SSC CGL Eligibility 2026: Age Limit, Qualification, Attempts and Height Rules

SSC CGL eligibility at a glance

Nationality: who can apply for SSC CGL

You must be one of the following:

• a citizen of India
• a subject of Nepal
• a subject of Bhutan
• a person of Indian origin who migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia or Vietnam intending to settle permanently in India

Candidates in the last three groups need a certificate of eligibility from the Government of India. They can sit the exam without it, but the job offer comes only after the certificate is issued. Note also that posts in the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) are open to male candidates only.

SSC CGL educational qualification: what degree you need

For almost every CGL post, the minimum qualification is a bachelor's degree in any subject from a recognised university, held on or before 1 August 2026. The notice sets no minimum percentage of marks for the degree. Four posts have extra conditions:

So you do not need CA, CS or CMA to become an AAO. Those qualifications only help: commerce graduates and holders of a desirable qualification are preferably placed in the commercial audit stream. Every AAO and Assistant Accounts Officer must also pass the Subordinate Audit or Accounts Service Examination during probation.

Final-year students

If you were in the final year of graduation, you could apply for CGL 2026, but you must hold the degree by 1 August 2026. That means your result has to be declared by that date; a result that is still being processed does not count. At document verification you will need the mark sheets for all years or semesters, or the provisional or degree certificate, to prove it.

Distance learning and equivalent degrees

Degrees earned through open and distance learning are accepted if the university was approved by the Distance Education Bureau of the UGC for the period you studied. Bring proof of that approval to document verification. If your qualification is an equivalent one, carry the equivalence certificate as well; the final decision rests with the hiring department.

SSC CGL age limit 2026, post-wise

Age is counted as on 1 August 2026, using the date of birth on your Class 10 certificate. The minimum age for SSC CGL is 18 for most posts and 20 for five posts. Each band below includes both the dates shown.

The date of birth you enter in the application must match your Class 10 certificate. SSC does not accept any later request to change it.

Age relaxation for SC, ST, OBC, PwBD and ex-servicemen

Relaxation is added to the upper age limit of the post. The minimum age does not change.

Extra relaxation for Group C posts only

• Central government civilian employees with at least 3 years of regular, continuous service on the closing date: up to 40 years of age (45 for SC or ST).
• Widows, divorced women and judicially separated women who have not remarried: up to 35 years of age (40 for SC or ST).

SSC CGL age limit for OBC male and other categories: worked out

The limits are the same for men and women. Adding the relaxation to each band gives these upper limits:

The notice lists no age relaxation for EWS candidates. OBC relaxation is only for those outside the creamy layer on the closing date, with the certificate in the notice's format. Children and dependants of ex-servicemen cannot claim ex-servicemen relaxation.

Vacancies reserved for ex-servicemen exist in Group C posts only. A matriculate ex-serviceman without a degree can apply only if he has at least 15 years of service (or will complete it within one year of the closing date), and only for those Group C reserved vacancies, not for Group B posts.

How many attempts are allowed in SSC CGL?

The CGL 2026 notice does not cap the number of attempts. You can take the exam every year as long as you meet the age limit and qualification for at least one post. Your real limit is age, so plan your attempts around the upper limit for the posts you want. If you already work for the government, you will need a no objection certificate at document verification.

SSC CGL height requirement and physical standards

Most CGL jobs are desk jobs with no physical test. Physical standards apply only to these posts:

• Inspector (Central Excise), Inspector (Examiner) and Inspector (Preventive Officer) in CBIC
• Inspector and Sub-Inspector in the Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN)
• Sub-Inspector or Junior Intelligence Officer in the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB)
• Sub Inspector in CBI and in NIA
• Posts in the Border Roads Organisation (BRO)

The hiring department measures you after SSC's final selection. If you fail, SSC will not move you to another post, so check these numbers before you list such a post in your preferences.

CBIC Inspectors, CBN Inspector and CBN Sub-Inspector

Garhwalis, Assamese, Gorkhas and Scheduled Tribe candidates get height relaxation: 5 cm for men, and 2.5 cm plus 2 kg in weight for women. The cycling test does not apply to Sub-Inspector in CBN. For the CBIC Inspector posts, candidates with disabilities must still meet the height, chest and weight standards, though walking is waived for the OL and OAL categories and cycling for OA, OL and OAL.

Sub Inspector in CBI, NIA and NCB

Height is relaxed by 5 cm for hill and tribal candidates; for NCB the notice lists the regions, including the north-eastern states, Sikkim, Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir and the island territories. All three posts need the same eyesight, with or without glasses: distant vision of 6/6 in one eye and 6/9 in the other, and near vision of 0.6 in one eye and 0.8 in the other.

Border Roads Organisation (BRO)

BRO posts are for men only. Selected candidates must pass a one-mile run within 10 minutes at the GREF Centre in Pune, then a medical examination. Minimum height depends on your region and ranges from 152 cm to 162.5 cm.

Colour blindness: SSC's tentative vacancy list of 24 September 2026 marks some posts as not suitable for colour-blind candidates, including the three CBIC Inspector posts, Assistant Enforcement Officer, Statistical Investigator Grade II, UDC in BRO and Sub Inspector in CBN. Check that column before choosing posts.

Documents you will need to prove eligibility

• Class 10 certificate (for date of birth)
• Degree certificate, provisional certificate or mark sheets of all years
• Category certificate if you claim SC, ST or OBC (non-creamy layer) status
• EWS income and asset certificate valid for 2026-27, based on income in 2025-26
• Disability certificate in the prescribed format, if you are a PwBD candidate
• Discharge certificate or serving certificate and undertaking, for ex-servicemen
• No objection certificate if you are already in government service

Your category must be valid on the closing date of applications, 22 June 2026, though the certificate itself can be issued later. Until documents are verified, every candidature is provisional.

What happens next in SSC CGL 2026

Tier 1 runs from 30 September to 30 October 2026, and the notice puts Tier 2 tentatively in December 2026. Before the final result, SSC will ask you to choose posts through an online option form, which is where the age bands, degree rules and physical standards above decide what you can pick.

If you are preparing for Tier 2 or for the next cycle, you can join a Sikhami study room or club to study alongside other aspirants, and use quiz battles on Sikhami for quick daily practice.