How Many Students Give UPSC Exam Every Year? Total Applications vs. Qualified Candidates
“How Many Students Give the UPSC Exam Every Year?” is a persistent question among UPSC aspirants. Approximately 10 to 13 lakh candidates apply for the prestigious UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) every year, but only about 50-55% of the registered candidates actually appear for the Prelims stage. In 2024, around 13.4 lakh candidates applied for the UPSC Exam, out of which 14.627 had qualified for the Mains and fewer than 3,000 reached the Interview stage. Eventually, only about 800 to 1,000 candidates are selected for final postings. The exact number of candidates who appeared for UPSC CSE 2024 is yet to be announced by the Union Public Service Commission. The UPSC CSE is one of India’s toughest and most prestigious exams, conducted to recruit officers for top administrative positions like IAS, IPS, IFS, and others. The Civil Services Exam is held in three stages – Preliminary, Mains, and Interview. With a success rate of less than 0.1%, qualifying the UPSC demands serious dedication, long-term preparation, and strategic planning.
In this article, find out how many students give the UPSC Exam every year, number of applicants vs qualified candidates, etc. to get a clear picture of the intense competition and the level of commitment required to succeed in the UPSC journey.
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How Many Students Give UPSC Exam Every Year?
Every year, approximately 10 to 13 lakh students apply for the UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE), making it one of the most competitive exams in India. However, the number of candidates who actually appear for the Prelims vs number of UPSC registrations is significantly lesser as per previous year statistics.
For instance, in 2023, around 13 lakh candidates registered for the exam. However, only about 50–55% of applicants actually appear for the Prelims stage. In 2022, out of over 11.3 lakh applicants, around 5.7 lakh candidates appeared for the Prelims. From those, roughly 10,000 to 15,000 qualify for the Mains exam. The number further narrows down to around 2,500–3,000 for the Interview (Personality Test). Eventually, only 700 to 1,200 candidates make it to the final selection list, depending on the number of vacancies released by UPSC that year.
The overall success rate in the UPSC Civil Services Exam is less than 0.1%.
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How Many Candidates Appeared for UPSC CSE 2024-25?
Approximately 13.4 lakh candidates applied for the UPSC Civil Services Prelims Exam 2024 conducted on 16 June, 2024. The exact number of candidates who appeared for the UPSC Prelims 2024 is not officially announced yet by the Union Public Service Commission. Out of these, 14,627 candidates qualified for the Mains examination conducted between September 20 and 29, 2024. Subsequently, 2,845 candidates advanced to the Personality Test (Interview) stage, which commenced on January 7, 2025 and will be conducted till April 17, 2025. The final results are expected to be released in April 2025.
How Many Candidates Qualified UPSC Prelims 2024?
A total of 14,627 candidates qualified the UPSC Prelims 2024 and advanced to the Mains stage as per the official UPSC Result announced on 1st July, 2024. Approximately 13.4 lakh candidates had appeared for the UPSC Civil Services Prelims on 16 June, 2024. This figure indicates a qualification rate of about 1.09% in the UPSC CSE Prelims 2024.
How Many Students Appeared for UPSC Mains 2024?
All the 14,627 candidates who had qualified the Prelims 2024 stage had appeared for the UPSC Mains 2024. The UPSC Civil Services Mains Examination was conducted from September 20 to 29, 2024. All 14,627 candidates who qualified the Prelims were eligible to appear for the Mains. Following the Mains, 2,845 candidates advanced to the UPSC Personality Test (Interview) stage.
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How Many Students Appear for UPSC Every Year? Trend Analysis 2007-2023
Over the years from 2007 to 2023, registrations for UPSC Civil Services Exam have shown an upward trend, with the number of applications increasing with every passing year. The following is a trend analysis of number of candidates who have appeared for the UPSC Prelims and Mains over the past 17 years –
|
Year |
Students Applied |
Appeared for Prelims |
Qualified for Mains |
Appeared for Interview |
Cleared the Exam |
|
2007 |
333,680 |
161,469 |
9,158 |
1,883 |
553 |
|
2008 |
325,433 |
167,035 |
11,669 |
2,136 |
734 |
|
2009 |
409,110 |
193,091 |
11,894 |
2,431 |
881 |
|
2010 |
547,698 |
269,036 |
12,271 |
2,589 |
989 |
|
2011 |
499,120 |
243,236 |
11,837 |
2,415 |
965 |
|
2012 |
550,080 |
271,442 |
12,795 |
2,674 |
999 |
|
2013 |
776,604 |
324,279 |
14,800 |
3,001 |
998 |
|
2014 |
947,428 |
446,623 |
16,706 |
3,308 |
1,122 |
|
2015 |
945,908 |
465,882 |
15,008 |
2,797 |
1,236 |
|
2016 |
1,128,262 |
459,659 |
15,382 |
2,961 |
1,078 |
|
2017 |
969,065 |
462,848 |
13,300 |
2,564 |
1,056 |
|
2018 |
1,065,552 |
500,484 |
10,419 |
1,992 |
– |
|
2019 |
1,135,261 |
493,972 |
11,845 |
2,034 |
829 |
|
2020 |
1,057,948 |
482,770 |
10,564 |
2,053 |
796 |
|
2021 |
1,093,948 |
508,619 |
10,000 |
– |
761 |
|
2022 |
1,135,697 |
573,735 |
13,090 |
2,529 |
933 |
|
2023 |
1,300,000 |
– |
14,624 |
2,916 |
– |
No. of Students Who Give UPSC Exam Every Year vs. Total Vacancy
The following is an year-wise comparison of number of candidates who give the Civil Services Examination every year as compared to the total number of vacancies announced for that particular year –
|
How Many Students Appeared for UPSC in Past Years vs Total Vacancy |
||||
|
Year |
Total Applicants |
Total Vacancies |
Candidates Qualified for Mains |
Candidates Qualified for Interview |
|
2023 |
13 lakh |
1,255 |
14,624 |
2,916 |
|
2022 |
11.52 lakh |
1,011 |
13,090 |
2,529 |
|
2021 |
1,093,948 |
712 |
10,000 |
– |
|
2020 |
10,40,060 |
836 |
10,564 |
2,053 |
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Last updated: April 9, 2025
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