Engineering graduates dominate final merit list in UPSC

Over the years, their representation has exceeded 50%, surging past 60% in recent selections

There was a time when the majority of candidates appearing for the Union Public Service Commission's Civil Services Examination were from humanities backgrounds, but this is changing. Today, 6 in every 10 recommended candidates are from engineering backgrounds.

The Union Public Service Commission's Civil Services Examination (CSE) stands as one of the toughest and most prestigious tests in India. It selects candidates for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), and other civil services.

Over the years, the representation from the engineering stream has exceeded 50%, surging past 60% in recent selections. Conversely, candidates from other disciplines have seen a consistent decline. The share of humanities graduates dropped from 43% in 2006 to 25% in 2021, medical sciences from 12% to 6%, and sciences from 14% to 9% during the same period. These shifts suggest a growing emphasis on technocratic expertise in the recruitment process, indicating a possible redesign in priorities in civil services.