SSC JE 2026 · Age limit & eligibility
SSC JE Age Limit 2026: Relaxation, Qualification and Eligibility
SSC JE age limit: Up to 30 years (born 2 Aug 1996 – 1 Aug 2008); up to 32 years for CPWD and Directorate General of Lighthouses & Lightships posts (born 2 Aug 1994 – 1 Aug 2008) (age counted on 1 August 2026), as per the official notice published 2 September 2026.
Age limit, the date on which age is counted, category-wise relaxation and the educational qualification, as printed in the official notice.
SSC JE age limit and relaxation
Age limit
Up to 30 years (born 2 Aug 1996 – 1 Aug 2008); up to 32 years for CPWD and Directorate General of Lighthouses & Lightships posts (born 2 Aug 1994 – 1 Aug 2008) (as on 1 August 2026)
Educational qualification
- Degree or diploma in civil, mechanical or electrical engineering, as specified for each department and post
- BRO, DGQA-Naval and MES accept a three-year diploma only with two years' experience; Lighthouses & Lightships accepts a diploma with three years' experience
- JE (Telecom): B.E./B.Tech. in Electrical, Electronics, Electrical Communications, Computer Science, Telecommunications, IT or Instrumentation
- Scientific Assistant: B.Sc. with Physics, or a bachelor's degree in Computer Science/Applications, Electronics, ECE, IT, Instrumentation or Telecom/Communication Engineering with Class XII Physics and Mathematics
- Qualification (and any experience, gained after it) must be held by the closing date, 22 September 2026
Upper age relaxation
| SC / ST | 5 years |
| OBC | 3 years |
| PwBD (Unreserved/EWS) | 10 years |
| PwBD (OBC) | 13 years |
| PwBD (SC/ST) | 15 years |
| Ex-Servicemen | 3 years after deducting military service |
| Defence personnel disabled in operations | 3 years (8 years for SC/ST) |
Application fee
₹100. Women, SC, ST, PwBD and Ex-Servicemen candidates are exempted from the fee.
Source: Junior Engineer Examination, 2026 — Notice (published 2 September 2026). Confirm in the official notice before applying.
Age limit, relaxation and qualification in detail
Age is counted on 1 August 2026. Most posts have an upper limit of 30 years (born between 2 August 1996 and 1 August 2008). CPWD and the Directorate General of Lighthouses & Lightships allow up to 32 years (born between 2 August 1994 and 1 August 2008).
The qualification must be held by the closing date, 22 September 2026, and the result must actually be declared by then. Where experience is required, it must be gained after the qualification; internships, training or research done during the course do not count.
Some posts overlap: if you opt for JE (Mechanical) you are also considered for JE (Electrical & Mechanical); JE (Electrical) applicants can also be considered for JE (Telecom) and JE (Electrical & Mechanical); and JE (Telecom) and Scientific Assistant applicants can be considered for each other's posts, subject to holding the required qualification.
Only men can apply for BRO posts. You must be a citizen of India, a subject of Nepal or Bhutan, or a person of Indian origin who migrated from one of the countries listed in the notice; the last three groups need a certificate of eligibility from the Government of India.
Qualification and upper age limit by department
| Department | Post | Essential qualification | Upper age |
|---|---|---|---|
| Border Roads Organisation | JE (Civil) | Degree in Civil Engineering, or 3-year Civil diploma plus 2 years' experience in civil works | 30 |
| Border Roads Organisation | JE (Electrical & Mechanical) | Degree in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering, or 3-year Electrical/Automobile/Mechanical diploma plus 2 years' experience | 30 |
| Brahmaputra Board | JE (Civil) | 3-year diploma in Civil Engineering | 30 |
| Central Water Commission | JE (Mechanical), JE (Civil) | Degree or diploma in the respective branch | 30 |
| CPWD | JE (Electrical) | Diploma in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering | 32 |
| CPWD | JE (Civil) | Diploma in Civil Engineering | 32 |
| Central Water & Power Research Station | JE (Electrical), JE (Civil) | Diploma in the respective branch | 30 |
| DGQA-Naval | JE (Mechanical), JE (Electrical) | Degree in the branch, or 3-year diploma plus 2 years' experience | 30 |
| Farakka Barrage Project | JE (Electrical), JE (Civil) | Diploma in the respective branch | 30 |
| Military Engineer Services | JE (Civil), JE (Electrical & Mechanical) | Degree in the branch, or 3-year diploma plus 2 years' experience | 30 |
| NTRO | JE (Civil) | Diploma in Civil Engineering | 30 |
| DG Lighthouses & Lightships | JE (Civil), JE (Electrical) | Degree in the branch, or diploma with 3 years' experience, or equivalent | 32 |
| Department of Telecommunications | JE (Telecom) | B.E./B.Tech. in Electrical, Electronics, Electrical Communications, Computer Science, Telecommunications, IT or Instrumentation | 30 |
| India Meteorological Department | Scientific Assistant | B.Sc. with Physics; or bachelor's in Computer Science/Applications, Electronics, ECE, E&T, Instrumentation, IT, Telecom or Communication Engineering with Class XII Physics and Mathematics | 30 |
| Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying | JE (Civil) | Degree or 3-year diploma in Civil Engineering | 30 |
The Scientific Assistant qualification is as revised by SSC's addendum dated 10 September 2026.
Upper age relaxation
| Code | Category | Relaxation |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | SC / ST | 5 years |
| 02 | OBC | 3 years |
| 03 | PwBD (Unreserved/EWS) | 10 years |
| 04 | PwBD (OBC) | 13 years |
| 05 | PwBD (SC/ST) | 15 years |
| 06 | Ex-servicemen | 3 years after deducting military service from actual age |
| 08 | Defence personnel disabled in operations (Unreserved/EWS/OBC) | 3 years |
| 09 | Defence personnel disabled in operations (SC/ST) | 8 years |
Sons, daughters and dependants of ex-servicemen do not get ex-servicemen age relaxation (para 7.8).
Posts suitable for persons with benchmark disabilities
- All Junior Engineer posts except those in BRO are identified as suitable for certain benchmark disabilities; the notice's table lists the suitable categories post by post.
- JE (Civil, Mechanical, Electrical) and Scientific Assistant posts are not identified as suitable for visually handicapped candidates; JE (Telecom) in DoT is suitable for low vision.
- Candidates eligible for a scribe get 20 minutes of compensatory time per hour of the examination, whether or not they use the scribe.
- If you opted for your own scribe, the scribe must register afresh on ssc.gov.in with Aadhaar authentication; for Paper-I the scribe's OTR had to be mapped by 27 October 2026 (11 pm).
BRO posts: physical efficiency, physical and medical standards
Only BRO posts have physical and medical standards. They are tested by BRO after the final result, not by SSC. The notice warns that if you are allotted a BRO post and fail these standards, your candidature may not be considered for any other post, so read Annexure-XVI before putting BRO in your preferences.
The physical efficiency test is a one-mile run to be completed within 10 minutes at the GREF Centre, Pune; passing it is mandatory before the medical examination.
Visual acuity must be at least 6/12 in each eye, or right eye 6/6 and left eye 6/24; spectacles are allowed during the test, but uncorrected vision must not be worse than 6/60 in each eye.
Region-wise physical standards for BRO (GREF)
| Region | Minimum height | Chest (unexpanded, expansion 5 cm) | Minimum weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Himalayan (J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab hills, Uttarakhand) | 158 cm | 75 cm | 47.5 kg |
| Eastern Himalayan (North-East states, Sikkim, hill region of West Bengal, Andaman & Nicobar) | 152 cm | 75 cm | 47.5 kg |
| West Plain (Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Rajasthan, western UP) | 162.5 cm | 76 cm | 50 kg |
| Eastern Plain (eastern UP, Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand) | 157 cm | 75 cm | 50 kg |
| Central (Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, DNH & DD) | 157 cm | 75 cm | 50 kg |
| Southern (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa, Puducherry, Telangana) | 157 cm | 75 cm | 50 kg |
| Gorkhas (Indian domicile) | 152 cm | 75 cm | 47.5 kg |
Sons of serving or ex-GREF personnel get a relaxation of 2 cm height, 1 cm chest and 2 kg weight. Schedule-III lists grounds for rejection, including BMI under 18, knock knee, flat feet, colour blindness, any squint and blood pressure above 140/95.
Frequently asked questions
What is the age limit for SSC JE?
Up to 30 years (born 2 Aug 1996 – 1 Aug 2008); up to 32 years for CPWD and Directorate General of Lighthouses & Lightships posts (born 2 Aug 1994 – 1 Aug 2008), counted as on 1 August 2026, as per the Junior Engineer Examination, 2026 — Notice. Category-wise upper age relaxation is given in the notice.
What qualification is needed for SSC JE?
Degree or diploma in civil, mechanical or electrical engineering, as specified for each department and post. BRO, DGQA-Naval and MES accept a three-year diploma only with two years' experience; Lighthouses & Lightships accepts a diploma with three years' experience. JE (Telecom): B.E./B.Tech. in Electrical, Electronics, Electrical Communications, Computer Science, Telecommunications, IT or Instrumentation. Scientific Assistant: B.Sc. with Physics, or a bachelor's degree in Computer Science/Applications, Electronics, ECE, IT, Instrumentation or Telecom/Communication Engineering with Class XII Physics and Mathematics. Qualification (and any experience, gained after it) must be held by the closing date, 22 September 2026.
What is the age limit for SSC JE 2026?
Up to 30 years for most posts and up to 32 years for CPWD and Lighthouses & Lightships posts, counted on 1 August 2026, with category relaxation.
Is there a physical test in SSC JE?
Only for BRO posts: a one-mile run in 10 minutes, region-wise height, chest and weight standards, and a medical examination, all conducted by BRO after the final result.