UPSC Exam Eligibility Explained

PWOnlyIAS April 03, 2024 06:50 2585 0

Find out if final-year students can apply to the UPSC and check the requirements for engineering students, UPSC EPFO, and IFS posts.

UPSC Exam Eligibility Explained

UPSC conducts CSE exams every year to select candidates for bureaucratic positions in the government. UPSC has provided certain guidelines for candidates to be eligible for UPSC exams. If you are a candidate who is still pursuing studies, check out the eligibility criteria to apply for UPSC exams.

UPSC Exam Eligibility: Can Final Year Students Apply for UPSC?

Many candidates look to enter civil service at a young age. For such aspirants, UPSC has introduced guidelines that allow them to enter service fairly early in their lives. 

UPSC has a minimum educational qualification of graduation to apply for the exam. However, to facilitate candidates who will be completing their graduation in a few months, UPSC allows students in their final year to apply for UPSC. These students can fill the form while still in their colleges. But they will have to produce a graduation degree while filling the form for UPSC mains.

Despite the flexibility in educational qualifications, UPSC has imposed restrictions on age for filling the form. Candidates will have to fulfil certain age criteria to apply for UPSC.

UPSC Exam Eligibility: Can a Final Year Student Apply for EPFO?

According to UPSC, candidates applying for UPSC EPFO should have completed graduation. This means that students in their final year cannot apply for UPSC EPFO. They will have to wait till they complete their graduation before applying. Other Qualifications to Apply for EPFO is as Follows:

UPSC EPFO Exam Eligibility

Position Age limit Educational Qualification Nationality
APFC 35 A bachelor’s degree in any stream. 
  • Indian citizen, or
  • A citizen of Nepal, or
  • A citizen of Bhutan, or
  • A Tibetan refugee entering India prior to January 1, 1962, with the goal of remaining there indefinitely, or
  • A person of Indian descent who shifted to India with the sole aim of staying there permanently, especially from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, or the East African nations such as Kenya, Tanzania etc. 
Enforcement Officer/Accounts Officer 30 A bachelor’s degree in any stream.  Same as Above

UPSC Exam Eligibility: Can a Final Year Engineering Student Apply for UPSC?

Yes. UPSC has provisions for final year students to apply for the UPSC exam. Based on the criteria given by UPSC, students in their final year or those waiting for their results, can apply for the exam. However, they will have to produce a degree certificate while filling the form for UPSC Mains. This means that candidates who have failed to graduate cannot apply for mains as their candidature will be cancelled.

UPSC Exam Eligibility: Are Final Year Students Eligible for IFS Post in UPSC?

Indian Foreign Service (IFS) is Grade-A central government service that handles diplomatic affairs of the government. The candidates to serve as IFS officers are selected amongst successful UPSC CSE candidates. The exam to select IFS officers is part of the UPSC Civil Services Exam.

Hence, candidates looking to pursue a career as diplomats, have to fulfil the same age and educational criteria as other services such as IAS or IPS. So, students in final year are eligible to apply for IFS posts in UPSC, provided they qualify the exam.

Candidates must fulfil citizenship criteria for applying for IFS, which can be found below:

Service  Citizenship criteria
IFS A Citizen of India or a Person of Indian origin (PIO) who has migrated from Pakistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Ethiopia, Zaire, and Vietnam, for permanently settling in India.

What Other Educational Qualifications are Required for UPSC?

UPSC has provided certain guidelines to define educational eligibility to apply for the UPSC exam. These guidelines have to be adhered by candidates while applying for the exam. These guidelines are as follows:

  • Minimum Educational Qualification: A candidate must hold a Graduate degree of any of the Universities incorporated by an Act of the central or State Legislature in India or other educational institutions established by an Act of Parliament or declared to be deemed as a University under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956 or possess an equivalent qualification.
  • Final Year Graduates: Candidates in their final year of graduation or those awaiting results of their exam, can apply for the UPSC Examination. However, they are required to produce graduation degree while applying for the UPSC Mains Examination. This proof should be issued no later than the closing date of the Detailed Application Form-I for the Main Examination, failing which they will not be admitted to the Main Examination.
  • Exceptional Cases:  The Commission may treat a candidate who does not have any of the foregoing qualifications as a candidate, provided that the candidate has passed an examination conducted by any other institution the standard of which in the opinion of the Commission justifies the admission to the Civil Services Examination. 
  • Professional and Technical Qualifications: Candidates who possess professional and technical qualifications recognised by the Government as equivalent to professional and technical degrees are also eligible for IAS Exam.
  • Eligibility for Medical Graduates: Medical graduates, who have not completed their internship, despite passing the final year of MBBS can provisionally apply for the Civil Services Examination if they provide a certificate confirming passing the final professional examination. They must submit the original degree or a certificate showing completion of all requirements, including the internship, during the interview.

Conclusion

UPSC has enabled flexible eligibility criteria to ensure candidates from all forms of life have an equal opportunity to become civil servants. Candidates who fulfil age and educational criteria can apply for the exam, and become civil servants, provided they qualify the exam.

If you are enthusiastic about the UPSC exam from a very young age, then you can prepare during your graduation and apply during the final year of the graduation. In this way you can enter the service at a very young age and serve the society for a longer period of time.

Must Read
NCERT Notes For UPSC UPSC Daily Current Affairs
UPSC Blogs UPSC Daily Editorials
Daily Current Affairs Quiz Daily Main Answer Writing
UPSC Mains Previous Year Papers UPSC Test Series 2024

 

Frequently Asked Questions

No. Medical students who have finished final exams but not completed an internship can apply. However, they have to produce a completion certificate before applying for mains.

Yes. You can apply for the UPSC exam if you have graduated, provided you have attained the age of 21 years on August 1st of the examination year.

Yes. If you have applied for UPSC exam before final exams but could not clear it, then your candidature will get cancelled during the mains stage.

Yes. If you have passed your graduation examination and attained the minimum age of 21 years, you can become an IAS officer, provided you qualify the UPSC exam.

Yes. UPSC has made it clear that candidates appearing for the final year exam or those who are waiting for their final year results, are eligible to apply for the UPSC exam.
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