UPSC CDS Recruitment 2026 Notification Out - Apply Online for 451 Combined Defence Services Posts

UPSC CDS Recruitment 2026: Union Public Service Commission has released the job notification regarding filling of Combined Defence Services (CDS) Job Vacancies. The Governmrent organization invites Online application from eligible candidates have required qualifications. These 451 Combined Defence Services (CDS) Posts are Across India. The eligible candidates can apply for the post through Online from 20.05.2026 to 09.06.2026

UPSC CDS Recruitment 2026 - Highlights

• Organization Name : Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
• Post Name : Combined Defence Services (CDS)
• Job Type : Central Govt
• Recruitment Type : Direct
• Advt No : 11/2026-CDS-II
• Vacancies : 451
• Job Location : Across India
• Salary : Rs.56,100 - Rs.2,50,000 (Per Month)
• Mode of Application : Online
• Application Start : 20.05.2026
• Last Date : 09.06.2026

Job Details Descriptions

Important Dates : UPSC CDS Recruitment 2026

• Starting Date to Apply : 20 May 2026
• Last Date for Apply Online : 09 June 2026
• Examination Date : 13 September 2026
• Result of Written Exam (Tentative) : October 2026

Vacancy Details : UPSC CDS Recruitment 2026

• Indian Military Academy, Dehradun -163rd (DE) Course commencing in July 2027 : 100 [including 13 vacancies reserved for NCC 'C' Certificate (Army Wing) holders]
• Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala Course commencing in July, 2027 Executive Branch (General Service)/Hydro : 26 [including 06 vacancies for NCC 'C' Certificate (Naval Wing) holders and 01 for Hydro]
• Air Force Academy, Hyderabad - (Pre-Flying) Training Course commencing in July, 2027 i.e. 222 F(P) Course : 32 [including 03 vacancies reserved for NCC 'C' Certificate (Air Wing) holders through NCC Special Entry]
• Officers' Training Academy, Chennai (Madras) 126th SSC (Men) (NT) (UPSC) Course Commencing in October, 2027 : 275
• Officers Training Academy, Chennai (Madras) 126th SSC Women (NT) (UPSC) Course commencing in October, 2027 : 18

Total : 451 Posts



Salary Details : UPSC CDS Recruitment 2026

Pay scale of Army Officers and equivalent ranks in Air Force and Navy

• Lieutenant (Level 10) : Rs.56,100 - Rs.1,77,500
• Captain (Level 10 B) : Rs.61,300 - Rs.1,93,900
• Major (Level 11) : Rs.69,400 - Rs.2,07,200
• Lieutenant Colonel (Level 12A) : Rs.1,21,200 - Rs.2,12,400
• Colonel (Level 13) : Rs.1,30,600 - Rs.2,15,900
• Brigadier (Level 13A) : Rs.1,39,600 - Rs.2,17,600
• Major General (Level 14) : Rs.1,44,200 - Rs.2,18,200
• Lieutenant General HAG Scale (Level 15) : Rs.1, 82, 200 - Rs.2,24,100
• HAG+Scale (Level 16) : Rs.2,05,400 - 2,24,400
• VCOAS/Army Cdr/ Lieutenant General (NFSG) (Level 17) : Rs.2,25,000/-(fixed)
• COAS (Level 18) : Rs.2,50,000/-(fixed)

MSP to the officer is as follows

• Military Service Pay(MSP) to the officers from the rank of Lieutenant to Brigadier : Rs.15,500 p.m. fixed

Fixed Stipend for cadet Training

• Stipend to Officer Cadetsduring the entire duration of training in Service academies i.e. during training period at IMA and OTA : Rs.56,100/-p.m.* (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 and the period of training shall not be treated as commissioned service and arrears on account of admissible allowances, as applicable, for the training period shall be paid to cadets.

Age Limit : UPSC CDS Recruitment 2026

• (i) For IMA- Age: 19 to 24 years. Unmarried male candidates born not earlier than 1st July, 2003 and not later than 1st July, 2008 only are eligible.
• (ii) For Indian Naval Academy- Age: 19 to 24 years. Unmarried male candidates born not earlier than 1st July, 2003 and not later than 1st July, 2008 only are eligible.
• (iii) For Air Force Academy- Age: 20 to 24 years as on 1st July, 2027 i.e. born not earlier than 1st July, 2003 and not later than 1st July, 2007. Upper age limit for candidates holding valid and current Commercial Pilot Licence issued by DGCA (India) is relaxable upto 26 yrs. i.e. born not earlier than 1st July, 2001 and not later than 1st July, 2007 only are eligible.
• (iv) For Officers' Training Academy (SSC Course for men) Age: 19 to 25 years. Unmarried male candidate born not earlier than 1st July 2002 and not later than 1st July, 2008 only are eligible.
• (v) For Officers' Training Academy (SSC Women Non-Technical Course) Age: 19 to 25 years. 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 1st July, 2002 and not later than 1st July, 2008.

NOTE: Male divorcee/widower candidates cannot be treated as unmarried male for the purpose of their admission in IMA/INA/AFA/OTA, Chennai courses and accordingly they are not eligible for these courses.

Qualification : UPSC CDS Recruitment 2026

1. For I.M.A. and Officers Training Academy, Chennai

• Degree of a recognised University or equivalent.

2. For Indian Naval Academy

• A degree in Engineering or B.Sc. with Physics as core or elective subject from recognised University/ Institution (with Physics and Mathematics in 10+2 level).

3. For Air Force Academy

• Degree of a recognised University (with Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 level) or Bachelor of Engineering.

Graduates with first choice as Army/Navy/Air Force are to submit proof of Graduation/provisional certificates on the date of commencement of the SSB Interview at the SSB.

Application Fee : UPSC CDS Recruitment 2026

• UR/OBC/EWS : Rs. 200/-
• SC/ST/Female : Nil

Pay the Examination Fee through Debit Card, Credit Card, Net Banking.

Selection Process : UPSC CDS Recruitment 2026

Written Examination:

• IMA, INA, AFA: English: 100 Marks, General Knowledge: 100 Marks, Elementary Mathematics: 100 Marks
• OTA: English: 100 Marks, General Knowledge: 100 Marks

SSB Interview:

• Intelligence and personality tests conducted by Services Selection Board (SSB).

Merit List:

• Based on combined scores of the written exam and SSB interview.

Centres of Examination : UPSC CDS Recruitment 2026

The Examination will be held at the following Centres:

• Kozhikode (Calicut), Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Agartala, Agra, Ahmedabad, Aizawl, Ajmer, Aligarh,Almora (Uttarakhand), Alwar, Ananthapuramu (Andhra Pradesh), Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar [aurangabad (Maharashtra)], Bareilly, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh), Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Cuttack, Dehradun, Delhi, Dharamshala, Dharwad, Dispur, Faridabad, Gangtok, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Gaya, Ghaziabad, Gorakhpur, Gurugram, Gwalior, Hyderabad, Imphal, Indore, Itanagar, Jabalpur, Jaipur, Jammu, Jodhpur, Jorhat, Kanpur, Kargil, Kohima, Kolkata, Leh, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Madurai, Mandi (HimachalPradesh), Meerut, Mumbai, Mysuru, Nagpur, Nasik, Navi Mumbai, Panaji (Goa), Patna, Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair), Prayagraj (Allahabad), Puducherry, Pune, Raipur, Rajkot, Ranchi, Sambalpur, Shillong, Shimla, Siliguri, Srinagar, Srinagar(Uttarakhand), Surat, Thane, Tiruchirapalli, Tirupati, Udaipur, Varanasi, Vellore, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Hanumakonda (Warangal Urban)

How to Apply : UPSC CDS Recruitment 2026

If you are interested and found yourself eligible for Combined Defence Services Examination,. click on the apply online link given below. Then, find the appropriate option and fill up the form. You can apply Online from 20 May 2026 to 09 Jun 2026.

Follow the steps given below to Apply Online

• Open the official website www.upsc.gov.in
• Find the Combined Defence Services (CDS) Job Notification in the “Recruitment / Career / Advertising Menu” and click on it.
• Download the official notification from the link provided at the end.
• Read the Full Notification. carefully and check your eligibility criteria.
• Visit the Online Official Online Application / Registration link below.
• Fill in the required details correctly without any mistakes.
• Upload all required documents in the format and size mentioned in the notification.
• After verifying that the registered details are correct, then submit.
• Next, if Union Public Service Commission requires an application fee, make the payment as per the notification mode. Otherwise, go to the next step.
• Take a printout of it and keep it safe

Important Links
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Official Website	Click Here
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Interested Candidates Can Read the Full Notification Before Apply

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1: What are the important dates and deadlines for the Combined Defence Services Examination-II, 2026?

Answer: The critical dates for the examination cycle are as follows:

• Date of Examination Notification: 20.05.2026
• Last Date for Submitting Online Application: 09.06.2026 (until 06:00 P.M.)
• Date of Written Examination: 13.09.2026

Q2: What is the differences between Universal Registration Number (URN) and Application Number?

• Answer: * Universal Registration Number (URN): Generated after registering on the Online Application Portal. It is registered only once in a lifetime, unique, and remains constant across all different UPSC examinations a candidate applies for.
• Application Number: Generated after filling out the specific exam module (e.g., CDS-II). It is dynamic and varies from examination to examination. Both numbers must be retained for future communication with the Commission.

Q3: What are the educational qualifications and age limits required for each service branch?

• Answer: * Indian Military Academy (IMA): Unmarried male candidates aged 19 to 24 years (born between 1st July 2003 and 1st July 2008). Must possess a Degree from a recognized University or equivalent.
• Indian Naval Academy (INA): Unmarried male candidates aged 19 to 24 years (born between 1st July 2003 and 1st July 2008). Must hold an Engineering Degree or a B.Sc. with Physics/Mathematics as core/elective subjects (with Physics and Mathematics at the 10+2 level).
• Air Force Academy (AFA): Unmarried male candidates aged 20 to 24 years as of 1st July 2027 (born between 1st July 2003 and 1st July 2007; relaxable up to 26 years for valid Commercial Pilot License holders). Must hold a recognized University Degree (with Physics & Math at 10+2 level) or a Bachelor of Engineering.
• Officers' Training Academy (OTA - Men & Women): Unmarried men, issueless widows/divorcees who have not remarried, aged 19 to 25 years (born between 1st July 2002 and 1st July 2008). Must possess a Degree from a recognized University or equivalent.

Q4: Is there a facility to modify or withdraw an application once it has been submitted?

• Answer: No, the Commission does not allow candidates to withdraw their applications after final submission, and no correction, alteration, or modification is permitted in any field of the specific Application Form once submitted. However, a one-time edit facility is available exclusively for updating or modifying the main Universal Registration Number (URN) Profile, but these changes will not apply retroactively to already submitted applications.

Q5: Who is exempted from paying the application fee, and what are the accepted modes of payment?

• Answer: The standard examination application fee is Rs. 200/-.
• Exempted Categories: All Female candidates and candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) are completely exempted from paying the fee.
• Non-Exempted Categories: Male candidates from General, OBC, and EWS categories must pay the full fee.
• Payment Modes: Fee payment can only be completed online using the net banking facility of any bank, or via Visa/Master/Rupay Credit cards, Debit Cards, or UPI Payment.