What Is the CUET PG Reservation Criteria for SC/ST/OBC/EWS/PwD Candidates?

CUET PG reservation sets aside seats for candidates in categories like SC, ST, OBC-NCL, EWS, and PwD/PwBD. One thing worth understanding upfront: NTA runs the exam itself, but admissions and reservation rules actually get applied by the individual participating universities. So how much benefit a reservation actually gets you can vary depending on the university and programme.

For central universities operating under the applicable Government of India framework, the commonly used percentages look like this:

PwBD reservation generally works within each respective category rather than as its own separate vertical category.

If you fall under a reserved category, make sure your category certificate is valid and matches the required format. For OBC candidates specifically, meeting the OBC-NCL requirement matters a lot here.

And don't assume belonging to a reserved category guarantees you a seat on its own. Your CUET PG score, the course, the university, eligibility, available seats, the merit list, and that university's specific reservation rules all still come into play.

So before applying, check the latest admission guidelines for whichever university and programme you're actually targeting.

For CUET PG, reservation is not one fixed quota applied by NTA to every university. The participating university/institution applies its own reservation policy during admission and counselling. NTA’s CUET PG 2026 bulletin specifically states that reservation details are provided by the admitting universities and that NTA has no role in implementing those university-level reservations.

CUET PG Reservation Criteria

• SC (Scheduled Caste): Reservation is provided according to the rules of the respective university/government.

• ST (Scheduled Tribe): Eligible ST candidates receive reservation according to the applicable university policy.

• OBC-NCL: Reservation is available to eligible candidates under the Non-Creamy Layer category, subject to the university's rules.

• EWS: Eligible General-category candidates belonging to the Economically Weaker Sections can receive EWS reservation where the university provides it.

• PwD/PwBD: Candidates with benchmark disabilities are entitled to applicable disability-related reservation/provisions under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. The CUET PG bulletin defines benchmark disability as generally 40% or more of a specified disability, as certified by the competent authority.

CUET PG follows the standard reservation framework laid down by the Government of India, applied uniformly across participating universities for postgraduate admissions. It's worth separating two things that often get mixed up: seat reservation (how many seats are set aside for each category) and marks relaxation (how much lower a category's minimum qualifying percentage can be) — these follow different rules, and confusing them is one of the most common mistakes candidates make while checking their eligibility.

Seat reservation percentages, as per Government of India norms, are applied as follows across most participating universities:

• OBC-NCL (Non-Creamy Layer): 27% of seats

• SC (Scheduled Caste): 15% of seats

• ST (Scheduled Tribe): 7.5% of seats

• EWS (Economically Weaker Section): up to 10% of seats

• PwBD (Persons with Benchmark Disabilities): 5%, applied as a horizontal reservation — meaning a PwBD candidate can also belong to another vertical category (for example, SC-PwBD or OBC-NCL-PwBD) and claim benefits under both simultaneously.

Marks relaxation works differently, and this is the part candidates most often get wrong: SC, ST, and PwBD candidates typically receive a 5% relaxation in the minimum qualifying percentage required for admission (for example, if the general requirement is 50%, SC/ST/PwBD candidates commonly need only 45%). OBC-NCL and EWS candidates, however, are usually evaluated against the same minimum percentage as the general category for marks purposes — their benefit lies primarily in seat reservation, not in a reduced qualifying percentage. This distinction varies slightly by university, so always confirm the exact rule in your target institution's information bulletin rather than assuming a blanket 5% relaxation applies to every reserved category.

Documentation is where most reserved-category applications actually fail, not eligibility itself. Each category requires a specific, correctly issued certificate:

• SC/ST: A valid Caste/Tribe Certificate issued by a competent authority (Tehsildar, District Magistrate, or equivalent).

• OBC-NCL: A certificate based on the Central List of OBCs, explicitly stating "Non-Creamy Layer" status.

• EWS: An Income and Asset Certificate confirming family income is below the prescribed threshold (currently ₹8 lakh per annum).

• PwBD: A UDID card or an official Disability Certificate confirming at least the benchmark disability percentage specified by the university (commonly 40%).

A few practical warnings worth repeating: OBC-NCL and EWS certificates are frequently required to be issued within the current financial year — older certificates, even if factually accurate, are commonly rejected at the verification stage. Once you select a category during application, it typically cannot be changed later, so double-check every certificate detail before final submission. And if your certificate is missing, expired, or incorrectly formatted, your application is usually evaluated under the General category by default — which can affect both your qualifying-percentage requirement and your eligibility for reserved seats.

Related reading: For the full baseline requirements before layering in category-specific rules, see our CUET PG Eligibility Criteria 2027 guide.