hamburger

UPSC Age Limit 2023 – UPSC Eligibility Criteria, IAS Officer Qualification

By BYJU'S Exam Prep

Updated on: November 14th, 2023

UPSC Eligibility details include UPSC Age Limit, IAS Qualification, Nationality Requirement, and more. The UPSC age limit and the detailed IAS eligibility are released along with notification by the Union Public Service Commission on its official website. Those who are preparing to become a part of India’s elite bureaucracy must check the UPSC eligibility criteria before applying for the exams. It is essential to check the eligibility details before filling out the application form to avoid last-stage disqualification.

The most important detail to check about the UPSC eligibility criteria is the IAS age limit, as it varies for all reserved categories. Before filling out the application form, detailed information on the UPSC age limit, qualification, and other requirements must be checked and the documents supporting the eligibility are checked during document verification at a later stage. The candidates must ensure that they are fulfilling the UPSC eligibility criteria before filling up the form, to be considered eligible for taking the exam.

UPSC Eligibility 2023

The notification for UPSC 2023 has been released on 01 February 2023. The UPSC 2024 notification is expected to be released in February 2024, the candidates who wish to apply for the exam must be well-versed in all the particulars of the eligibility criteria.

Below we have mentioned the updated requirements so that candidates can get a clear idea about the UPSC age limit, qualifications, and other requirements.

  • UPSC Age Limit: 21 – 32 Years
  • Maximum Age for UPSC: Changes as per age relaxation for reserved categories.
  • UPSC Qualification Criteria: Educational Qualification for UPSC is to be a graduate of a recognized university.
  • Nationality: Indian
  • UPSC Attempt Limit: 6 attempts for General Category
  • IAS Age Limit for Female: The same eligibility criteria is applied to female candidates.

UPSC Age Limit

The age limit varies as per reservation categories. As per the official UPSC age limit, the candidate’s minimum age for IAS must be 21 years. The maximum age for UPSC is 32 years for the General category. Below we have mentioned the category-wise UPSC eligibility criteria-

Category Minimum Age Limit for UPSC Maximum Age for UPSC
UPSC Age Limit for General 21 32
UPSC Age Limit for OBC 21 35
UPSC Age Limit for Scheduled Caste 21 37
UPSC Age Limit 2023 for Scheduled Tribe 21 37
IAS Exam Age Limit for EWS 21 32

Age Limit for UPSC 2023

Applicants preparing for the upcoming exams can check their age limit for UPSC 2023 by calculating it as of the 1st of August, 2023. The notification has been released in February 2023. UPSC 2024 application is expected to be released next year, but it’s wise to check the age limit and the other eligibility details in advance. There is also news circulating on the internet about the UPSC age limit increasing to 35. As of now, there is no official update about the UPSC age limit increased to 35 for the general category. As per the official age limit for IAS 2023, the upper limit for the general category is 32, and for OBC is 35 years.

Age Calculator for UPSC

The Union Public Services Commission calculates the UPSC Age Limit as of 1st August of the year in which the UPSC Exam is conducted. The minimum age limit to take the examination is 21 years. For example, if a candidate is appearing for the UPSC 2024, the candidate must be 21 years on the 1st of August, 2024. Even the upper age for the exam is calculated as of 1st August.

The upper age limit for UPSC for general category candidates is 32 years. The upper age limit prescribed in the UPSC Notification is relaxable for up to five years if the candidate belongs to a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe. For an OBC candidate, a relaxation of 3 years is mentioned, making the maximum age limit for the UPSC exam to be at 35 years. To calculate the correct UPSC age limit, a candidate should not have been born earlier than 2nd August 1991 and not after 1st August 2002.

UPSC Age Limit Relaxation for Different Categories

As we have mentioned in the table above, candidates from SC, ST, OBC, and other categories get age relaxation on the upper UPSC age limit. Candidates from the OBC category get an age relaxation of 3 years, which makes their upper age limit 35 years. Candidates from the SC/ST category will get an age relaxation of 5 years, so their upper age limit is 37 years. In the table below, we have provided the upper age limit for each category.

Maximum Age Limit for UPSC for all Categories

Category IAS Age Limit Relaxation
General No Age Relaxation
OBC 3 Years
Disabled Defense Services Personnel 3 Years
SC / ST 5 Years
EX-Servicemen 5 Years
Benchmark Disability- EWS 10 Years
IAS Age Limit for Female No Relaxation

UPSC Attempt Limit

The number of UPSC attempts can be explained as the number of times a candidate is allowed to appear for the IAS exam. Every candidate is only eligible to appear in the exam up to a certain number. We have mentioned all the information regarding the UPSC number of attempts allowed for a candidate from each category.

  • General category candidates get a total of 6 attempts with an age limit of 32 years.
  • Candidates from the OBC category get 9 attempts till 35 years of age.
  • SC/ST category candidates get an unlimited number of attempts till 37 years of age.
  • EX-Servicemen/Benchmark Disability – EWS/Disabled Defense Services Personnel will get 9 attempts until the age of 42.

UPSC Exam Educational Qualification

To be eligible for the exam, candidates must meet various academic requirements. Below we have mentioned the UPSC eligibility for educational qualifications in detail.

  • The candidates need to have a degree from a recognized government university or have an equivalent IAS qualification.
  • UPSC Eligibility for Final Year Students: Those who are in their final year of graduation and waiting for results can also apply for the UPSC Exam. However, these candidates have to produce proof of passing the said exam.
  • Medical students who have cleared their final year can also apply for the exam. But such candidates need to submit the course completion certificate along with the UPSC Mains examination application.
  • UPSC Exam Eligibility Educational Qualification Percentage: There is no specific mention of the requisite percentage to be considered eligible for the exam. The only requirement is to possess a graduation degree.

UPSC Eligibility – Nationality

Under the nationality eligibility criteria for UPSC, citizens from other countries can also apply for exams under certain conditions. We have mentioned the complete IAS qualification criteria based on nationality below.

UPSC Eligibility for IAS, IPS, and IFS – Candidates need to be a citizen of India

UPSC Eligibility for Other Services:-

  1. A candidate can be a citizen of India, or
  2. Nepal, or
  3. Bhutan
  4. A Tibetan refugee came to India before 1st January 1962 and permanently settled in India.
  5. A person from India who has migrated from Burma, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Uganda, African countries, Malawi, the United Republic of Tanzania, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia, and Vietnam intends to settle in India permanently.
  6. Those candidates who belong to 2,3,4, and 5 categories should provide a certificate of eligibility issued by the Indian Government. These candidates may take the exam before getting the said certificate of eligibility. However, he/she would only get the offer of appointment after the certificate has been issued by the Indian Government.

Latest News About UPSC Age Limit

Applicants who couldn’t appear for the exam due to Covid-19 requested an extra attempt and relaxation on UPSC Age Limit. As per the latest news, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) is not in favor of providing an extra attempt or relaxing the IAS age limit. DoPT also claimed that any alteration of the UPSC age limit or the number of attempts allowed due to the COVID-19 outbreak might lead to similar demands from other groups of applicants. It will also have an impact on other contenders’ chances.

Summary of IAS Qualification

Below mentioned is the synopsis of the UPSC eligibility for all the categories of applicants. The Nationality and Qualification mostly remain the same for all categories. The major difference is in the UPSC age limit and the number of attempts

Type of Applicant IAS Qualification Criteria 2023
UPSC age limit for General Category IAS Age Limit – 32 Years with 6 Attempts
UPSC Age Limit for OBC UPSC Age Limit is 35 Years with 9 Attempts
UPSC Age Limit for SC/ST 32 years + 5 years with unlimited attempts.
Physically Disability UPSC Age Limit is 42 years, where SC/ST category aspirants have unlimited attempts, and others have 9 attempts.
J&K Domicile The UPSC age limit will be calculated as 32 years + 5 years + (5 years, if SC/ST OR 3 Years, if OBC), and the UPSC attempts depends on the reserved category.

The candidates must be well aware of the IAS qualification before starting with the preparation for the exam. This is a highly important segment of the exam.

UPSC Articles
Geography Syllabus for UPSC Optional Subjects for UPSC
Difference Between IAS and IPS UPSC Exam Centre
UPSC History Syllabus IAS Officer Salary
UPSC Philosophy Syllabus Best IPS Officers in India
Time Required to Prepare for UPSC IFS Officer Salary
Our Apps Playstore
POPULAR EXAMS
SSC and Bank
Other Exams
GradeStack Learning Pvt. Ltd.Windsor IT Park, Tower - A, 2nd Floor, Sector 125, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201303 help@byjusexamprep.com
Home Practice Test Series Premium