Eligibility
SSC CGL Eligibility 2026
Staff Selection Commission: Combined Graduate Level
Eligibility at a glance
SSC CGL eligibility depends on the post you choose. Most posts require a bachelor's degree, while the age limit falls within one of four post-specific bands. Age and educational qualification are both counted as on 1 August 2026.
Age limit
| Post-specific age band | Age as on |
|---|---|
| 18 to 27 years | 1 August 2026 |
| 20 to 30 years | 1 August 2026 |
| 18 to 30 years | 1 August 2026 |
| 18 to 32 years | 1 August 2026 |
The applicable band varies by post. Check the post-wise age column in the official notice before applying.
Upper-age relaxation
- SC / ST5 years
- OBC3 years
- PwBD10 years
- PwBD (OBC)13 years
- PwBD (SC / ST)15 years
- Ex-servicemen3 years after deducting military service from actual age
Additional rules apply to certain defence personnel, Central Government employees, widows and divorced women.
Educational qualification
Most SSC CGL posts
A bachelor's degree from a recognised university or an equivalent qualification.
Junior Statistical Officer
A bachelor's degree in any subject with at least 60% in Mathematics at Class 12, or a bachelor's degree in any subject with Statistics studied at degree level.
Statistical Investigator Grade II
A bachelor's degree in an eligible statistics, mathematics, economics, demography, operations research, computing, data science or artificial intelligence discipline listed in the notice.
Final-year candidates may apply, but they must hold the required qualification by 1 August 2026.
Nationality
Applicants must meet the citizenship or permitted nationality conditions in the official notice. This includes Indian citizens and specified eligible categories from Nepal, Bhutan and certain persons of Indian origin. A Government of India eligibility certificate may be required for candidates who are not Indian citizens.
Verify before applying
Post preferences affect age and qualification requirements. Use this page as a study guide, then confirm your chosen post against the official SSC CGL 2026 notice.
Frequently asked questions
Does meeting the SSC CGL eligibility mean my application is confirmed?
No. Eligibility is self-declared when you apply, and the conducting body accepts the application provisionally on the strength of that declaration. It is verified later, at document verification, against original certificates. A candidate who clears every stage and cannot produce proof of age, category or qualification at that point is rejected then, with the whole cycle spent. Check each condition against your own documents before you apply rather than after.
What is the SSC CGL exam pattern?
The Tier 1 stage is 100 questions for 200 marks in 60 minutes. Wrong answers are penalised 0.5 per question. Eligibility decides whether you can sit it; the pattern decides what sitting it involves, and the two are worth reading together before you commit to a cycle.
Can I start preparing for SSC CGL before the notification is out?
Yes, and it is the better time to start. Eligibility conditions and the examination scheme are usually stable between cycles, so the paper you will sit is close to the one already published, and the months before a notification are the only ones not spent on the application itself. There are 62 free tests for SSC CGL here to work from in the meantime.
Where are the official SSC CGL eligibility rules published?
In the conducting body's own notification: the official SSC CGL 2026 notice, cited and linked at the foot of this page. That document governs, and where any other source disagrees with it, including this page, the notification is what counts. It can also be amended mid-cycle by a corrigendum, and eligibility conditions are among the things corrigenda most often change, so check for one before deciding you do or do not qualify.