UPSC ESE — eligibility, age limits, exam scheme & fees

The Engineering Services Examination (ESE) is held by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) under the Rules of Engineering Services Examination, 2027, notified by the Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications in the Gazette of India (Extraordinary) on 16 September 2026. The 2027 notice is Examination Notice No. 02/2027-ENGG. [1]

Recruitment is in four engineering categories. A candidate applies for only one of them — Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, or Electronics & Telecommunication. [1]

ESE 2027 calendar [1]

• Stage-I: Preliminary exam — two objective papers; it screens candidates for the Main exam.
• Stage-II: Main exam — two conventional (written-answer) papers in your engineering discipline.
• Stage-III: Personality Test / Interview.
• Marks from all three stages are added for the final rank. [1]

• A degree in Engineering from a university set up by a Central or State Act, an institution set up by an Act of Parliament, or a deemed university under Section 3 of the UGC Act; or
• Sections A and B of the Institution Examinations of the Institution of Engineers (India); or
• A degree/diploma in Engineering from a foreign university or institution recognised by the Government; or
• Graduate Membership Examination of the IETE (India); Associate Membership Parts II and III / Sections A and B of the Aeronautical Society of India; or Graduate Membership of the Institution of Electronics and Radio Engineers, London (held after November 1959). [1]

• M.Sc. route (two services only): Indian Naval Armament Service (Electronics Engg. posts) and Indian Radio Regulatory Service Group A also accept an M.Sc. with Wireless Communication Electronics, Radio Physics or Radio Engineering (and, for IRRS, a Master's in Science with Physics and Radio Communication, Electronics or Telecommunication).
• IETE / AeSI after 31 May 2013: degrees or certificates from these bodies taken by admission after 31.05.2013 are not admissible for ESE 2027. Institution of Engineers (India) admissions after that date are subject to a pending Government decision.
• Final-year students can apply. Proof of passing must be uploaded in a 10-day window after the Main result, or you cannot appear in the interview. [1]

Nationality: a citizen of India, or a subject of Nepal or Bhutan, a Tibetan refugee who came before 1 January 1962, or a person of Indian origin who migrated from the listed countries to settle in India — the non-citizen groups need a Government eligibility certificate before an offer of appointment. [1]

Physical and medical standards apply. Every finally recommended candidate has a medical examination, and its findings are binding for service allocation. [1]

ESE 2027 plan of examination (each discipline) [1]

Marking in the objective (Prelims) papers [1]

• About six to seven times the number of vacancies are called to the Main exam, on minimum qualifying marks in both Prelims papers.
• About twice the number of vacancies are called to the interview. The interview has no minimum qualifying marks.
• Conventional papers must be answered in English; question papers are set in English only. [1]

You must be at least 21 and must not have reached 30 on 1 January 2027 — born between 2 January 1997 and 1 January 2006. Date of birth is taken only from the Matriculation / Secondary certificate or equivalent. [1]

Relaxation of the upper age limit (30 years) [1]

• SC, ST and OBC candidates who are also ex-servicemen or PwBD get the relaxations added together.
• Reservation for SC, ST, OBC, EWS and PwBD is as fixed by the Government. The caste must be on the Central list.
• OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) and EWS certificates must be issued on or after 1 April 2026 and by the closing date, 6 October 2026.
• The category cannot be changed after the application; a reserved candidate moves to unreserved only by qualifying every stage on the general standard. [1]

Blindness: no ESE 2027 vacancy is identified for blind candidates, and UPSC advises them not to apply. Low-vision candidates may apply only for services that accept it. [1]

• Step 1 — URN: create an account and the one-time Universal Registration Number (URN) profile, ideally with Aadhaar as ID.
• Step 2 — Common Application Form: upload a photograph and capture a live photograph; upload your signature signed three times on white paper in black ink.
• Step 3 — Exam-specific module: choose the engineering category and centre, pay the fee and submit. Each exam gives its own Application Number.
• No withdrawal and no change in any field after submission. Centre seats are first-apply-first-allot. [1]

ESE 2027 examination fee [1]

Pay by net banking, Visa / Master / RuPay credit or debit card, or UPI. OBC and EWS candidates get no fee exemption. The fee is not refunded or carried to another exam. [1]

Services are allotted strictly by merit rank, your preferences, the number of vacancies and medical fitness. Most services are Group A; a few posts (for example Junior Telecom Officer) are Group B. [1]

Some participating services in each ESE 2027 category [1]

Pay benchmark (Indian Telecommunications Service): ESE 2024 candidates allotted to ITS were offered Assistant Divisional Engineer Telecom (Junior Time Scale, Group A) at Pay Matrix Level 10 — ₹56,100 to ₹1,77,500 plus allowances (7th CPC), with two years' probation and liability to serve anywhere in or outside India. [2]

1. UPSC — Engineering Services Examination 2027, Notice No. 02/2027-ENGG (16 Sep 2026) (opens in a new tab) Dates, vacancies, services, nationality, degree, age and relaxations, fee, application, plan of exam, marking · Last checked 14 Oct 2026
2. Department of Telecommunications — Offer of appointment to ADET (JTS of ITS Group A) on ESE 2024 results (17 Jul 2025) (opens in a new tab) Pay Matrix Level 10 for an ESE-recruited ITS officer, probation · Last checked 14 Oct 2026

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