UPSC Civil Services Exam: 2025-26 Age Limit, Eligibility Criteria, and Educational

UPSC Civil Services Exam: 2025-26 Age Limit, Eligibility Criteria, and EducationalHave you ever dreamt of making a real difference in India? Creating rules that affect millions of people’s lives. If so, then cracking the UPSC Civil Services Exam (CSE) could be your gateway to achieving that dream. This highly competitive exam opens doors to prestigious positions like IAS, IPS, and IFS, allowing you to contribute significantly to the nation’s development. Before starting this challenging and rewarding path, it’s important to understand the eligibility criteria set by the UPSC syllabus. 

This blog post provides a comprehensive overview of the UPSC CSE eligibility criteria for the 2024 exam, covering aspects like age limit, educational qualifications, and number of attempts. We’ll also explore some answer frequently asked questions, and offer essential preparation tips to get you started, including information on available UPSC courses and top UPSC coaching institutes in Indore. 

UPSC Eligibility Criteria 2025-26

The UPSC eligibility criteria for the CSE exam are designed to ensure candidates possess the necessary qualifications and background for a career in civil service. These criteria provide various factors, including nationality, age, education, and number of attempts. Fulfilling all these requirements is mandatory to apply for the exam.

UPSC Age Limit

Imagine yourself leading a team that impacts millions of lives. That’s the kind of power a career in the civil service offers. But before you start studying, there’s an age limit to consider for the UPSC exam.

The UPSC CSE exam adheres to a specific age limit for candidates. As of August 1, 2025 (the cut-off date for the 2025 exam), the general age limit is:

Category

Minimum Age Limit for UPSC

Maximum Age Limit for UPSC

 General Category

21

32

EWS

21

32

SC/ST

21

37

OBC

21

35

This means candidates must be at least 21 years old and not exceed 32 years of age on the cut-off date. However, the UPSC offers age relaxations for certain categories:

UPSC Age Relaxation

The UPSC acknowledges the diverse backgrounds of aspiring civil servants and provides age relaxations for some categories. Here’s a breakdown of the relaxation offered:

UPSC Age Relaxation
Category	UPSC Age Limit- Upper Relaxation
General	32
OBC	35
SC/ST	37
Disabled Defence Services Personnel	35
Ex-Servicemen	37
EWS (Economically Weaker Section)	42

UPSC Qualification

The UPSC mandates a minimum educational qualification for appearing in the CSE exam. Candidates must possess a degree from a recognised university as defined by the University Grants Commission (UGC) of India. This includes:  

• A Bachelor’s degree from a recognised university in India.
• A degree from a foreign university recognised by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU).
• A person of Indian origin (PIO) who has moved from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, or certain East African countries such as Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Ethiopia, Zaire, and Vietnam to settle in India permanently.

The degree can be in any discipline – Arts, Science, Commerce, Engineering, Law, etc. There’s no specific subject requirement for the UPSC CSE exam.

UPSC Exam Reservation System

The UPSC allocates a specific number of vacancies for different categories under the reservation policy. These quotas are determined based on caste and social background.

Here’s a table outlining the quota system for the UPSC CSE exam (subject to change):

Category	Quota (%)
General (GEN)	Unreserved
EWS	10%
Other Backward Classes (OBC)	27%
Scheduled Castes (SC)	15%
Scheduled Tribes (ST)	7.5%

 UPSC Eligibility – Nationality Criteria

For IAS and IPS:

• Candidate must be a citizen of India

All other Services:

1. Citizens of India
2. Subjects of Nepal or Bhutan
3. Tibetan refugees who came to India before 1962 on a certificate of eligibility issued by the Government of India
4. Persons of Indian origin who migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, and Ethiopia with a certificate of eligibility issued by the Government of India are eligible to apply.