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Vineet Sharma· 9 hours ago
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What Is the CUET PG Reservation Criteria for SC/ST/OBC/EWS/PwD Candidates?

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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.

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Tara Verma
Tara VermaTen years in the classroom, shaping minds — bringing the same clarity and purpose to every piece she writes about education.
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Tara Verma is a practising teacher and education content writer with over 10 years of classroom experience across primary and secondary levels. She holds a Master's degree in Education (M.Ed.) from Delhi University and a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) from Jamia Millia Islamia — qualifications that ground her writing in both pedagogical theory and the day-to-day realities of teaching in India. Her content covers exam preparation strategies, learning methodologies, curriculum guidance, student mental health, career counselling for students, and the evolving state of school and higher education in India. Her work has appeared on platforms including TeacherVision India, Jagran Josh, and Careers360, where she writes for students, parents, and fellow educators who need content built on actual teaching experience — not theory alone. Over a decade of working directly with students across age groups and learning levels has given Tara a practical understanding of how education content should be written — clearly, accessibly, and with genuine awareness of the challenges students and teachers face on the ground. She has taught 1,000+ students, contributed to school curriculum development initiatives, and published 250+ articles on education across digital platforms. She is an active member of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) India. Across all her writing, every recommendation is classroom-tested, every insight comes from direct teaching experience, and every article is held to the same standard she applies in her own classroom — accuracy, clarity, and genuine usefulness for the reader.

Answered on08/03/26
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