Can graduates apply for SEBI Grade A under the new rules?

Yes. For the General Stream, candidates with a bachelor’s degree in any discipline with at least 60% aggregate marks may qualify. The minimum is 50% for SC/ST/PwBD candidates where the posts are reserved for them, subject to other applicable conditions.

Is a postgraduate degree compulsory for the SEBI Grade A General Stream?

No. The amended regulations provide a bachelor’s degree route, a master’s degree or postgraduate diploma of at least two years’ duration obtained after graduation, and specified professional qualifications such as CA, CFA, Company Secretary and Cost Accountant.

Which subjects are included in the revised SEBI Grade A Research Stream eligibility criteria?

The revised list includes Economics, Commerce, Business Administration, Finance, Public Policy, Business Analytics, Securities Market, Capital Markets, Statistics, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and other specified disciplines.

Has the two-year advocacy experience provision been removed for the Legal Stream?

Yes. The amendment removes the provision that described two years of post-qualification experience as an advocate as a desirable qualification. Candidates should check the relevant recruitment notification for all other Legal Stream requirements.

Has SEBI changed the Grade A age limit under the October 2026 amendment?

The amendment covered here revises specified educational qualification provisions and does not prescribe a revised age limit. Candidates should refer to the applicable SEBI recruitment advertisement for the age limit, cut-off date and category-based relaxations.

Changes in SEBI Grade A Eligibility Criteria, Check the New Rules

Q: What are the major changes in SEBI Grade A Eligibility Criteria 2026?

The October 2026 amendment introduces a graduation-based eligibility route for the General Stream, revises the eligible disciplines for the Research Stream and removes the provision treating two years of post-qualification advocacy experience as a desirable qualification for Legal Stream officers.

The SEBI Grade A Eligibility Criteria 2026 have been revised following the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Employees’ Service) (Second Amendment) Regulations, 2026. The notification, dated 8 October 2026 and published in the Gazette of India on 9 October 2026, introduces changes to the educational qualifications prescribed for Grade A officer posts.

Changes in SEBI Grade A Eligibility Criteria

The most significant change is in the General Stream, where candidates with a bachelor’s degree in any discipline may now qualify if they meet the prescribed minimum marks requirement. The amendment also revises the eligible academic disciplines for the Research Stream and removes the provision specifying two years of post-qualification experience as an advocate as a desirable qualification for Legal Stream officers. Candidates should understand these changes before checking their eligibility for SEBI Grade A recruitment.

SEBI Grade A Eligibility Criteria Revised Notice

What Are the New SEBI Grade A Eligibility Rules?

The amendment changes the educational qualification requirements prescribed under SEBI’s Employees’ Service Regulations, 2001. The key revisions are:

General Stream: A bachelor’s degree in any discipline with the prescribed minimum marks is now an eligible qualification.
Postgraduate qualification: A master’s degree or a postgraduate diploma of at least two years’ duration, obtained after graduation, remains an eligible route for the General Stream.
Professional qualifications: Chartered Accountants, Chartered Financial Analysts, Company Secretaries and Cost Accountants recognised by their respective institutes are eligible under the specified provision.
Research Stream: The list of eligible disciplines has been revised to include areas such as Public Policy, Securities Market, Capital Markets, Applied Statistics, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
Legal Stream: The provision identifying two years of post-qualification experience as an advocate as a desirable qualification has been removed.

SEBI Grade A General Stream Eligibility: New Rules

One of the most important changes concerns the educational qualifications for the General Stream. Under the amended regulations, candidates can qualify through any one of the following routes.

Qualification route	New eligibility requirement
Bachelor’s degree	Graduation in any discipline with at least 60% marks
Relaxation for specified reserved categories	At least 50% marks for SC/ST/PwBD candidates, where the posts are reserved for them
Master’s degree	A master’s degree in any discipline obtained after graduation
Postgraduate diploma	A postgraduate diploma of at least two years’ duration in any discipline, obtained after graduation
Professional qualification	CA, CFA, Company Secretary or Cost Accountant recognised by the respective institute

SEBI Grade A Research Stream Eligibility: Revised Qualifications

The amendment also revises the eligible disciplines for the Research Stream. Candidates must hold a master’s degree or a postgraduate diploma of at least two years’ duration from a recognised university or institute in one of the prescribed areas, or meet one of the specified alternative qualification routes.

Category	Eligible disciplines or qualifications
Economics and related fields	Economics, Commerce, Business Administration, Econometrics, Quantitative Economics, Financial Economics, Business Economics, Mathematical Economics, Agricultural Economics and Industrial Economics
Additional disciplines	Public Policy, Business Analytics, Securities Market and Capital Markets
Finance	Finance, Quantitative Finance, Mathematical Finance, Quantitative Techniques, International Finance, Business Finance, International and Trade Finance, Project and Infrastructure Finance, and Agri-Business Finance
Professional qualifications	CA, CFA, Company Secretary and Cost Accountant, as recognised by the respective institutes
Statistics and data-related fields	Statistics, Mathematical Statistics, Applied Statistics, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Big Data Analytics
Mathematics route	A master’s degree in Mathematics of at least two years’ duration, combined with a postgraduate diploma in Statistics of at least one year

Changes in SEBI Grade A Legal Stream Eligibility

The amendment removes the earlier provision stating that two years of post-qualification experience as an advocate, after enrolment under the Advocates Act, 1961, would be a desirable qualification for Legal Stream officers.

The specified two-year advocacy experience provision has been removed from the amended regulations.
Candidates must still satisfy the educational qualification and other requirements prescribed for the Legal Stream.
The removal of this desirable-qualification provision should not be interpreted as an exemption from any separate condition that may be specified in a recruitment advertisement.

How Will CGPA and Percentage Marks Be Calculated?

The amendment also clarifies how aggregate grade points should be converted into percentage marks when a university or institute does not provide its own conversion formula.

Grade point on a 10-point scale	Equivalent percentage
6.75	60%
5.75	50%

Do the New Rules Change the SEBI Grade A Age Limit?

The October 2026 amendment covered here revises specified educational qualification provisions. It does not set out a revised age limit or introduce new age-relaxation rules.

Therefore, candidates should check the relevant SEBI Grade A recruitment advertisement for the applicable age limit, age cut-off date, category-based relaxations, nationality requirements and other conditions. These should not be inferred from the educational qualification amendment alone.