IAS Eligibility 2023

Last Updated on August 7, 2023 by Vishnu Nambiar

Do you want to become an IAS Officer? If yes, this article will be of help to you. Here, we will have an in-depth analysis of IAS exam eligibility criteria.

How’s this article of help to me, you may ask. Here, you will find everything you need to know about IAS Officer Eligibility Criteria – educational qualifications required, age limit, nationality and more.   IAS stands for Indian Administrative Service. It is a Group A Civil Service post. Check out this guide for more details about list of Civil Services in India.   Here are some useful guides for IAS aspirants – become IAS Officer after 12th & IAS Career Guide.   IAS is the most sought after Service in India. It is the most popular choice among Civil Service aspirants. Such is the level of competition associated with this service that you must score a very high rank in UPSC CSE to be considered for selection!   Many aspirants are not thoroughly knowledgeable about the eligibility criteria though! The main aim of this article is to educate and inform such aspirants. I believe that the first step towards cracking CSE should be to know the exam inside out!   In order to be considered eligible to appear for UPSC CSE and become an IAS Officer, you must satisfy some requirements. These requirements are related to aspects such as –

• Educational qualification
• Age Limit
• Nationality

  Come, let us check each aspect out. Here they are –  

IAS 2022 Eligibility Criteria

 

Educational qualifications

All candidates must have as a minimum one of the following educational qualifications:

• A degree from a Central, State or a Deemed university.
• A degree received through correspondence or distance education.
• A degree from an open university.
• A qualification recognized by the Government of India as being equivalent to one of the above.

  The following candidates are also eligible, but must submit proof of their eligibility from a competent authority at their institute/university at the time of the main examination, failing which they will not be allowed to attend the exam:

• Candidates who have appeared in an examination, the passing of which would render them educationally qualified enough to satisfy one of the above points.
• Candidates who have passed the final exam of the MBBS degree but have not yet completed an internship.
• Candidates who have passed the final exam of ICAI, ICSI and ICWAI.
• A degree from a private university.
• A degree from any foreign university recognized by the Association of Indian Universities.

 

Age Limit

• The candidate must be between the age of 21-32 years (for the General category candidate) on August 1 of the year of examination. However, age relaxations dies exist for SC, ST, OBC and Physically Handicapped candidates.
• For Other Backward Castes (OBC) the upper age limit is 35.
• For Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), the limit is 37 years.
• The upper age limit is relaxed for certain candidates who are backward with respect to other factors and physically handicapped (PH) people.

 

Nationality

For the Indian Administrative Service and the Indian Police Service, the candidate must be a citizen of India.   For other services, the candidate must be one of the following:

• A citizen of India.
• A citizen of Nepal or a subject of Bhutan.
• A person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia or Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India.

  UPSC conducts CSE (Civil Service Exam) each year to recruit candidates to fill up Group A & B posts. The eligibility criteria mentioned here is for the term 2022.