UPSC Prelims & Mains Exam Centre List 2026: City-Wise Centres in India
The UPSC Prelims Exam Centre List 2026 covers 83 cities across India for the Civil Services Preliminary exam on May 24, 2026. Centres are allotted on a first-apply-first-allot basis, so early registration matters for aspirants who want their preferred city. This guide gives you the full city-wise list, allotment rules, change request policy, and exam-day reporting checklist.
Key Highlights
UPSC Prelims 2026 will be held on 24 May 2026 (Sunday) in 83 cities across India.
UPSC CSE Mains 2026 begins 21 August 2026 and is conducted in only 24 cities.
Centres are allotted on a first-apply-first-allot basis through the UPSC OTR portal.
Only Nagpur, Kolkata, Dispur (Guwahati) and Chennai have no candidate ceiling for Prelims.
The Commission does not entertain centre change requests once allotment is final.
A total of 933 vacancies have been announced under UPSC CSE 2026.
A UPSC Prelims Exam Centre is the city where the Union Public Service Commission conducts the Civil Services Preliminary exam. The Commission picks venues like government schools, colleges and reputed institutions inside these cities. Every candidate is mapped to one centre after they fill the UPSC CSE application form.
The UPSC Prelims Exam Centre List 2026 has 83 cities. The list was confirmed through the official UPSC Notification dated 4 February 2026. Most cities from previous years stay the same, with small additions to make the exam reachable for aspirants in tier-2 and tier-3 regions.
Two facts shape your choice. First, the exam is on a single day, 24 May 2026, with two papers of two hours each. Second, you cannot change your centre after the application window closes. Pick wisely.
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This snapshot covers the key facts every UPSC aspirant should know before filling the form.
Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
Exam Name | UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2026 |
Conducting Body | Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) |
Notification Date | 4 February 2026 |
4 February to 27 February 2026 | |
UPSC Prelims Exam Date 2026 | 24 May 2026 (Sunday) |
UPSC Mains Exam Date 2026 | From 21 August 2026 |
Total Prelims Exam Centres | 83 cities |
Total Mains Exam Centres | 24 cities |
Allotment Basis | First-Apply-First-Allot |
Vacancies | 933 |
Official Website | upsc.gov.in, upsconline.nic.in |
Aspirant tip: Treat the centre selection as part of your strategy, not an afterthought. A bad choice can cost you an hour of sleep before the most important exam of your life.
The official UPSC Prelims Exam Centre List 2026 includes 83 cities. The list below is arranged alphabetically for quick reference.
Sl. No. | Centre | Sl. No. | Centre | Sl. No. | Centre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Agartala | 29 | Gurugram | 57 | Patna |
2 | Agra | 30 | Gwalior | 58 | Prayagraj (Allahabad) |
3 | Ahmedabad | 31 | Hyderabad | 59 | Puducherry |
4 | Aizawl | 32 | Imphal | 60 | Pune |
5 | Ajmer | 33 | Indore | 61 | Raipur |
6 | Aligarh | 34 | Itanagar | 62 | Rajkot |
7 | Almora (Uttarakhand) | 35 | Jabalpur | 63 | Ranchi |
8 | Ananthapuru | 36 | Jaipur | 64 | Sambalpur |
9 | Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) | 37 | Jammu | 65 | Shillong |
10 | Bareilly | 38 | Jodhpur | 66 | Shimla |
11 | Bengaluru | 39 | Jorhat | 67 | Siliguri |
12 | Bhopal | 40 | Kargil | 68 | Srinagar (J&K) |
13 | Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh) | 41 | Kochi | 69 | Srinagar (Uttarakhand) |
14 | Chandigarh | 42 | Kohima | 70 | Surat |
15 | Chennai | 43 | Kolkata | 71 | Thane |
16 | Coimbatore | 44 | Kozhikode (Calicut) | 72 | Thiruvananthapuram |
17 | Cuttack | 45 | Leh | 73 | Tiruchirapalli |
18 | Dehradun | 46 | Lucknow | 74 | Tirupati |
19 | Delhi | 47 | Ludhiana | 75 | Udaipur |
20 | Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh) | 48 | Madurai | 76 | Varanasi |
21 | Dharwar | 49 | Mandi (Himachal Pradesh) | 77 | Vellore |
22 | Dispur | 50 | Meerut | 78 | Vijayawada |
23 | Faridabad | 51 | Mumbai | 79 | Vishakhapatnam |
24 | Gangtok | 52 | Mysuru | 80 | Hanumakonda (Warangal Urban) |
25 | Gautam Buddh Nagar | 53 | Nagpur | 81 | Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair) |
26 | Gaya | 54 | Nashik | 82 | Panaji (Goa) |
27 | Ghaziabad | 55 | Navi Mumbai | 83 | Jammu |
28 | Gorakhpur | 56 | Pathankot |
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State-wise grouping makes it easier to spot the centre closest to your home district. Here is a clean breakdown of the UPSC Exam Centres in India for Prelims 2026.
State / UT | UPSC Prelims Cities 2026 |
|---|---|
Andhra Pradesh | Ananthapuru, Tirupati, Vijayawada, Vishakhapatnam |
Arunachal Pradesh | Itanagar |
Assam | Dispur, Jorhat |
Bihar | Gaya, Patna |
Chandigarh (UT) | Chandigarh |
Chhattisgarh | Bilaspur, Raipur |
Delhi (NCT) | Delhi |
Goa | Panaji |
Gujarat | Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat |
Haryana | Faridabad, Gurugram |
Himachal Pradesh | Dharamshala, Mandi, Shimla |
Jammu & Kashmir (UT) | Jammu, Srinagar |
Jharkhand | Ranchi |
Karnataka | Bengaluru, Dharwar, Mysuru |
Kerala | Kochi, Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram |
Ladakh (UT) | Kargil, Leh |
Madhya Pradesh | Bhopal, Gwalior, Indore, Jabalpur |
Maharashtra | Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Mumbai, Nagpur, Nashik, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Thane |
Manipur | Imphal |
Meghalaya | Shillong |
Mizoram | Aizawl |
Nagaland | Kohima |
Odisha | Cuttack, Sambalpur |
Puducherry (UT) | Puducherry |
Punjab | Ludhiana |
Rajasthan | Ajmer, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur |
Sikkim | Gangtok |
Tamil Nadu | Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchirapalli, Vellore |
Telangana | Hyderabad, Hanumakonda (Warangal Urban) |
Tripura | Agartala |
Uttar Pradesh | Agra, Aligarh, Bareilly, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Ghaziabad, Gorakhpur, Lucknow, Meerut, Prayagraj, Varanasi |
Uttarakhand | Almora, Dehradun, Srinagar (UK) |
West Bengal | Kolkata, Siliguri |
Andaman & Nicobar (UT) | Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair) |
Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu host the largest number of UPSC CSE Exam Centres. Smaller states like Sikkim, Tripura and Mizoram have one centre each, which fills up fast.
The UPSC Mains 2026 is held in just 24 cities. Fewer candidates qualify for Mains, so the Commission keeps the list short. Mains starts on 21 August 2026 and runs for five days across nine descriptive papers.
Sl. No. | UPSC Mains Centre | Sl. No. | UPSC Mains Centre |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ahmedabad | 13 | Jammu |
2 | Aizawl | 14 | Kolkata |
3 | Bengaluru | 15 | Lucknow |
4 | Bhopal | 16 | Mumbai |
5 | Chandigarh | 17 | Patna |
6 | Chennai | 18 | Prayagraj (Allahabad) |
7 | Cuttack | 19 | Raipur |
8 | Dehradun | 20 | Ranchi |
9 | Delhi | 21 | Shillong |
10 | Dispur (Guwahati) | 22 | Shimla |
11 | Hyderabad | 23 | Thiruvananthapuram |
12 | Jaipur | 24 | Vijayawada |
You will pick your preferred Mains centre after you clear Prelims, while filling the Detailed Application Form-1 (DAF-1). The first-apply-first-allot rule applies here too.
The UPSC follows a transparent allotment policy. Knowing the rules saves you the panic of getting a centre 500 kilometres away.
First-apply-first-allot: The earlier you submit the application form, the better your chance of getting your first choice.
City ceiling: Most centres have a fixed cap. Once that cap is reached, the centre is frozen, and new applicants must pick another city.
Open ceiling cities: Only four cities have no cap on candidates for Prelims, which are Nagpur, Kolkata, Dispur (Guwahati) and Chennai. If you delay your application, these four work as safe backups.
No change requests: The UPSC does not allow centre change requests after submission. Plan once, decide once.
Commission's discretion: The UPSC can shift a candidate to a different centre if operational needs demand it. This is rare but possible.
PwBD facilities: Persons with Benchmark Disabilities get accessible centres and the support facilities they need.
A clean rule of thumb is to submit your form within the first 10 days of the application window. Aspirants who wait until the last week often end up with their fourth or fifth choice.
Your final centre is printed on the UPSC Admit Card. The Prelims Admit Card 2026 is expected 10 to 15 days before the exam, around the second week of May 2026.
Follow these steps to download it.
Visit the official portal at upsconline.nic.in.
Click on the link titled “e-Admit Card: Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2026.”
Log in using your registration ID or roll number and date of birth.
Cross-check your name, photograph, exam date, reporting time, paper timings and exact centre address.
Download the PDF and take two printouts. Keep one in your travel bag and one at home.
Verify the address on Google Maps the day you download the card. Some venues share names with other schools in the same city. A 30-minute hunt for the right gate at 8 AM is the last thing you want.
Centre selection is part logistics, part psychology. Use these five filters when you fill the form.
1. Distance and Travel Time
Pick a city you can reach in under two hours from home. The body recovers better when sleep is undisturbed. Reaching the exam city the night before is the safest plan.
2. Familiarity
A familiar city beats a famous one. If you grew up in Patna, write your Prelims there even if Delhi has bigger coaching centres. Familiar streets, food and people reduce exam-day stress.
3. Weather
May 24 falls in peak Indian summer. Cities like Nagpur, Jaipur and Delhi cross 44°C in late May. If heat triggers your headaches, pick coastal or hilly options like Kochi, Bengaluru, Shimla or Shillong.
4. Transport and Stay
Check three things before locking a centre: train and flight connectivity, the price of a decent hotel for one night, and the average distance from common bus stands to typical exam venues. Larger cities score better on the first two; smaller cities on the third.
5. Backup Plan
Always have a second and third choice ready in your head before you open the form. The UPSC application asks you to rank multiple centres, so quick decisions help.
Aspirant tip: Take a screenshot of your preferred centre order before clicking submit. Aspirants every year report selecting the wrong city in a hurry.
UPSC Exam Centre 2026 Rules: What to Carry and What to Avoid
The UPSC has strict rules for everything that enters the exam hall. A casual mistake can cost you the year.
Items You Can Carry Inside
A printed copy of the UPSC Admit Card 2026.
A valid photo ID (Aadhaar, PAN, Driving Licence, Passport, or Voter ID).
A black ballpoint pen. Carry two or three.
A transparent water bottle (rules vary by venue, check your admit card).
A wristwatch with a simple analogue display.
Items Banned at UPSC Exam Centres
Mobile phones, smartwatches, fitness bands, Bluetooth earbuds.
Calculators, slide rules, stencils, log tables and any electronic device.
Books, notes, printed material or paper of any kind (UPSC supplies rough sheets).
Bags, wallets, ATM cards and valuables (the centre does not store these safely).
Stationery beyond a pen: highlighters, markers, geometry boxes are not allowed.
Reach the centre at least 60 minutes before the reporting time. The gate closes 10 minutes before the paper starts. The UPSC has zero tolerance on late entry, even by one minute.
Misbehaviour with invigilators or any attempt to use unfair means leads to immediate cancellation of candidature and a ban from future UPSC exams.
The 2026 cycle has stricter biometric and frisking protocols at every UPSC Exam Centre in India.Aspirants must go through these topics for UPSC Prelims 2026: Important Topics for Prelims 2026
Recent Changes in UPSC Exam Centres 2026
A few quiet updates in the 2026 cycle deserve attention from serious aspirants.
Sri Vijaya Puram replaces Port Blair on the official list, following the renaming of the Andaman capital.
Hanumakonda is the new official name for the Warangal Urban centre in Telangana.
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar is now used in place of Aurangabad in Maharashtra.
Biometric verification is mandatory at the entry gate for every shift.
No second attempt rule: Officers already serving in IAS, IFS or IPS cannot reappear under the same service category, as per the latest UPSC Notification 2026.
These name changes matter because the admit card prints the new names. Aspirants searching for the older names on travel apps sometimes book the wrong stations.
Frequently asked question (FAQs)
How many cities are in the UPSC Prelims Exam Centre List 2026?
Can I change my UPSC CSE Exam Centre after submitting the form?
Which cities have no candidate limit at UPSC Exam Centres?
What is the difference between UPSC Prelims and UPSC Mains Exam Centres?
When will the UPSC Prelims Admit Card 2026 be released?
The UPSC Prelims Exam Centre List 2026 is more than a list of cities. It is a small but real lever you control before the exam pressure builds up.
The candidate who picks a calm, familiar centre and reaches it a day in advance starts the paper with a clearer head than the one who travels overnight on a budget train.
Read the official UPSC Notification 2026, fill the form in the first week of the window, save your application copy, and check the admit card the day it drops. The rest is study, revision and sleep.
Gajendra Singh Godara is an IIT Bombay graduate and a UPSC aspirant with 4 attempts, including multiple Prelims and Mains appearances. He specializes in Polity, Modern History, International Relations, and Economy. At PadhAI, Gajendra leverages his firsthand exam experience to simplify complex concepts, creating high-efficiency study materials that help aspirants save time and stay focused.
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