DSSSB Nursing Officer Eligibility 2026: Age and Qualification

Before you plan months of study, it is worth spending ten minutes confirming that you can actually apply. DSSSB Nursing Officer eligibility rests on three things: a recognised nursing qualification, registration with a nursing council and age within the limit on the cut-off date. GNM holders have an extra condition on experience that catches many applicants out.

This page explains each rule as it appeared in Advertisement No. 04/2024 (Post Code 02/24) issued by the Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board, the latest Nursing Officer cycle. No new Nursing Officer advertisement has come out in 2026 so far, so these rules are the most reliable guide until the next notice, which may revise them.

Table of Contents

Eligibility at a Glance

Educational Qualification

The notification gives two separate routes. You need to satisfy one of them fully, not parts of both.

Option A: Degree Holders

• B.Sc (Hons.) Nursing: From a recognised university or institute.

• Regular B.Sc Nursing: The four-year degree from a recognised university or institute.

• Post Basic B.Sc Nursing: The degree taken after GNM also counts under Option A.

Degree holders do not need prior work experience under Option A. Fresh B.Sc Nursing graduates can apply if their qualification and registration are complete by the cut-off date.

Option B: Diploma Holders

• GNM diploma: Diploma in General Nursing and Midwifery from a recognised board or council.

• Plus experience: One year of experience in a hospital with at least 50 beds, gained after completing GNM.

An ANM certificate on its own does not match either option, since the notification names only B.Sc Nursing degrees and the GNM diploma.

When Must the Qualification Be Complete?

DSSSB treats the closing date of the online application as the cut-off date for eligibility. Your final result, registration and, for GNM holders, the full year of experience should all be in place by that date. Candidates still awaiting a final-year result on the closing date risk rejection at the e-dossier stage.

Nursing Council Registration

Registration is part of the essential qualification for both options, and it works in two steps:

If you are registered with another state's nursing council, you can apply, but plan the Delhi Nursing Council registration early. Selected candidates who cannot show it at the appointment stage may face delays or lose the offer.

Experience Rule for GNM Holders

The experience condition under Option B is short but strict. Read each part carefully:

• Duration: At least one year.

• Hospital size: The hospital must have a minimum of 50 beds. Experience in a smaller nursing home or clinic does not meet the rule.

• Timing: The year must come after you acquired the GNM qualification. Internship or training during the course does not count as post-qualification experience.

• Proof: Your experience certificate should state your role, the exact dates and, ideally, the bed strength of the hospital, because it will be checked at the document stage.

Post Basic B.Sc Nursing holders apply under Option A, so this experience clause does not apply to them as per the last notice.

Age Limit and Cut-Off Date

The upper age limit was 30 years as on the closing date of application, 13 March 2024, in the last cycle. The next notification will fix its own cut-off date, usually its closing date, and will state the exact date-of-birth window. Check that window first when the advertisement is released.

The notification lists only an upper age limit for this post. Keep your Class 10 certificate ready as proof of date of birth.

Age Relaxation

Relaxation is added to the upper age limit of 30 years. The table shows the provisions that applied to this Group B post in the last notification.

One-Time Relaxation for H&FW Contractual Employees

The last notification gave a one-time relaxation with no upper age bar to contractual employees of the Delhi Health and Family Welfare Department. To qualify, the candidate must have worked at least 180 days in a particular year against a regular sanctioned post, as per the department's office memorandum dated 11 October 2020. If you are a contractual nurse in a Delhi government hospital, keep service certificates that show these days clearly.

Reservation and Category Rules

• Category certificates: SC, ST, OBC and EWS candidates must hold valid certificates as per the notice, issued by the competent authority.

• OBC (Delhi): DSSSB notices refer to OBC (Delhi) for reservation and qualifying marks. OBC candidates from outside Delhi should read how the notification treats them before claiming the category.

• PwBD: The last cycle reserved 50 posts for PwBD within the categories. Benchmark disability must be backed by a valid certificate.

• Ex-servicemen and sports persons: No posts were reserved for these groups for Post Code 02/24, though age relaxation and fee exemption rules for ex-servicemen still applied.

Eligibility Scenarios: Worked Examples

The table applies the last notification's rules to common profiles. Always confirm against the new advertisement when it is released.

Who Is Not Eligible

Most rejections come from a small set of avoidable mistakes:

• GNM without qualifying experience: Less than one year, experience in a hospital below 50 beds, or experience gained before completing GNM.

• Qualification incomplete on the cut-off date: Final result or registration not in hand by the closing date.

• No nursing council registration: Registration as RN or RN and RM is part of the essential qualification.

• Over age: Above the upper limit after counting only the relaxation you can prove.

• Unlisted courses: Qualifications other than B.Sc Nursing degrees or GNM, such as ANM alone.

DSSSB admits candidates to the exam provisionally. Eligibility is checked in detail at the e-dossier and document stage, so a wrong claim can cancel your candidature even after a good score.

Documents You Will Need

Fee and How to Apply

The application fee in the last cycle was Rs. 100, paid through SBI e-pay. Women, SC, ST, PwBD and ex-servicemen candidates were exempt. Applications are made only online through the OARS portal at https://dsssbonline.nic.in/, and the advertisement itself is published on the official website, https://dsssb.delhi.gov.in/.

What Could Change in the Next Notification

Each DSSSB advertisement carries its own eligibility table, taken from the recruitment rules of the user department at that time. When the next Nursing Officer notice is released, check these points first:

• Cut-off date: The new closing date will decide your age and qualification status.

• Experience clause: Confirm whether the one-year, 50-bed condition for GNM holders is unchanged.

• Relaxations: The one-time relaxation for contractual employees was tied to a 2020 department order; check whether it is repeated.

• Vacancy table: Category-wise posts and PwBD reservation will be fresh figures.

Treat any page that states new rules before the official advertisement is out as unverified.

Quick Self-Check Before You Apply

Starting early also gives GNM holders time to finish their experience year before the next notice.