CDS Eligibility 2027: Age Limit, Qualification and Marital Status

CDS eligibility is decided academy by academy, not once for the whole exam. The Combined Defence Services Examination, conducted by UPSC, leads to officer training at IMA, INA, AFA and OTA, and each of them has its own rules on degree, age, gender and marital status. A candidate who is eligible for one academy can be ineligible for another in the same form.

This guide explains every CDS eligibility condition in plain terms: educational qualification, age limit with exact date-of-birth windows, nationality, marital status, physical standards and attempts. It also includes worked date-of-birth examples, because age is where most applications go wrong. Figures follow CDS II 2026 and are labelled; the CDS I 2027 table is indicative only until UPSC issues the notice.

Table of Contents

CDS Eligibility at a Glance

Nationality, physical standards and attempts apply to all four academies. Each is covered below.

Educational Qualification

All CDS candidates need a bachelor's degree from a recognised university or an equivalent institution. What changes is the kind of degree each academy accepts.

Points that cause confusion

• INA is an engineering route: A pure B.Sc. or B.Com. graduate cannot apply for INA. If your degree is not engineering, list IMA and OTA instead.

• AFA has two ways in: A graduate in any stream can apply if Physics and Mathematics were studied at 10+2. An engineering graduate qualifies without that condition.

• Final-year students can apply: You may apply while awaiting results, but you must submit proof of passing the degree by the date stated in the notice. That date is tied to a later stage, so read its exact wording. If you miss it, your candidature becomes invalid.

• Recognition matters: A degree from an institution that is not recognised does not count. Check the status of your university before you apply.

CDS Age Limit

Age is checked against fixed dates of birth, not against the day you fill the form or the day of the exam. The window is set from the date on which the course commences, so it moves forward with every cycle.

Date-of-birth windows for CDS II 2026

For AFA, the upper age limit is relaxable up to 26 years for candidates who hold a valid Commercial Pilot Licence. IMA, INA and AFA courses commence in July 2027 and OTA courses in October 2027 for this cycle, which is why the windows above end on 1 July 2008 and 1 July 2007.

Worked examples

Dates are easier to understand with real cases, using the CDS II 2026 windows.

• Born 15 March 2003: This date falls before 2 July 2003, so the candidate is over the upper limit for IMA, INA and AFA. The OTA window starts on 2 July 2002, so OTA is still open.

• Born 20 February 2006: The candidate is 21 years old on 1 July 2027 and falls inside every window. IMA, INA, AFA and OTA are all open, subject to degree rules.

• Born 2 July 2002 and 1 July 2002: A single day separates them. The first is eligible for OTA, the second is not.

CDS I 2027: indicative date-of-birth windows

UPSC's calendar lists the CDS I 2027 notification for 2 December 2026, and calendar dates remain tentative until the notice is issued. If the usual pattern holds, the windows move forward by six months. The table below is a planning guide derived from that pattern and is not official.

Treat these as estimates and confirm the exact dates in the CDS I 2027 notice before you decide your academy preferences.

Age relaxation

The CDS notice does not give category-wise age relaxation. SC, ST, OBC and EWS candidates follow the same fixed windows as everyone else. Some websites list relaxations copied from other UPSC exams, so rely only on the notice. The only relaxation noted above is the Commercial Pilot Licence provision for AFA.

Gender and Marital Status

Women can therefore apply to CDS only through OTA. Candidates for the permanent commission academies must also remain unmarried until the end of training, and the notice warns of discharge for those who marry during it.

Nationality

A candidate must be a citizen of India. UPSC also allows a few other categories, such as subjects of Nepal and persons of Indian origin who migrated from specified countries with the intention of settling in India. These categories need an eligibility certificate issued by the Government of India, and the notice lists them in full. If you fall in one of them, apply for the certificate early, because the application will not be complete without it.

Physical and Medical Standards

Clearing the written exam and SSB does not guarantee selection, because every recommended candidate must meet the physical and medical standards of the service. Candidates must be in good physical and mental health and free from any condition that could interfere with their duties. The minimum heights commonly published for CDS are below. The medical appendix of the notice is the final authority.

• Height relaxation: A relaxation of 5 cm applies to candidates from the Gorkha community and the hills of the North-Eastern region, and to Garhwali and Kumaon candidates. Candidates from Lakshadweep receive 2 cm.

• Weight: Weight must be proportionate to height and age. Overweight and underweight candidates can be rejected.

• Vision and teeth: Each service sets its own vision limits, and AFA is the strictest. A minimum of 14 dental points is required, with enough natural teeth.

Check your eyesight and any known medical condition against the notice before applying. A fixable issue found early costs far less than one found at the medical board.

Number of Attempts

UPSC does not cap the number of attempts in CDS. You can appear in every cycle for as long as you remain inside the age window of your chosen academy. The same candidate can therefore try for IMA in an early cycle and fall back on OTA later, because OTA's window is one year longer.

Application Fee and Documents

The application fee is Rs. 200 for male candidates in the general and OBC categories. Women and SC and ST candidates are exempt, and the fee once paid is not refunded. Registration is a two-step process, with a one-time registration followed by the examination form on the UPSC online portal.

Keep proof of date of birth, your degree certificate or provisional proof, a photograph, a signature, and any eligibility certificate ready before you begin.

Who Is Not Eligible

• Overage or underage candidates: Anyone whose date of birth falls outside the window of the academy they chose.

• Non-graduates: Candidates who have not completed a degree, or who cannot produce proof of passing by the stated date.

• Non-engineers applying to INA: The INA route is limited to engineering graduates.

• Married men for IMA, INA and AFA: These academies accept unmarried men only.

• Women applying to IMA, INA or AFA: CDS opens only OTA to women.

• Candidates who fail the standards: Those who do not meet the physical or medical requirements of the service.

Common Eligibility Mistakes

• Counting age on the wrong day: Many candidates calculate age on the exam date or the form date. UPSC works from fixed date-of-birth windows tied to the course start, so always compare your date of birth with the window, not your age in years.

• Reusing last cycle's dates: The window shifts by six months every cycle. A date that was valid for CDS II 2026 can be one day too early for the next cycle.

• Assuming a degree is enough for every academy: A graduate in Commerce or Science is eligible for IMA and OTA, but not INA, and AFA depends on 10+2 subjects.

• Trusting relaxation claims from other exams: CDS has no category-wise age relaxation, so a candidate counting on extra years may find the application rejected.

• Ignoring the degree-proof date: Final-year students sometimes learn about the deadline only after results are delayed. Track your university's result date against the notice.

• Leaving the medical check for last: Height, vision and dental points are fixed requirements. Finding a problem at the medical board, after months of preparation, is the costliest way to learn about it.

Which Academy Fits Your Profile?

Eligibility also shapes strategy. Because one form can cover several academies, the best choice depends on your degree, age and gender.

Eligibility is only the first filter. A candidate who meets every condition still has to clear the written exam, the SSB and the medical examination, so use the months before the notification to prepare rather than to wait.

Eligibility Checklist Before You Apply

1. Match your degree: Decide which academies your degree and 10+2 subjects allow.

2. Check your date of birth: Compare it with the exact window for each academy in the latest notice.

3. Confirm gender and marital status: Use the table above to see which academies are open to you.

4. Review the physical standards: Check height, vision and any medical history.

5. Plan your degree proof: Note the date by which final-year students must submit it.

6. Rank your preferences: List academies in the order you want them, as UPSC allots based on that order.

UPSC fixes the final conditions in each notice. Confirm them on the official UPSC website before you submit your form.