NDA for Girls: Eligibility, Physical Standards and Life at the Academy

Can girls join NDA? Yes, girls can join the NDA. Since the National Defence Academy and Naval Academy examination opened to women, the UPSC notice has invited unmarried male and female candidates on a common application. The latest notice goes further and says that women candidates are encouraged to apply. For many parents the real questions come after that first answer: how many seats are there, is the exam different, what about physical standards, and what is life at the academy like?

This guide answers those questions from the latest UPSC notice (National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination (II), 2026, dated 20 May 2026), the Indian Naval Academy and Army training terms printed in it, and the recent CDS notice for the routes open to women after graduation.

Eligibility for girls: what is the same

The conditions are identical for male and female candidates:

• Nationality: the same categories apply, including citizens of India.
• Marital status: you must be unmarried, and you must undertake not to marry until training is complete.
• Age: the date-of-birth window for the NDA and NA (II) 2026 cycle is 1 January 2008 to 1 January 2011.
• Education: a Class 12 pass for the Army wing, and Class 12 with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics for the Air Force and Naval wings and the Naval Academy 10+2 Cadet Entry Scheme. Candidates appearing in Class 12 can apply, and Class 11 students cannot.
• Syllabus and papers: the same written exam, Mathematics 300 marks and General Ability Test 600 marks.
• Fee: female candidates are exempt from the ₹100 application fee, as the notice lists.

For the full conditions, read our guide on NDA eligibility criteria.

Vacancies for women

Women’s seats are limited and are notified separately. The notice explains that the Army publishes vacancies for men and women separately for each service, keeping operational and administrative needs in view. The written exam is common, but men and women are separate entries. Written results and final merit lists are prepared separately for each, in a gender-pure manner, according to the vacancies notified.

For the NDA and NA (II) 2026 examination, the approximate vacancies were:

These numbers change with every notice, and the notice calls them provisional. They are useful as a reality check: competition among women is for a small number of seats, so serious preparation matters. Vacancy numbers do not reflect the quality of the career. Officers who clear the SSB and medical enter the same training stream.

Selection process for women

1. Written exam. The same Mathematics and General Ability Test as male candidates.
2. SSB. The same two-stage procedure over about five days, with the same three assessors (the Interviewing Officer, the Group Testing Officer and the Psychologist), no separate weightage for each test and the Conference as the final stage, as the notice describes. See our SSB interview process guide.
3. Medical. Candidates recommended by the SSB are examined by a board of service medical officers under the Joint Order Manual of Medical Standards for Entry into Armed Forces.
4. Merit list. Women are ranked in their own merit list against the notified women’s vacancies.

Physical standards and fitness

The UPSC notice does not print height or weight tables. It refers candidates to the Joint Order Manual of Medical Standards, available on the Army recruiting website, and advises everyone to get examined before applying. It also lists common correctable issues such as ear wax, tonsillitis and being overweight or underweight. Ask a doctor to check you against that manual rather than trusting figures from social media.

For fitness, the notice does not set an NDA test. A useful benchmark comes from the CDS notice, which lists physical standards on arrival at the Officers Training Academy in Chennai and the Indian Military Academy. For women officer cadets it lists a 2.4 km run in 13 minutes, 15 push-ups, 2 pull-ups, 25 sit-ups, two sets of 30 squats and two sets of 10 lunges, plus knowing the basics of swimming. Those are not NDA entry tests, but they show the sort of routine worth building: running, strength work and swimming.

Life at the academy

The NDA course lasts three years, and the first two and a half years are common to cadets of all three wings. Cadets graduate with degrees from Jawaharlal Nehru University. After the NDA, Army cadets go to the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun, where they are known as Gentlemen and Lady Cadets and train for one year. Naval cadets proceed to the Indian Naval Academy at Ezhimala, and Air Force cadets to the Air Force Academy at Hyderabad or the Air Force Technical College, Bengaluru, depending on branch.

The government bears the cost of training, including accommodation, books, uniforms, boarding and medical treatment. Cadets receive a fixed stipend of ₹56,100 a month (the starting pay in Level 10) during training in the service academies, as the notice states for male and female cadets.

Other defence routes for girls

• RIMC, Dehradun. The Rashtriya Indian Military College admits boys and girls to Class 8. Its published intake is about 25 boys and 10 girls per term. Read our RIMC admission guide.
• Sainik Schools. The 2026 AISSEE bulletin says that girls are eligible to apply. See our Sainik School admission guide.
• After graduation. The CDS examination offers the Officers Training Academy, Chennai, for unmarried women, issueless widows and issueless divorcees who have not remarried, aged 19 to 25 in the latest notice. That notice says women candidates are being considered only for Short Service Commission at the OTA. The AFCAT is another route to the Air Force. Compare them in our guide to NDA, CDS and AFCAT.
• Military Nursing Service. MNS is a separate entry for nursing graduates. Our MNS coaching page explains how we prepare candidates for it.

Preparing as a girl aspirant

The preparation plan is the same as for boys. Follow the subject-wise plan in our NDA preparation guide, and start fitness and communication practice early. Two points deserve extra attention:

• Take the SSB seriously from Class 11. With few seats, the SSB can decide rank. Join debate, sports or NCC, and learn to speak in front of groups.
• Choose a safe, supportive study environment. If you plan to study away from home, check the hostel rules, supervision and food, then visit the hostel with your parents.

At GS India Defence Academy, the boys’ and girls’ hostels are separate, and there is a mess for residential students. Classes are held in the classroom only, since we do not run online batches. Details of our girls’ programme are on the NDA coaching for girls page.

Frequently asked questions

If you are a girl aspirant looking for guidance in Dehradun, GS India Defence Academy offers classroom NDA coaching for girls with a separate girls’ hostel. Call +91 70170 31757 or message us on WhatsApp to arrange a visit with your parents.