Indian Army Women SSC (NCC) Entry 2027: Apply Online by 21 Aug 2026

The Indian Army has released the notification for the NCC Special Entry Scheme, 125th Course (April 2027), inviting applications for Short Service Commission (Non-Technical) for women, including wards of battle casualties of Army personnel. The notification, identified as SSCW (NCC)-125, is published on the official Indian Army recruitment website. Online applications open on 21 July 2026 at 1500 hrs and close on 21 August 2026 at 1500 hrs. This entry suits unmarried women graduates who already hold an NCC ‘C’ Certificate and want to join the Indian Army as a commissioned officer.

The notification lists a total of 6 vacancies, with the full discipline-wise breakdown given further below in this article. Training will be held at the Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai, and the final Arms/Service allocation is decided just before passing out. Candidates should check all details in the article below.

Information verified from the official Indian Army notification SSCW (NCC)-125. Last verified: 21 July 2026.

The Indian Army is recruiting 6 women officers for Short Service Commission (Non-Technical) through the NCC Special Entry Scheme, 125th Course (April 2027), Notification SSCW (NCC)-125. The last date to apply online is 21 August 2026 at 1500 hrs at joinindianarmy.nic.in. Selection is through application shortlisting, an SSB interview, a medical examination, and a final merit list.

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Quick Summary

About the Organisation

The Indian Army recruits officers for this entry through the Directorate General of Recruiting, under the Integrated Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence (Army). This particular scheme is meant only for women who have served in the Senior Division/Wing of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) and hold an NCC ‘C’ Certificate, or who are wards of Army personnel classified as battle casualties. Selected candidates are commissioned as Lieutenants after training and can serve across all Arms and Services open to women officers in the Indian Army.

Local Context / How It Compares

Added context, not part of the official notification. Confirm with the hiring office. This is an all-India entry with no fixed posting location tied to a home state. SSB interviews for this course are conducted only at four Selection Centres: Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh), Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), Bengaluru (Karnataka), and Jalandhar (Punjab). None of these centres is located in West Bengal, Sikkim, or the North East, so candidates from these regions will need to travel out of state for the SSB. The notification does not give travel distances or timings for any centre, so candidates should plan their own route once a centre is allotted.

Compared with other officer entries open to women, such as the NCC Special Entry for men, the Combined Defence Services Examination (CDSE) entry, or Technical Entry Schemes, this scheme is unique in requiring an NCC ‘C’ Certificate (or battle-casualty ward status) instead of a written entrance exam, since shortlisting for the SSB is based only on NCC grading and graduation marks.

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Important Dates

The application window closes at a fixed time, 1500 hrs on 21 August 2026, not just on that date — candidates should submit well before this cut-off to avoid last-minute portal issues.

Vacancy Details and Salary

Salary structure:

Other allowances such as Dress Allowance, Transport Allowance, Field Area Allowance, and Technical Allowance apply as per rank and place of posting, as listed in the official notification.

Eligibility

For NCC ‘C’ Certificate Holders

• Educational Qualification: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent from a recognised university. Final-year students may also apply if they complete graduation before the course begins.
• NCC Service: Minimum 2/3 years (as applicable) in the Senior Division/Wing of NCC.
• NCC Grading: Minimum ‘B’ Grade in the NCC ‘C’ Certificate exam. A provisional NCC ‘C’ Certificate is not accepted at the SSB; the final certificate must be obtained before the interview.
• Age Limit: 19 to 25 years as on 1 January 2027 (born not earlier than 2 January 2002 and not later than 1 January 2008).
• Marital Status: Unmarried.

For Wards of Battle Casualties of Indian Army Personnel

• Unmarried sons and daughters (including legally adopted daughters) of Army personnel killed in action, who died of wounds, were wounded/injured, or are missing presumed dead.
• Same graduation qualification as above.
• NCC ‘C’ Certificate is not required for this category.
• Must submit the Battle Casualty certificate number, the relevant Part II Order copy, and a Relationship Certificate issued by the Manpower (Policy & Planning) Directorate or Regimental Records.

Minimum Physical Standards (Before Joining OTA)

Important note: Candidates can appear for only one SSB interview — either as an SSCW (NT) (Women)-125 Course CDSE candidate, or under NCC (Special) Entry-125 Course (Women). A declaration to this effect must be given in the online application.

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Selection Process

Selection has five stages after the application is submitted. Shortlisting is based on bonus marks, not a written exam.

1. Shortlisting: Bonus marks out of 100 — up to 50 for NCC ‘C’ Certificate grade (A grade = 50, B grade = 25) and up to 50 for graduation marks (scaled from nil below 60% to 50 marks for 85% and above).
2. SSB Centre and date selection: Candidates choose from Prayagraj, Bhopal, Bengaluru, or Jalandhar on a first-come-first-served basis; the choice cannot be changed later except by the Directorate General of Recruiting.
3. SSB Interview: A two-stage, up to 5-day process. Candidates who fail Stage I are sent back on the same day.
4. Medical Examination: Conducted for candidates recommended after Stage II. The medical clearance is valid for 270 days from the medical board date to the OTA joining date.
5. Merit List and Joining Letter: Prepared from SSB marks; ties are broken by age, then by qualifying exam percentage.

One practical note from the notification: candidates appearing for the first time for this type of commission are entitled to AC 3-Tier train fare (or bus fare) for the SSB journey; repeat candidates for the same commission type do not get this allowance again.

Application Fee

Application fee details are not mentioned in the official notification. Check the official website for updates.

How to Apply

1. Go to joinindianarmy.nic.in and click ‘Officer Entry Application/Login.’
2. Click ‘Registration’ (skip this if already registered on the portal).
3. After registering, click ‘Apply Online’ on the dashboard.
4. On the ‘Officers Selection – Eligibility’ page, click ‘Apply’ against Short Service Commission NCC Special Entry Course.
5. Fill in personal information, communication details, education details, and previous SSB details, clicking ‘Save & Continue’ after each section.
6. Review the ‘Summary of your information’ page carefully.
7. Click ‘Submit’ only after confirming every detail is correct.
8. Take two printouts of the application with the roll number, 30 minutes after the portal closes on the last day.

Documents to Keep Ready

• Signed application printout with a self-attested photograph
• Matriculation/Secondary School certificate and mark sheet
• 12th class certificate and mark sheet
• Graduation degree or provisional degree (issued between 1 October 2026 and 1 April 2027)
• Mark sheets of all years/semesters
• NCC ‘C’ Certificate (dated on or before the application date; not needed for wards of battle casualties)
• CGPA-to-percentage conversion certificate, if applicable
• Principal’s certificate confirming final-year status, for final-year candidates
• Battle Casualty certificate, Part II Order copy, and Relationship Certificate, for wards of battle casualties

DigiLocker certificates are not accepted in place of original documents at the SSB.

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Important Links

Should You Apply?

This entry suits unmarried women who are already NCC ‘C’ Certificate holders with a ‘B’ grade or higher, or wards of Army battle casualties, and who want a defence career without appearing for a separate written exam. Added context, not part of the official notification. It does not suit candidates without an NCC ‘C’ Certificate, since a provisional certificate is not accepted at the SSB stage, and there is no route to acquire one after applying.

With only 6 vacancies nationwide, competition among eligible NCC ‘C’ Certificate holders is likely to be tight, since shortlisting depends heavily on NCC grading and graduation percentage rather than a fresh exam that could level the field. One honest trade-off worth noting: this is a Short Service Commission, not a Permanent Commission from day one. Officers serve an initial 10 years (extendable by 4 years), with Permanent Commission considered only in the 10th year, subject to eligibility and organisational requirement. Candidates must also stay unmarried through the full training period at OTA; marrying after the application date, even after clearing the SSB, means the offer is withdrawn. Those looking for immediate permanent tenure or civil-side flexibility during training may want to weigh this against other entries.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sandeep Khati is the founder of India Job Alerts and a B.Tech in Computer Science from JGEC (2010). He started his career as a Systems Engineer at TCS and has been active in digital publishing since 2011, beginning with SearchDarjeeling.com(2011) and working as a web developer and designer at Darjeeling Informatics. Launched in April 2025, India Job Alerts is his most focused project — dedicated to publishing verified government and PSU job notifications for West Bengal, Sikkim, and All-India candidates. Every post is cross-checked against official notifications before publishing.. Know more

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