About UPSC · Services & Careers
Other Services in UPSC CSE: Beyond IAS and IPS
The Civil Services Exam fills 23 services, not just the IAS and IPS. Here is every one of them, from the official list, with who runs it, what its officers do and where they train.
The official list
- Services through CSE
- 23CSE 2026 notice
- Group A services
- 15
- Group B services
- 5
- Plus
- IAS, IPS, IFSlisted without a group
Count as printed in the CSE 2026 notice.
On this page3 sections
Most aspirants think of the Civil Services Exam as the way into the IAS and IPS. But the same exam, the same rank list and the same interview fill 23 services, and every candidate chooses which of them to be considered for. This guide lists every service from the official CSE 2026 notice and explains what each one does.
How many posts each service had in CSE 2025
The Government reports the vacancies for each service with UPSC's final result. For CSE 2025 they were:
CSE 2025: vacancies by service
As reported by the Government in UPSC's final-result notice
- 180IAS
- 55IFS
- 150IPS
- 195Group B
- 507Central Group A
- 1,087Total
Source: UPSC final-result notice, CSE 2025.
Every service, explained
Use the filters to see the services by type. Each card says which ministry or body runs the service and where its officers train, wherever an official source states it, with a link to that source.
Every service you can join through the exam
The list in the CSE 2026 notice · filter by type
23 services
-
Indian Administrative Service
- Trains at
- Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie
-
Indian Police Service
Officers start as Assistant Superintendent of Police in their state.
- Trains at
- Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy
-
Indian Foreign Service
Represents India in embassies, high commissions, consulates and permanent missions such as the UN.
- Run by
- Ministry of External Affairs
- Trains at
- Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service, New Delhi
-
Indian Audit and Accounts Service
The officers through whom the Comptroller and Auditor General audits the Union and the states.
- Run by
- Comptroller and Auditor General of India
- Trains at
- National Academy of Audit and Accounts, Shimla
-
Indian Civil Accounts Service
Runs the accounts of Union ministries under the Controller General of Accounts.
- Run by
- Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance
- Trains at
- Institute of Government Accounts and Finance (INGAF)
-
Indian Corporate Law Service
Officers of this service handle corporate regulation in India.
- Run by
- Ministry of Corporate Affairs
- Trains at
- Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs, Manesar
-
Indian Defence Accounts Service
Audit, financial advice, payment and accounting for the armed forces, including pay and pensions.
- Run by
- Ministry of Defence
- Trains at
- National Academy of Defence Financial Management, Pune
-
Indian Defence Estates Service
Manages defence land and oversees the Cantonment Boards.
- Run by
- Ministry of Defence
- Trains at
- National Institute of Defence Estates Management
-
Indian Information Service
Handles the Government's information, publicity and media work across print, broadcast and social media.
- Run by
- Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
- Trains at
- Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi
-
Indian Postal Service
- Run by
- Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications
- Trains at
- Rafi Ahmed Kidwai National Postal Academy, Ghaziabad
-
Indian Post & Telecommunication Accounts and Finance Service
- Run by
- Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications
- Trains at
- National Communications Academy-Finance, New Delhi
-
Indian Railway Management Service (Traffic)
- Run by
- Ministry of Railways (Railway Board)
-
Indian Railway Management Service (Personnel)
- Run by
- Ministry of Railways (Railway Board)
-
Indian Railway Management Service (Accounts)
- Run by
- Ministry of Railways (Railway Board)
-
Indian Railway Protection Force Service
Officer cadre of the Railway Protection Force, which protects railway property, passengers and passenger areas.
- Run by
- Ministry of Railways
- Trains at
- Jagjivan Ram RPF Academy, Lucknow
-
Indian Revenue Service (Customs & Indirect Taxes)
Serves under the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, which levies and collects GST, customs and other indirect taxes.
- Run by
- Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance
- Trains at
- National Academy of Customs, Indirect Taxes & Narcotics
-
Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax)
Serves under the Central Board of Direct Taxes, which looks after the levy and collection of all direct taxes.
- Run by
- Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance
- Trains at
- National Academy of Direct Taxes, Nagpur
-
Indian Trade Service (Grade III)
Promotes India's foreign trade: export-import policy, export promotion, trade negotiations and anti-dumping work.
- Run by
- Department of Commerce (Directorate General of Foreign Trade)
- Trains at
- Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, New Delhi
-
Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service (Section Officer's Grade)
- Run by
- Ministry of Defence
-
Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Civil Service
Holds posts such as Executive Magistrate and Additional District Magistrate in Delhi and these Union Territories.
- Run by
- Ministry of Home Affairs
-
Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Police Service
- Run by
- Ministry of Home Affairs
-
Pondicherry Civil Service
-
Pondicherry Police Service
How you end up in a service
- You choose in advance. The application form asks you to list, in order, the services you want. The notice says the Government will consider you only for the services you listed, and you cannot change the order once you have submitted it.
- The Government allots, not UPSC. UPSC recommends candidates in order of merit. Allocation is done by the Department of Personnel and Training, under the CSE Rules.
- IAS and IPS add a cadre question. If you want the IAS or IPS, you also give your home cadre preference when UPSC asks for it. Cadres are then allotted under DoPT's cadre allocation policy; see cadre allocation.
List only services you would actually join, in the order you'd want them. If you leave a service off, you can't be allotted it however high you rank.
Frequently asked questions
How many services can I join through the Civil Services Exam?
23, as listed in the CSE 2026 notice: the IAS, IFS and IPS, 15 Group A services and 5 Group B services. The list can change from one year's notice to the next.
Is the Indian Foreign Service the same as the Indian Forest Service?
No. The Indian Foreign Service (IFS) is filled through the Civil Services Exam. The Indian Forest Service has its own exam; only its preliminary stage is held through the Civil Services prelims, as UPSC's calendar shows.
Who decides which service I get?
UPSC recommends candidates; the Government allots services, only from the ones you listed in order of preference in your application. If you list none, you are not considered for any. The notice says preferences cannot be changed once submitted.
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from these official documents. If you spot a difference, the official document is right; tell us and we'll fix the page.
- UPSC: Civil Services Examination 2026 notice (No. 05/2026-CSE)
- UPSC: final result, Civil Services Examination 2025 (vacancies by service)
- DoPT: Civil Services Examination Rules, 2026 (Gazette of India, 4 February 2026)
- DoPT CSE-Plus portal: Service Allocation
- DoPT: Cadre Allocation Policy for the All India Services, OM of 23 January 2026
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