Every year, thousands of applicants enrol in the UPSC civil services exam with the goal of being selected for one of the nation’s prestigious civil service positions. In order to sit for the IAS exam, candidates must meet certain eligibility requirements. Candidates must meet eligibility requirements with regard to their nationality, age limit, and educational qualifications.
Candidates who will be taking the UPSC exam need to make sure they organise their study time accordingly and aim to cover the entire UPSC Prelims syllabus before time.
UPSC Eligibility Criteria
Many applicants are drawn to the IAS Officer salary, yet few of them pass the exam and even fewer become Indian Administrative Service officers. Candidates must meet the UPSC eligibility criteria in order to apply for this exam. It includes the following parameters.
- Nationality
- Educational qualification
- Age Limit
- Number of attempts
UPSC Nationality
Interested candidates must fulfil the UPSC eligibility criteria for Nationality. A candidate must be either:
- Citizen of India, or
- Subject of Nepal, or
- Subject of Bhutan, or
- Tibetan refugee who came to India before 1st January 1962 with the intention of permanently settling in India, or (D)
- Person of Indian origin (PIO) migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Ethiopia, Zaire and Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India.
Candidates who fall under categories (B), (C), (D), and (E) must have a certificate of eligibility issued by the Indian government. While such candidates are permitted to sit for the exam prior to receiving the aforementioned certificate of eligibility, the offer of employment will only be extended once the certificate has been provided by the Government of India. A candidate cannot be appointed to the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) if they fall under categories (B), (C), or (D).
UPSC Age Limit
Candidates must be between 21 and 32 years of age as of August 1 of the year in which you appear for the exam. For some categories, there are age restrictions mentioned in the table below.
| Category | Age Relaxation | Upper Age Limit |
| General | – | 32 |
| OBC | 3 years | 35 |
| SC/ST | 5 years | 37 |
| Defence Service Personnel disabled during service | 3 years | 35 |
| Ex-service personnel, including Commissioned Officers and ECOs/SSCOs, who, as of 1 August 2023, had completed at least 5 years of military service and had been released | 5 years | 37 |
| Visually challenged/hearing impaired/physically challenged candidates | 10 years | 42 |
UPSC Educational Qualification
Candidate must have a Bachelor’s degree from a recognized university or possess an equivalent qualification. In addition, candidates who have previously passed the necessary exam (a bachelor’s degree) and are awaiting results are eligible to apply.
UPSC Eligibility- Number of Attempts
The UPSC examination has a set number of attempts for eligibility. The number of attempts set up by category is as follows.
| Category | Number of Attempts |
| General/ EWS | 6 |
| OBC | 9 |
| SC/ST | Unlimited (No restriction) |
| Defence Services Personnel | 9 |
| PwBD | 9 |
It’s crucial to remember that every time you show up for the Prelims exam, an attempt is registered. All of your attempts will be recorded, regardless of whether you have previously taken any of the tests. Only approximately 50% of those who fill out the application actually show up for the examination. Your attempt will not be counted if you fill out the exam form but don’t show up for the examination.
Here is a quick summary of the key requirements for qualifying the UPSC Exam. From the comfort of your home, BYJU’S Exam Prep offers comprehensive courses to help you get ready for the UPSC Prelims and UPSC Mains exam.
