CENTRAL GOVERNMENT JOBS

SEBI Grade A Officer

Regulate stock markets and protect investors as an officer at the securities regulator.

Any Class 12 stream; a degree comes first After a degree Government job

Facts checked 29/10/2026

Is this for me?

People in this work enjoy

Reading rules, numbers and company reports and working out what is going on
Protecting ordinary investors from cheating
Work that touches law, finance, data and policy together

It may not suit you if you dislike

Few posts and many applicants, so you may need more than one attempt, and the age limit of 30 is firm
Most work is desk work in Mumbai, with other SEBI offices possible, so you may live far from home
Recruitment is irregular, so you cannot plan the exact year

Class 11–12 subjects: SEBI sets no Class 12 subject rule. Any stream (PCM, PCB, Commerce or Arts) works. What counts is the degree you finish later. Maths, Economics, Accountancy and Business Studies help with the exam, but they are not compulsory.
First degree: A degree or professional qualification that fits one of SEBI's streams. For the General stream (the biggest one), SEBI's careers page lists a Master's degree in any discipline, a law degree (LLB), an engineering degree (BE/BTech), or CA / CFA / CS / Cost Accountant. Legal, IT, Research, Official Language and Engineering streams each have their own subject rules. In practice this means 3 years of graduation plus a 2-year Master's, or 3–5 years for LLB, BE/BTech or CA. Read the latest notice for exact rules.
Entrance exams: SEBI's own recruitment exam for Officer Grade A (Assistant Manager). In the 2025 cycle there were three phases: Phase I online exam (two papers), Phase II online exam (two papers), and Phase III interview (reported by Scroll.in). SEBI runs it itself, and it does not happen every year.
Licence or registration: None needed to start working.

Open to every streamAny Class 12 stream; a degree comes first.Check your subjects against every career

What the work is like

Working at SEBI, which makes and enforces the rules for stocks, mutual funds and brokers. Officers check company filings, look into complaints and suspected cheating, write rules and reports, and work on investor protection and awareness. Posts are in SEBI offices, mainly Mumbai, and the stream decides the kind of work (law, IT, research, general supervision).

A day in the work
You reach the SEBI office in the morning and go through files: a company's disclosure, a complaint from an investor, or a draft rule. Then there is a team meeting to decide what to ask a broker or company, and you write notes for senior officers. Some days you read market data or a law, other days you talk to market players or prepare a report. Deadlines can be tight when markets are volatile or a case is urgent.

The path, step by step

Step 1 · Class 11–12Pick the stream you will do well in. SEBI does not ask for specific Class 12 subjects. If you like markets, Economics, Maths, Accountancy or Business Studies give you a head start. Start reading a business newspaper or website for 15 minutes a day.
Step 2 · After Class 12 (about 3–6 years)Finish a qualifying degree. For the General stream, that is a Master's in any subject, or LLB, BE/BTech, CA, CFA, CS or Cost Accountancy. The Legal, IT, Research, Official Language and Engineering streams ask for particular subjects. SEBI's own page says the age limit for general candidates is 30 years, with relaxations for reserved categories. So plan your studies so you are not delayed.
Step 3 · When SEBI advertisesApply online at sebi.gov.in under Careers. Recruitment is not yearly. The 2025 advertisement came out on 30 October 2025, with applications open until 28 November 2025 (reported). Then take Phase I, an online exam with two papers. In 2025 it was held on 10 January 2026 (reported). You can choose up to two streams, and you sit Paper 2 for each. (reported — check with the official body)
Step 4 · Phase IIPhase II is another online exam of two papers. In the 2025 cycle it was held on 21 February 2026 and the result came on 27 March 2026 (reported). Only candidates who clear Phase I are called. (reported — check with the official body)
Step 5 · Phase III, InterviewShortlisted candidates are called for an interview. In the 2025 cycle, interviews ran from about 6 May to 4 June 2026, and the final list of selected roll numbers came out on 23 June 2026 (reported). (reported — check with the official body)
Step 6 · Offer and joiningAfter the final list come the offer letter, document checks and a medical check, then joining. In 2025 the joining date was reported as 24 July 2026. SEBI's exact medical and document rules are in each year's notice, so read it. (reported — check with the official body)
Step 7 · About 2 yearsYou join as Officer Grade A (Assistant Manager) on a probation period, reported as 2 years. Training and postings follow SEBI's rules. Check the latest notice for details. (reported — check with the official body)

Ways in

General streamMaster's degree in any discipline, or LLB, BE/BTech, CA, CFA, CS or Cost Accountancy. This is the largest stream: 56 of 110 posts in the 2025 advertisement (reported).
Legal streamA law degree (LLB). Two years of experience as an advocate was asked for in earlier notices (reported), so check the latest one.
IT streamAn engineering degree in any branch, or a bachelor's degree plus a 2-year postgraduate degree in computer science, computer applications or IT (reported).
Research, Official Language and Engineering streamsA few posts each, with their own subject rules: economics/statistics/finance for Research, Hindi for Official Language, and Electrical or Civil engineering for Engineering (reported).

Time and money

Stage	Time	Government college or body	Private college	Help available
Class 11–12 (your school's fees)	2 years	Your school's fees	Your school's fees	—
Qualifying degree, General stream (Master's, LLB, BE/BTech, CA, CFA, CS or Cost Accountancy)	3 years graduation + 2-year Master's, or 3–5 years for LLB, BE/BTech or CA	NLSIU 3-Year LL.B. (Hons.) first-year total ₹5,06,400 incl. off-campus housing (AY 2026-27); Check the college's fee page for other degrees	Check the college's fee page	—
SEBI exam: application fee (General/OBC/EWS)	1 day exam	₹1,000 plus GST (reported, 2025 notice)	—	₹100 plus GST for SC/ST/PwBD (reported, 2025 notice); no tuition for the exam
SEBI exam: Phase I, Phase II and interview (Phase III)	About 6 months from advertisement to final list (reported, 2025 cycle)	No fee beyond the application fee	—	Age relaxation for reserved categories per Government of India rules
Officer Grade A probation (joining as paid SEBI employee)	2 years	Paid job: pay ₹62,500 to ₹1,26,100 scale (reported)	—	Paid training; not charged for the job (per page, not officially verified)

Total timeAbout 5 years after Class 12 (reported, 3–6 years for degree plus exam and probation)

Total costDepends mostly on the college you choose — compare fee pages; SEBI application fee is ₹1,000 plus GST (reported).

Good to knowSEBI does not advertise every year, and you are paid while on probation; check sebi.gov.in for the latest notice.

Fees from: Scroll.in: SEBI Grade A notification 2025 (reported) · SEBI: Opportunities at SEBI · NLSIU 3-Year LL.B. (Hons.) fee structure, AY 2026-27. Fees change every year — check the college's own fee page before you pay.

What people earn

Official pay

Officer Grade A (Assistant Manager) scale of ₹62,500 to ₹1,26,100 over 17 years, as given in coverage of the 2025 advertisement (reported). Gross pay in Mumbai was reported as about ₹1.84 lakh a month without SEBI accommodation and about ₹1.43 lakh with it. I could not open the pay section of SEBI's own notice, so check the latest official advertisement.

Source: SEBI careers (check the latest advertisement for pay; figures above are reported) ↗

Pay starts well at entry level and rises with promotions and years of service, and living costs differ a lot, because most posts are in Mumbai where rent is high.

Myth and fact

Myth: ~~You must be a commerce student or a CA to get into SEBI.~~

Fact: SEBI's General stream accepts a Master's in any discipline, and law and engineering graduates can apply too. There are also separate legal, IT and research streams. Competition is still tough, so the degree alone does not get you the post.

For girls and students with disabilities

Age relaxation is allowed as per Government of India rules, as SEBI's careers page says. Coverage of 2025 reports 5 years for SC/ST, 3 years for OBC (non-creamy layer), 10 years for PwBD and 5 years for ex-servicemen (reported). A few posts in 2025 were also reported as reserved for persons with benchmark disabilities. No women-specific posts were found; check the latest notice.

Try it now

Class 7–9Read two pages of SEBI's free investor education site this month to learn what shares, mutual funds and fraud look like. Write 5 lines in your own words on how a regulator protects people.Open link ↗
Class 10–12Follow a free SWAYAM or NPTEL course intro on economics or finance basics, and keep a notebook of five business news items a week with one line on why each matters.Open link ↗
College or afterRead SEBI's careers page and the last advertisement. Check your age against the cut-off date, which stream fits your degree, and how Phase I and Phase II were set up.Open link ↗

Good to know

SEBI does not advertise Grade A posts every year. Past years in news reports are 2018, 2020, 2022, 2024 and 2025 (reported). In late 2026, we could not find a 2026 notice (reported), so watch sebi.gov.in under Careers.
Fees in the 2025 advertisement were reported as ₹1,000 plus GST for General/OBC/EWS and ₹100 plus GST for SC/ST/PwBD. Confirm in the latest notice.
SEBI is a regulator, not a ministry. The job is with SEBI itself, so its pay, rules and postings differ from other central government jobs.
Do not trust websites that claim a '2026 notification PDF' before SEBI posts one. Only sebi.gov.in is the real source.

Sources: SEBI: Opportunities at SEBI (eligibility, age limit for Officer Grade A) · SEBI: Phase I online examination instructions, Officer Grade A (Assistant Manager) · Scroll.in: SEBI Grade A notification 2025 released (reported)