PGIMER Nursing Officer Eligibility Criteria 2026: Qualification, Age Limit & Pay Scale

To be eligible for PGIMER Nursing Officer 2026 (243 posts, Level-7 pay, ₹44,900–₹1,42,400), candidates must be 18–35 years old as on 3 October 2026 and hold either a B.Sc./B.Sc. (Hons.)/Post Basic B.Sc. Nursing with State Nursing Council registration, or a GNM Diploma with registration plus 1 year of experience in a 50-bedded hospital. Age relaxation applies for SC/ST/OBC/PwBD/Ex-Servicemen/Central Govt. employees.

Before you spend time filling out the online application for the PGIMER Nursing Officer Recruitment 2026 (243 Group 'B' posts), it's worth checking whether you actually meet the eligibility bar. PGIMER's detailed guidelines (Advt. No. PGI/RC/055/2026/2276) lay out precise rules on qualification, age, and category-wise reservation - and getting even one detail wrong can lead to your candidature being cancelled at any stage.

Here's a complete, guideline-accurate breakdown.

Read PGIMER Nursing Officer recruitment 2026 overview and important dates

Educational Qualification for PGIMER Nursing Officer 2026

Candidates must satisfy one of the following two qualification routes (Option A or Option B):

Option A

(I) B.Sc. (Hons.) in Nursing from a recognized University or Institute; OR a regular course in B.Sc. Nursing from a recognized University or Institute; OR Post Basic B.Sc. Nursing from a recognized University or Institute.

(II) Registered as a Nurse or Nurse and Midwife (RN or RN & RM) with the State Nursing Council.

Option B

(I) Diploma in General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) from a recognized Board or Council.

(II) Registered as a Nurse or Nurse and Midwife with the State Nursing Council.

(III) One year of experience in a minimum 50-bedded hospital, gained after acquiring the qualification mentioned in B(I).

Important: Diplomas/degrees earned through Open and Distance Learning must be recognized by the UGC for the relevant period in which they were acquired - otherwise they will not be accepted for this recruitment.

Age Limit and Age Relaxation

The base age limit for Nursing Officer is 18 to 35 years, calculated as on the closing date of online application, i.e., 03.10.2026. Date of birth will be accepted only as recorded in the Matriculation/Secondary certificate.

Here's the full age relaxation table as per government norms:

Category	Relaxation Beyond Upper Age Limit
SC/ST	5 years
OBC	3 years
PwBD	10 years
PwBD + SC/ST	15 years
PwBD + OBC	13 years
Central Govt. Civilian Employees (General)	5 years
Central Govt. Civilian Employees (OBC)	8 years (5+3)
Central Govt. Civilian Employees (SC/ST)	10 years (5+5)
Permanent employees of PGIMER, Chandigarh	10 years*
Ex-Servicemen (Group B posts)	5 years

*For PGIMER's own permanent employees, the applicant's maximum age must still be at least 2 years less than the prescribed superannuation/retirement age for the post.

Key conditions to note:

• No age relaxation is available to reserved-category candidates applying against an Unreserved (UR) vacancy.
• Age relaxation for PwBD and departmental candidates (Central Govt. employees) cannot be combined - only whichever is more beneficial will be allowed.
• The maximum age for PwBD candidates, even after relaxation, cannot exceed 56 years on the crucial date.
• Age concession is not admissible to sons, daughters, or dependents of ex-servicemen.

Category-Specific Eligibility Conditions

SC/ST/OBC Candidates

• Must invariably upload a Caste Certificate issued by a competent authority.
• OBC candidates must submit a Non-Creamy Layer (NCL) certificate issued between 01.04.2026 and 03.10.2026, in the format prescribed by DoPT (OM dated 30.05.2014), plus a separate creamy-layer declaration at the time of document verification.

EWS (Economically Weaker Section) Candidates

• Family gross annual income must be below ₹8 lakh for the relevant financial year (covering salary, agriculture, business, and profession income from all family members).
• Family must not own: 5 acres or more of agricultural land, a residential flat of 1,000 sq. ft. or more, a residential plot of 100 sq. yards or more (notified municipalities), or 200 sq. yards or more (other areas).
• The Income and Asset Certificate must be issued between 01.04.2026 and 03.10.2026 by an authorized officer (District Magistrate, Tehsildar or above, etc.), in the prescribed Annexure-III format.
• Candidates already covered under SC/ST/OBC (Central List) reservation are not eligible to apply under EWS.

PwBD (Persons with Benchmark Disabilities)

• Only candidates with minimum 40% benchmark disability are eligible for fee concession and age relaxation.
• Disability certificate issued under the RPWD Act, 2016 is valid; certificates from unauthorized practitioners/institutions will not be accepted.
• Selected PwBD candidates undergo re-verification by a Medical Board constituted by PGIMER.
• Eligible categories may request a scribe/reader/lab assistant and compensatory time (20 minutes per hour of test) - this must be indicated in the online application itself and intimated to PGIMER via email in advance.

Crucial Date for Determining Eligibility

PGIMER has clearly specified that the crucial date for qualification, age, and experience is the closing date of the online application - 03.10.2026. Even if a corrigendum or addendum is issued later, this crucial date remains unchanged unless explicitly stated otherwise.

Other General Eligibility Conditions

• Nationality: Must be a citizen of India.
• Marital status: Bigamy disqualifies a candidate - no person with a living spouse can marry another and remain eligible, except in specific legally exempted cases.
• Health: Candidates must be in good mental and bodily health, free of any physical defect that would interfere with efficient discharge of duties (except for benchmark disability candidates, who are assessed separately).
• Multiple applications: Candidates may apply for more than one post if eligible for each, but must pay the application fee separately for every application.
• Canvassing: Any form of canvassing for candidature results in automatic disqualification.

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