Government jobs after graduation 2026 — 20 exams you can apply for
If you have completed a Bachelor's degree in any discipline, 20 government recruitment exams in India are currently open to you across SSC, banking, railways, UPSC and State PSCs — together offering 194,837 vacancies with starting salaries from ₹25,500 to ₹56,100 per month. Eighteen of those have application forms open right now, and the nearest deadline is 28 August 2026 (SSC CPO). Below is the full list with age limits and last dates, followed by the exams that accept final-year students and the ones most graduates overlook.
Your age, category and stream cut this list down a lot — often to fewer than half.
Top 10 government exams after graduation
Ranked by vacancies. All accept a degree in any discipline unless noted.
| Exam | Vacancies | Age limit (Gen) | Starting salary | Last date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSC CGL Staff Selection Commission |
14,582 | 18–30 | ₹25,500 | 10 Sep 2026 |
| RRB NTPC (Graduate) Railway Recruitment Board |
11,558 | 18–33 | ₹35,400 | Sep 2026 (est.) |
| IBPS Clerk Banking |
6,128 | 20–28 | ₹19,900 | Oct 2026 (est.) |
| RRB Technician Gr-III Railway Recruitment Board |
6,238 | 18–33 | ₹19,900 | 17 Sep 2026 |
| IBPS PO Probationary Officer |
4,455 | 20–30 | ₹36,000 | Sep 2026 (est.) |
| SSC CPO SI Delhi Police & CAPF |
4,187 | 20–25 | ₹35,400 | 28 Aug 2026 |
| SBI PO State Bank of India |
2,600 | 21–30 | ₹41,960 | Nov 2026 (est.) |
| UPSC CSE IAS / IPS / IFS |
979 | 21–32 | ₹56,100 | Feb 2027 (est.) |
| RBI Grade B Reserve Bank of India |
94 | 21–30 | ₹55,200 | Aug 2026 (est.) |
| UPSC CAPF AC Assistant Commandant |
357 | 20–25 | ₹56,100 | Apr 2027 (est.) |
Exams you can apply for while still in final year
Most exams require a completed degree, but a few accept candidates whose result is awaited. Applying to these in your final year saves you an entire attempt.
| Exam | Final year allowed? | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| UPSC CSE | Yes | Must produce proof of passing at the Mains stage |
| RRB NTPC (Graduate) | Yes | Degree required before document verification |
| IBPS PO | No | Degree must be complete on the application date |
| SSC CGL | No | Degree must be complete by the cutoff date |
| SSC CPO | No | Degree must be complete by the cutoff date |
Government jobs by your degree
Some posts need a specific stream. Pick yours for the exact list.
Age limits for graduate-level government jobs
Upper limits for General category candidates sit between 25 and 32 years. Reserved categories get relaxations that stack across dimensions — PwD relaxation is added on top of your category relaxation, not instead of it.
| Your age | Exams open to you | Notable options |
|---|---|---|
| 21–25 | 19 | Everything, including SSC CPO and UPSC CAPF |
| 26–28 | 13 | SSC CGL, IBPS PO, RRB NTPC, UPSC CSE |
| 29–30 | 8 | SSC CGL, RRB NTPC, UPSC CSE |
| 31–33 | 6 | RRB NTPC, RRB JE, India Post GDS |
| 34–35 | 2 | India Post GDS, with relaxation |
| 36+ | 1 | India Post GDS — mostly with SC/ST/PwD relaxation |
Counts assume a General-category candidate with a degree in any discipline. Enter your real details for an exact number.
Good exams most graduates never hear about
Lower competition than SSC CGL, comparable or better pay. This is the kind of thing our coverage surfaces and single-exam sites don't.
Ministry of Home Affairs · ₹44,900 start · age 18–27 · any degree. Roughly one-tenth the applicant volume of SSC CGL.
Development banking · ₹44,500 start · age 21–30 · any degree with 60%.
Securities regulator · ₹44,500 start · age up to 30 · degree in any stream for General stream posts.
Labour Ministry · ₹29,200 start · age 18–27 · any degree + computer knowledge.
ग्रेजुएशन के बाद सरकारी नौकरी 2026
किसी भी विषय में स्नातक (graduation) पूरा करने के बाद आप 20 सरकारी भर्ती परीक्षाओं के लिए आवेदन कर सकते हैं, जिनमें कुल 1,94,837 पद हैं। इनमें SSC CGL (14,582 पद), RRB NTPC (11,558 पद), IBPS PO, SBI PO और UPSC सिविल सेवा शामिल हैं। सामान्य वर्ग के लिए अधिकतम आयु सीमा आमतौर पर 27 से 32 वर्ष होती है — OBC को 3 वर्ष, SC/ST को 5 वर्ष और PwD को 10 वर्ष अतिरिक्त छूट मिलती है।
अपनी योग्यता मुफ़्त जाँचें →FAQs
Which government exam is best after graduation?
Can I apply in my final year?
What is the highest paying government job after graduation?
Do I need to know Hindi?
The order to do this in
Most graduates approach this backwards: pick one exam, prepare for a year, then apply. That order costs attempts, because eligibility windows close on their own schedule and the ones that close first are rarely the ones people target first.
First, apply to everything currently open that you qualify for. Fees run from nothing to a few hundred rupees, and forms close on fixed dates regardless of how ready anyone feels. SSC CPO and UPSC CAPF shut at 25, so a graduate at 23 has two cycles of those and unlimited cycles of nothing if they wait.
Second, work out which cluster your preparation actually serves. SSC CGL, CHSL and CPO share most of a syllabus; the bank exams share a different one; the State PSCs share a third with UPSC. Preparing across clusters is how people clear nothing. Preparing within one and applying to all of it is how people clear something.
Third, decide what you would actually accept. A candidate who would not take a rural posting should not build a year around India Post GDS, and one who cannot relocate should think hard before a railway or CAPF entry. This is routinely skipped — people optimise for clearing an exam and discover the posting afterwards.
Fourth, check your runway every year rather than once. Age limits move against you while relaxations stay fixed, so the list of what is open to you shrinks on a schedule you can predict. Knowing which window shuts next is worth more than any single month of study.