The AFCAT 2023 eligibility criteria comprise information about the minimum educational qualifications, nationality, marital status, age limits for AFCAT, and physical and medical requirements for male and female candidates for various positions and branches. The candidates who will meet various eligibility requirements will go through the stages of the AFCAT 2023 Selection Procedure.
It is essential for all those who aspire to join the Air Force must begin their preparation for the AFCAT 2023 exam. Candidates must meet all the requirements of the AFCAT 2023 Eligibility Criteria described in the article below.
AFCAT 2023 Nationality
To be eligible for the AFCAT exam, the candidate must be an Indian citizen, as per the Indian Citizenship Act of 1955.
AFCAT 2023 Marital Status
- Unmarried candidates under the age of 25 are eligible to apply for the training.
- Divorcees and widows under 25 years of age are not eligible.
- If a candidate gets married during the training, they will be expelled from service and will have to reimburse all the expenses incurred by the government.
- Married candidates above 25 years of age can apply for accommodation, and they cannot reside outside the campus with their families during the training period.
AFCAT 2023 Age Limit
The age criteria that candidates need to meet for applying to the flying branch and ground duty are mentioned in the table below.
| AFCAT Flying Branch | The eligibility criteria for the flying branch in AFCAT include an age limit that is applicable to both male and female candidates. The minimum and maximum age limits are as follows: The minimum age should be 20 years. The maximum age should be 24 years. The candidates must have been born between 02 July 1999 to 01 July 2003. |
| AFCAT Ground Duty (Technical/Non-Technical) | The AFCAT non-technical and technical eligibility falls within the age bracket mentioned below: Minimum age – 20 years Maximum age – 26 years (Candidates should have been born between July 02, 1997, and July 01, 2003) |
| NCC Entry | The age limit for candidates possessing a valid and current Commercial Pilot License issued by DGCA (India) is extended up to 26 years at the start of the course. |
AFCAT 2023 Educational Qualification
The educational requirements for different posts in AFCAT 2023 are varied and candidates should refer to the following information given in the table below to understand the specific educational criteria established by the IAF.
| Positions | Educational Qualifications Required |
| AFCAT FLYING BRANCH | Applicants are required to obtain at least 60% marks in Mathematics and Physics during their 10+2 education, as well as a minimum of three years of undergraduate study from an accredited university with a grade point average of 60% or equivalent. In addition, candidates with a BE/B Tech degree (a four-year course) from a recognized university with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent, or those who have passed Section A & B exams of Associate Membership of Institution of Engineers (India) or Aeronautical Society of India with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent, may also apply. |
| AFCAT Technical Duty (Aeronautical Engineer) | To be eligible, candidates must have scored at least 60% marks in both Physics and Mathematics during their 10+2 education. They must also have a four-year degree graduation/integrated post-graduation qualification in Engineering/Technology from a recognized university. Additionally, they may be eligible if they have cleared Sections A and B exams of Associate Membership of the Institution of Engineers (India) or Aeronautical Society of India or the Graduate membership exam of the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers. Candidates must have achieved a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent in the above disciplines to be considered eligible. |
| AFCAT Technical Duty Aeronautical Engineer (Mechanical Engineer) | To be eligible, candidates must have obtained at least 60% marks in both Physics and Mathematics during their 10+2 education. They must also have a four-year degree graduation/integrated post-graduation qualification in Engineering/Technology from a recognized university. Additionally, they may be eligible if they have cleared Sections A & B examination of Associate Membership of the Institution of Engineers (India) or Aeronautical Society of India by actual studies. To be considered eligible, candidates must have obtained a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent in the relevant disciplines such as Aerospace/Aircraft maintenance/Mechanical Engineering/Mechatronics |
| AFCAT Administration&logistics | Candidates must have a graduate degree from a recognized university in any discipline. The degree must be a minimum of three years course. To be considered eligible, candidates must have obtained a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent in their graduate degree. Alternatively, candidates may be eligible if they have cleared Section A & B examination of Associate Membership of the Institution of Engineers (India) or Aeronautical Society of India from a recognized university. In this case, as well, candidates must have obtained a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent to be considered eligible. |
| Accounts | To be eligible, candidates must have a B.Com degree from a recognized university. The degree must be a minimum of three years course. Candidates must have obtained a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent in their B.Com degree to be considered eligible. |
| Meteorology | Candidates must have a post-graduate degree in any science stream, mathematics, statistics, geography, computer applications, environmental science, applied physics, oceanography, meteorology, agricultural meteorology, ecology & environment, geophysics, or environmental biology. To be considered eligible, candidates must have obtained a minimum of 50% marks in aggregate of all papers put together. Candidates must have studied Maths and Physics at the graduation level with a minimum of 55% marks in each subject to be eligible. |
| NCC Flying Branch | Candidates must have acquired an NCC Air Wing Senior Division ‘C’ certificate on or after January 01, 2017. To be considered eligible, candidates must have obtained a minimum of 60% marks in both Maths and Physics during their 10+2 education. They must also have a minimum of three years of the degree course in any discipline from a recognized university with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent. Alternatively, candidates may be eligible if they have a BE/B Tech degree (four years course) from a recognized university with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent. Additionally, candidates who have cleared Section A & B examination of Associate Membership of the Institution of Engineers (India) or Aeronautical Society of India from a recognized university with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent may also be eligible. |
AFCAT 2023 Physical Criteria
In order to apply for AFCAT, candidates need to meet the essential requirement of being both physically and mentally fit. The physical standards are mentioned in the table below specifically.
Physical Criteria- Flying Branch
| Physical Parameters | Requirements in Cms | Requirements in Meters |
| Height | 162.5 | – |
| Length of Leg | 99 | 120 |
| Length of Thigh | – | 64 |
| Sitting Height | 81.5 | 96 |
Physical Criteria- Technical and Non-Technical
| Parameters | Specifications in Cms |
| Height for Males | 157.5 |
| Height for Females | 152 |
Physical Eligibility Criteria- Males
| Height (Cms) | Weight in kgs (15-17 years) | Weight in kgs (18-22 years) | Weight in kgs (23-27 years) | Weight in kgs (28-32 years) | Weight in kgs (33-37 years) |
| 152 | 46 | 47 | 50 | 54 | 54 |
| 153 | 47 | 47 | 51 | 55 | 55 |
| 154 | 47 | 48 | 51 | 56 | 55 |
| 155 | 48 | 49 | 52 | 56 | 56 |
| 156 | 48 | 49 | 53 | 57 | 57 |
| 157 | 49 | 50 | 54 | 58 | 58 |
| 158 | 49 | 50 | 54 | 58 | 58 |
| 159 | 50 | 51 | 55 | 59 | 59 |
| 160 | 51 | 52 | 56 | 59 | 60 |
| 161 | 51 | 52 | 56 | 60 | 60 |
| 162 | 52 | 53 | 57 | 61 | 61 |
| 163 | 52 | 54 | 58 | 61 | 62 |
| 164 | 53 | 54 | 59 | 62 | 63 |
| 165 | 53 | 55 | 59 | 63 | 63 |
| 166 | 54 | 56 | 60 | 63 | 64 |
| 167 | 54 | 56 | 61 | 64 | 65 |
| 168 | 55 | 57 | 61 | 65 | 65 |
| 169 | 55 | 57 | 62 | 65 | 66 |
| 170 | 56 | 58 | 63 | 66 | 67 |
| 171 | 56 | 59 | 64 | 66 | 68 |
| 172 | 57 | 59 | 64 | 67 | 68 |
| 173 | 58 | 60 | 65 | 68 | 69 |
| 174 | 58 | 61 | 66 | 68 | 70 |
| 175 | 59 | 61 | 66 | 69 | 71 |
| 176 | 59 | 62 | 67 | 70 | 71 |
| 177 | 60 | 62 | 68 | 70 | 72 |
| 178 | 60 | 63 | 69 | 71 | 73 |
| 179 | 61 | 64 | 69 | 72 | 73 |
| 180 | 61 | 64 | 70 | 72 | 74 |
| 181 | 62 | 65 | 71 | 73 | 75 |
| 182 | 62 | 66 | 72 | 74 | 76 |
| 183 | 63 | 66 | 72 | 74 | 76 |
| 184 | 64 | 67 | 73 | 75 | 77 |
| 185 | 64 | 68 | 74 | 75 | 78 |
| 186 | 65 | 68 | 74 | 76 | 78 |
| 187 | 65 | 69 | 75 | 77 | 79 |
| 188 | 66 | 69 | 76 | 77 | 80 |
| 189 | 66 | 70 | 77 | 78 | 81 |
| 190 | 67 | 71 | 77 | 79 | 81 |
| 191 | 67 | 71 | 78 | 79 | 82 |
| 192 | 68 | 72 | 79 | 80 | 83 |
| 193 | 68 | 73 | 79 | 81 | 83 |
| SD | 6 | 6.3 | 7.1 | 6.6 | 6.9 |
Physical Eligibility Criteria- Females
| Height in Cms | Weight in kg (20-25 years) | Weight in kg (26-30 years) |
| 148 | 43 | 46 |
| 149 | 44 | 47 |
| 150 | 45 | 48 |
| 151 | 45 | 48 |
| 152 | 46 | 49 |
| 153 | 47 | 50 |
| 154 | 47 | 50 |
| 155 | 48 | 51 |
| 156 | 49 | 52 |
| 157 | 49 | 53 |
| 158 | 50 | 53 |
| 159 | 51 | 54 |
| 160 | 51 | 55 |
| 161 | 52 | 55 |
| 162 | 52 | 56 |
| 163 | 53 | 57 |
| 164 | 54 | 57 |
| 165 | 54 | 58 |
| 166 | 55 | 59 |
| 167 | 56 | 60 |
| 168 | 56 | 60 |
| 169 | 57 | 61 |
| 170 | 58 | 62 |
| 171 | 58 | 62 |
| 172 | 59 | 63 |
| 173 | 59 | 64 |
| 174 | 60 | 64 |
| 175 | 61 | 65 |
| 176 | 61 | 66 |
| 177 | 62 | 67 |
| 178 | 63 | 67 |
AFCAT 2023 Visual Standards
| Accts/ Lgs/Edn | Hypermetropia: + 3.5 D Sph Myopia: -3.50 D Sph Astigmatism: + 2.50 D Cyl | Corrected visual acuity should be 6/6 in the better eye and 6/18 in the worse eye. Wearing Glasses will be compulsory | CP-III |
| Adm/ Adm (ATC)/Adm (FC) | Hypermetropia: + 3.5D Sph Myopia: -3.5D Sph Astigmatism: + 2.5D Cyl in any meridian | Corrected visual acuity should be 6/9 in each eye. | CP-II |
| AE(M) AE(L) | Hypermetropia: + 3.5 D Sph Myopia: -3.50 D Sph Astigmatism: + 2.5D Cyl in any meridian | Corrected visual acuity should be 6/9 in each eye. Wearing glasses will be compulsory when advised | CP-II |
| Aircrew other than F(P) | Hypermetropia: +3.5D Sph Myopia: -2.0D Sph Astigmatism: + 0.75D Cyl | 6/24 in one eye and 6/36 in other, correctable to 6/6 and 6/9 | CP-I |
| F(P) including WSOs | Hypermetropia: + 2.0D Sph Manifest Myopia: Nil Retinoscopic myopia: – 0.5 in any meridian permitted Astigmatism: + 0.75D Cyl (within + 2.0D Max) | 6/6 in one eye and 6/9 in other, correctable to 6/6 only for Hypermetropia | CP-I |
| Met | Hypermetropia: + 3.5 D Sph Myopia: -3.50 D Sph Astigmatism: + 2.50 D Cyl | Corrected visual acuity should be 6/6 in the better eye and 6/18 in the worse eye. Wearing Glasses will be compulsory | CP-II |
AFCAT 2023 Important Points
- After completing their commission, individuals who hold two certifications or LLB qualifications can apply for legal duties in the Indian Air Force (IAF).
- Applicants who are in their final semester or year, or who are still pursuing their education, may apply for the exam, without any backlogs. Additionally, they must have obtained a minimum of 60% marks up to the last semester.
- If an applicant has previously failed the Pilot Aptitude Battery Test (PABT) or Computerised Pilot Selection System (CPSS), or if they have been suspended from flying training at the Air Force Academy, they will not be eligible to apply for the Flying Branch.
- Applicants who have been admitted to institutions such as the National Defence Academy (NDA), the Indian Military Academy, the Indian Naval Academy, the Air Force Academy in Chennai, and the Officer’s Training Academy, but have been removed from these institutions due to disciplinary issues, are not eligible to take the AFCAT Exam.
- Applicants with any criminal charges on their record cannot apply for the exam.
- Lastly, individuals who have been debarred from the Ministry of Defence due to holding any commission in Defence Services are also not eligible for AFCAT.
AFCAT 2023 Eligibility Criteria FAQs
Can 12th-pass candidates be eligible for the AFCAT 2023 Exam?
No, the candidates must have a graduation degree.
What is the age range needed for the AFCAT 2023 exam?
Candidates must fall in the age range of 20-24 years.
How much percentage is required to apply for the AFCAT 2023 exam?
Candidates must have scored at least 60% in their graduation.
Is there any reservation provided for the AFCAT 2023 Exam?
No, there is no reservation.
How many times can I give the AFCAT 2023 Exam?
There’s no fixed limit to apply for the AFCAT 2023 Exam.
