SSC CGL Eligibility 2026: Age Limit, Qualification and Attempts

SSC CGL eligibility 2026 rests on four checks: nationality, age, educational qualification and, for a few posts, physical standards. The rules below come from the SSC notice for the Combined Graduate Level Examination, 2026, published on ssc.gov.in on 21 May 2026. The age limit is not the same for every post, so the post you want decides which limit applies to you.

SSC CGL 2026 age limit, post by post

The notice fixes age as on 1 August 2026. Each post falls in one of four age bands. The "born between" dates are taken directly from the notice and include both end dates.

Two points are easy to miss:

• For ASO in CSS, Railways, MEA and AFHQ, and for SI in CBI, the minimum age is 20, not 18. A 19-year-old graduate can apply for other posts but cannot be selected for these.
• SSC takes your date of birth from the application form, and it must match your Class 10 (matriculation) certificate. The notice says no later request to change it will be accepted.

To check your own age on 1 August 2026 against each band, use our age eligibility calculator.

Age relaxation by category

Relaxation is added to the upper age limit only. The lower limit stays the same.

The notice lists no separate age relaxation for EWS candidates. EWS candidates follow the general age limits.

Some further relaxations from the notice:

• Defence personnel disabled in operations during hostilities with a foreign country, or in a disturbed area, and released because of it: 3 years (8 years for SC/ST).
• Group C posts only: Central Government civilian employees with at least 3 years of regular and continuous service on the closing date of applications can apply up to age 40 (45 for SC/ST). Widows, divorced women and women judicially separated who have not remarried can apply up to age 35 (40 for SC/ST).
• A non-graduate (matriculate) ex-serviceman needs at least 15 years of service in the Armed Forces by the closing date (or must complete it within one year of that date), and is eligible only for Group C posts.
• Sons, daughters and dependents of ex-servicemen do not get ESM age relaxation.

For category claims, the crucial date is the closing date of online applications, which was 22 June 2026 for this cycle. OBC candidates must not fall in the creamy layer on that date.

Educational qualification by post

Every SSC CGL post needs a bachelor's degree. A few posts add a subject condition. The qualification must be held as on 1 August 2026.

• Junior Statistical Officer (JSO): a bachelor's degree in any subject with at least 60% marks in Mathematics in Class 12, or a bachelor's degree in any subject with Statistics as one of the subjects at degree level.
• Statistical Investigator Grade-II (MHA): a bachelor's degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Economics, Demography, Population Studies, Operation Research, Information Technology, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Computer Technology, Computer Application, Data Science or Artificial Intelligence.
• Assistant Audit Officer (State Cadre) and Assistant Accounts Officer (State Cadre): a bachelor's degree, plus proficiency in the regional or official language of the state at matriculation level, backed by a certificate from a recognised board. CA, CMA, CS, M.Com, MBA (Finance) and similar degrees are listed as desirable, not essential.
• Assistant Audit Officer (Central Cadre): a bachelor's degree. The same desirable qualifications apply.
• All other posts: a bachelor's degree from a recognised university, or equivalent.

Distance-learning degrees are accepted only if the university was approved by the UGC Distance Education Bureau for the period you studied. If you hold an "equivalent" qualification, you will need an equivalence certificate at document verification.

Can final-year students apply for SSC CGL?

Yes, but with a firm deadline. The notice says candidates in the final year of graduation can apply, but they must hold the essential qualification as on 1 August 2026. At document verification, you must show that your result was declared on or before that date. The notice is clear that a result still being processed by the university on the cut-off date does not count.

Nationality

You must be a citizen of India, a subject of Nepal or Bhutan, or a person of Indian origin who migrated from certain listed countries (including Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka and some East African countries) to settle permanently in India. Candidates in the non-citizen groups need a certificate of eligibility from the Government of India before an offer of appointment is made. The notice also says only male candidates are eligible for any BRO vacancies.

Is there an attempt limit in SSC CGL?

The SSC CGL 2026 notice does not set any limit on the number of attempts. Its eligibility sections cover nationality, age and educational qualification only. In practice, the age band of the post you want decides how many times you can sit the exam. A general-category candidate aiming for a Group C post can keep applying until crossing 27 on the cut-off date of that year's notice. The limits in each year's notice apply to that cycle only, so recheck them when the next notice comes out.

Physical standards for some posts

Age and degree are not the whole picture for a few posts. Inspector (Central Excise, Preventive Officer, Examiner), Inspector and Sub-Inspector in CBN, SI/JIO in NCB, SI in CBI and NIA, and UDC/SSA in BRO have physical and medical standards. The notice warns that if you are allotted a post and fail its standards, your candidature is rejected. Read Annexures XV and XVI before you fill post preferences.

Next steps

Once you know which posts you qualify for, the next step is the exam itself. See the SSC CGL exam hub for the pattern and resources, and take SSC CGL Full Mock 1 free to see where your score stands on the 2026 Tier 1 pattern.