UPSC NDA 1 and CDS 1 2027: Notification on 2 December, Exam on 11 April 2027, Eligibility and Vacancies from the Last Notices

The NDA and CDS (II) 2026 exams are on 13 September 2026, this Sunday. Once they are done, the next chance for defence aspirants is the first cycle of 2027, and UPSC has already put its dates on record. According to the UPSC Programme of Examinations 2027, both the NDA and NA Examination (I), 2027 and the CDS Examination (I), 2027 will be notified on 2 December 2026, with the exam on 11 April 2027.

This article gives the official 2027 dates and, for reference, the eligibility and vacancy details from the NDA (II) 2026 and CDS (II) 2026 notices. The 2027 notices will carry their own figures, so treat last cycle numbers as indicative.

NDA I and CDS I 2027 dates as per the UPSC calendar

Stage	NDA and NA (I) 2027	CDS (I) 2027
Notification	2 December 2026	2 December 2026
Last date for applications	22 December 2026	22 December 2026
Written examination	11 April 2027 (Sunday), one day	11 April 2027 (Sunday), one day

For those planning further ahead, the calendar also lists NDA (II) 2027 and CDS (II) 2027 with notification on 12 May 2027, last date 1 June 2027 and exam on 19 September 2027.

NDA: what the last notice said

The NDA and NA Examination (II) 2026 notice (No. 10/2026) was released on 20 May 2026 with applications closing on 9 June 2026 and the exam on 13 September 2026.

Vacancies: 394 in total. Army 208, Navy 42 (Executive branch), Air Force Flying 92, Air Force Ground Duties (Technical) 18, Air Force Ground Duties (Non Technical) 10, and Naval Academy 10+2 Cadet Entry Scheme 24. The Army publishes vacancies for men and women separately, as the notice explains.

Age: for NDA (II) 2026, only candidates born not earlier than 1 January 2008 and not later than 1 January 2011 were eligible. The date of birth accepted is the one in the Matriculation or Secondary School Leaving Certificate. For NDA (I) 2027 the window will shift, so read the 2027 notice for the exact dates.

Education: 12th class pass of the 10+2 pattern or equivalent for the Army wing; for the Air Force, Navy and Naval Academy, 12th class pass with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics.

CDS: what the last notice said

The Combined Defence Services Examination (II) 2026 notice (No. 11/2026) was also released on 20 May 2026 with the same closing date, 9 June 2026, and exam date, 13 September 2026.

Vacancies: 451 in total.

Academy	Vacancies
Indian Military Academy, Dehradun (163rd DE Course, July 2027)	100, including 13 for NCC C Certificate (Army Wing) holders
Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala (course commencing July 2027)	26, including 6 for NCC C Certificate (Naval Wing) holders and 1 for Hydro
Air Force Academy, Hyderabad (222 F(P) Course, July 2027)	32, including 3 for NCC C Certificate (Air Wing) holders
Officers' Training Academy, Chennai, 126th SSC Men (NT) Course, October 2027	275
Officers' Training Academy, Chennai, 126th SSC Women (NT) Course, October 2027	18

Educational qualifications for CDS depend on the academy: a degree for IMA and OTA, an engineering degree for the Naval Academy, and a degree with Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 or a Bachelor of Engineering for the Air Force Academy, as detailed in the notice.

Apply through the new UPSC portal

Both exams are applied for through the UPSC Online Application Portal at upsconline.nic.in. The account creation, Universal Registration and Common Application Form modules can be completed any time. Only the exam specific module opens on the notification date. Complete the common modules well before 2 December 2026 so the 20 day window is only about the exam form.

Good luck to everyone sitting NDA II and CDS II this Sunday. We will publish the full NDA I and CDS I 2027 notice details on 2 December.

Official calendar: UPSC Programme of Examinations 2027 (PDF)

Reference notices: NDA and NA (II) 2026 Notice (PDF) and CDS (II) 2026 Notice (PDF)

Apply portal: upsconline.nic.in