Can Final Year Students Apply for UPSC 2026? Check Eligibility!

‘Can final year students apply for UPSC’? This question can be answered easily by looking at the eligibility criteria published by UPSC along with the notification. Based on those documents, we can safely say that, yes, final year students can apply for UPSC.

However, before we can completely address the question of ‘Can final year students apply for UPSC’?, candidates must keep certain terms and conditions in mind before filling the form. These guidelines will ensure that your form will not be rejected on the basis of non-qualification.

Here, we will try to answer ‘Can final year students apply for UPSC prelims and mains’? After completing this article, you will be able to fill the form without any doubts!

Are Final Year Students Eligible to Apply for UPSC CSE?

Yes, final-year graduation students are eligible to apply for the UPSC Civil Services Examination, but their candidature is treated as provisional until they submit proof of having passed the degree exam. Such candidates can appear for the Preliminary examination while still in their final year, provided they will obtain their degree before the stage of filling the Detailed Application Form (DAF) for the Mains examination. If a final-year candidate fails to clear or complete their graduation in time and cannot produce the required proof before Mains, their application is rejected even if they have cleared Prelims. Apart from this, they must also satisfy the minimum age requirement of 21 years and other standard UPSC criteria like nationality and attempt limits.​

Can MBBS Graduates without Internships Apply for UPSC?

Yes, MBBS graduates who have passed their final professional medical examination but have not completed their internship can apply for the UPSC Civil Services Examination. These candidates receive provisional admission provided they submit a certificate from the relevant university authority confirming they have passed the final MBBS exam along with their Mains application. They must produce proof of completing all degree requirements, including the internship, at the time of the Personality Test or interview stage. Failure to provide the original degree or completion certificate during document verification leads to disqualification, even if they clear earlier stages. This provision allows medical students flexibility while ensuring the graduate qualification is fully met before final selection.​

UPSC CSE Eligibility Overview

Before looking into education criteria, we need to have a basic idea about what UPSC expects from a candidate in terms of qualification. This will help us answer ‘Can final year students apply for UPSC’?

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Can Final Year Students Apply for UPSC Prelims 2026? 

UPSC has not specifically mentioned criteria for prelims and mains. However, based on guidelines, we can deduce that there is a slight variation in the eligibility. The eligibility criteria is given below.

• Minimum Qualification for UPSC CSE: As a minimum qualification for UPSC CSE 2026, a candidate must have graduated from a recognized university or have an equivalent qualification.
• Eligibility Criteria for Final Year Graduates: Candidates who are in their final year of graduation or awaiting results can also appear for the UPSC Prelims Examination. 
• Eligibility of Professional and Technical Qualifications: Candidates who possess professional and technical qualifications recognized by the Government as equivalent to professional and technical degrees are also eligible for UPSC CSE 2026.

Can Final Year Students Apply for UPSC Mains?

Candidates are required to have passed their final year examination while applying for the UPSC Mains Examination. This means, a graduate degree is necessary.

Candidates applying for UPSC mains will need to submit proof of their graduation through documents. This is a requirement specified by UPSC.

Candidates failing to pass their graduation degree will not be eligible for UPSC mains even if they have cleared UPSC prelims. The details of qualification are mentioned below.

Can Final Year Students Apply for UPSC? Age Criteria

Apart from education, a candidate has to attain 21 years of age before applying for the UPSC prelims exam. Even if a candidate has graduated without attaining 21 years, he/she will not be eligible to apply.

The age criteria for candidates belonging to the General category is 21 to 32 years. 

Candidates must be at least 21 years old and not more than 32 years old as of August 1, 2026, to be eligible for UPSC CSE 2026. 

Can Final Year MBBS Students Apply for UPSC? 

Medical students, who have not completed their internship, despite passing the final year of MBBS, can also apply for the UPSC Exam. However, they are required to submit a course completion certificate from the concerned authority along with their Mains Exam application. This can be a provisional document.

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During document verification, they have to produce an original degree or a certificate from the university/institution confirming they have completed all requirements, including the internship, for the degree to be awarded.

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