NORCET Eligibility and Age Limit: B.Sc, GNM, Relaxation

Before you pay the NORCET fee, check three things: your qualification, your nursing council registration and your age on the closing date. GNM holders also need two years of experience in a hospital with at least 50 beds. This guide explains each rule as written in the NORCET-11 advertisement (Notice No. 103/2026, dated 24 July 2026). The NORCET-10 advertisement had the same qualification, age limit and fee. AIIMS can change them in a future edition, so always read the current notice on aiimsexams.ac.in.

NORCET eligibility at a glance

Educational qualification

B.Sc. route: A B.Sc. (Hons.) Nursing or B.Sc. Nursing, or a Post-Basic / Post-Certificate B.Sc. Nursing, from an institute or university recognised by the Indian Nursing Council or a State Nursing Council. You must also be registered as a Nurse & Midwife.

GNM route: A Diploma in General Nursing Midwifery from a recognised institute, board or council, registration as a Nurse & Midwife, and two years of experience in a hospital with at least 50 beds.

The GNM experience rule, explained

This is where most GNM applicants get rejected at document verification. The advertisement says the two years of experience:

• must come after you have the essential qualification, meaning after you finish the course (including the residency period), your result is declared, and you are registered with the State/Indian Nursing Council
• must be in a hospital of at least 50 beds
• must be complete by the closing date of online registration

The experience certificate must come from the head of the organisation or department. It should state the number of beds, your exact dates of employment (date, month, year), your pay and the duties you performed. The institute can check your experience against bank statements, PF or ESIC records.

Internship or training done as part of the GNM course does not count, because it happens before you hold the qualification.

Final-year students: can you apply?

No. All qualifications, registration and experience must be complete on or before the closing date of online registration. That includes finishing the residency/internship, the declaration of your result and your council registration. If any of these is still pending on the closing date, your candidature can be cancelled at any stage, even after you have been allotted a seat.

NORCET age limit

The age limit is 18 to 30 years. Age is counted on the closing date of online registration. For NORCET-11 that was 13 August 2026.

Age relaxation

A few conditions apply:

• Reserved-category candidates who need the age relaxation to become eligible are considered only for seats of their own category, even if their rank is high enough for an unreserved seat.
• SC/ST/OBC candidates who apply against unreserved vacancies do not get age relaxation.
• Rules on relaxation for serving employees differ between institutes. For example, at AIIMS New Delhi and AIIMS-CAPFIMS only Central Government service counts. Check the recruitment rules of the institute you want.

Category certificates

For NORCET-11, the advertisement set these windows:

• OBC-NCL: must be in the Central Government format and valid for financial year 2026-27, based on income up to 31 March 2026, and issued between 1 April 2026 and the closing date (13 August 2026). If you only had an older certificate, you could upload it with proof that you had applied for renewal, then submit the new one when asked.
• EWS: Income & Asset certificate in the Central Government format, based on income for 2025-26, issued between 1 April 2026 and 13 August 2026.
• PwBD: benchmark disability of at least 40%. The Nursing Officer post is identified for OL, AAV, Dw and LC (OL) categories.

These dates change with each edition, so check the current notice before you get a new certificate.

Other conditions

• NOC: If you work in a government, semi-government, PSU or autonomous body, or any government-funded institution (including on contract), you must upload a No Objection Certificate by the given date. For NORCET-11 the deadline was 18 August 2026.
• One registration: If you have registered with AIIMS before (OTR), you must apply with the same ID. Applying with a new ID can lead to rejection.
• Gender split: At participating AIIMS, 80% of seats are reserved for women and 20% for men.
• Fee (NORCET-11): ₹3,000 for General/OBC, ₹2,400 for SC/ST/EWS; PwBD candidates are exempt.

Quick self-check before you apply

1. Is your degree or diploma from an INC/SNC recognised institution?
2. Is your result declared and your nurse & midwife registration done before the closing date?
3. GNM only: do you have two full years of post-registration experience in a hospital with 50+ beds, with a certificate that shows the bed count?
4. Will you be 30 or under on the closing date, or within your category's relaxed limit?
5. Do you have a valid category certificate in the Central Government format for the right financial year?
6. Do you need an NOC from your current employer?

If the answer to all of these is yes, the next step is the NORCET syllabus and weightage. You can start revising with our free revision notes.

FAQ

What is the age limit for NORCET? 18 to 30 years on the closing date of online registration. SC/ST candidates get 5 years of relaxation, OBC 3 years and PwBD 10 years, with more for combined categories.

Can GNM students apply for NORCET? Yes, but only with a recognised GNM diploma, nurse & midwife registration, and two years of experience in a hospital with at least 50 beds, gained after the qualification.

Is experience needed for B.Sc. Nursing candidates in NORCET? No. The two-year experience rule applies only to the GNM route.

Can I apply for NORCET in my final year of B.Sc. Nursing? No. Your course, result and council registration must all be complete by the closing date of registration.

Does internship count as experience for NORCET? No. Experience counts only after you complete the course, your result is declared and you are registered with the nursing council.