CDS Eligibility 2025: CDS 2 Age Limit, Qualification & Physical Standards for IMA, INA & AFA

(i) A citizen of India, or

(ii) A subject of Bhutan, or

(iii) A subject of Nepal, or

(iv) A Tibetan refugee who came over to India before January 1, 1962, with the intention of permanently settling in India, or

(v) A person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, and East African Countries (Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, and Ethiopia or Vietnam) with the intention of permanently settling in India

Provided candidates belonging to categories (ii), (iii), (iv), and (v) should be a person in whose favour a certificate of eligibility has been issued by the Indian government.

A certificate of eligibility is also necessary for Gorkha candidates in Nepal.

Also Read: CDS Admit Card 2025

CDS Qualification 2025

Academies	Educational Qualification
Indian Military Academy (IMA) and Officers’ Training Academy (OTA)	Graduation from a recognised university
Indian Naval Academy (INA)	An engineering degree from a recognised university/institute
Air Force Academy (AFA)	Graduation (with Physics and Mathematics in Class 12) or Bachelor of Engineering

Important Points:

• Graduates with the first choice as Army/Navy/Air Force are required to submit provisional certificates of graduation on the date of commencement of the SSB Interview at SSB centres
• Those who are in their final year of graduation can also apply

Can 12th Pass Apply for CDS?

No, to be eligible for CDS 2025 exam candidates must have cleared graduation from a recognised university. Go through the educational qualification criteria given below before applying for the CDS 2 2025 exam:

• For IMA and OTA, candidates must have a degree from a recognised University or equivalent
• For INA, candidates must have a degree in Engineering from a recognised University/Institution
• For AFA, candidates must have a degree from a recognised University (with Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 level) or a Bachelor of Engineering
• Aspirants who are in their final year of graduation can apply provisionally

Which Graduation is required for CDS?

The candidates must go through the points given below to know about the streams and subjects required to apply for the IMA, INA, AFA, and OTA:

• For AFB, candidates must have graduated with Physics and Mathematics in Class 12th or a Bachelor of Engineering.
• For Indian Military Academy (IMA) and Officers’ Training Academy (OTA), candidates must have passed a bachelor’s degree from a recognised university.
• For Indian Naval Academy (INA), candidates must have passed a Bachelor in Engineering from a recognised University. 

Also Read: CDS Dates

CDS Age Limit 2025 & Marital Status

Only unmarried candidates are eligible for the CDS exam. The age limit is given below for candidates who wish to apply for the exam:

CDS 2 2025 Age Limit 

• IMA: Candidates for IMA should be unmarried and must have been born not earlier than July 2, 2002, and not later than July 1, 2007.
• INA: Unmarried male candidates born not earlier than July 2, 2002, and not later than July 1, 2007, can apply for INA.
• AFA: To apply for AFA, the age of candidates should be between 20 and 24 years. They must have been born not earlier than July 2, 2002, and not later than July 1, 2006. The upper age limit of candidates holding valid and current Commercial Pilot Licence issued by DGCA (India) is relaxed up to 26 yrs (i,e born not earlier than July 2, 2000, and not later than July 1, 2006).
• OTA (SSC Course for men): To apply for the OTA course (SSC Men), candidates must be unmarried and must have been born not earlier than January 2, 2006, and not later than July 1, 2007.
• OTA (SSC Women Non-Technical Course): Unmarried women, issueless widows who have not remarried and issueless divorcees who have not remarried are eligible to apply. They must have been born not earlier than July 2, 2001, and not later than July 1, 2007.

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

Also Read: CDS Preparation Tips

CDS Age Limit for Females

Women candidates are now eligible to apply for the CDS OTA exam. The CDS age limit for Females should be 19 to 25 years.

CDS Age Limit for OBC

OBC candidates can also apply for the CDS 2 2025 exam. As we know, there is no caste-based reservation in the CDS exam. So, the CDS Age Limit for OBC is also the same as per the other castes, i.e., 19 to 25 years. 

CDS 1 Age Limit 2025

The age limit for the CDS 1 exam is given below:

• For Indian Military Academy (IMA), unmarried male candidates born not earlier than January 2, 2001, and not later than January 1, 2006, are eligible to apply
• For the Indian Naval Academy (IMA), unmarried male candidates born not earlier than January 2, 2001, and not later than January 1, 2006, are eligible to apply
• Candidates applying for the Air Force Academy should be between 20 to 24 years, as on January 1, 2025. They must have been born not earlier than January 2, 2001, and not later than January 1, 2005
• For Officers’ Training Academy (SSC Course for men), unmarried male candidates born not earlier than January 2, 2000 and not later than January 1, 2006, are eligible to apply
• For Officers’ Training Academy (SSC Women Non-Technical Course), candidates should be unmarried and born not earlier than January 2, 2000, and not later than January 1, 2006.

Also Read: CDS Application Form 2025

 The age limit criteria for the CDS 1 exam have been given below for the candidates. The candidates must go through the table to know the age limit and other criteria to apply for the CDS 1 exam:

Academy	Age Limit (In years)	Marital Status
Indian Military Academy (IMA)	19-24	Unmarried
Indian Naval Academy (INA)	19-22	Unmarried
Air Force Academy	19-23	Candidates below 25 years of age must be unmarried Married candidates above 25 years of age are eligible to apply, but during the training period they will neither be provided married accommodation nor can they live with a family outside of the premises
Officers’ Training Academy (SSC Women Non-Technical Course)	19-25	Unmarried Women, issueless widows who have not remarried, and issueless divorcees (in possession of divorce documents) who have not remarried are eligible.
Officers’ Training Academy (SSC Course for Men)	19-25	Unmarried

Also Read: CDS Syllabus 2025

CDS Eligibility 2025: Physical Standards For Male & Female Candidates

Candidates applying for CDS recruitment should be physically fit, as per the physical standard guidelines. Several candidates get rejected on medical grounds. Candidates are advised to get themselves medically examined before submitting their applications. Check below the physical standards for the CDS exam:

CDS Height & Weight Parameters for Males

The minimum acceptable height for male candidates is 157.5 cm (157 cm for Navy and 162.5 cm for Air Force). For Gorkhas and candidates belonging to North-Eastern regions, Garhwali and Kumaon, the minimum height will be 5 cm less. In the case of candidates from Lakshadweep, the minimum acceptable height can be reduced by 2 cm.

Height in Centimetres (Without shoes)	Weight in Kgs.
	18 years	20 years	22 years	24 years
152	44*	46	47	48
155	46	48	49	50
157	47	49	50	51
160	48	50	51	52
162	50	52	53	54
165	52	53	55	56
168	53	55	57	58
170	55	57	58	59
173	57	59	60	61
175	59	61	62	62
178	61	62	63	64
180	63	64	65	66
183	65	67	67	68
185	67	69	70	71
188	70	71	72	74
190	72	73	74	76
193	74	76	77	78
195	77	78	79	81

CDS Height & Weight Parameters for Females

For women candidates, the minimum height is 152 cm. The height and weight parameters for females are given below.

Height in Centimetres (Without shoes)	Weight in Kgs.
	20 years	25 years	30 years
148	39	41	43
150	40	42	43.5
153	42	43.5	45
155	43	44	46
158	45	46	48
160	46	47	49
163	47	49	51
165	49	51	53
168	50	52	54

Weight Parameters

Height in mm	Age Range
	15-17	18-22	23-27	28-32	33-37	38-42	43-47	>48
1520	46	47	50	54	54	54	55	54
1530	47	47	51	55	55	54	56	54
1540	47	48	51	56	55	55	57	55
1550	48	49	52	56	56	56	57	56
1560	48	49	53	57	57	56	58	56
1570	49	50	54	58	58	57	58	57
1580	49	50	54	58	58	58	59	58
1590	50	51	55	59	59	59	60	58
1600	51	52	56	59	60	59	60	59
1610	51	52	56	60	60	60	61	60
1620	52	53	57	61	61	61	62	60
1630	52	54	58	61	62	61	62	61
1640	53	54	59	62	63	62	63	62
1650	53	55	59	63	63	63	64	62
1660	54	56	60	63	64	64	64	63
1670	54	56	61	64	65	64	65	64
1680	55	57	61	65	65	65	65	65
1690	55	57	62	65	66	66	66	65
1700	56	58	63	66	67	67	67	66
1710	56	59	64	66	68	67	67	67
1720	57	59	64	67	68	66	68	67
1730	58	60	65	68	69	69	69	68
1740	58	61	66	68	70	69	69	69
1750	59	61	66	69	71	70	70	69
1760	59	62	67	70	71	71	71	70
1770	60	62	68	70	72	72	71	71
1780	60	63	69	71	73	72	72	71
1790	61	64	69	72	73	73	73	72
1800	61	64	70	72	74	74	73	73
1810	62	65	71	73	75	75	74	73
1820	62	66	72	74	76	75	74	74
1830	63	66	72	74	76	76	75	75
1840	64	67	73	75	77	77	76	75
1850	64	68	74	75	78	77	76	76
1870	65	69	75	77	79	79	78	77
1880	66	69	76	77	80	80	78	78
1890	66	70	77	78	81	80	79	79
1900	67	71	77	79	81	81	80	79
1910	67	71	78	79	82	82	80	80
1920	68	72	79	80	83	82	81	81
1930	68	73	79	81	83	83	81	82
SD	6.0	6.3	7.1	6.6	6.9	6.8	5.8	7.26

Visual Parameters

Vision Standards for Naval Candidates

Uncorrected without glasses	6/12, 6/12
Corrected with glasses	6/6, 6/6
Limits of Myopia	-1.5D
Limits of Hypermetropia	1.5D
Binocular Vision	III
Limits of Colour Perception	I

Other Visual Standards

Vision	Uncorrected VA 6/60 & 6/60 BCVA 6/6 & 6/6 Myopia -3.50 D Sph including astigmatism, Hypermetropia 3.50 D Sph including Astigmatism
Colour perception	CP-II

General Guidelines Related to CDS Medical Standards

Candidates can check below some general guidelines related to CDS medical standards for IMA, INA, AFA and OTA:

• Candidates should be free from any medical conditions
• There should be no proof of weak constitution, imperfect development of any system, any congenital deformities/ diseases/syndrome, or malformation
• There should be no swellings including tumours/cysts/swollen lymph node/s anywhere on the body 
• Candidates must not have sinus/fistula anywhere on the body 
• There should be no  hyper or hypopigmentation or any other disease/syndrome/disability of the skin
• No hernia anywhere on the body
• No scars which can impair functioning and cause significant disfigurement.
• No arterio-venous malformation anywhere in/on the body
• No malformation of the head and face including asymmetry, deformity from fracture or depression of the bones of the skull; or scars indicating old operative interference and malformation like sinuses and fistulae, etc. 
• No impairment of vision including colour perception and field of vision
• No hearing impairment, deformities/disabilities in-ears vestibule-cochlear system
• There should not be an impediment of speed due to aetiology
• No disease/disability/ congenital anomaly/syndrome of the bones or cartilages of the nose, palate, nasal polyps, or disease of the nasopharynx, uvula, and accessory sinuses. There should be no nasal deformity and no features of chronic tonsillitis
• No disease /syndrome/disability of the throat, palate tonsils or gums, or any disease or injury affecting the normal function of the either mandibular joint
• No disease /syndrome/disability of the heart and blood vessels including congenital, genetic, organic incl hypertension, and conduction disorders
• No evidence of pulmonary tuberculosis or previous history of this disease or any other disease /syndrome/disability chronic disease of the lungs and chest including allergies /immunological conditions, connective tissue disorders, musculoskeletal deformities of the chest
• No disease of the digestive system including any abnormality of the liver, or pancreas including endocrine, congenital, hereditary, or genetic diseases /syndromes and disabilities
• No diseases/syndrome/disability of any endocrine system, reticuloendothelial system
• No diseases/syndrome/disability of the genito-urinary system including malformations, atrophy/hypertrophy of any organ or gland
• No active, latent or congenital venereal disease
• No history or evidence of mental disease, epilepsy, incontinence of urine, or enuresis
• No disease/deformity/syndrome of the musculoskeletal system and joints, skull, spine, and limbs
• There is no congenital or hereditary disease/ syndrome/disability

CDS Eligibility Criteria 2025: Disqualification or Debarment 

The candidates appearing for the upcoming CDS 2 exam on September 14, 2025, must follow the instructions given by the UPSC CDS to take the exam or they will be disqualified or debarred for the exam. The actions that can lead the candidate to disqualification or debarment have been given below:

• The candidates must submit the correct details of their academics and identity as UPSC examines every aspect minutely. In case, any candidate is found presenting the wrong or illegal documents they can be led to debarment. 
• If a candidate is found to be guilty of any misconduct then they will be disqualified and legal action may be taken against him/her
• If a candidate is unable to meet the requirements of the CDS then he/she will be disqualified at any stage of the CDS exam

CDS Eligibility Criteria 2025: Important Points

Some of the important points related to CDS eligibility criteria are given: 

• UPSC has the right to reject the candidature of the applicant at any stage of recruitment if he/she is not fulfilling the eligibility criteria
• Mere issue of the admission certificate does not imply that the candidature has been accepted by the examination authority
• Document verification is conducted at the end of the recruitment process where the original documents are verified, if anyone does not meet the eligibility criteria will be rejected

Other Defence Exams Eligibility:

NDA Eligibility Criteria

AFCAT Eligibility