he Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination (CSE) recruits personnel into prestigious All India Services and various Central Civil Services, including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and Indian Foreign Service (IFS). Understanding the detailed eligibility criteria is fundamental for all aspiring candidates. The UPSC officially released the notification for the CSE 2025 on January 22, 2025, outlining the essential conditions aspirants must meet to be eligible.
Context
The UPSC CSE is conducted annually to fill vacancies across a wide range of civil services, significantly contributing to India’s administrative structure. Eligibility criteria, encompassing nationality, age limit, educational qualification, and the number of permissible attempts, are strictly defined in the official notification to ensure fairness and suitability of candidates. Adherence to these conditions is a mandatory prerequisite for any candidate wishing to participate in the examination process.
UPSC CSE 2025 Eligibility Criteria Overview
The core eligibility requirements for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2025 cover several dimensions of a candidate’s profile. These include rules pertaining to the candidate’s nationality, their age as on a specified date, the minimum educational qualification required, and the maximum number of times they can appear for the examination based on their category. [7] Candidates must satisfy all these conditions simultaneously to be considered eligible for the preliminary examination and subsequent stages.
UPSC CSE 2025 Age Limit
The age stipulation forms a crucial aspect of UPSC CSE eligibility, with a fixed reference date for calculation. The crucial date for determining age eligibility for the UPSC CSE 2025 is August 1, 2025. A candidate must have attained the age of 21 years by August 1, 2025. For the General Category, a candidate must not have attained the age of 32 years by August 1, 2025. This means a candidate in the General category must have been born not earlier than August 2, 1993, and not later than August 1, 2004.
Age Relaxation
The UPSC provides relaxations in the upper age limit for candidates belonging to specific categories as per government norms. Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) are eligible for a relaxation of up to 5 years in the upper age limit. Other Backward Classes (OBC) are eligible for a relaxation of up to 3 years in the upper age limit. Persons with Benchmark Disability (PwBD) are eligible for a relaxation of up to 10 years. Defence Services Personnel disabled in operations during hostilities and released as a consequence are eligible for up to 3 years relaxation. Ex-servicemen, including commissioned officers with at least five years of military service as on August 1, 2025, are eligible for up to 5 years relaxation. These relaxations are cumulative where applicable, subject to government rules.
UPSC CSE 2025 Educational Qualification
Possessing a recognized university degree is a fundamental requirement for applying to the UPSC CSE. A candidate must hold a degree from any University incorporated by an Act of the Central or State Legislature in India. Alternatively, a degree from other educational institutions established by an Act of Parliament or declared as a ‘deemed University’ under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, is also acceptable. Possessing an equivalent qualification recognized by the Government of India is also valid.
Provision for Awaiting Results
Candidates who are in their final year of the qualifying degree course or are awaiting their results are eligible to apply for the preliminary examination. However, such candidates must provide proof of passing the requisite degree examination when submitting their Detailed Application Form (DAF) for the Civil Services (Main) Examination.
UPSC CSE 2025 Number of Attempts
The UPSC limits the number of times a candidate can appear for the CSE, with specific quotas for different categories.
An ‘attempt’ is counted if a candidate appears in at least one paper of the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination. General Category candidates are allowed a maximum of 6 attempts.
- Other Backward Classes (OBC) candidates are allowed a maximum of 9 attempts.
- Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates face no restriction on the number of attempts, provided they meet the age eligibility criteria for their category.
- Persons with Benchmark Disability (PwBD) belonging to the General Category are allowed a maximum of 9 attempts.
- Persons with Benchmark Disability (PwBD) belonging to the OBC Category are allowed a maximum of 9 attempts.
- Persons with Benchmark Disability (PwBD) belonging to the SC/ST Category face no restriction on attempts, subject to age limits.
Additional Important Points
The official notification PDF available on the UPSC website (upsc.gov.in) is the definitive source for all eligibility rules, including detailed nationality requirements, physical standards for specific services, and application procedures. The application window for the UPSC CSE 2025 opened on January 22, 2025, and closed on February 21, 2025. Candidates are advised to meticulously review the official notification to ensure complete compliance with all eligibility conditions before applying.
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