UPSC ESE 2026: IES Application Link (Active), Notification (Out), Exam Date, Vacancies, Syllabus & Pattern

The IES 2026 notification was released on September 26, 2025. The UPSC Engineering Service Exam (ESE) 2026 notification was released online on the official website of UPSC at upsconline.nic.in.The Commission also released the IES 2026 application form with the official notification. The last date for the IES 2026 application form is October 16, 2025 (up to 6 PM). The Commission mentioned the application dates, examination dates and other important rules and regulations which will govern the conduct of exam. The candidates can check here the UPSC IES notification 2026 pdf for downloading purposes.

Download Here - IES 2026 Notification PDF 

The UPSC released the IES 2026 online applications on September 26, 2025. The candidates are required to fill out the IES 2025 online application form online only. They will be required to login with the One-Time Registration(OTR) credentials. The candidates are suggested to check their eligibility as mentioned in the official notification to apply for the exam. The last date to apply for the UPSC ESE (IES) 2025 exam is October 16 (up to 6 PM).

The Union Public Service Commission notified approximately 474 vacancies for the Engineering Service Exam 2026. These vacancies are bound to increase because of the inclusion of the Indian Railway Management Service vacancies in the exam. The Commission mention the post-wise vacancies for the candidates. 

It is mandatory for candidates to comply with the eligibility norms as prescribed by UPSC in order to appear for the Engineering Services Examination. The admissions at all three stages of the examination will be purely provisional and are subject to fulfilling the eligibility norms.

IES Exam 2026 Age Limit

The upper age limit of 30 years is relaxable up to 35 years with government servants serving in the following categories:

Department/Office under the control of the authorities mentioned in the below table:

Note: Relaxation will not be considered to probationary officers appointed against a permanent post. However, relaxation in case of probation will be considered if the officer appointed already retains a lien on a permanent post in a Department/Office under the control of authorities as listed above.

Age Relaxation in Case of Railways

Officers serving Indian Railways will also be treated at par with the Indian Railways officers for age relaxation. The upper age limit for various categories is given below:

Note: Candidates belonging to the reserved category and from any of the mentioned ex-servicemen categories will get cumulative age relaxation. 

IES Exam Process

Step 1: IES Application Form 2026

• The candidates filled out the IES application form 2026 online after registration. The forms were available online on the official website of UPSC
• While filling up the form, candidates had to select the preferred venue for the test centre
• After filling out the form, the candidates submitted the prescribed application fees as per their category

Step 2: Download IES Admit Card 2026

• The IES admit card 2026 will be issued on the official website for downloads. The candidates will need their application number and date of birth to download the admit card
• UPSC admit card is an important document having a variety of information. We suggest preserving the admit cards until the admission process is successfully conducted

Step 3: IES Preliminary Exam 2026

• Students need to appear for IES 2026 preliminary entrance exam as per the schedule mentioned in the important date’s section
• Aspirants are advised to reach the exam centre at least an hour before the commencement of the exam

Step 4: IES Prelims Result 2026

• IES 2026 prelims result will be declared within a month of the prelims exam.
• Candidates checked their IES preliminary results by simply submitting their application number and date of birth on the official website.
• After the IES Result for prelims, the candidates filled IES Main Detailed Application Form(DAF) for the IES Main Exam.

Step 5: IES Main Exam 2026

• Students who clear the IES preliminary examination will be allowed to appear for IES 2026 main exam.

Step 6: Main Result

• The Commission will declare the ESE main result on the official website.
• Candidates who clear the main exam will then be called for the interview round. This will be the final stage of the exam selection process.

Step 7: IES Interview

IES selection process comprises the Personal Interview round. Candidates who clear both IES pre and main examinations are only allowed to participate in the final interview round. Only those candidates who clear the personal interview round will be qualified for the recruitment process.

Step 8: IES Result

After the interviews, the final result will be declared by UPSC and the candidates will be recommended for appointment purposes. This will be the final process after which candidates will join the government offices as Executive engineers, mid-level managers or bureaucrats.

Step 9: IES Cut-off and Reserve List

IES cut-off will be released after the final result. In addition to the IES cut-off marks, IES reserve list will also be issued stating the number of candidates for each category and for each Engineering branch.

The Union Public Service Commission mentioned the UPSC ESE(IES) 2026 exam pattern in the official syllabus. The Commission does not change the IES 2026 exam pattern. UPSC IES (ESE) 2026 exam will be a three-stage exam. The three stages are 

• IES Prelims Exam
• IES Main Exam (Written)
• IES Main Exam (Interview)

The candidates can see here the detail about the UPSC ESE (IES) 2026 Exam Pattern.

IES 2026 syllabus is mentioned in the official IES/ESE 2026 notification. The Commission mentions the topics for all the streams and stages in detail. The candidates should see and prepare all the topics mentioned in the official syllabus. The Commission does not mention the weightage of topics of prelims or mains exam. The candidates should prepare all the topics mentioned in the syllabus. The official UPSC ESE (IES) 2026 syllabus is mentioned for each of the engineering streams separately.

The UPSC will release the IES admit card 2026 for the Prelims exam on the official website. The candidates should download the IES admit card to know their exam centre.

How to Download the UPSC ESE (IES) 2026 Exam?

The candidates can download their IES 2026 admit card in the way given below:

• Visit the official website of UPSC - upsc.gov.in
• Navigate to the “E-Admit cards” link for various UPSC exams
• Select IES 2026 exam admit card link
• Carefully read the instructions mentioned and take a printout of the same
• Now, submit the details as required and press enter
• IES 2026 admit card will be displayed on the screen
• Download IES 2026 admit card and take two printouts of it
• Check all the details mentioned and in case of discrepancy immediately inform the authorities at UPSC.

Direct link to download the UPSC ESE (IES) 2026 Prelims admit card - to be updated here