NDA Eligibility Criteria - Age Limit, Educational Qualification & Physical Standards

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) prescribes NDA eligibility criteria. According to the eligibility criteria of NDA, unmarried male candidates who have completed their Class 12 or equivalent examination can apply for the exam. NDA eligibility criteria are certain norms in terms of nationality, age limit, educational qualification and physical standards. Candidates need to meet these requirements to be considered for the exam. Candidates can check below the detailed NDA eligibility criteria

NDA Eligibility Criteria Nationality
To apply for NDA, candidates must be:

• A citizen of India or
• A subject of Nepal or
• A subject of Bhutan
• A Tibetan refugee who came over to India before January 1, 1962, with the intention of permanently settling in India or
• A person originally Indian who have 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 2, 3, 4 and 5 shall be person in whose favour a certificate of eligibility has been issued by Indian government. Certificate of eligibility will not, however, be necessary in case of candidates who are Gorkha subjects of Nepal.

NDA Eligibility Criteria: Educational Qualification
The educational qualification prescribed for admission to the different academies is given below:

Candidates who are appearing in Class 12 or equivalent examination can apply.
Candidates appearing in Class 11 exam are not eligible.

NDA Eligibility Criteria: Marital Status
Only unmarried male candidates can apply for the exam. Candidates should undertake not to marry until they complete their training. Candidates who marries during the training will be discharged and have to refund all expenditure spend on him by the government.

NDA Eligibility Criteria : Physical Standards
Candidates must be physically fit according to the physical standards for NDA exam. Height & Weight for Army and Air Force The minimum height prescribed is 157 cms (For Air Force it is 162.5 cms). Certain exceptions are applicable for candidates based on the region from where they belong.

For Gorkhas and candidates belonging to hills of North-Eastern areas of India, Garhwal and Kumaon, the minimum height will be 5 cms less than the figure mentioned above. For candidates belonging to Lakshadweep the minimum height standard is reduced by 2 cms.

Height and Weight requirements for Navy

Candidates who wish to be pilot need to fulfill the following requirements -

• Leg Length: The minimum of 99 cms and maximum of 120 cms.
• Thigh Length : Maximum of 64 cms.
• Sitting Height: The minimum of 81.50 cms and maximum is 96 cms Visual Standards.
• The distance vision (corrected) of candidates should be 6/6 in the better eye and 6/9 in the worse eye.
• Myopia should not be more than 2.5 D
• Hyper metropia not more than 3.5 D including Astigmatism.
• Air Force candidates must not wear spectacles.

Candidates must not suffer from any of the following minor conditions:

• Wax (Ears)
• Deviated Nasal Septum
• Hydrocele / Phimosis
• Condition of Overweight / Underweight
• Under Sized Chest
• Piles
• Tonsillitis
• Gynaecomastia
• Varicocele

• Candidate must ensure that any permanent body tattoos should be present only on their inner side of forearm.
• Under no circumstances, UPSC accepts tattoos on the inside of elbow to the wrist and on the reverse side of palm/back (dorsal) side of the hand.
• Permanent body tattoos on any other part of the body are also not acceptable.
• In case a candidate belongs to a tribe where it is customary to have tattoo, acceptance will be granted considering the traditions involved. Spinal Conditions.

• Granulomatous disease of spine
• Arthritis / spondylosis (Rheumatoid arthritis and allied disorders / Ankylosing spondylitis / Osteoarthrosis, spondylosis and degenerative joint disease / Non articular rheumatism (e.g. lesions of the rotator cuff, tennis elbow, recurrent lumbago etc.) & Miscellaneous disorders including SLE, polymyositis, vasculitis.
• Spondylolisthesis / spondylolysis.
• Compression fracture of vertebrae.
• SC Heuerman’s disease (Adolescent kyphosis)
• Loss of cervical lordosis when associated with clinically restricted movements of cervical spine.
• Unilateral / Bilateral cervical ribs with demon stable neurological or circulatory deficit.
• Scoliosis more than 15 degree as measured by Cobb’s method.
• Degenerative Disc. Disease.
• Presence of Schmorl’s nodes at more than one level.
• Atlanto-occipital and atlantoaxial anomalies.
• Hemi vertebrae and/or incomplete block (fused) vertebrae at any level in cervical, dorsal or lumbar spine and complete block (fused) vertebrae at more than one level in cervical or dorsal spine.
• Unilateral Sacralisation or lumbarisation (Complete or incomplete) at all levels and bilateral incomplete sacralisation or lumbarisation.
• Any other abnormality if so considered by the specialist.
X-Ray Exam

• Granulomatous disease of spine.
• Arthritis / spondylosis
• Scoliosis more than 15 degree as measured by Cobb’s Method (10 degree for Army and Navy).