Last verified: 8 October 2026. ✅ CONFIRMED: Women can join the NDA (Supreme Court interim order, August 2021); the first women cadets joined in 2022 and were commissioned as officers in 2026 (The Indian Express, The Print, Economic Times). The vacancy split below is from the NDA (I) 2026 notification (394 vacancies, 24 for women), reported consistently across outlets. 🔶 EXPECTED: NDA (I) 2027 notification around December 2026 and written exam around April 2027, following the last cycle’s pattern — UPSC has not released the 2027 notification yet.
If your daughter is preparing for a Sainik School today, here is something worth knowing early: the officer’s uniform is genuinely on the table for her after Class 12. That was not true a few years ago. Until 2021, the National Defence Academy admitted only boys — generations of girls with the same dream simply had no entry gate.
In August 2021, the Supreme Court passed an interim order allowing eligible women to take the UPSC NDA and Naval Academy entrance examination. The following year, the first batch of 19 women cadets joined the NDA’s 148th course at Khadakwasla, Pune, training alongside their male counterparts from day one. In May 2025, the first 17 of them graduated from the academy — and between May and June 2026, they were commissioned as officers into the Army, Navy and Air Force, the first women in independent India to earn their commissions through the NDA, with permanent commission.
That is not a policy announcement. That is a completed pipeline: exam, training, graduation, commissioning. The path your daughter would take has already been walked.
The most recent complete notification, NDA (I) 2026, listed 394 vacancies, of which 24 were for women. Here is the wing-wise split — the same structure the 2027 notification is expected to follow:
| Wing | Total vacancies | Seats for girls |
|---|---|---|
| Army | 208 | 10 |
| Navy (Executive branch) | 42 | 5 |
| Air Force — Flying | 92 | 2 |
| Air Force — Ground Duties (Technical) | 18 | 2 |
| Air Force — Ground Duties (Non-Technical) | 10 | 2 |
| Naval Academy (10+2 Cadet Entry) | 24 | 3 |
| Total | 394 | 24 |
An honest note before the excitement runs ahead: 24 out of 394 is about 6%. The bar is identical for boys and girls — the written paper, the SSB, the medical standards do not have a separate, easier track. This is a guide to a real but fiercely competitive path, not a shortcut.
1. Age and marital status. Only unmarried male and female candidates aged 16.5 to 19.5 years can apply. For the NDA (I) 2026 cycle, that meant being born between 1 July 2007 and 1 July 2010 (both dates inclusive). The date of birth on the Class 10 certificate is treated as final — no correction requests entertained later. The 2027 cycle’s window will shift forward accordingly.
2. Education. For the Army wing, Class 12 pass in any stream is enough. For the Air Force and Navy wings and the Naval Academy 10+2 entry, Class 12 with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics is required. Good news for planners: candidates appearing in Class 12 can apply provisionally and submit the passing certificate later.
3. Fitness. Candidates must meet the physical and medical standards in Appendix-IV of the UPSC notification — height, weight, vision and general fitness norms, with stricter visual standards for the flying branch. A pre-application medical check-up is worth the money; rejection at the medical stage, after clearing the written and SSB, is the cruellest outcome in this process.
The NDA exam, conducted by UPSC twice a year, has two scored stages:
Final merit is written + SSB. The pattern for the 2027 cycles:
| Milestone | NDA (I) 2026 (reference) | NDA (I) 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Notification | 10 Dec 2025 | 🔶 Expected ~Dec 2026 |
| Application closes | 30 Dec 2025 | 🔶 Expected ~end Dec 2026 |
| Written exam | 12 Apr 2026 | 🔶 Expected ~Apr 2027 |
| SSB | After written result | 🔶 Expected mid-2027 |
| Course commences | Jan 2027 (157th course) | 🔶 Expected Jan 2028 |
Here is where this guide connects to your child’s life right now. Sainik Schools admit girls — 10% of vacancies (or 10 seats, whichever is more) in the 33 established schools, per the Sainik Schools Society’s counselling SOP. A girl who enters Class 6 through AISSEE gets six years of exactly the environment the NDA selects for: physical training, drill, structured routine, English-medium academics and, crucially, the confidence of living the military-school life that SSB assessors recognise instantly.
Our guide to how Sainik School life prepares cadets for the SSB explains that advantage in detail — and it applies fully to girls.
The honest version of this guide fits in three lines: the NDA is open to you, the training is the same as the boys’, and the seats are few. None of that should discourage her — it should focus her. The girls commissioned in 2026 started exactly where she is now: as schoolgirls who decided the uniform was worth six years of disciplined work. If she is weighing her options after Sainik School, our careers-beyond-defence guide maps the wider landscape; the NDA remains the most direct officer’s route of them all.
Can girls join the National Defence Academy?
Yes. Since a Supreme Court interim order in August 2021, women can take the UPSC NDA and Naval Academy entrance exam. The first 19 women cadets joined the NDA’s 148th course in 2022 and were commissioned as officers in 2026.
How many NDA seats are reserved for girls?
In the NDA (I) 2026 notification there were 394 total vacancies with 24 for women: Army 10, Navy 5, Air Force flying 2, Air Force ground duties technical 2, Air Force ground duties non-technical 2, and Naval Academy 10+2 entry 3. The 2027 split is expected to be similar.
What is the age limit for girls applying to NDA?
Only unmarried male and female candidates aged 16.5 to 19.5 years can apply. For NDA (I) 2026 that meant being born between 1 July 2007 and 1 July 2010. The 2027 window will shift by about six months to a year.
Does my daughter need Physics, Chemistry and Maths for NDA?
For the Army wing, Class 12 in any stream is enough. For the Air Force and Navy wings and the Naval Academy 10+2 entry, Class 12 with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics is required. Candidates appearing in Class 12 can apply provisionally.
Is the NDA training the same for girls and boys?
Yes. Women cadets undergo the same three-year training at Khadakwasla as their male counterparts, followed by service-specific training, and are commissioned with a permanent commission like their male peers.
When is the NDA 2027 notification expected?
The NDA (I) 2027 notification has not been released yet. Going by the last cycle, in which the NDA (I) 2026 notification came on 10 December 2025 with the written exam on 12 April 2026, the 2027 notification is expected around December 2026 and the exam around April 2027.
How helpful was this article?
