UPSC Announces CDS 1 2026 Final Merit List, 243 Candidates Recommended for IMA, INA and AFA
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has declared the final result of the Combined Defence Services Examination (I), 2026, recommending 243 candidates for admission to the Indian Military Academy, the Indian Naval Academy and the Air Force Academy. The result, announced on 2 November 2026, covers entry to the 162nd (DE) Course at the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun; the Indian Naval Academy (INA), Ezhimala; and the No. 221 F(P) Pre-Flying Training Course at the Air Force Academy (AFA), Hyderabad.
According to the Commission, 155 candidates have been recommended for IMA, 63 for INA and 25 for AFA. The lists were prepared on the basis of the written examination held on 12 April 2026 and the Services Selection Board (SSB) interviews conducted by the Ministry of Defence. Medical examination results were not taken into account while drawing up the merit lists. UPSC has also said the candidature of all recommended candidates is provisional, subject to verification of date of birth and educational qualifications by Army Headquarters.
Selection figures and vacancies
| Academy | Course | Written Exam Qualified | Finally Recommended | Vacancies (as intimated by Government) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun | 162nd (DE) Course | 2,601 | 155 | 100 (including 13 for NCC ‘C’ Certificate – Army Wing) |
| Indian Naval Academy (INA), Ezhimala | Executive Branch (General Service)/Hydro | 770 | 63 | 26 (including 6 for NCC ‘C’ – Naval Wing and 1 for Hydro) |
| Air Force Academy (AFA), Hyderabad | No. 221 F(P) Course | 640 | 25 | 32 (including 3 for NCC ‘C’ – Air Wing through NCC Special Entry) |
| Total | — | 4,011 | 243 | 158 (excluding OTA) |
The Commission had earlier shortlisted the above numbers of candidates on the basis of the written examination. The final recommendations reflect the outcome after the SSB stage conducted by Army Headquarters.
Lohitaksh Mahajan tops all three merit lists
Lohitaksh Mahajan, Roll No. 0500513, has emerged as Rank 1 in the merit lists of all three academies — IMA, INA and AFA. He is from Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir and had earlier secured 99.988 percentile in JEE Main 2021, topping Jammu and Kashmir. He later studied Electrical Engineering at IIT Bombay. According to the result lists, his performance across all three services has placed him at the top of every merit list, a rare feat in the CDS examination.
Top 10 candidates
For the 162nd (DE) Course of the Indian Military Academy, the top 10 candidates are Lohitaksh Mahajan (0500513), Lakshya Verma (1402694), Shubham Parmar (7900100), Sumit Kumar (0805121), Naman Singh (2604187), Ashutosh Kumar (1000789), Shivam Bisht (0805821), Aayush Raghav (5901027), Udit (3500571) and Himanshu Sharma (6900344).
In the Indian Naval Academy merit list, the top 10 are Lohitaksh Mahajan (0500513), Naman Singh (2604187), Aayush Raghav (5901027), Udit (3500571), Aditya Sharma (6300481), Saurav Singh Sigroha (0800212), Aryan (6300349), Abhay Pratap (2602234), Dhruv Khatri (6600832) and Ansh Sharma (0809903).
For the Air Force Academy’s No. 221 F(P) Course, the first 10 candidates are Lohitaksh Mahajan (0500513), Aditya Sharma (6300481), Ashwani Pawar (7800330), Aryan (6300349), Sourav Sharma (3401258), Yadav Abhinav Salikram (8700026), Ansh Sharma (0809903), Shubham Narwal (1102655), Aaryan Mishra (0806570) and Jagat Singh Kalita (0900270).
Download CDS 1 2026 Merit List
What recommended candidates must do next
- Results of the medical examination have not been considered.
- Verification of date of birth and educational qualifications is still underway. Candidates must send original certificates, along with attested photocopies, to Army, Naval or Air Headquarters according to their first choice.
- Any change of address should be reported immediately to the relevant Headquarters.
- Marks of candidates will be published on the UPSC website only after the final result of the Officers’ Training Academy (OTA) course of CDS (I) 2026 is declared.
The result has been uploaded on the official UPSC website, upsc.gov.in, and also carried by the Press Information Bureau. Candidates may contact the UPSC Facilitation Counter or the Candidate’s Helpdesk at 011-24041001 or 011-40303444 for further information.
The announcement is the latest step in the CDS (I) 2026 selection process for future officers of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force. Those recommended must now complete the remaining verification and follow further instructions from their respective Service Headquarters on medical examination, documentation and joining formalities.
