CDAC Recruitment 2026: 858 Posts, No Fee, Apply by 26 Oct

CDAC recruitment 2026 is open for 858 contract posts across 12 C-DAC centres. Online applications started on 5 October and close on 26 October 2026. There’s no application fee, and most posts need a B.E./B.Tech, M.E./M.Tech, MCA or M.Sc.

Two things to know before you apply. These are contract jobs, not permanent government posts. And the “951 posts” number you see on many sites doesn’t match the official portal. I counted every centre’s list on careers.cdac.in on 9 October, and it adds up to 858.

Detail	Information
Organisation	Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), under MeitY
Advertisement	CORP/JIT/03/2026 (October 2026 cycle)
Posts	Project Associate, Project Engineer, Senior Project Engineer, Project Manager, Project Technician and a few admin/finance posts
Vacancies	858 as listed on 9 October 2026 (can change)
Job type	Contract, consolidated pay, up to 3 years at first
Application fee	Nil
Apply online	5 October to 26 October 2026
Selection	Screening, then written test (if any) and interview
Test / interview date	Will be sent by email only
Official portal	careers.cdac.in

CDAC recruitment 2026 vacancies, centre-wise

C-DAC doesn’t publish one total. Each centre has its own list, and you apply to a post at a centre. Here’s what each centre showed on 9 October 2026.

Centre	Posts	What’s mostly on offer
Noida	207	Project Engineer (95), Senior Project Engineer (71), Project Manager (33)
Pune	142	Senior Project Engineer (97), Project Manager (29), Project Engineer (15)
Thiruvananthapuram	121	Project Engineer (76), Senior Project Engineer (29)
Chennai	88	Project Engineer (30), Project Technician (20), Project Associate fresher (15)
North East (Guwahati, Srinagar)	88	Project Engineer (47), Senior Project Engineer (19), Project Associate (12)
Bengaluru	58	Project Manager (20), Project Engineer (18), Project Associate (10)
Mohali	56	Mostly experienced Project Engineers
Hyderabad	54	Cyber security, AI, embedded systems (2 of these are posted in Delhi)
Kolkata	22	Two lists (19 + 3), including 9 fresher Project Engineer posts
Mumbai	20	Project Engineer, plus admin, HR and finance posts
Delhi	1	Project Manager
Patna	1	Project staff
Total	858

So why do other sites say 951 posts, with 272 in Bengaluru? That was C-DAC’s June 2026 cycle (CORP/JIT/02/2026). The numbers look copied from there. Bengaluru’s official list this time has 58 posts.

Chennai’s posts aren’t all in Chennai. Its list covers Delhi, Hyderabad, Vizag, Kochi, Goa, Bhopal, Port Blair and “anywhere in India”. Read the location column before you pick.

Eligibility: qualification and experience

The rules below are from the official advertisement terms, which are common across centres.

• Degree: B.E./B.Tech or equivalent, or M.E./M.Tech, or a post graduate degree in Science or Computer Application (M.Sc, MCA) in a relevant field, or a Ph.D. Bengaluru asks for 60% or equivalent CGPA in B.E./B.Tech and PG degrees for Project Engineer and above.
• College: must be AICTE/UGC approved or a recognised university.
• CGPA holders: you need a proof of percentage issued by your university. A self-made conversion won’t do.
• Final-semester students can apply, but you join only after passing with the required score.
• Experience must be after your qualifying degree. Internships, college projects and teaching don’t count unless the post says so.
• You need experience certificates showing period, salary and post held. Experience without papers is not counted.

Each post also has its own domain: quantum computing, VLSI, embedded systems, cyber security, AI/ML, full stack development, HPC and so on. Hyderabad’s list is heavy on cyber security. Bengaluru has many quantum computing roles.

Many C-DAC projects are in high performance computing, networks and cyber security. Photo: Rawpixel, CC0

Age limit and salary

C-DAC gives the age limit and pay against each post. These are the figures in the Bengaluru advertisement (C-DAC/BLR/03/2026). Other centres follow a similar ladder, but check your own post page.

Post	Experience	Upper age	Starting CTC per year
Project Associate	Fresher or experienced	30 (fresher), 45 (experienced)	₹3.6 lakh to ₹5.04 lakh
Project Engineer	0 to 4 years	30 (fresher), 45 (experienced)	₹4.49 lakh to ₹7.11 lakh
Senior Project Engineer / Module Lead / Project Lead	4 to 7 years	40	₹8.49 lakh to ₹14 lakh
Project Manager / Programme Manager	9 to 15 years	56	₹12.63 lakh to ₹22.9 lakh

A few points on these numbers:

• The pay shown is for the minimum experience. More experience inside the bracket gets extra increments as per C-DAC policy.
• Age and experience are counted as on the last date of application, which is 26 October 2026.
• SC, ST, OBC (non-creamy layer), PwD and ex-servicemen get age relaxation as per Government of India norms. Government employees on a pay scale get 5 years.
• I couldn’t confirm the pay for Project Technician from the portal today. See the post page for it.

Selection process

There’s no single all-India exam. Each centre runs its own selection.

1. Screening of your application on academic records and experience.
2. Written or skill test, only if the centre decides to hold one.
3. Interview.

Meeting the minimum eligibility doesn’t mean you’ll get a call. If too many people apply, C-DAC can raise the cut-off and shortlist only those with higher marks or more experience. So fill in everything you have, not just the minimum.

Call letters come only by email. No TA/DA is paid for the test or interview. Dates haven’t been announced.

How to apply for CDAC recruitment 2026

1. Open careers.cdac.in. You’ll see the 12 centres with their advertisements.
2. Click your centre’s advertisement and read the job list.
3. Click View Details & Apply against the post you want. Check the age, qualification, experience and location.
4. Log in with your mobile number and OTP.
5. Fill the form. If you applied to C-DAC before, you get a pre-filled form that you can edit.
6. Upload your photo (.jpg, up to 400 KB) and resume (PDF, up to 500 KB).
7. Submit and note the application number. Keep a printout for yourself.

Applying to more than one post? Each post needs a separate application. Don’t send any hard copy to C-DAC.

If you work in a government office or PSU, send a signed printout through proper channel to the centre’s HRD section, or bring an NOC to the interview.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Old phone number or email. Everything comes by email, so use the ones you check daily.
• Counting internship as experience. It will be rejected at document verification.
• No percentage proof for CGPA. Ask your university for it now. It can take days.
• Paying an agent. C-DAC says it has not authorised any agent or agency, and the form is free.
• Waiting for the last day. The OTP login can be slow when traffic is high.

Should you apply?

Honestly, it depends on where you are in your career.

Apply if you’re a fresher or have 1 to 3 years of experience and want real project work in areas like HPC, quantum, VLSI or cyber security. C-DAC on your resume helps, the form is free, and the work is closer to R&D than most service-company jobs. Freshers should look first at Chennai (15 Project Associate posts), Kolkata (9 fresher Project Engineer posts) and Bengaluru.

Think twice if you want job security. This is a contract of up to 3 years, tied to a project. It can be extended, but the advertisement says clearly that it gives no claim to a regular post. You can also be moved to any project location in India.

If a permanent central job is what you’re after, look at RRB NTPC Graduate 2026 (apply by 6 November) or keep GATE 2027 in your plan for PSU jobs. And if you’re comparing this with private IT hiring, read our note on TCS NQT.

Your next step: open the portal today, shortlist 2 or 3 posts that match your degree and domain, and get your percentage proof and experience letters ready before 26 October.