What is the full RRB Graduate Level age limit for 2026?

20–33 years, reckoned as on the cutoff date of 01.07.2026 (CEN 03/2026), not as on the day you apply.

How much age relaxation do OBC candidates get?

3 years — and only for OBC Non-Creamy Layer (NCL) candidates. Creamy-layer OBC candidates don't qualify for this relaxation and are treated as UR for age-limit purposes.

How much age relaxation do SC/ST candidates get?

5 years — this relaxes the maximum age only; the minimum age of 20 still applies to every category.

Can I combine PwBD and SC/ST relaxation?

No. Only the single highest applicable relaxation applies — never a sum of more than one, even if you qualify on multiple grounds.

What DOB documents are accepted?

Only the date of birth recorded in your Matriculation/SSLC certificate. A mismatch with any other document leads to disqualification, with no correction accepted later.

RRB Graduate Level Age Limit 2026 (CEN 03/2026): Minimum Age Is 20, Not 18

Check your RRB Graduate Level 2026 (CEN 03/2026) age eligibility by category, against the exact official DOB window — minimum age here is 20, not the usual 18.

Minimum age for these posts is 20, not 18 — different from most other RRB exams (including RRB Technician).

Date of birth

Verified Age Limit Table

Verified from CEN 03/2026 · Last checked 2026-07-27

Minimum age is 20, not 18 — the most common mistake candidates make on this specific notification.

Age reckoned as on the cutoff date, 01.07.2026. UR and EWS share the same window; SC and ST share the same window.

Graduate Level (Pay Level 6) — base age 20–33
Category	Max age	Earliest DOB	Latest DOB
UR / EWS	33	02.07.1993	01.07.2006
OBC-NCL	36	02.07.1990	01.07.2006
SC / ST	38	02.07.1988	01.07.2006

Special-category relaxations (applied to the maximum age only — the minimum age of 20 is unaffected; highest single relaxation only, never stacked)
Relaxation	UR / EWS	OBC-NCL	SC / ST
PwBD	+10 yrs	+13 yrs	+15 yrs
Serving Railway Group C/D staff (3+ yrs)	Max 40	Max 43	Max 45
Widowed / divorced / separated woman	Max 35	Max 38	Max 40

Ex-Serviceman (UR/EWS +3, OBC-NCL +6, SC/ST +8 after deducting length of service) and quasi-administrative railway office relaxation (length of service or 5 years, whichever is less) both apply per CEN 03/2026 but aren't computed above — check the official notification for these two.

Worked Examples

Candidate A — DOB 10.08.1990, OBC-NCLOBC-NCL's window is 02.07.1990–01.07.2006. 10.08.1990 falls inside it → Eligible. As UR, though, the window only opens from 02.07.1993 — this DOB is too early, so only OBC-NCL, SC, and ST cover it here.

Candidate B — DOB 15.03.2007, UR (the minimum-age trap)This candidate is 19 on the cutoff date and would reasonably assume that's old enough — 18 is the usual RRB floor, including RRB's own Technician posts. But CEN 03/2026's minimum age is 20 (latest DOB 01.07.2006), so 15.03.2007 is Not Eligible for every category — no category or relaxation changes a minimum-age shortfall.

Candidate C — DOB 10.08.1988, SC, PwBDSC's own window (02.07.1988–01.07.2006) already covers this DOB — Eligible on category alone. Checking PwBD doesn't add SC's 5-year relaxation on top of PwBD's 15 (that would reach back to 1973) — instead, the calculator surfaces PwBD's own SC/ST-tier window (from 02.07.1978, computed off the UR baseline), since it's more generous than SC's own. Either way the result is Eligible; the non-stacking rule means the two relaxations are only ever compared, never added.

Frequently Asked Questions

20 years, as on the cutoff date of 01.07.2026 — not 18. This is different from most other RRB exams, including RRB's own Technician posts (CEN 02/2026), which start at 18. A candidate born after 01.07.2006 doesn't meet the minimum age here, regardless of category.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Assuming the minimum age is 18, like most other RRB exams. CEN 03/2026's Graduate Level (Pay Level 6) posts start at 20, not 18 — including RRB's own Technician posts (CEN 02/2026). A candidate who's 18 or 19 is not eligible here regardless of category.
Assuming the cutoff date is the application date. The age reckoning (cutoff) date for CEN 03/2026 is fixed at 01.07.2026, regardless of when you actually submit your application.
Claiming OBC relaxation without checking creamy-layer status. Only OBC Non-Creamy Layer (NCL) candidates get the 3-year relaxation — creamy-layer OBC candidates are treated as UR for age-limit purposes.
Stacking relaxations instead of taking the highest one. SC plus PwBD doesn't mean 5 years plus 15 years. Only the single highest applicable relaxation applies, never a sum of more than one.
Expecting relaxation when applying against a UR vacancy. Reserved-category candidates competing for an unreserved (UR/general) post get no category-based age relaxation — PwBD is the one exception, and only at its own UR-tier figure.
A DOB that doesn't match your Matriculation certificate. Your DOB must match your Matriculation/SSLC certificate exactly — a mismatch leads to disqualification, with no correction accepted later.