- UPSC Eligibility 2025
- UPSC Age Limit 2025
- UPSC Age Limit UPSC Civil Services Age Relaxation
- UPSC Age Limit UPSC Attempt Limit: Number Of Attempts For UPSC
- UPSC Age Limit UPSC Civil Services Educational Qualification
- UPSC Age Limit UPSC Civil Services Nationality
- UPSC Age Limit UPSC Civil Services Physical Eligibility
- UPSC Age Limit UPSC Civil Services Eligibility: Summary
- FAQs
UPSC Eligibility 2025
| Eligibility Criteria | Details |
|---|---|
| Nationality | – Indian (for IAS, IFS, and IPS) – Nepalese or Bhutanese (for other services) |
| Age Limit | – General Category: 21 to 32 years – OBC: 21 to 35 years – SC/ST: 21 to 37 years |
| Educational Qualification | – A Bachelor’s degree from a recognized university (any discipline). – Final year students can apply (if they will submit proof of degree by the time of the interview). |
| Number of Attempts | – General: 6 attempts – OBC: 9 attempts – SC/ST: Unlimited until 37 years |
| Physical Standards | – Applicable for services like Indian Police Service (IPS). – Physical standards as per the guidelines issued by UPSC (height, chest, etc.). |
| Minimum Qualifying Marks | – No minimum marks in the degree (graduate) required to apply. Selection is based on the written exam and interview. |
| Compulsory Subjects for Eligibility | – No specific subjects are compulsory, but the candidate must have graduated with a recognized degree. |
| Medical Standards | – Must meet medical standards as per the service requirement (especially for IPS). |
UPSC Age Limit 2025
| Category | Minimum Age Limit for IAS | Maximum age Limit for IAS |
| OBC | 21 | 35 |
| SC/ST | 21 | 37 |
| EWS | 21 | 32 |
UPSC Age Limit UPSC Civil Services Age Relaxation
| Category | Age Relaxation |
| OBC | 3 Years |
| Defence Services Personnel, disabled in operations during hostilities with any foreign country or in a disturbed area and released as a consequence thereof | 3 Years |
| SC/ ST | 5 Years |
| Ex-servicemen including commissioned officers and ECOs/SSCOs who have rendered at least five years of military service and have been released | 5 Years |
| PwD (a) blindness and low vision; (b) deaf and hard of hearing; (c) locomotor disability including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy; (d) autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability and mental illness; and (e) multiple disabilities from amongst persons under clauses (a) to (d) including deaf-blindness | 10 Years |
UPSC Age Limit UPSC Attempt Limit: Number Of Attempts For UPSC
Here are the UPSC Attempt Limits in finer details based on categories:
General (Unreserved)
Attempts Allowed: 6
Age Limit : Between 21 and 32 years
Description: General category aspirants can attempt the exam up to 6 times until they attain the age of 32.
OBC- Other Backward Classes
Attempts Allowed: 9
Age Limit : Between 21 and 35 years
Description: The candidates from OBCs are allowed 9 attempts until they achieve the age of 35.
SC/ST- Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe
Attempts Allowed : Unlimited
Age Limit: 21 to 37 years
Description: SC/ST candidates can attempt the exam as many times as they want, until they turn 37 years old.
PwD (Persons with Disabilities)
Attempts:
OBC: 9 attempts same as OBC category
SC/ST: Unlimited attempts same as SC/ST category
Age Limit:
OBC: 21 to 35 years
SC/ST: 21 to 37 years
Description: PwD candidates have equal attempt limits as their counterparts in their respective categories. In addition to that, relaxation in age is also applicable to them based on their category.
Ex-Servicemen (Including Commissioned Officers)
Number of Attempts:
General: 6 attempts
OBC: 9 attempts
SC/ST: Unlimited attempts
Age Limit: Relaxation in age limit for ex-servicemen:
General: 5 years
OBC: 8 years
SC/ST: 10 years
Description: Ex-servicemen have the same number of attempts as the categories they belong to but are allowed age relaxation. As long as they meet the age criterion, they can attempt the exam even after serving in the military.
UPSC Age Limit UPSC Civil Services Educational Qualification
Required Educational Qualification for UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE)
1. General Requirement
Minimum Qualification: A bachelor’s degree from an internationally recognized university/institution in any discipline.
For Final Year Students: Candidates who are appearing in the final year of their degree can also apply. However, they would be required to produce proof of completion of the degree at the time of the interview.
2. No Specific Stream or Subject:
No particular subject or stream is required for the UPSC CSE. Students with any academic background science, commerce, arts, etc) can attempt the exam.
The optional subject that a candidate chooses for the Main exam is entirely up to him. The UPSC provides a list, and he may choose any optional from that list.
3. Degree from a Recognized University
Should be from a recognized University/Institution or an equivalent qualification considered as acceptable by the Government of India.
4. Other Equivalent Qualifications:
Foreign Applicants: Those possessing qualification acquired outside the country, provided it is considered equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree by the Government of India,
Professional Degree holder: Those are also eligible who possess degrees conferring professional qualifications like Engineering, Law, Medical, MBA, CA etc. provided that the said degree is from a recognized University.
5. Medical Graduates: Candidates having Qualifications in Medicine
Candidates holding a degree in medicine must possess an MBBS and can be posted to IPS or any other service on the basis of their physical fitness standards.
6. Eligibility for Ex-Servicemen
On completion of graduation or holding an equivalent qualification, ex-servicemen are eligible to apply subject to other requirements.
UPSC Age Limit UPSC Civil Services Nationality
The nationality requirement for the UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) is as follows:
1. Indian Nationals:
For All Services (Indian Administrative Service – IAS, Indian Police Service – IPS, and Indian Foreign Service – IFS), a candidate must be an Indian citizen.
2. Other Nationals (Eligible for Specific Services):
In addition to Indian nationals, below-given categories of persons can apply for UPSC CSE but they are eligible only for specific services or that is not entitled for IAS or IPS-
Citizen of Nepal: Such citizens are allowed to apply for almost all the services under UPSC CSE except Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Police Service (IPS).
Bhutanese citizens: Bhutanese citizens can apply for most services except IAS and IPS.
Tibetan Refugees: A Tibetan citizen who has migrated to India before 1st January 1962 with the intention of settling permanently in India. Such an aspirant can apply too, but he or she will be eligible for services such as IFS, Indian Audit and Accounts Service, etc., but not IAS or IPS.
Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) from:
Pakistan,
Sri Lanka,
Burma,
East African Countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania (formerly Tanganyika and Zanzibar), Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia, and Vietnam.
These candidates are eligible for services under UPSC but need special documentation to prove their status and residency.
Important Points:
Indian citizens are allowed for all the services (IAS, IPS, IFS).
Citizens of Nepal and Bhutan can apply for most services but not IAS or IPS.
Tibetan refugees and PIOs also come under some conditions and for particular services with additional qualifications required.
This will give the nationality requirements for the UPSC Civil Services Examination.
UPSC Age Limit UPSC Civil Services Physical Eligibility
As this physical eligibility criteria is primarily applicable to those candidates who are interested in joining Indian Police Service (IPS) and some other services that require fitness, here are the detailed physical eligibility criteria for UPSC CSE for concerned candidates:
1. Physical Standards for IPS (Indian Police Service)
Height Requirements for candidates for IPS:
For Male Candidates:
– Minimum height: 165 cm (for general candidates)
Minimum height 160 cm (SC/ST candidates)
Minimum height 150 cm for female candidates
Minimum height for SC/ST candidates: 145 cm
Chest Girth requirements for Male candidates:
Unexpanded Chest Minimum 84 cm
Expanded Chest Minimum 89 cm
Female candidates do not require chest girth but have other physical standards.
2. Physical Standards for Other Services:
For all other services under UPSC, the physical standards are not that stringent, IAS or Indian Foreign Service. However, in some of the services (for instance, Indian Railway Traffic Service, Indian Customs and Central Excise Service, etc) the candidate has to reach minimum physical and medical standards.
All these candidates also need to undergo a medical test in order to check their fitness level, especially for services like the Indian Police Service (IPS).
3. General Medical Requirements (for all candidates):
Impaired Vision: Candidate’s vision should be up to the required standard as mentioned above (6/6 or 6/9 for distant vision), and he should not be color blind.
Impaired Hearing: Candidates should be clear from hearing problems (checked through a medical test).
Physical Disabilities: PwD (Persons with Disabilities) is an important category through which some candidates with physical disabilities may be eligible for some services; however, they need to meet the specific medical eligibility criteria designated for the services in question.
UPSC Age Limit UPSC Civil Services Eligibility: Summary
Here’s a summary of the UPSC Civil Services Eligibility requirements, covering aspects like nationality, educational qualification, age limit, and attempt limits:
1. Nationality:
Only Indian Citizens are eligible for all services like IAS, IPS, IFS. While citizens of Nepal and Bhutan are eligible for most services, they are not eligible for IAS/IPS. Tibetan Refugees who arrived in India before 1st January 1962 with the intention of permanently settling are eligible.
Persons of Indian Origin (PIO): Eligible for services under specific circumstances, but not IAS/IPS.
2. Academic Qualification:
Minimum Qualification: A graduate degree in any field from a recognized university.
Final Year Students: They are also eligible. The candidate needs to provide evidence that they have completed the degree before appearing for the interview round.
Professional Degrees: MBBS, B. Tech, MBA holders are also eligible.
3. Age Limit:
General Category: 21-32 years.
OBC (Other Backward Classes): 21-35 years.
SC/ST (Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes): Between 21 to 37 years.
PwD (Persons with Disabilities) – Age relaxation is based on category – OBC: 35 years, SC/ST: 40 years.
Ex-Servicemen – Age relaxation based on service duration. – 5 years for General category. – 8 years for OBC category. – 10 years for SC/ST category.
4. No. of Attempts:
General Category: 6 attempts.
OBC Category: 9 attempts
SC/ST Category: No limit till the age limit applicable (37 years).
PwD Category: Same as the respective categories in OBC/SC/ST category.
Ex-Servicemen: According to their category with relaxation in age.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is the age limit for UPSC Civil Services Exam?
The age limit is 21 to 32 years for general candidates.
2. Is there an age relaxation for OBC candidates?
Yes, OBC candidates get a relaxation of 3 years, i.e., 21 to 35 years.
3. What is the age limit for SC/ST candidates?
SC/ST candidates can apply between 21 to 37 years, with unlimited attempts until the age limit.
4. How many attempts are allowed for general category candidates?
General category candidates are allowed 6 attempts.
5. Is there any age relaxation for ex-servicemen?
Yes, ex-servicemen get an age relaxation of up to 5 years (for general category).
