UPPCS Eligibility 2026: Age Limit, Qualification and Relaxation

UPPCS eligibility depends on three things: your educational qualification, your age on the reference date and the rules for your category. UPPCS is the Combined State / Upper Subordinate Services Examination of the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC), and the 2026 cycle follows advertisement A-1/E-1/2026, issued on 25 June 2026.

This page explains who can apply, how the age limit is counted and where candidates most often go wrong. The key date is 1 July 2026, because your age is checked on that day and not on the day you apply or sit the exam.

The application window for this cycle closed on 27 July 2026, with corrections allowed until 3 August 2026. The rules below still help you check your position for the next notification, since the commission keeps them fairly stable. Always confirm details in the advertisement of the cycle you target.

Table of Contents

• UPPCS eligibility at a glance

• Educational qualification

• Age limit

• Other conditions

• Who is not eligible

• Fee and registration

UPPCS eligibility

Educational qualification

The general rule is a Bachelor's degree from a recognised university, held by the date the notice sets for applicants. You must state your qualification in the application form.

• Post-specific degrees: Some posts ask for more than a graduation, such as a postgraduate degree, a law degree or a subject-specific qualification. Check the line for each post you want.

• Marksheets and degrees: Candidates called for the Main Examination must submit self-attested copies of their marksheets and degrees with the Main application, so keep your documents ready.

• Final-year students (tentative): Some third-party pages say final-year students can apply provisionally and must show proof of passing before the Main application. We could not confirm this in the notice text, so verify it in the advertisement before you rely on it.

The commission does not reserve the exam for particular subjects. A graduate in arts, science, commerce or any other stream can take the general posts.

Age limit

Candidates must have completed 21 years and must not have crossed 40 years on 1 July 2026. Count your age on that date, not on the date of the exam.

The relaxation is added to the upper limit only. The lower limit of 21 years stays the same for everyone. For example, a general category candidate born on 2 July 1986 is still within the limit on 1 July 2026, while someone born a day earlier is not.

The notice ties these relaxations to candidates of Uttar Pradesh. Check the exact wording for your category, and keep your certificate ready as the commission asks.

Other conditions

• Registration: The OTR number is the only registration number for applying to any UPPSC post. Create it before the application window opens.

• Domicile and category: Relaxation and reservation categories are linked to Uttar Pradesh in the notice, so confirm what applies to you and keep valid certificates.

• Medical and character norms: Posts may carry medical or physical standards, especially police and similar services. Read the post details before you fill preferences.

• Attempts: We could not verify a fixed limit on attempts in the notice text. Check the advertisement for any such rule.

Who is not eligible

• Below 21 or above the limit: If your age on 1 July 2026 falls outside your category band, the application is not valid.

• No qualifying degree: Candidates without the required degree on the date the notice sets cannot be admitted.

• Missing registration: Without an OTR number, you cannot start an application.

• Wrong category claim: A relaxation claimed without the required certificate can lead to rejection.

• Skipping a paper: A candidate who does not appear in both Prelims papers is disqualified.

Fee and registration

For the Preliminary Examination, the fee for Unreserved, EWS and OBC candidates is Rs. 125, made up of Rs. 100 exam fee and Rs. 25 online processing fee. Reported fees for SC/ST candidates are Rs. 65 and for PH candidates Rs. 25, so confirm both in the advertisement.

You can find UPPCS study notes on Testkart to begin. Confirm every eligibility detail on uppsc.up.nic.in.