IAS Eligibility 2021: UPSC Age Limit, Qualification & Attempts

All set for UPSC? Don’t worry if you haven’t qualified for that. You still have a chance to appear for IAS Exam 2021. So, gear up and start working hard as the dates for the application forms have already been announced, and you have just less than a year for your preparation. Are you still confused regarding your eligibility? Then you have landed on the right page. Below, we have provided detailed information about IAS eligibility criteria, including nationality, educational qualification, age limit and the number of attempts.

What is the Eligibility for IAS Exam 2021?

There are four essential factors for IAS Eligibility: Nationality, Age Limit, Educational Qualification, and the Number of Attempts for the exam.

Nationality

Without a second thought the nationality should be INDIAN with certain exceptions.

• For all Group A posts such as IAS, IPS, IFS etc a candidate must be citizen of India.
• For all group B posts the candidate should be either
  • a citizen of India or ;
  • A subject of Nepal, Bhutan or a Tibetan refugee who migrated to India before January 1, 1962 with an intention of settling permanently in India or;
  • A person of Indian origin who came to India from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Burma, East African countries of Kenya, the United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia and Vietnam, with an intention of settling permanently in India.

It may be noted that all the candidates belonging to 2.2 and 2.3 category above, shall be carrying a valid certificate of eligibility issued by the Government of India verifying his status. All the candidates belonging to 2.3 category will not be eligible for IFS i.e. Indian Foreign Service. The candidate may be permitted to give the prelims exam. But the final appointment will only be issued once he has produced all certificates related to his eligibility issued by Government of India.

UPSC Age Limit for IAS Exam

• A candidate must have attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 32 years on August 01, 2021. This means the candidate must be born between August 22, 1989 and August 01, 2000. Necessary actions which are required to make the corresponding changes for various services must be taken care separately.
• The upper age limit i.e. 32 years is relax-able up to a maximum of five years i.e. 37 years if the candidate belongs to a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe.
• The upper limit is relaxed for maximum of three years i.e. 35 years if the candidate belongs to other backward class (OBC) category.
• The age is relaxed up to a maximum of five years if a candidate had ordinarily been domiciled in the State of Jammu and Kashmir during the period from the January 1st, 1980 to December 31, 1989;
• The candidate can apply up to 35 years in 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;
• A candidate is relaxed for five years i.e. 37 years in case of ex-servicemen including Commissioned Officers and SSCOs/ECOs who have rendered at least five years Military Service as on August 01, 2021. The candidates should have been released for any of the following reason
  • on completion of their assignment (including those whose assignment is due to be completed within one year from 1st August, 2017 otherwise than by way of dismissal or discharge on account of misconduct or inefficiency; or
  • On account of physical disability attributable to Military Service; or
  • On getting invalid
• The age is relaxed up to five years in case of SSCOs/ECOs who have completed five years of Military Service on August 01, 2021 and also whose assignment is extended beyond five years. In this case they need to produce a certificate issued by Ministry of Defence stating that they can apply for Civil Services and the selected candidates will be released from their current employment from the date of receipt of the appointment letter.
• If a candidate is blind, hearing impaired or orthopedically handicapped; he/she can be relaxed up-to a maximum of 10 years.

Important Note

• If any candidate belonging to SC/ST and OBC is also covered under the category of ex-servicemen or domiciled in J&K, blind, hearing impaired or orthopedically handicapped etc., will be eligible for a cumulative age relaxation coming under both the categories.
• The term “Ex-servicemen” will be applicable only to those persons who are defined as “Ex-servicemen” in the latest amended Ex-servicemen (Re-employment in Civil Services and Posts) Rules, 1979.
• The age relaxation rule in case of Ex-servicemen and Commissioned Officers including ECOs/SSCOs, will not be applicable in case they are released on their own request.
• The candidate may note that there is notwithstanding the provision of age relaxation under age relaxation rule for physically disabled candidate. The candidate will be considered eligible for appointment only if the candidate (after physical examination as the Government or appointing authority) is found to satisfy all the requirements regarding the physical and medical standards for the concerned Services/Posts which is to be allocated to the physically disabled candidates by the Government.
• The age limit as prescribed in here, shall not be relaxed under any circumstances.
• The date of birth which is accepted by the Union Public Service Commission is the one which is mentioned in your school leaving certificate or Matriculation certificate or in a certificate which is recognised by an Indian university as equivalent to Matriculation or in an extract from a Register of Matriculates which must be certified by a proper authority of the concerned University or in the Higher Secondary examination certificate.
• All the documents and certificates are required to be submitted at the time of Civil services mains examination. Please note that no other documents such as horoscopes, birth extracts from Municipal Corporation, affidavits, Service records, etc. will be entertained and accepted.

Educational Qualification for IAS

• A candidate should be a graduate in any Indian recognised university. A candidate from any stream or degree can apply and compete in the exam.
• There is no boundation of minimum marks or percentage or language. This means that any graduate or a degree holder irrespective of language, stream and percentage is eligible to appear for the Civil Services Examination.
• The candidates who have a professional or technical qualification which is recognised by the government and are considered equivalent to a professional and technical degree courses are also eligible to appear in the examination.
• Candidates in the final year of MBBS who have completed their medical examination but have not completed their internship may be allowed to give the exam. But the candidates have to provide a provisional degree or a certificate from the authorities stating that they have completed all the formalities which are required to obtain the degree in the mains exam.
• Even if a candidate has passed his degree from an open university, he/she is eligible for the exam, but only if the university is accredited and recognised.

Number of Attempts in IAS Exam

Important Note

• Any attempt made at the prelims examination, is considered as an attempt.
• Even if the candidate clears his mains but fails to give the interview, an attempt is counted.
• The attempt will not be counted in case of disqualification or cancellation. But any other appearance of the candidate in the examination will be counted as an attempt.

Please make a note that if a candidate has filled the application form and doesn’t turn up to give the preliminary exam, the attempt will NOT BE COUNTED. If a candidate appears in any of the papers of the Civil Services, it will mark his attempt as counted.