The Staff Selection Commission has opened applications for the Junior Engineer Examination 2026, covering a tentative 1,748 vacancies in Government of India organisations. The examination also includes Scientific Assistant recruitment for the India Meteorological Department. Applications close on 22 September 2026 at 11 PM IST, so candidates should check their exact qualification route before completing the online form.
This is a government job recruitment examination, not an internship or a single employer's walk-in drive. The advertised posts are Group B positions in Pay Level 6. Eligibility differs across departments: an engineering diploma can qualify for some posts without an experience requirement, while other diploma routes require two or three years of relevant work. Computer Science, IT and certain other degree holders also have routes through the Telecom and IMD posts, subject to the precise qualifications in the notice.
SSC JE 2026 recruitment overview
- Recruiting authority: Staff Selection Commission, Government of India.
- Examination: Junior Engineer Examination 2026, including Scientific Assistant in IMD.
- Notice reference: HQ-C-3019/1/2026-C-3, dated 2 September 2026.
- Vacancies: 1,748 tentative posts; this is not a guaranteed final vacancy total.
- Pay: Level 6, Rs. 35,400 to Rs. 1,12,400 in the pay matrix.
- Application method: Online through the official SSC website or the mySSC application.
- Posting: Government organisations across India; allocation depends on the recruitment process, eligibility and preferences. No work-from-home arrangement is advertised.
Important dates and closing times
The online application window runs from 2 September to 22 September 2026. The form must be submitted by 11 PM IST on 22 September. Eligible candidates who need to pay an application fee have until 11 PM IST on 23 September 2026 to complete payment. The later fee deadline does not extend the deadline for submitting a new application.
The notification lists the correction window as 28 to 30 September 2026, closing at 11 PM IST. Corrections are subject to the commission's rules and applicable charges. Paper I is tentatively planned for October or November 2026, and Paper II for December 2026. These are indicative examination months, not confirmed individual examination dates; candidates should follow subsequent SSC notices and their admission information.
Which departments and posts are included?
The notice covers engineering posts in organisations including the Border Roads Organisation, Brahmaputra Board, Central Water Commission, Central Public Works Department, Central Water and Power Research Station, DGQA-Naval, Farakka Barrage Project, Military Engineer Services and National Technical Research Organisation. It also lists the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships, Department of Telecommunications, India Meteorological Department and Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
The broad streams are Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, Electrical and Mechanical, and Telecom, alongside Scientific Assistant. SSC says detailed post-wise and category-wise vacancies will be made available separately. Do not interpret the total as 1,748 openings in each discipline. The commission does not collect state-wise or zone-wise vacancy figures for this notice; candidates seeking those details are directed to the relevant user department.
Educational eligibility: check the specific post
The required qualification must be held by the application closing date. Candidates should compare the exact wording of their degree or diploma with the relevant row in the official notification rather than assuming that every engineering qualification is interchangeable.
- Central Water Commission: The listed Civil and Mechanical posts accept a bachelor's degree or diploma in the corresponding engineering discipline from a recognised institution.
- CPWD: JE Civil lists a Civil Engineering diploma. JE Electrical lists a diploma in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering. Read the stated qualification carefully before applying.
- BRO and MES: Relevant engineering degrees are listed as one route. Their specified diploma routes additionally require two years of relevant experience. The allowed diploma disciplines differ between posts.
- DGQA-Naval: The Mechanical and Electrical posts list the corresponding engineering degree, or a three-year diploma plus two years of experience in the respective field.
- Lighthouses and Lightships: The Civil and Electrical posts list the corresponding degree, or a diploma with three years of experience, or the stated equivalent qualification route.
- Other departments: Some Civil or Electrical posts specify a particular diploma. Use the complete department-wise table, not a general summary, to decide eligibility.
Where experience is required, it must have been acquired after completing the prescribed qualification. Internships, training or research undertaken while acquiring that qualification do not count as the required experience. A result that is still being processed by a university is also insufficient: applicants must be able to establish that they passed by the stipulated cut-off.
Telecom and IMD routes for technology and science graduates
JE Telecom in the Department of Telecommunications requires a bachelor's degree in Engineering or Technology in one of the listed fields: Electrical, Electronics, Electrical Communications, Computer Science, Telecommunications, Information Technology or Instrumentation. This is a specific degree-based route, not a general opening for any graduate or every diploma holder.
Scientific Assistant in IMD accepts a science bachelor's degree with Physics as a subject, or one of the listed bachelor's degrees in Computer Science, Computer Applications, Electronics, Electronics and Communication Engineering, Electronics Telecommunication Engineering, Instrumentation, Information Technology, Telecommunication Engineering or Communication Engineering. Applicants must also choose the examination subject that corresponds to their eligible stream. Eligibility for one post does not automatically establish eligibility for all other posts.
Age limits, reservation and important exclusions
Age is assessed as on 1 August 2026. Most listed posts have an upper age limit of 30 years; the CPWD and Lighthouses and Lightships posts specify up to 32 years. Before applicable relaxations, the notice gives birth-date ranges of 2 August 1996 to 1 August 2008 for the 30-year group and 2 August 1994 to 1 August 2008 for the 32-year group.
Specified upper-age relaxations include five years for SC/ST, three years for OBC, and 10, 13 or 15 years for the stated PwBD categories. Ex-servicemen and other eligible groups must apply the exact rules in the notice. Reservation and disability suitability are post-specific; the same suitability conditions do not apply to every department.
BRO Junior Engineer posts are open only to male candidates and carry additional physical efficiency, physical and medical requirements. Applicants considering BRO should read Annexure XVI before entering preferences. Failing a post-specific requirement after allocation does not create an entitlement to another department. Citizenship and any required Government of India eligibility certificate must also meet the notification's conditions.
Salary and application fee
The advertised Level 6 pay matrix is Rs. 35,400 to Rs. 1,12,400. This is a pay scale, not a promised monthly take-home amount or a starting salary of Rs. 1,12,400. The notification does not give one universal net salary for every posting. Candidates should not budget on an assumed in-hand figure from an unofficial salary calculator.
The application fee is Rs. 100. Women, SC, ST, PwBD and eligible ex-servicemen candidates receive the stated fee exemptions, subject to the notification's conditions. Payment is online through the permitted methods. Paying an intermediary is not part of SSC's application process. Fee-paying applicants should check that payment has reached SSC; an application remaining incomplete because payment was not received can be rejected.
Examination and selection process
Both papers are computer-based objective examinations. Paper I contains General Intelligence and Reasoning, General Awareness, and the relevant technical or science subject. The listed pattern totals 200 questions for 200 marks, normally over two hours. Paper II contains 100 questions for 300 marks, also normally over two hours. Eligible candidates receive the additional time specified in the notice.
Wrong answers attract a deduction of 0.25 marks in Paper I and one mark in Paper II. Paper I is qualifying in nature and is used for shortlisting to Paper II. Final selection and allocation use Paper II performance and post or department preferences, subject to eligibility and the other recruitment requirements. Document verification is handled by the user departments. Candidates must participate in the preference process when invited; missing it can remove them from consideration.
How to apply online
- Open the official SSC candidate login page. Complete One-Time Registration on the new SSC website if you have not already done so. Registration from the old ssc.nic.in website is not valid for this portal.
- Sign in and select the Junior Engineer Examination 2026 application. Check the examination year and title so you do not open the separate CHSL or CPO application.
- Enter personal, educational and applicable experience details accurately. Choose only posts and examination subjects supported by your qualifications.
- Follow the portal's photograph, signature, authentication and certificate instructions. The notice describes live photograph capture; do not photograph an existing printed photograph as a substitute.
- Preview every field before submitting. Complete any required fee payment within its separate deadline and verify payment status.
- Save the submitted application and relevant acknowledgement for later stages. Monitor SSC for examination updates and the separate preference submission window.
Before submitting: Keep your qualification records, date-of-birth proof, applicable experience evidence and category or disability certificates ready. This is an editorial preparation reminder, not permission to substitute documents or claim eligibility that the notice does not provide. Apply early enough to resolve portal issues before the closing time.
Official references
Apply through the SSC online application portal after registration and login. Read the official SSC Junior Engineer Examination 2026 notification for the complete department-wise qualifications, reservation provisions, syllabus, certificates and physical standards. Details checked on 21 September 2026; subsequent official corrections or updates take precedence.
