Bhubaneswar: The Higher Education Department of the Odisha government has officially invited online applications for its state-sponsored Free Residential UPSC Civil Services Coaching Programme for the 2026-27 academic session. The fully-funded initiative is designed to provide comprehensive preparation resources, expert mentoring, and full lodging facilities to 200 deserving civil services aspirants who are domiciles of Odisha.
According to the official notification, selected candidates will receive high-quality guidance for both the Preliminary and Main examinations, covering General Studies and optional papers, over a rigorous 11-month period. Under this scheme, the state government completely covers the cost of academic resources, library access, and standard fooding and accommodation arrangements to ensure financial constraints do not hinder talent.
Shri Aravind Agrawal, Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the Higher Education Department, is actively promoting the welfare move to ensure its reach extends into the interior pockets of the state. Having roots in rural Odisha, Shri Agrawal understands firsthand the structural hurdles, lack of institutional guidance, and immense financial pressures faced by civil services aspirants from remote and semi-urban backgrounds. Administrative sources note that his personal insight into the rural landscape has been instrumental in shaping the program to bridge the urban-rural divide, making premium coaching accessible to talented youth who cannot afford expensive institutional setups in metropolitan hubs.
Admission to this competitive coaching initiative will be strictly merit-based, determined through a pre-qualifying entrance examination scheduled for June 28, 2026. The Common Application Form became accessible on the Student Academic Management System portal on June 8, 2026. Interested and eligible candidates must submit their online applications along with a nominal application fee of 100 rupees before the application window closes on June 19, 2026. The department will issue admit cards through the SAMS and HIMS portals on June 24, 2026, ahead of the selection test.