UPSC CSE 2026 registration begins for 933 vacancies; exam on May 24

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has started accepting applications for the Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2026. Eligible candidates can apply for the UPSC CSE exam 2026 on the official website, upsconline.nic.in, by February 24.

According to the schedule, the UPSC CSE 2026 prelims exam is scheduled for May 24, while the mains exam will be conducted on August 21, 2026.

A total of 933 vacancies are available through the UPSC CSE 2026 recruitment for posts in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and Indian Forest Service (IFS).

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To complete the UPSC CSE application form 2026, general, other backward classes (OBC), and economically weaker sections (EWS) candidates are required to pay the application fee of Rs 100. There is no fee for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Ex-servicemen, PwD, and female candidates.

UPSC IAS eligibility criteria 2026

Candidates who have completed a bachelor’s degree with at least one of the following subjects—animal husbandry and veterinary science, botany, chemistry, geology, mathematics, physics, statistics, or zoology—or a bachelor’s degree in agriculture, forestry, or engineering from a recognised university are eligible to apply for the UPSC CSE recruitment 2026.

The UPSC civil services age limit is 32 years for general, EWS, 35 years for OBC, and 37 years for SC, ST candidates, with age relaxation up to 40 years for disabled categories.

For the UPSC CSE exam, general category candidates can attempt the exam six times, OBC candidates nine times, while SC and ST candidates can attempt it until they reach their prescribed maximum age limit.

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UPSC CSE Exam 2026: Steps to apply

Follow the instructions below to fill the UPSC CSE 2026 application form.

• Go to the official website, upsc.gov.in.
• Click on the “UPSC Civil Services Examination 2026” link.
• To fill out the IAS application form 2026, click on the ‘OTR’ link and complete the process.
• Log in using valid login credentials, email ID, and OTP or password.
• Complete the UPSC CSE application form.
• Upload the required documents and pay the UPSC IAS application fee.
• Submit the completed application and take a printout of the same for your records.