As part of its e-governance initiative, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has introduced the system of online submission of applications for the competitive examinations conducted by it.

The facility exists in addition to the option of paper based  submission of applications. An increasingly good number of candidates have already started applying online for the UPSC examinations. 

Candidates wishing to apply can visit the website http://www.upsconline.nic.in which is different than the UPSC portal, http://www.upsc.gov.in .

The online system facilitates prompt confirmation of submitted application and also allows the applicants to pay fees through debit/ credit card or internet banking.

As an incentive to applicants submitting online application the commission is charging only 50% fee required to apply in offline mode.

When applying online in response to any examination notice of the commission, the applicant’s scanned photo and scanned signature in .png format of size not exceeding 40 KB are also required.