UPSC CDS 2 Notification 2026

The wait is officially over for defense aspirants nationwide! The UPSC CDS 2 2026 Notification has been formally announced, initiating the recruitment drive for hundreds of elite executive vacancies across the Indian Armed Forces. According to the official UPSC calendar, the online registration portal is open from May 20 to June 9, 2026, and the offline written examination is locked for September 13, 2026. Because test centers are allotted on a strict "First Apply, First Allot" basis, finding a nearby examination city requires early registration. Read on for the complete eligibility criteria, age limits, and the official direct link to apply online for the CDS 2 exam.

UPSC CDS 2 2026 Notification: At a Glance

Exam Name: Combined Defence Services Examination (II), 2026
Conducting Body: Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
Level of Exam: National
Mode of Application: Online
Exam Notice No.: 11/2026-CDS-II
Job Location: All Over India
Nationality: A candidate must either be: (i) a Citizen of India, or (ii) a subject of Nepal, or (iii) a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, and East African Countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire and Ethiopia or Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India. provided that a candidate belonging to categories (ii) and (iii) above shall be a person in whose favour a certificate of eligibility has been issued by the Government of India. Certificate of eligibility will, however, not be necessary in the case of candidates who are Gorkha subjects of Nepal.
Total Vacancies Announced: 451 Posts

Officers Training Academy (OTA Chennai Men): 275 Vacancies
Officers Training Academy (OTA Chennai Women): 18 Vacancies
Indian Military Academy (IMA Dehradun): 100 Vacancies
Air Force Academy (AFA Hyderabad): 32 Vacancies
Indian Naval Academy (INA Ezhimala): 26 Vacancies

UPSC CDS 2 Exam 2026 Eligibility Criteria

CDS Education Qualification

For I.M.A. and Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai — Degree of a recognised University or equivalent.
For Indian Naval Academy— Degree in Engineering from a recognised University/Institution
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.

CDS Age Limit (as on 01/07/2027)

For IMA- Unmarried male candidates born not earlier than 2nd January 2003 and not later than 1st January 2008 only are eligible
For Indian Naval Academy- Unmarried male candidates born not earlier than 2nd January 2003 and not later than 1st January 2008 only are eligible.
For Air Force Academy- 20 to 24 years, i.e., born not earlier than 2nd January 2003 and not later than 1st January 2007.

CDS 2 Exam 2026 Application Fee

The examination fee for the CDS 2 2026 Exam is Rs. 200/- for all categories except SC / ST / Females (exempted from fee payment). The payment can be done through online / offline mode (Net Banking, Mastercard/Debit Card or cash deposit in any branch of SBI Bank.

UPSC CDS 2 Exam 2026 Selection Procedure

Candidates are selected through a three-stage selection process:

Written Examination
SSB Interview (Intelligence and Personality Test)
Medical Examination

UPSC CDS 2 Exam Pattern 2026

How to Apply for CDS 2 2026?

Candidates who wish to apply for the CDS 2 recruitment 2026 can follow the steps given below:

Visit official UPSC application portal at upsconline.nic.in.
For New User, completion of registration process is mandatory. Register by completing the three modules and then you will receive a URN.
Login to the fourth module using your URN and fill the UPSC CDS 1 Application Form 2026.
Fill all the details such as personal, educational, address, and others with utmost care.
Pay the application fee as prescribed in the notification.
Preview the application form before final submission and save it for future reference.