UPSC Age Limit 2025, Eligibility, Qualification, Attempts

UPSC Eligibility includes parameters such as age limit, nationality, educational qualification, etc. which decides whether or not an individual is eligible to apply for the UPSC CSE exam. An Indian citizen who is at least 21 years old and has completed graduation or is in the final year of graduation can apply for the CSE exam as per the UPSC eligibility criteria.

Candidates appearing for Civil Services Examination must meet specific UPSC eligibility criteria to be eligible to appear for the Prelims and Mains exam. This rigorous selection process aims to ensure that only the most qualified and competent individuals join the esteemed civil services of India, contributing to the efficient governance and development of the nation.

UPSC Eligibility Criteria 2025

Candidates appearing for UPSC 2025, must check the official notification scheduled to be released on 22 January 2025 to check their eligibility criteria.

UPSC Age Limit

The UPSC age limit for the General category candidates is 21 to 32 years. For eligibility in the UPSC examination, candidates must meet the age criteria specified as follows: they must be at least 21 years old and not more than 32 years old as of August 1, 2025. This means candidates must have been born between August 2, 1992, and August 1, 2003.

UPSC Age Relaxation

The UPSC upper age limit mentioned above can be relaxed under certain circumstances:

1. Candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes are eligible for a maximum relaxation of five years.
2. Candidates from Other Backward Classes (OBC) eligible for reservation can avail of a maximum relaxation of three years.
3. Defence Services Personnel who were disabled in operations during hostilities with a foreign country or in a disturbed area and subsequently released can get a maximum relaxation of three years.
4. Ex-servicemen, including Commissioned Officers, Emergency Commissioned Officers (ECOs), and Short Service Commissioned Officers (SSCOs), who have completed at least five years of military service as of August 1, 2023, and have been released due to completion of the assignment, physical disability attributable to military service, or invalidment, can avail a maximum relaxation of five years.
5. ECOs/SSCOs who have completed an initial period of five years of military service as of August 1, 2023, and whose assignment has been extended beyond five years can get a maximum relaxation of five years. They must have a certificate from the Ministry of Defence stating their eligibility for civil employment with a three months notice period for release upon selection for the position.
6. Candidates belonging to Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) categories, such as blindness and low vision, deaf and hard of hearing, locomotor disability including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims, muscular dystrophy, autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability, and mental illness, can avail a maximum relaxation of ten years.

UPSC Qualification

The UPSC CSE Eligibility Criteria include the following Academic Qualifications:

• A candidate must possess a degree from Government-recognized University or an equivalent qualification.
• Candidates in their final year of graduation or awaiting results are also eligible to appear for the UPSC Prelims Examination. However, they must provide proof of having passed the required examination while applying for the UPSC Mains Examination.
• Candidates with professional and technical qualifications recognised by the Government as equivalent to professional and technical degrees are also eligible.
• Medical students who have passed the final year of MBBS but have not completed their internship can also apply for UPSC CSE. However, they need to submit a certificate of course completion from the concerned authority of the University/Institution along with their Mains Exam application.

UPSC Eligibility – Nationality Criteria

For IAS, IPS and IFS:

• The candidate must be a citizen of India.

For All Other Services:

The candidate must be either:

1. A citizen of India, or
2. A citizen of Nepal, or
3. A citizen of Bhutan, or
4. A Tibetan refugee who came to India before 1st January 1962 intending to settle in India permanently, or
5. A person of Indian origin (PIO) who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Ethiopia, Zaire, and Vietnam, intending to settle in India permanently.

Candidates who are a citizen of Nepal, Bhutan and Tibetan Refugee must furnish a certificate of eligibility issued by the Government of India. They can appear for the exam before obtaining the certificate of eligibility, but they will receive the offer of appointment only after the Government of India issues the certificate.

Number of Attempts in UPSC

The number of attempts allowed for the UPSC Civil Services Examination varies based on the category of the candidate. Here are the attempt limits:

• General Category: 6 attempts until the age of 32 years.
• OBC Candidates: 9 attempts until the age of 35 years.
• SC/ST Candidates: Unlimited attempts until the age of 37 years.
• Persons with Benchmark Disability (PwBD): 9 attempts until the age of 42 years.
• EWS Category: 6 attempts until the age of 32 years.

Restrictions on Applying for the UPSC Exam

Candidates appointed to the IAS or IFS posts, based on the results of a previous examination and currently serving in either of these two services, will not be eligible to appear in the exams for that specific year.

Similarly, a candidate previously appointed to the IPS Position based on the results of a previous examination and currently serving as an IPS officer will not be eligible to select the IPS as an option in the exams for that particular year.

UPSC Physical Eligibility – Medical and Physical Standards

It is essential to ensure that a candidate possesses the necessary physical fitness and capabilities required for the role of a Bureaucrat, as specified in the UPSC eligibility criteria.

• Candidates who successfully pass the UPSC CSE undergo several stages, including qualifying for a medical test. Upon clearing this specific test, candidates become eligible to be appointed as Civil Servants.
• Certain standard physical requirements such as weight, height, and chest measurements are necessary for the selection of officers, especially those being appointed as IPS officers for districts or Indian Railway services and the police services of Pondicherry, among others.
• However, non-technical fields do not have stringent physical standards, but candidates are expected to meet basic demands, such as being physically fit and mentally stable.
• These physical standards are determined according to the guidelines provided in Appendix-III of the Rules for Examination published in the Gazette of India Extraordinary dated February 02, 2023.