SEBI Revises Educational Qualifications for Officer Recruitment Under 2026 Regulations

Summary: The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) issued Notification No. SEBI/LAD-NRO/GN/2026/320 dated 8 October 2026, notifying the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Employees’ Service) (Second Amendment) Regulations, 2026. Exercising its powers under Section 30 of the SEBI Act, 1992, the Board amended the Schedule to the SEBI (Employees’ Service) Regulations, 2001, revising educational qualifications applicable to specified officer positions. The amendments take effect upon publication in the Official Gazette.

The revised eligibility provisions introduce graduation in any discipline with at least 60% marks as one qualifying route, with a reduced threshold of 50% for SC/ST/PwBD candidates where posts are reserved for them. The graduation qualification must follow Class XII and involve a course of at least three years. Alternatively, candidates may possess a Master’s Degree, a Post Graduate Diploma of at least two years following graduation, or recognised professional qualifications such as Chartered Accountant, Chartered Financial Analyst, Company Secretary or Cost Accountant. The regulations also prescribe recognition requirements for universities and educational institutions and establish a method for assessing CGPA, OGPA, CPI and similar grading systems where institutions do not specify conversion criteria. On a ten-point scale, 6.75 corresponds to 60% and 5.75 corresponds to 50%. Grades awarded on other scales must first be normalised to a ten-point scale, and aggregate marks or grade points must cover the entire course duration.

The amendment additionally recognises specified foreign postgraduate qualifications supported by equivalence certificates issued by the Association of Indian Universities before the commencement of the UGC Equivalence Regulations, 2025, or by the University Grants Commission. It removes the earlier provision treating two years of post-qualification advocacy experience as a desirable qualification for Grade A Legal Stream officers. For the Research Stream, the revised qualifications expressly cover disciplines including Public Policy, Securities Market, Capital Markets, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Big Data Analytics and specified finance, economics and statistics specialisations. These changes expand and clarify eligibility routes while establishing uniform educational qualification and equivalence standards for the relevant SEBI recruitment categories.

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE BOARD OF INDIA

NOTIFICATION

Mumbai, the 8th October, 2026

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE BOARD OF INDIA (EMPLOYEES’ SERVICE) (SECOND AMENDMENT) REGULATIONS, 2026

F. No. SEBI/LAD-NRO/GN/2026/320.— In exercise of the powers conferred by section 30 of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992 (15 of 1992), the Board hereby makes the following regulations to further amend the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Employees’ Service) Regulations, 2001, namely: –

1. These regulations may be called the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Employees’ Service) (Second Amendment) Regulations, 2026.

2. They shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.

3. In the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Employees’ Service) Regulations, 2001—

II. In the Schedule, in the Table,

a. In row 6, in column 3-

b. the words and symbols “Master’s Degree/ Post Graduate Diploma* (minimum two years’ duration) in any discipline/ Bachelor’s Degree in Law/ Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering from a recognized University/Institute or Chartered Accountant/ Chartered Financial Analyst/ Company Secretary/ Cost Accountant.*(Equivalent to a Master’s Degree in that discipline as recognized by the Association of Indian Universities).” shall be substituted with the words, numbers and symbols “Graduation in any discipline with minimum 60% marks (50% marks for SC/ST/PwBD candidate, if the posts are reserved for them) from a recognized University / Institute that is taken after Class XII and is at least of 3 years’ duration; or Master’s Degree/ Post Graduate Diploma (minimum two years’ duration) in any discipline from a recognized University / Institute that is taken after Graduation; or Chartered Accountant/ Chartered Financial Analyst/ Company Secretary/ Cost Accountant as recognized from the respective Institutes.

Note I – The candidate shall hold a degree of any of the Universities incorporated by an Act of the Central or State Legislature in India or other educational institutions established by an Act of Parliament or declared to be Deemed as a University under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956.

Note II – Some Universities/Institutes/Boards do not award Class or percentage of marks and allot Aggregate Grade Points (e.g., CGPA/OGPA/CPI, etc.). In case University/Institute/Board defines criteria for conversion of Aggregate Grade Point into percentage of marks, the same shall be accepted. However, where the University/Institute/ Board does not define criteria for conversion of Aggregate Grade Point into percentage of marks, in the degree/passing certificates, the undefined parameter(s) shall be worked out as under:

Note III – Aggregate Grade Point or percentage of marks wherever awarded shall mean aggregate over the entire duration of the course.

Note IV – Where the Aggregate Grade Point (CGPA/OGPA/CPI, etc.) is awarded out of a number other than 10, it shall be normalized out of 10 and computed as per Note II above.

Note V: Notwithstanding the criteria mentioned above, in case a candidate possesses a Master’s Degree or Post Graduate qualification from a foreign University or Institution and an Equivalence Certificate is issued by the Association of Indian Universities prior to the commencement of the UGC Equivalence Regulations, 2025, or by the University Grants Commission indicating that the Master’s Degree or Post Graduate qualification from the foreign University or Institution is equivalent to Master’s Degree in India, such candidate shall be deemed to have acquired the requisite educational qualification.”

b. the words, numbers and symbols “For officers in the Legal Stream in Grade ‘A’ –In addition to the qualification specified for the Legal Stream, two years’ post qualification experience as an Advocate (including as an associate in an Advocate’s or Solicitor’s Office or Law Firm) after being enrolled under the Advocates Act, 1961 (25 of 1961) shall be a desirable qualification.” shall be omitted.

c. the words and symbols “Master’s Degree/ Post Graduate Diploma* (minimum two years’ duration) in Economics/ Commerce/ Business Administration/ Econometrics/ Quantitative

Economics/ Financial Economics / Mathematical Economics/ Business Economics/ Agricultural Economics/ Industrial Economics/ Business Analytics; or Master’s Degree/ Post Graduate Diploma* (minimum two years’ duration) in Finance/ Quantitative Finance/ Mathematical Finance/ Quantitative Techniques/ International Finance/ Business Finance/ International and Trade Finance/ Project and Infrastructure Finance/ Agri. Business Finance; or Master’s Degree/ Post Graduate Diploma* (minimum two years’ duration) in Statistics/ Mathematical Statistics/ Statistics & Informatics/ Applied Statistics & Informatics/ Data Science/ Artificial Intelligence/ Machine Learning/ Big Data Analytics; or Master’s Degree in Mathematics and one year post graduate diploma in Statistics or related subjects from a recognized University / Institute.*(Recognized equivalent to a Master’s Degree in that discipline by Association of Indian Universities).” shall be substituted with the words, numbers and symbols “Master’s Degree or Post Graduate Diploma of minimum two years’ duration from a recognized University or Institute in any of the following core disciplines or specializations: Economics/Commerce/ Business Administration/ Econometrics/ Quantitative Economics/ Financial Economics/ Business Economics/Mathematical Economics, Agricultural/Industrial Economics, Public Policy/Business Analytics, Securities Market/Capital Markets; or Finance including Chartered Accountant/ Chartered Financial Analyst/ Company Secretary/ Cost Accountant as recognized from the respective Institutes/Quantitative Finance/ Mathematical Finance/ Quantitative Techniques/ International Finance/ Business Finance/ International and Trade Finance/ Project and Infrastructure Finance/ Agri. Business Finance; or Statistics/Mathematical Statistics/Applied Statistics/Data Science/Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning/Big Data Analytics; or Master’s Degree in Mathematics (minimum two years’ duration) combined with a minimum one-year Post Graduate Diploma in Statistics.

Note: Notwithstanding the criteria mentioned above, in case a candidate possesses a Master’s Degree or Post Graduate qualification from a foreign University or Institution and an Equivalence Certificate is issued by the Association of Indian Universities prior to the commencement of the UGC Equivalence Regulations, 2025, or by the University Grants Commission indicating that the Master’s Degree or Post Graduate qualification from the foreign University or Institution is equivalent to Master’s Degree in India, such candidate shall be deemed to have acquired the requisite educational qualification.”

AMIT PRADHAN, Executive Director

[ADVT.-III/4/Exty./375/2026-27]

Note:

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Employees’ Service) Regulations, 2001, were published in the Gazette of India on 6^th September, 2001 vide S.O. No. 857(E) and were last amended on July 11, 2026 by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Employees’ Service) (Amendment) Regulations, 2026 vide notification no. SEBI/LAD-NRO/GN/2026/311.