CUET 2026 Eligibility Criteria: Academic Qualifications, Age Limit

CUET 2026 Eligibility Criteria: The National Testing Agency will conduct the CUET 2026 Exam in May/June 2026. NTA has already prescribed the eligibility criteria for CUET 2026 candidates on its official website. The participating candidate must possess all the required eligibility criteria.

Following the CUET 2026 Eligibility Criteria, candidates must be citizens of India and must have completed their 10+2 examinations with the required percentage of marks from a recognised board. The General category candidates must have acquired 50% of marks, whereas the Reserved category candidates must have scored at least 45% of marks.

CUET 2026 Eligibility Criteria: Highlights

Refer to the table given below to understand all key details related to the CUET 2026 Eligibility Criteria:

CUET 2026 Eligibility Criteria

To apply for the CUET 2026, candidates must have passed their 10+2 examinations with a minimum percentage from a recognised board. Age is not a restricting factor for applying for the CUET 2026.

Read here to know more about the detailed CUET 2026 Eligibility Criteria

Academics Qualifications

• Candidates must have passed their 10+2 or equivalent examinations from a recognised board.
• Candidates who are appearing for their 10+2 or equivalent examinations can also appear for the CUET 2026 Exams.
• The candidate must score a minimum qualifying mark in their 10+2 or equivalent examinations. The General category candidates must have scored 50% of marks in their 10+2 or equivalent examinations, whereas the SC/ST category candidates must have acquired 45% of marks in their examinations.

Nationality

• The candidate must be a citizen of India.
• Candidates from Nepal and Bhutan can also appear for CUET 2026.
• Citizens of Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Ethiopia, Vietnam, and Zaire who permanently shift to India.
• Tibetan refugees are also eligible for the CUET 2026 Exam.

Age Criteria

• There is no age limit to appear for the CUET 2026 Exam.

CUET 2026 Eligibility Criteria: Age Limit & Number of Attempts

NTA has not set the limit for candidates to appear for the CUET Exam. The candidates can appear for CUET Exams as many times as they wish to do so, but they must fall in the required eligibility criteria. The CUET Exam is conducted annually by the National Test Agency.

Also, there is no restriction on the candidate’s age; candidates of any age can appear for the CUET 2026 Exam as long as they meet the eligibility criteria.Also Check: CUET 2026 Application Process

CUET 2026 Eligibility Criteria: Institution-wise

CUET 2026 participating institutions have set their own eligibility criteria for admission through CUET 2026. Top central, state, private, government, and deemed universities will be accepting CUET 2026 for their admission.

Here is the list of top CUET 2026 participating institutions with their own eligibility criteria:

CUET 2026 Eligibility Criteria: Reservation Policy

The government has introduced the Reservation Policy in India, which must be followed by the universities. According to the Reservation Policy, the universities must secure some number of seats or give more privileges to the Reserved Categories. Like the reserved categories, candidates are exempted by 5 or more than 5 percent in the qualifying percentage. The candidates who are applying for admission through CUET 2026 must check the CUET reservation policy of each university.

The candidate may refer to the table below to understand the CUET 2026 Reservation Policy:

CUET 2026 Eligibility Criteria FAQs