Andhra Pradesh raises age limit for government jobs to 44 years by 2027: Comparison of APPSC with Telangana, Kerala and UPSC

The Andhra Pradesh government has raised the upper age limit for direct recruitment into non-uniform government services from 42 to 44 years and extended the relaxation till September 30, 2027. The order comes weeks before applications open on October 6 for 892 posts notified by the Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC), 163 of them in Group I services.

General Administration Department (Ser.A) Order No. 187 applies to recruitment in all heterogeneous services through APPSC and other recruitment agencies. The service rules set the upper age limit at 34 years. The government has already reduced it to 42; the new order increases it to 44.

The government said the decision followed representations from members of the Legislative Council as well as through the offices of the Minister for Human Rights, Information Technology, Electronics and Communications and Real Time Management and the Deputy Chief Minister, citing limited recruitment opportunities available to unemployed youth over the past few years.

The new ceiling places Andhra Pradesh second among the southern states, two years behind Telangana and 12 years ahead of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

Source: Government orders and commission notifications.

Security forces will get another year

A separate GO order No. 188 gives the security forces one more year. The two-year relaxation of the upper age limit was due to expire on September 30, 2026; it will now be valid till September 30, 2027 for uniform posts notified through APPSC and other recruitment agencies, over and above the benefits available under Rule 12 of the AP State and Subordinate Service Rules, 1996.

In practice, a general category candidate can apply for a non-uniform post until he reaches 44 years of age, which is 10 years more than the limit prescribed by the rules. SC, ST and BC candidates get an additional five years as per the rules, increasing their maximum tenure to 49. For uniform posts, the limit prescribed for each post is increased by two years, with concessions in Rule 12 on top. Both orders apply to recruitment notified before September 30, 2027.

Both orders apply to recruitment notified until September 30, 2027, meaning the window will last just over a year.

892 posts in development

APPSC released short notices for 892 posts across different departments on Monday (September 14, 2026). The largest block is 196 posts of Assistant Statisticians in the AP Subordinate Service of Economics and Statistics, followed by 163 posts of Group I Services, 104 posts of Level III Executive Officers in the Endowments Department and 78 posts of Industrial Development Officers. There are also 73 Class II Hostel Welfare Officer posts in the BC Social Welfare and Tribal Welfare Departments, 73 Forest Services posts, 40 Assistant Environmental Engineer posts in AP Pollution Control Board and 37 Horticulture Officer posts; the rest are distributed among legislatures, factories, probation, women and children’s protection and other services.

Applications open on October 6 (Group I, Environmental Engineer, Horticulture and Forensic Science posts), October 9 (Hostel and Welfare posts), October 13 (Statistics posts and one Tribal Welfare post) and October 16 (rest), with the last window closing on November 5. The commission has described the vacancies and qualifications as provisional and provisional; detailed notifications will be posted on its website psc.ap.gov.in.

Unemployment groups want more

Unemployment State JAC chief Shaik Siddique thanked Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Minister Nara Lokesh for responding to the demand for a higher age limit and welcomed the recruitment schedule for 892 posts under Phase II. He said unemployed candidates had faced difficulties due to limited recruitment in recent years and called the extension a significant relief.

AP Nirudyoga JAC State President S Hemanth Kumar said unemployed youth across the state welcomed the decision. He asked the government to extend a similar five-year age relaxation for recruitment of police constables and sub-inspectors through the Andhra Pradesh State Level Police Recruitment Board (APSLRB) and also announce provisional recruitment of Group II in the ratio of 1:100 and issue notification at the earliest.