Check the eligibility conditions.

Read every condition

1. Be eligible to hold an Indian passport, subject to the separate OCI provision below.
2. Be born from 1 July 2007 through 30 June 2012, including both dates.
3. Have resided and studied in India from 30 November 2024 or earlier, or studied in an Indian school system from that date.
4. Be in Class X, XI or XII at enrolment.
5. Not have passed, or be scheduled to complete, the Class XII board examination before 30 November 2026.
6. Not begin university or equivalent studies by 1 June 2027.
7. Not appear for NSEJS 2026.

OCI students

The published rules provisionally allow otherwise eligible OCI cardholders to participate through the OCSC stage, including selection tests, but not to be selected for the Indian international team. Read the current official provision for any subsequent changes.

Class is only one condition

A Class X student still has to meet the birth-date and other conditions. A student within the age window but in Class IX does not meet the current Class X–XII requirement.

Use the rules for the correct exam cycle. Dates and eligibility from older coaching articles may be different.

Which selection group am I in?

The groups write the same NSEA paper. Their qualifying thresholds and selection lists are calculated separately.