UPSC CDS 2026: The Union Public Service Commission has announced notification for the Combined Defence Services Examination (I). There are 451 vacancies available for this post. Candidates with the qualification of B.E/B.Tech/Any Degree can apply for this post. Eligible candidates can apply for this exam online on or before 30 December 2025. The detailed eligibility and UPSC CDS application form procedure are given below. Interested candidates can also try the UPSC NDA & NA Examanition.
UPSC CDS-Combined Defence Services Exam 2026 – Details:
| Exam Name | Combined Defence Services Examination (I) |
| Job Type | Central Govt Jobs |
| Qualification | B.E/B.Tech/Any degree |
| Total Vacancies | 451 Posts |
| Experience | Freshers |
| Salary | Rs. 56,100/- to 1,77,500/- |
| Job Location | Across India |
| Last Date | 30 December 2025 |
UPSC CDS Combined Defence Services Exam 2026 – Detailed Eligibility:
Educational Qualification:
- For I.M.A. and Officers Training Academy, Chennai: Degree of a recognized University or equivalent.
- For Indian Naval Academy: Degree in Engineering from a recognized University/ Institution.
- For Air Force Academy: Degree of a recognized University (with Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 level) or Bachelor of Engineering.
Tenure of Appointment: Short Service Commission will be granted to Males and Females in the regular Army for 14 years, i.e. for an initial period of 10 years, extendable by a further period of 04 years.
Age Limits:
- For IMA: Unmarried male candidates born not earlier than 2nd January 2003 and not later than 1st January 2008 only are eligible.
- For Indian Naval Academy: Unmarried male candidates born not earlier than 2 January 2003 and not later than 1 January 2008 are eligible.
- For Air Force Academy: 20 to 24 years as of 1st January 2027 i.e. born not earlier than 2nd January 2003 and not later than 1st January 2007 only are eligible.
- For Officers Training Academy: (SSC Course for Men) Unmarried male candidates born not earlier than 2nd January 2002 and not later than 1st January 2008 are eligible.
- For Officers Training Academy: (SSC Women Non-Technical Course) Unmarried women, issueless widows who have not remarried and issueless divorcees (in possession of divorce documents) who have not remarried are eligible. They should have been born not earlier than 2nd January 2002 and not later than 1st January 2008.
Note: Male divorcee/widower candidates cannot be treated as unmarried males for their admission in IMA/INA/AFA/OTA, Chennai courses, and accordingly, they are not eligible for these courses.
Academy Wise Vacancies: 451 Posts
- Indian Military Academy, Dehradun: 100 Posts
- Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala: 26 Posts
- Air Force Academy, Hyderabad: 32 Posts
- Officers Training Academy, Chennai, (SSC Men): 275 Posts
- Officers Training Academy, Chennai, (SSC Women): 18 Posts
Notes:
| Academy Name | Course Details |
|---|---|
| Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun | 162nd (DE) Course commencing in Jan 2027 |
| Indian Naval Academy (INA), Ezhimala | Course commencing in Jan 2027 Executive Branch |
| Air Force Academy (AFA), Hyderabad | (Pre-Flying) Training Course commencing in Jan 2027 |
| Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai | 125th SSC (Men) (NT) Course (April 2027) |
| Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai | 125th SSC Women (NT) Course (April 2027) |
Salary:
- Lieutenant: Rs. 56,100 -1,77,500/- (Level 10)
- Captain: RS. 61,300/- to 1,93,900/- (Level 10 B)
- Major: Rs. 69,400/- to 2,07,200/- (Level 11)
- Lieutenant Colonel: Rs. 1,21,200/- to 2,12,400/- (Level 12A)
- Colonel: Rs. 1,30,600/- to 2, 15,900/- (Level 13)
- Brigadier: Rs. 1,39,600/- to 2,17,600/- (Level 13A)
- Major General: Rs. 1,44,200/- to 2,18,200/- (Level 14)
- Lieutenant General HAG Scale: Rs. 1, 82, 200/- to 2,24,100/- (Level 15)
- HAG+Scale: Rs. 2,05,400/- to 2,24,400/- (Level 16)
- VCOAS/Army Cdr/ Lieutenant General: Rs. 2,25,000/- (fixed) (Level 17)
- COAS: Rs. 2,50,000/- (fixed) (Level 18)
- Military Service Pay (MSP) to the officers from the rank of Lieutenant to Brigadier: Rs. 15,500/- p.m. (fixed)
Note: Stipend to Officer Cadets during the entire duration of training in Service academies i.e. during training periods at IMA and OTA will be Rs. 56,100/- per month (Starting pay in Level 10) (On successful commissioning, the pay in the Pay matrix of the Officer commissioned shall be fixed in first Cell of Level 10)
UPSC CDS 2026 – Selection Process:
- The selection process is based on the Written Examination and Interview for intelligence and personality tests.
Scheme of Examination:
Written examination:
For Admission to the Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, and Air Force Academy:
| Subject | Duration | Max Marks |
| English | 2 Hours | 100 |
| General Knowledge | 2 Hours | 100 |
| Elementary Mathematics | 2 Hours | 100 |
For Admission to Officers Training Academy:
| Subject | Duration | Maximum Marks |
| English | 2 Hours | 100 |
| General Knowledge | 2 Hours | 100 |
- The maximum marks allotted to the written examination and to the interviews will be equal for each course i.e. the maximum marks allotted to the written examination and to the interviews will be 300, 300, 300 and 200 each for admission to the Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, Air Force Academy and Officers’ Training Academy respectively.
- The papers in all the subjects will consist of objective-type questions only.
- The question papers (Test Booklets) of General Knowledge and Elementary Mathematics will be set bilingually in Hindi as well as English.
SSB Interview (Intelligence & Personality Test):
- Candidates who qualify the written exam are called for the Service Selection Board (SSB) interview. The SSB procedure consists of two stage Selection process: stage I and stage II.
- Only those candidates who clear the stage I are permitted to appear for stage II.
- Stage I comprises of Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) tests are Picture Perception and Description Test (PP&DT). The candidates will be shortlisted based on combination of performance in OIR Test and PP&DT.
- Stage II Comprises of Interview, Group Testing Officer Tasks, Psychology Tests and the Conference. These tests are conducted over 4 days. The details of these tests are given on the website www.joinindianarmy.nic.in
Application Fee:
- Female/SC/ST candidates: Nil
- For Others: Rs. 200/-
Mode of Payment: Fee can be paid by using Visa/Master/RuPay Credit/Debit Card/UPI Payment, or by using the internet banking of any Bank.
How to Apply for UPSC CDS Combined Defence Services Exam 2026?
All interested and eligible candidates can apply for this position online at (www.upsconline.nic.in) website on or before 30 December 2025 (6.00 PM).
The applicant needs to register himself/herself first at the One Time Registration (OTR) platform if they are a new user.
For More Details: Click here.
To Apply: Click here.
Important Dates:
- Starting Date for Submission of Application: 10 December 2025
- Closing Date of Application: 30 December 2025 (6.00 PM)
- Date of Examination: 12 April 2026
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