ISRO ISTRAC Eligibility 2026: Qualification, Age & Posts
- Qualification is post-specific: ITI for Technician-B, diploma for Technical Assistant, B.Sc for Scientific Assistant, Master’s for Library Assistant-A.
- Age limit: broadly 18 to 35 years (as on 20.07.2026), with relaxations — SC/ST +5, OBC +3.
- Application fee: ₹250 (TA/SA/LA-A) or ₹100 (Technician-B/Draughtsman-B/Cook-A); women, SC/ST, PwBD and Ex-servicemen exempt.
Before you spend time preparing, the first thing to settle is whether you are eligible — and for which ISRO ISTRAC post. This recruitment fills 26 posts across six different categories, each with its own qualification, so the eligibility is best read post by post. This article breaks down the qualification for every post, the age limit and relaxations, the application fee, and the post-wise vacancy picture, in plain language. Always confirm the exact requirements for your post against the official ISRO notification before applying.
👉 ISRO ISTRAC Syllabus & Exam Pattern — once you confirm you are eligible, see exactly what the exam tests.
The posts in this recruitment
ISRO ISTRAC 2026 advertises the following categories of posts:
- Technician-B — hands-on technical/trade work.
- Draughtsman-B — technical drawing and draughtsmanship.
- Technical Assistant — diploma-level engineering support.
- Scientific Assistant — B.Sc-level scientific support.
- Library Assistant-A — library and information services.
- Cook-A — catering/support services.
You apply for the specific post that matches your qualification. Read the qualification rows below carefully, because applying for a post you do not meet the qualification for will get your application rejected at screening.
Post-wise educational qualification
| Post | Educational qualification (indicative) |
|---|---|
| Technician-B | SSLC/SSC (10th) pass plus ITI/NTC/NAC in the relevant trade |
| Draughtsman-B | SSLC/SSC plus ITI/relevant draughtsman trade certificate |
| Technical Assistant | First Class Diploma in the relevant Engineering discipline |
| Scientific Assistant | First Class B.Sc in the relevant science subject |
| Library Assistant-A | Master’s Degree in Library Science / Library & Information Science |
| Cook-A | Matriculation with relevant trade certificate/experience (as per notice) |
Note the "First Class" requirement for the Technical Assistant and Scientific Assistant posts — your diploma or B.Sc generally needs to be in the first division. The exact trade, discipline and percentage requirements are listed post-wise in the notification, so match your certificate to the precise wording there. If your qualification is in a trade or branch not listed for a post, you are not eligible for that post.
Age limit and relaxation
The age limit for ISRO ISTRAC 2026 is broadly 18 to 35 years, calculated as on the cut-off date (20.07.2026 per the notice). Age relaxation is provided to reserved and special categories as per government rules:
| Category | Age relaxation |
|---|---|
| SC / ST | 5 years |
| OBC | 3 years |
| PwBD | As per rules (additional) |
| Ex-servicemen | As per rules |
So an OBC candidate effectively gets up to 38 years and an SC/ST candidate up to 40 years, with further relaxation for PwBD and ex-servicemen as per the rules. Always verify your exact upper age limit after applying the relaxation for your category against the cut-off date in the notification.
Application fee
The application fee depends on the post group:
| Post group | Fee |
|---|---|
| Technical Assistant / Scientific Assistant / Library Assistant-A | ₹250 |
| Technician-B / Draughtsman-B / Cook-A | ₹100 |
| Women / SC / ST / PwBD / Ex-servicemen | Exempted |
Importantly, women candidates and SC/ST, PwBD and ex-servicemen candidates are exempted from the fee — a candidate-friendly policy ISRO follows. Some ISRO recruitments also operate a refund/processing-fee model; check the exact fee and any refund terms in the notification before paying.
👉 ISRO ISTRAC 2026 — Apply Online (26 Posts) — official notification, post-wise eligibility and the apply link.
Other eligibility conditions
Beyond qualification and age, candidates must be Indian nationals and must be medically fit as per ISRO standards (the medical examination is part of the selection). For certain posts, experience or specific trade certification may be required as stated in the notification. Document verification will check your originals — educational certificates, age proof, category certificate and any experience proof — so ensure every claim in your application is backed by a valid document. Any mismatch at verification can cost you the post even after you clear the written test.
What no other site tells you
The most common reason good candidates lose an ISRO ISTRAC opportunity is not the exam — it is applying for the wrong post. Because eligibility is strictly post-specific, an ITI holder cannot apply for a Technical Assistant (diploma) post, and a diploma holder is over-qualified-but-ineligible pattern can also trip people up; you must apply for the post your exact certificate matches. Two more honest points: the "First Class" requirement for Technical Assistant and Scientific Assistant is real — a second-division diploma or B.Sc generally will not qualify, so read the percentage clause carefully; and the fee exemption for women and reserved categories makes this a genuinely accessible recruitment. Get the post, qualification division, trade/branch and age cut-off right, and you have cleared the part of this recruitment where most applicants quietly disqualify themselves.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the eligibility for ISRO ISTRAC 2026?
It is post-specific: ITI for Technician-B, a relevant trade certificate for Draughtsman-B, a First Class diploma for Technical Assistant, a First Class B.Sc for Scientific Assistant, and a Master’s in Library Science for Library Assistant-A.
What is the age limit?
Broadly 18 to 35 years as on the cut-off date (20.07.2026), with relaxations — 5 years for SC/ST, 3 years for OBC, and further relaxation for PwBD and ex-servicemen.
What is the application fee?
₹250 for Technical Assistant/Scientific Assistant/Library Assistant-A and ₹100 for Technician-B/Draughtsman-B/Cook-A; women, SC/ST, PwBD and ex-servicemen are exempted.
Can an ITI holder apply for Technical Assistant?
No. Technical Assistant requires a First Class diploma in the relevant engineering discipline; an ITI holder should apply for Technician-B.
Is First Class required for Technical/Scientific Assistant?
Yes, the diploma (Technical Assistant) or B.Sc (Scientific Assistant) generally needs to be in the first class/division as specified in the notification.
How many posts are there?
26 posts in total across Technician-B, Draughtsman-B, Technical Assistant, Scientific Assistant, Library Assistant-A and Cook-A.
Documents to keep ready before you apply
Eligibility is only useful if you can prove it, and document verification is where unprepared candidates lose posts they had genuinely earned. Before you apply, assemble and check every document the notification asks for: your matriculation certificate (for date of birth and as a base qualification), your ITI/diploma/degree certificate and full marksheets (to prove both the qualification and the required class/percentage), your category certificate if you are claiming SC/ST/OBC/EWS relaxation, a PwBD certificate if applicable, an ex-servicemen discharge certificate if applicable, and a recent photograph and signature in the format the portal specifies. Make sure the name and date of birth match exactly across all documents — a mismatch between your matriculation certificate and your diploma is a surprisingly common reason for trouble at verification.
It is also worth scanning everything in advance at the required size and clarity. Online application portals reject blurry or oversized uploads, and rushing this at the last moment — close to the deadline, when the server is busiest — is how avoidable mistakes creep in. Apply a few days before the last date, keep a printed copy of your submitted application and payment receipt, and note your registration number safely. These small disciplines cost nothing and protect an application you have worked hard to be eligible for.
Common eligibility mistakes that get applications rejected
- Applying for a post whose exact trade or branch does not match your certificate.
- Ignoring the "First Class" requirement and applying with a second-division diploma or B.Sc.
- Miscalculating the age cut-off — always compute it as on the date stated in the notification, not today.
- Claiming a category relaxation without a valid, current category certificate to back it at verification.
- Uploading documents that do not match each other on name or date of birth.
Almost every one of these is avoidable with a careful read of the notification and an honest check of your own documents. The candidates who clear ISRO recruitment are not just good at the exam — they are careful at the application stage, where a single overlooked clause can end the attempt before it begins. Treat eligibility as the first test you must pass, and pass it deliberately.
Reading the official notification correctly
The single most valuable skill in any government recruitment is reading the official notification carefully, and ISRO notifications reward close reading. When the notification opens, go straight to the post you are interested in and read its full eligibility row — not a summary on a third-party site, but the exact wording in the official PDF. Pay attention to four things in particular: the precise qualification (including the named trade, branch or subject), the required class or percentage, the age cut-off date, and any experience requirement. Third-party summaries are useful for an overview, but they occasionally simplify or misstate a clause, and at document verification it is the official notification's wording — not a website's paraphrase — that decides your fate. When in doubt, the notification is always the final authority.
It also pays to read the general instructions section, not just the eligibility table. That is where ISRO spells out important details like the cut-off date logic, the reservation and relaxation rules, the application process, the fee and refund terms, and the documents required at each stage. Candidates who skip this section are the ones caught off guard later by a rule they could have read in five minutes. Treat the notification as the rulebook for the entire recruitment, read it once fully and then again for your specific post, and you will avoid almost every avoidable mistake.
Who should — and should not — apply
To put the eligibility in plain terms: you should apply if you hold the exact qualification named for a post, in the required class, and you fall within the age limit after your category relaxation. A 10th-pass ITI holder in a relevant trade should target Technician-B or Draughtsman-B; a first-class diploma engineer should target Technical Assistant; a first-class B.Sc graduate should target Scientific Assistant; a Library Science postgraduate should target Library Assistant-A. You should not apply for a post whose qualification you do not exactly meet, hoping it will be overlooked — it will not, and you will only lose your fee and time. Match yourself honestly to the right post, and your eligibility is solid; stretch for a post you do not qualify for, and the application ends at screening.
Reservation and category benefits
Beyond age relaxation, ISRO recruitment follows the government's reservation policy, so reserved-category candidates benefit in two distinct ways. First, posts are reserved category-wise as per the roster, which means a share of the vacancies is set aside for SC, ST, OBC, EWS and PwBD candidates. Second, the age relaxation discussed earlier extends the upper age limit for these categories. To claim either benefit, you must hold a valid, current category certificate in the prescribed central-government format — an OBC certificate, in particular, usually needs to be recent and carry the non-creamy-layer clause. Keep these certificates ready and correctly formatted before applying, because at document verification an invalid or wrongly-formatted certificate can cost you the category benefit you were counting on, and with it, the post.
EWS (Economically Weaker Section) candidates from the general category should note that they need a valid EWS income-and-asset certificate for the relevant year to claim the EWS quota. Whatever your category, the rule is simple: the benefit is real and worth claiming, but only if your paperwork is in perfect order on the day it is checked.
In short, eligibility for ISRO ISTRAC is not a single rule but a checklist you must clear cleanly: the exact qualification for your chosen post, in the required class, within the age limit after your category relaxation, with every supporting document valid and consistent. Work through that checklist honestly before you apply, and you give yourself the best possible start in one of the most rewarding technical recruitments in the country.
