Are you aware of UPSC Eligibility? Union Public Service Commission conducts examinations for recruitment to various Group A and B services in the Government of India.
One of the most sought-after examinations conducted by UPSC is the Civil Services exam.
Each year around 15 Lacks students apply out of which only a few hundred are able to clear the exam.
The exam is conducted in three stages - prelims, mains, and interviews.
due to the General Elections 2024, the UPSC Prelims Exam Date 2024 was postponed to 16th June 2024..
Those who are planning to appear for the exam in the future must be aware of UPSC Eligibility Criteria before they set out to begin their UPSC journey.
The eligibility for this exam is based on Nationality, Age limit, educational qualification, and the number of attempts.
- Candidates of Indian Nationality are eligible to apply for this exam.
- The age limit and the number of attempts for the exam vary as per the category of the candidate.
- For general candidates and EWS, the age limit is 21 to 32 years.
- The number of attempts is 6 in total.
Read this article to know all about UPSC eligibility criteria and other details. If you are preparing for competitive exams and are looking for expert guidance, you can check out our monthly
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UPSC Eligibility
The official notification for the exam carries the eligibility criteria in detail.
Before applying for the post candidates should ensure they meet the eligibility criteria.
As per the official notification, the eligibility for the year 2024 is based on the following parameters:
- Nationality
- Age Limit
- Educational Qualification
- Number of Attempts
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UPSC Eligibility - Nationality
As per the official notification, a candidate must be.
- A Citizen of India
- A Subject of Nepal
- A Subject of Bhutan
- A Tibetan Refugee who came to India before January 1, 1962, to permanently settle in India
- A person of Indian origin who migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania (formerly Tanganyika and Zanzibar), Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia, and Vietnam to permanently settle in India.
UPSC Eligibility- Age Limit
The age limit for the exam is 21 to 30 years for the general category.
The official notification says"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, 2024" .
There are various relaxations in age limit which have been discussed below.
Category |
Age Relaxation |
Scheduled Caste |
maximum of five years |
Scheduled Tribe |
maximum of five years |
Other Backward Classes |
maximum of three years |
Defense Services Personnel, disabled in operations |
maximum of three years |
Ex-servicemen including Commissioned Officers and Emergency Commissioned Officers (ECOs)/ Short Service Commissioned Officers (SSCOs) with at least 5 Years of service. |
maximum of five year |
Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) |
maximum of 10 years |
UPSC Eligibility- Educational Qualification
The educational qualification for the exam is a Graduation Degree in any subject from a recognized university.
The candidate who is in the final year for their graduation is eligible to apply too, provided they are able to submit their degree before the mains examination.
There is no condition related to score in graduation or any other standard.
UPSC Eligibility- Number of Attempts
The UPSC allows a maximum of 6 attempts to a general candidate.
There are different rules for certain candidates, which have been covered below:
Category |
Number of Attempts |
OBS |
9 |
SC and ST |
Unlimited |
PwBD |
10 |
The attempt is counted if a candidate appears in the preliminary stage of the examination.
To know more read here.
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UPSC Eligibility - FAQ
due to the General Elections 2024, the UPSC Prelims Exam Date 2024 was postponed to 16th June 2024.
A2 . The age limit for the UPSC exam is 21 to 32 years.
A3. The educational qualification is a degree in Graduation from a recognized organization.
A4. The number of attempts or a general candidate in the UPSC Exam is 6.
A5. No, the EWS candidates do not get any relaxation in eligibility criteria for the UPSC exam.