NDA 2027 Eligibility Criteria is set by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Candidates must fulfil the educational and other criteria to join the Air Force, Indian Navy, and Army. Those who qualify for the National Defence Academy (NDA) Entrance Exam will get entry into the 144th Course offered by UPSC NDA and the 106th course of UPSC NA (Naval Academy). Candidates can check the complete article to know more about NDA 2027 eligibility criteria.
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NDA 2027 Latest Update as on 22 Oct 2026
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Checked on 22 Oct 2026
As of 22 Oct 2026, UPSC has not issued any official NDA 2027 notification or eligibility update yet; students should watch the UPSC annual calendar and the future notification for the next application window, qualification rules, and physical standards.
UPSC has not released any official NDA 2027 notification or eligibility revision yet, so the exam is still at the pre-notification stage. The official body has, however, published its Annual Calendar 2027, which signals that the next recruitment cycle is being prepared. For NDA 2027, students should rely only on the future UPSC notification for confirmed age limits, qualification requirements, and physical standards. On upsc.gov.in, the latest visible official material does not mention any NDA-specific change today. Based on the usual UPSC pattern, the next expected step is the announcement of the NDA notification and application window, but that timing remains tentative until UPSC publishes it. Aspirants should keep documents ready and monitor the official site regularly.
- Registration is expected to open in late 2026 or early 2027, based on UPSC’s usual NDA cycle, but this is not officially confirmed yet.
- NDA 1 2027 notification is expected first, followed by the application window and admit card process; the exact dates are still awaited.
- Eligibility details such as age limits, educational qualification, and physical standards are expected to appear in the official notification, not in the current update.
- Written examination is likely to follow the notification by a few months, but the schedule must be confirmed only from UPSC.
- NDA 2 2027 is typically held later in the year under the same UPSC cycle, but its dates also remain unconfirmed at present.
Sources: UPSC official website
NDA 2027 Eligibility Criteria
The candidates must check NDA eligibility criteria before applying for the online application form. All NDA eligibility criteria are given in the list below:
| Criterion | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Indian citizen |
| Age | 16.5 years to 19.5 years (exact cut-off date expected to be announced by UPSC in the official 2027 notification) |
| Marital Status | Unmarried |
| Educational Qualification | Appearing/Passed in 12th standard examination with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics as compulsory subjects along with English |
| Relaxation in subjects for candidates from Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, and North-East states | |
| Height | Minimum height for male candidates: 162.5 cm |
| Minimum height for female candidates: 152.5 cm | |
| Weight | Minimum weight for male candidates: 46 kg |
| Minimum weight for female candidates: 40 kg | |
| Chest | Minimum chest expansion for male candidates: 5 cm |
| No requirement for female candidates | |
| Medical Fitness | Candidate must be medically fit according to the standards laid down by the Armed Forces Medical Services |
Nationality
- A candidate must be a citizen of:
- India or,
- Bhutan or,
- Nepal
- The candidate who belongs to Tibetan refugee who came over to India before the 01 January 1962 to permanently settle in India can also apply for NDA.
- The candidate of India origin who has migrated from given countries for settling in India also eligible:
- Uganda
- Burma
- Sri Lanka
- East African Countries of Kenya
- Pakistan
- The United Republic of Tanzania
- Zambia
- Malawi
- Zaire
- Ethiopia or Vietnam
- The candidates have to submit their eligibility certificates who are not a citizen of India, and that certificate has been issued by the Government of India for the candidate who belongs to above-given countries.
- The eligibility certificate will not be necessary in the case of candidates who are belongs to Gorkha subjects of Nepal.
NDA Age Limits, Gender and Marital Status
Major Changes This Year
No official change for NDA 2027 eligibility has been announced yet by UPSC; the next confirmed step will be the release of the NDA 2027 notification, after which application dates and criteria can be checked officially.
No major change has been officially announced yet for NDA 2027 eligibility, syllabus, application mode, or physical standards. UPSC’s current official page shows general notices and the Annual Calendar 2027, but it does not confirm any NDA-specific update. Any dates circulating online for registration or exam day should be treated as tentative until UPSC issues the formal NDA 2027 notification. Students should therefore wait for the official advertisement before relying on age, qualification, or medical-physical criteria.
The candidates must check the age limits, gender and marital status criteria before applying for National Defence Academy (NDA) 2027:
- Only the male candidates can apply for NDA
- The candidate must be unmarried to be eligible for National Defence Academy (NDA).
- The candidates whose DOB falls within the prescribed NDA 2027 age range will be eligible for the examination. If born outside the notified range, the candidate will not be eligible for NDA 2027.
- The date of birth (DoB) entered in the Matriculation (10th standard) or Secondary School (12th Standard) Leaving Certificate or equivalent certificate recognised by an Indian University will be accepted valid by the official authority.
- The certificate must be issued by the reorganised authority of the University.
- All these certificates are required to be submitted after the declaration of results of the written examination.
Note:
- The candidates must also note that, once a date of birth (DoB) has been filled by them and entered in the records of the Commission for the purpose of admission in NDA to an entrance examination then they can’t be able to make any change or edit at any subsequent examination on any ground whatsoever.
- If any change found in the Date of Birth with the application form and 10th and 12th certificates then the authority will take the action against it and cancel the admission of that candidate.
- Other documents relating to age such as affidavits, horoscopes, service records or birth extracts from Municipal Corporation etc will not be accepted.
- Only date of birth (DoB) recorded in the Matriculation (10th) /Secondary (12th) school examination certificate or an equivalent certificate on the date of application submission will be accepted.
- The candidates must also undertake that they don’t marry until they complete their NDA training.
Educational Qualifications
The Candidates must fulfil the UPSC NDA eligibility criteria of the basic Educations qualifications to join any of the wings in the NDA which are given in the table below:
| Wings | Required Qualifications |
| For Army Wing of NDA | The candidate must be passed the 12th standard of the 10+2 pattern or equivalent examination from the recognised Board or University |
| For Naval and Air Force Wings of NDA | The candidate must be passed the 12th standard of the 10+2 pattern or equivalent examination with Mathematics and Physics from the recognised Board or University |
Note:
- The candidates who have yet to qualify in the 12th standard are also eligible to apply for this examination.
- The Candidates appearing in the 11th standard exam are not eligible for the NDA examination.
- The candidates, who have failed the CPSS/PABT exam earlier, are also eligible to apply for the Air Force in Ground Duty branches if they fill their willingness in the Online Application Form which is available at the UPSC’s website.
Physical Standards
The candidates must be physically and mentally fit according to the prescribed physical standards by UPSC. The medical fitness criteria are given in the list below:
- Defects/ Ailments
- The candidates are advised to clean minor defects and ailments in order to speed up finalisation of medical test which will be conducted at the Military Hospital after being qualified at the SSB.
- There are few of such commonly found defects and ailments are given in the list below
- Wax (Ears)
- Deviated Nasal Septum
- Hydrocele/Phimosis
- Overweight/Underweight
- Under Sized Chest
- Piles
- Gynaecomastia
- Tonsillitis
- Varicocele
Permanent Tattoos
- The candidate who have permanent body tattoos on the inner face of forearm i.e. from inside of elbow to the wrist are permitted to apply for the examination.
- The candidate who have permanent tattoos on the reverse side of palm/back (dorsal) side of hand/Permanent body tattoos on any other part of the body will not be accepted and candidates will be able to apply for the examination.
Note: A number of qualified candidates are rejected subsequently on Physical and Medical Ground. The candidates are advised in their own interest to get themselves physically fit and medically examined before submitting their applications for the NDA to avoid disappointment at the final stage.
Height & Weight Standards
- The minimum height measurement is 157 cms (162.5 cms. for Air Force).
- For Gorkhas and individuals belonging to hills of North-Eastern areas of India, Garhwal, and Kumaon, it should be 5 cms. less.
- In case of candidates from Lakshadweep, the minimum height can be reduced by 2 cms.
- The detailed height/weight standards are mentioned below:
Height/Weight Standards for Army/Air Force:
| Height (cms) | Weight in Kgs | ||
| (without shoe) | 16-17 years | 17-18 years | 18-19 years |
| 152 | 42.5 | 44.0 | 45.0 |
| 155 | 43.5 | 45.3 | 47.0 |
| 157 | 45.0 | 47.0 | 48.0 |
| 160 | 46.5 | 48.0 | 49.0 |
| 162 | 48.0 | 50.0 | 51.0 |
| 165 | 50.0 | 52.0 | 53.0 |
| 167 | 51.0 | 53.0 | 54.0 |
| 170 | 52.5 | 55.0 | 56.0 |
| 173 | 54.5 | 57.0 | 58.0 |
| 175 | 56.0 | 59.0 | 60.0 |
| 178 | 58.0 | 61.0 | 62.0 |
| 180 | 60.0 | 63.0 | 64.5 |
| 183 | 62.5 | 65.0 | 66.5 |
Height/Weight Standards for Navy:
| Height (cms) | Weight in Kgs | ||
| (without shoe) | 16 years | 18 years | 20 years |
| 152 | 44 | 45 | 46 |
| 155 | 45 | 46 | 47 |
| 157 | 46 | 47 | 49 |
| 160 | 47 | 48 | 50 |
| 162 | 48 | 50 | 52 |
| 165 | 50 | 52 | 53 |
| 168 | 52 | 53 | 55 |
| 170 | 53 | 55 | 57 |
| 173 | 55 | 57 | 59 |
| 175 | 57 | 59 | 61 |
| 178 | 59 | 61 | 62 |
| 180 | 61 | 63 | 64 |
| 183 | 63 | 65 | 67 |
NDA 2027 Entrance Test
UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) offers to join any wing (Army, Air Force and Navy) in NDA (National Defence Academy). National Defence Academy (NDA) offers the 145 Course to all the candidate in Army, Air Force and Navy Wings. To get this opportunity to join the NDA, it is compulsory for all candidates to fulfil all the eligibility criteria and qualifying the examination.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has UPSC released the NDA 2027 notification yet?
No. UPSC has not officially released the NDA 2027 notification yet as of 22 Oct 2026.
What is the latest official update on NDA 2027 eligibility?
There is no NDA 2027 eligibility update yet from UPSC; the official notification is still awaited.
Will the NDA 2027 age limit be the same as last year?
It is likely to be similar, but this is only expected until UPSC publishes the official notification.
Where will the confirmed NDA 2027 rules be published?
UPSC will publish the confirmed rules in the official NDA 2027 notification on its website.
Are the NDA 2027 exam dates official now?
No. Any NDA 2027 dates seen online should be treated as tentative unless UPSC confirms them.
What should applicants do right now for NDA 2027?
Keep documents ready, follow the UPSC website, and wait for the official notification before applying.
Will physical standards be updated for NDA 2027?
No official change has been announced yet; any update will come only through UPSC’s notification.












