CUET 2026 Eligibility & Reservation: EWS, OBC, SC, ST, PwD

CUET 2026 Eligibility and Reservation Overview

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has released the official Information Bulletin for CUET (UG) 2026, outlining the eligibility criteria and reservation policies. The Common University Entrance Test is the mandatory entrance exam for admission to undergraduate programmes in all Central Universities and other participating institutions for the academic session 2026-27. Candidates must meet the basic eligibility set by NTA and the programme-specific criteria of the individual universities to secure admission.

CUET 2026 Eligibility for Undergraduate Programmes

NTA has prescribed the following key eligibility requirements for appearing in CUET (UG) 2026:

• Qualifying Examination: Candidates must have passed the Class 12 (or equivalent) examination from a recognised board or are appearing in 2026.
• Minimum Percentage: There is no minimum percentage requirement in Class 12 for appearing in CUET. However, individual universities may set their own minimum marks criteria for specific programmes.
• Subject Choice: Candidates can choose up to a maximum of five (05) subjects in CUET, which may include languages, domain-specific subjects, and the General Aptitude Test. They are not restricted to the subjects they studied in Class XII, but must satisfy the subject requirements of the desired university and programme.
• Proof of Passing: Candidates appearing in 2026 must submit proof of passing the qualifying examination at the time of admission or counselling, as per the schedule of the respective university.

List of Accepted Qualifying Examinations

NTA accepts a wide range of Class 12 equivalent examinations, including:

• Final examination of the 10+2 system from any recognized Central/State Board (e.g., CBSE, CISCE).
• Intermediate or two-year Pre-University examination from a recognised Board/University.
• Senior Secondary School Examination from the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS).
• Any Public School/Board/University examination in India or abroad recognised as equivalent to the 10+2 system by AIU or UGC.
• Higher Secondary Certificate Vocational Examination, AICTE-recognised Diploma (at least 3 years), GCE (A-Level), Cambridge High School Certificate, or International Baccalaureate Diploma.

CUET 2026: Age Limit

There is no age limit for appearing in CUET (UG) 2026. Candidates of any age can apply, provided they fulfil the educational qualifications and any age criteria set by the individual universities to which they are applying.

CUET 2026: Nationality Criteria

As per the information bulletin, the following categories of candidates are eligible to apply for CUET (UG) 2026:

• Indian citizens.
• Subjects of Nepal or Bhutan.
• Tibetan refugees who came to India before 1 January 1962 with the intention of permanent settlement.
• Persons of Indian origin (PIO) who have migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia, or Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India.

CUET 2026: Number of Attempts

There is no restriction on the number of attempts for CUET. As long as a candidate meets the educational qualification and other guidelines of the participating universities, they can appear for the examination in multiple years.

Reservation Policies and Category-wise Benefits

Indian nationals belonging to certain categories are admitted under the seats reserved for them in accordance with the rules prescribed by the Government of India. The key reservation categories and their respective percentages for Central Universities are as follows:

Important Category Notes

• OBC-NCL: Candidates must ensure they fall under the Non-Creamy Layer as per the central list of OBC available on the NCBC website. State list OBC candidates not in the central OBC-NCL list must select General/Unreserved.
• EWS: Reservation for EWS is implemented as per the OM No. 20013/01/2018-BC-II dated 17 January 2019, issued by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the OM No. 12-4/2019-U1 dated 17.01.2019 of MoE.
• PwD/PwBD: This is a horizontal reservation, and candidates must have a valid Disability/UDID certificate showing not less than 40% of a specified disability as per the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.

CUET 2026 Application Fee Structure

The application fee for CUET (UG) 2026 is category-specific and is based on the number of subjects chosen. The fee structure is as follows:

Provisions for Persons with Disability (PwD) and Benchmark Disability (PwBD)

As per the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 and subsequent OMs, the following provisions are available:

• Scribe Facility: Candidates with benchmark disabilities as defined under Section 2(r) of the RPwD Act, 2016 (40% or more specified disability) and who have a limitation in writing can avail of a scribe. This facility is also given to persons with blindness, locomotor disability (both arm affected-BA), and cerebral palsy.
• Compensatory Time: Eligible candidates are granted compensatory time of 20 minutes for every hour of the examination. For a one-hour paper, they get 20 minutes extra.
• Less than 40% Disability: Candidates with less than 40% disability but with difficulty in writing (covered under Section 2(s)) can also avail of a scribe and compensatory time upon production of a certificate from a multi-member medical authority of a Government healthcare institution (as per Appendix-IX).
• Documentation: Candidates must upload a scanned copy of their Disability/UDID certificate (PDF, 50-300 kb) or the specified certificate from a competent medical authority during the online application process.

It is important to note that the NTA will verify the uploaded details from the UDID portal. Any false or incorrect information will lead to cancellation of candidature and admission. The use of a scribe or availing compensatory time without valid disability will be treated as an Unfair Means Practice.

Key Points to Remember for CUET 2026 Eligibility

• Mere appearance in CUET does not guarantee admission. Candidates must also fulfil the specific eligibility criteria (e.g., minimum marks in Class 12, subject combination) of the desired university and programme.
• Admissions are handled at the level of each university. They will declare their own counselling schedule and merit lists based on CUET scores and their own criteria.
• NTA does not entertain any request for change in category or PwD/PwBD status after the application form is submitted. Candidates must fill in these details very carefully.
• All relevant certificates (caste, EWS, PwBD, etc.) must be produced at the time of admission for verification.
• The reservation benefits will only be given subject to verification of documents. If any document is found to be false, the admission will be cancelled.