The Institute of Chartered Accountancy of India (ICAI) prescribes the CA Inter eligibility criteria 2026. Candidates planning to appear for CA Inter 2026 exams should ensure they fulfil the CA Inter eligibility criteria as per the new ICAI scheme. Candidates can check their ICAI eligibility for CA Inter status, including the minimum educational qualification or age limit required from the self service portal (SSP) during the CA Intermediate registration process.
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The eligibility criteria for CA Inter 2026 as per the new scheme has been notified in the new scheme prospectus published by ICAI. Candidates should carefully go through the latest CA Intermediate course eligibility and other academic requirements before filling the CA Intermediate application form. Read the complete article below to know about CA Intermediate eligibility criteria 2026, age limit, educational qualification required and more.
The ICAI conducts the CA Inter exam twice in a year. Students willing to appear in either of the sessions of CA Intermediate exam should check the CA Inter registration dates.
| Particulars | May 2026 |
|---|---|
Availability of CA Inter exam form | March 3, 2026 |
| Application last date without late fee | March 16, 2026 |
| Application last date with late fee of Rs 600 | March 19, 2026 |
| Exam dates | Group 1: May 3, 5, & 7, 2026 Group 2: May 9, 11, & 13, 2026 |
Candidates can register for the CA Intermediate programme through two routes. The first option is through the CA Foundation programme and the second option is the direct entry route after qualifying the graduation, postgraduation or a particular level of professional degree programme.
Given below are the detailed CA Inter qualification and eligibility requirements for candidates to consider before filling the CA Intermediate exam form.
Students who have cleared the Common Proficiency Course or CA Foundation exam are eligible to apply for any of the CA Intermediate exam group(s). Such candidates can just pay the Intermediate registration fees to register for the CA Intermediate exam.
Candidates appearing in CA Intermediate programme examination must have completed eight months of study course on or before the first day of the month in which exams are scheduled to be held.
The CA Inter direct entry eligibility route is open for students who have completed graduation or post graduation with the specified minimum passing marks. Students who have various other qualifications are also eligible to directly appear in the CA Intermediate examination.
Candidates who are graduates or post graduates or possess some professional qualification such as CS or CMA are eligible for direct entry into CA intermediate. Given below is the CA Intermediate direct entry eligibility for such candidates.
Candidates who have completed the CMA Intermediate programme conducted by the Institute of Cost Accountants of India are also eligible to apply for the groups of CA Inter examination.Such candidates should complete the 8 months of study course on or before the first day of the month in which examination to be held.
Also check - CA intermediate Previous Year Question Papers
ICAI also prescribes the important eligibility information mentioned below:
Candidates who have passed graduation from an open university are also eligible to directly apply for the CA Inter examination.
Commerce graduates or postgraduates who have studied accounting, auditing, mercantile laws, corporate laws, economics, management, taxation, costing, business administration, or management accounting or similar title subjects are exempted to pass CA Foundation course and are eligible for direct entry in CA Intermediate
Candidates in the final year of their graduation can also register for the CA Intermediate examination on a provisional basis. Such candidates will have to produce the proof of passing within 6 months of appearing in the final qualifying examination. Provisionally registered candidates can commence their practical training of ICITSS (Information technology and orientation course).
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ICAI has a centralised self service portal (SSP) to manage the registration procedure. For any administrative interaction or query, students can make use of SSP throughout their life cycle. This portal allows candidates to interact with the administration without paying any physical visit to the centre. The cut off date date for CA Inter registration 2026 was January 1, 2026 for the May 2026 session. Upon completion of the registration process, students will have to order the study material through centralised dispatch on the portal - icai-cds.org.
Candidates are advised to consider the following points during the CA Inter registration process:
Candidates can upload the photo and signature as per the prescribed dimensions before proceeding for registration.
Candidates can send an email for any queries or issues related to the CA Inter exam. on the email id, Intermediate_examhelpline@icai.in
Also check - CA Inter Study Material
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes, CMA Inter qualified candidates can register for CA Inter programme through SSP portal.
Yes, students in the final year can apply for the program on a provisional basis.
Yes, the students who qualify the graduation degree in any specialisation other than commerce with 60% marks are to apply for the program.
No, as per the basic eligibility criteria, candidates can register for the CA Intermediate course only through the routes- (a) After completing CA Foundation course; (b) Must have graduate/ postgraduate degree.
ICAI has not prescribed any age limit to appear in CA Intermediate examination.
Graduates, post graduates, CMA Inter pass or CS Executive pass are eligible for CA Intermediate direct entry.
Commerce graduates and post graduates require a minimum percentage of 55% whereas non commerce graduates require a minimum percentage of 60%.
On Question asked by student community
Hello aspirant,
Here is your CA Intermediate Previous Year Question Papers. kindly open the link and check it out
https://finance.careers360.com/articles/ca-intermediate-previous-year-question-papers
Thanku you
Hello
Yes, you can get a scholarship for CA Intermediate if you qualify for certain programs. The ICAI itself offers merit-based and need-based scholarships to help students. You can also apply through the National Scholarship Portal if your family income fits the criteria. Many private organizations like the Sahu Jain
Hello,
CMA or Cost and Management Accounting is a certificate course providing CMA designation to the qualifiers. CMA has both descriptive and objective questions. CMA foundation is a mixture of questions. It is a three hour long exam conducted by ICMAI and it is a paper based on mainly class
Hello Aspirant,
Hope you are doing great. A common course that covers accounting, taxation, financial analysis, and financial economics is called chartered accountancy, or CA. The three-level CA course offered in India is in high demand both domestically and internationally. Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad are a few of the
Hi,
For being eligible for the direct entry route in CA i.e for giving CA Intermediate exam directly without apppearing for the CA foundation exam you need to atleast complete your graduation. Since you have just completed your second semester exam you are not eligible for the direct entry route
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