and he/she should also be free from any disease of the ear. In case of a defect, the candidate should be subjected to further tests to see if the defect can be remedied by a hearing aid or an operation.
Female candidates, if pregnant, will be fit except for those services that require physical training. In such cases, the candidates will be declared fit after confinement.
The teeth of the candidates should be in ‘good order’.
The condition of the heart and lungs of the candidate should be fine.
There should not be any abdominal disease.
The feet, hands, and limbs are well-formed and there should be no restriction on joint movements.
There should not be any congenital malformation or defect.
There should not be any sign of acute or chronic disease indicating an impaired constitution.
Candidates should bear marks of necessary vaccination.
The candidates should not have any communicable diseases.
Diseases like hernia, hydrocele and others are declared temporarily unfit and should be declared fit after successful surgery.
Candidates with malignancies at the time of entry to service are declared unfit.
Candidates with transplanted organs are declared unfit. An exception is made only for a corneal transplant.

Additional Information for the PwBD Categories

Below is the additional information of the eligibility criteria for PwBD category candidates appearing in the UPSC Civil Service Exam.

S.No.	PwBD Category	Minimum Age Limit	Maximum Age Limit	Number of Attempts
1.	PwBD – General	21 years	42 years	9
2.	PwBD – OBC	21 years	45 years	9
3.	PwBD – SC/ST	21 years	47 years	Unlimited

UPSC CSE Application Restrictions for the Exam

A candidate appointed to the service of IAS or IFS based on the results of an earlier exam and continues to be in that service will not be eligible to compete at this exam. In case such a candidate is appointed to the IAS/IFS after the Preliminary Examination of Civil Services Examination is over and he/she continues to be a member of that service, he/she shall not be eligible to appear in the Civil Services (Main) Exam.

Conclusion

A clear understanding of UPSC eligibility criteria ensures that aspirants begin their preparation with confidence and avoid disqualification. To be aware about the age limits, attempts, educational requirements, and nationality criteria allows candidates to plan wisely and commit fully to the journey. Strong awareness of eligibility lays the foundation for successful UPSC preparation.

FAQs

What is the minimum educational qualification required for UPSC?

A candidate must hold a graduate degree from a recognized university. Final-year students can also apply for the Preliminary Exam.

How many attempts are allowed for UPSC?

General: 6 attempts, OBC: 9 attempts, SC/ST: Unlimited (till age limit). PwBD candidates get additional attempts based on category.

What is the age limit for the IAS/UPSC Exam?

The minimum age is 21 years. The upper age limit varies: General – 32 years, OBC – 35 years, SC/ST – 37 years, PwBD – 42 to 47 years depending on category.

Can a candidate from another country apply for UPSC?

For IAS, IPS, and IFS services, only Indian citizens can apply. Candidates from other countries such as Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, and PIO categories may be eligible.