IAS (UPSC CSE) Eligibility 2021- Age limit and Relaxation, Qualification and Physical Standards
Updated On -
Mar 19, 2021
IAS (UPSC CSE) Eligibility is a certain set of criteria required to be fulfilled by a candidate before applying for the IAS exam. The requirements are issued in the official notification of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on the official website, click here. If the aspirants fail to meet the IAS eligibility criteria, their application form will be rejected automatically.
Though a petition was filed for an extra attempt in IAS 2021 for candidates who exhausted the age limit in 2020 and missed the last attempt due to the pandemic, it has been rejected by Supreme Court. Read the news in details here
The official notification for IAS (UPSC CSE) 2021 is supposed to come out on February 10, 2021. The notification is a long list that mentions all the factors that make a candidate eligible or non-eligible for the exam. Along with the requirements, the aspirants must check out the restrictions too to avoid any disqualification.
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UPSC IAS Eligibility Criteria 2021: Highlights
| Age Criteria | 21- 32 years |
| Age relaxation | 3-10 years as per category |
| Educational Qualification | Graduation (Minimum) |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Physical Standards | As per the Rank or post |
| Attempts | 6 attempts (There is no restriction for SC/ST candidates) |
Different Criteria for classification:-
- Age criteria and relaxation
- Educational Qualification
- Nationality
- Physical Standard
- Number of attempts allowed
IAS (UPSC CSE) Exam 2021 Eligibility: Age Criteria
There is an age limit set by IAS for candidates who will appear in the UPSC IAS 2021. A candidate must have attained 21 years of age but the upper limit of age limit is set at 32 years.
IAS (UPSC CSE) 2021- Age Relaxation
| Category | Maximum Age Limit |
|---|---|
| General | 32 Years |
| Other Backward Castes (OBC) | 35 Years |
| Economically Weaker Section (EWS) | 32 Years |
| SC/ST | 37 Years |
| Physically Disabled Candidates | 42 Years |
Some important details related to the reserved category candidates are discussed in the following:
- Relaxation of a maximum of three years in the case of Defence Services Personnel, disabled in operations during hostilities with any foreign country or in a disturbed area and released as a consequence thereof, is given. Read IAS Reservation Criteria
- Five years of age relaxation is provided to the Candidates belonging to ex-servicemen including Commissioned officers and ECOs/SSCOs who have rendered Military services for at least five years as of August 01, 2021, and have been released
- On completion of assignment (including those whose assignment is due to be completed within one year from August 01, 2021, otherwise than by way of dismissal or discharge on account of misconduct or inefficiency.
- On account of physical disability attributable to Military Service.
- On invalided.
- Relaxation of up to a maximum of five years will be given in the case of ECOs/SSCOs who have completed an initial period of assignment of five years of Military Service as of August 01, 2021.
- Those whose assignment has been extended beyond five years and in whose case the Ministry of Defence issues a certificate that they can apply for civil employment and that they will be released on three months’ notice on a selection from the date of receipt of an offer of appointment.
Note: No age relaxation will be provided to candidates who are domiciled from Jammu and Kashmir from 2021 onwards.
IAS Exam 2021 Eligibility: Minimum Qualification
UPSC IAS Exam sets eligibility criteria for the candidates who wish to get recruited in All India Services. Candidates who wish to sit for UPSC Civil Services Exam must hold a graduation degree from any University which has been incorporated by the Act of Parliament or which is to be declared as a Deemed University by the University Grants Commission or he/she must possess an equivalent qualification for IAS Exam. However, there are several exceptions that may be treated by the commission.
IAS 2021: Exceptions
- Candidates who are waiting for the result of their graduation exam are eligible for the IAS Prelims exam but they will have to present the degree at the time of appearing for the IAS Main Exam.
- IAS Exam Eligibility is considered on the basis that he/she has passed an exam conducted by other Institutions, the standard of which in the opinion of the Commission justifies his/her admission to the IAS Exam 2021.
- Candidates with professional and technical degrees as recognized by the Government of India will also be eligible to appear for IAS Exam.
- IAS will provisionally admit candidates with a professional MBBS degree or candidate who has passed any other medical examination but has not completed an internship. This is applicable only if he/she submits a copy of the certificate from the concerned authority of the University/Institution along with the IAS Online Application.
IAS (UPSC CSE) 2021 Exam Eligibility: Nationality
For the recruitment of candidates for All-India Services like IAS, IPS, or IFS officer, a candidate must be a citizen of India. For Central Civil Services, the candidate must be any of the following:
- a citizen of India
- a subject of Nepal
- a subject of Bhutan
- a refugee from Tibet who came to India with the intention of permanently settling before January 01, 1962, or
- a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia, and Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India provided that a candidate belonging to categories Nepal, Bhutan, Tibetan refuge and other Indian origin candidates from countries mentioned above shall be given a certificate of eligibility issued by the Government of India.
Note: Candidate who is a subject of Nepal, Bhutan, or is a Tibetan refugee will not be considered eligible for appointment to Indian Foreign Services. Also, candidates who need to produce a certificate of eligibility will be admitted to the IAS Exam but the appointment will be given after submission of certificates issued by the Government of India.
IAS (UPSC CSE) Exam Eligibility: Physical Standards
Candidates who wish to seek employment at any post of All India Services have to appear for and clear a physical test which is conducted by the commission as per rules and regulations laid down by the Government of India.
- It is very important to be physically fit for the efficient discharge of duties and services.
- For recruitment in civil services, a candidate must also be mentally fit.
- If the candidate fails to satisfy the requirements of being mentally and bodily fit to discharge duties, he/she will not be appointed.
Hospitals conducting Medical tests for Civil Services Exam
- Seven hospitals have been designated for conducting medical tests of candidates wishing to get employed in civil services posts in Delhi. Names for the designated hospitals are:
- Safdarjung Hospital
- Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital
- Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital
- Sucheta Kriplani Hospital
- Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital
- Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital
- BR Ambedkar Hospital
- Female candidates will also be examined in the above-mentioned hospitals.
- For candidates with Physical Disability, the following hospitals will be conducting medical examination as per their IAS Prelims:
- Safdarjung Hospital
- Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital
- LHMC
- Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital
- Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital
- Candidates who will require Appellate Specialized Medical Board for eye conditions will be sent to Guru Nanak Eye Centre, New Delhi for medical examination.
IAS (UPSC CSE) Exam Eligibility: Attempts
There is a specified number of attempts that the candidate can take for the IAS Exams. However, the limitations vary according to the reservation of category.
| Category | Number of Attempts |
|---|---|
| General | 6 Attempts |
| Other Backward Castes (OBC) | 9 Attempts |
| Economically Weaker Section (EWS) | 6 Attempts |
| SC/ST | Till the age limit |
| Physically Disabled Candidates | For General and OBC aspirants: 9 Attempts SC/ST Aspirants: Unlimited times till the age limit |
Restriction of Candidates for IAS (UPSC CSE) Exam
There are several cases in which candidates will stand non-eligible for the IAS Exam. The conditions of Non-Eligibility for the IAS exam have been mentioned below:
- A candidate who has been appointed as an Indian Administrative Service (I.A.S) officer or Indian Foreign Service (I.F.S) officer by the results of an earlier examination and continues to be a member of that service will not be eligible to sit for IAS Exam. Read IS Exam Centres
- If such is the case then candidates will be appointed to the IAS/IFS after the conduction of IAS Prelims. Candidates of such a case will continue to be a member of that service and he/she shall not be eligible to appear in IAS Main exam.
- If a candidate is appointed to IAS or IFS after he/she sits for IAS Main before the announcement of IAS Exam Result thereof and continues to be a member of that service, he/she shall not be eligible for appointment to any service on the basis of IAS Result.
FAQs
Ques. Which branch of engineering is eligible for the IAS?
Ans. Any candidate holding technical degrees of any kind from a central or state government recognized institute can apply for IAS too.
Ques. Is the AMIE degree considered for IAS eligibility?
Ans. AMIE is considered equivalent to B. Tech. and hence it is an eligible degree for applying for exams like IAS.
Ques. I am pursuing a Dual degree in M.Tech. Am I eligible for UPSC 2021?
Ans. Yes, you will be eligible as according to UPSC, candidates who have appeared in their final exam or will be completing the degree course they are pursuing, this year are also eligible to apply for IAS 2021.
Ques. I am in my 3rd year of engineering. Can I apply for UPSC?
Ans. No, if you are in the third year of engineering you cannot apply for UPSC 2021 as you have to complete the graduation before the application procedure of UPSC 2021 starts, which means if you were in the last leg of your 8th semester in 2020, you could consider applying for IAS 2021.
Ques. Is graduation necessary to appear in the UPSC exam?
Ans. Yes, the minimum qualification required for IAS educational qualification is graduation. You can check the detailed IAS eligibility criteria here.
Ques. Will my graduation marks affect the UPSC examination?
Ans. There are no minimum marks required for applying for the UPSC exam and hence, your graduation marks will not affect the UPSC exam either. However, if you are in the final year of your graduation and apply for IAs but fail the final exam, then you cannot appear for the IAS.
Ques. What is the eligibility for the medical fitness test for IAS?
Ans. There no no height, weight, and chest girth specifications for IAS candidates but in the case during the medical checkup, they seem disproportionate, the candidate will be sent for further tests and even X-rays. Stable mental and physical health is required for the IAS postings and the medical checkups will be done at a different government recognized medical centers. You can find the detailed physical fitness criteria for IAS here.
Ques. What is the maximum age limit to appear in IAS exams?
Ans. The maximum age limit for IAS is 32 years. However, there are age relaxations for reserved categories as well which you can find in detail here.
Ques. I am doing B.SC (IT). Am I eligible for IAS?
Ans. Yes, graduation is the minimum required educational qualification for IAS and hence, B.Sc. in IT is eligible. If you have already graduated or in the final year of your graduation, you can apply for IAS.
Ques. Is a diploma holder eligible for UPSC?
Ans. No, a diploma degree is not enough for UPSC eligibility as the minimum required qualification is graduation.
Ques. Is a BA without honors eligible for the IAS exam?
Ans. Yes, BA without honours is eligible for the IAS exam provided it is completed from any recognized central or state university.
Ques. How many marks are required in 12th for IAS?
Ans. There is no minimum marks requirement in class 12 for IAS as the exam is conducted based on the graduation level qualification.
Ques. Will my graduation marks affect the UPSC examination?
Ans. No, the graduation marks do not affect the UPSC examination which is entirely based on your preparation of the prelims and mains syllabus.
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.