Applications open · close 28 October 2026
NICL Administrative Officer 2026 — 321 Scale I Posts, Closing 28 October
National Insurance Company Limited is recruiting 321 Administrative Officer (Scale I) posts. Applications opened on 8 October 2026 and close on 28 October 2026.
The pay scale starts at ₹82,485 and rises through the published scale to ₹1,56,745. The examination is already fixed: Phase I on 17 November 2026 and Phase II on 22 December 2026.
Only 200 of the 321 posts are Generalist. The remaining 121 are reserved for eight specialist disciplines, and a candidate from the right background competes in a far smaller pool.
This is an officer-cadre recruitment, not a clerical one. AO Scale I is the entry grade for management in a public sector general insurance company — a different career track, and a different starting salary, from the clerk and assistant posts that dominate most recruitment calendars. The trade-off is a tighter eligibility bar: 60 per cent in graduation, relaxed to 55 per cent for SC and ST candidates.
Key details
| Recruiting body | National Insurance Company Limited (NICL) |
|---|---|
| Post | Administrative Officer, Scale I |
| Vacancies | 321 |
| Applications opened | 8 October 2026 |
| Last date | 28 October 2026 |
| Phase I exam | 17 November 2026 |
| Phase II exam | 22 December 2026 |
| Official site | nationalinsurance.nic.co.in |
Discipline-wise vacancies
This is the figure that should decide whether you apply, and in which stream:
| Discipline | Vacancies | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Generalist | 200 | 62.3% |
| Risk Engineers | 28 | 8.7% |
| Finance (CA & CMA) | 20 | 6.2% |
| Legal | 20 | 6.2% |
| Automobile Engineers | 20 | 6.2% |
| Agriculture | 20 | 6.2% |
| Information Technology | 11 | 3.4% |
| Company Secretaries | 2 | 0.6% |
| Total | 321 | 100% |
If you hold a specialist qualification, apply in that stream rather than as a Generalist. An automobile engineering graduate competes against the whole graduate population in the Generalist pool of 200, or against other automobile engineers for 20 dedicated seats. The second field is a fraction of the size. The same logic applies to law graduates, chartered accountants, agriculture graduates and IT engineers. Company Secretaries, at two posts, is the exception — that stream is so small that a single strong cohort fills it.
Eligibility
| Discipline | Qualification |
|---|---|
| Generalist | Graduate or post-graduate in any stream, 60% (55% for SC/ST) |
| Legal | Law graduate or post-graduate, 60% (55% for SC/ST) |
| Finance | CA or ICWA, or B.Com/M.Com, 60% (55% for SC/ST) |
| Information Technology | B.E./B.Tech/M.E./M.Tech in CS or IT, or MCA, 60% (55% for SC/ST) |
| Automobile Engineers | B.E./B.Tech/M.E./M.Tech in Automobile Engineering, 60% (55% for SC/ST) |
| Risk Engineers, Company Secretaries, Agriculture | Not specified in the official notification. |
Age limit: 21 to 30 years as on 1 October 2026, with relaxation as per applicable rules. Note that the lower limit is 21, not 18 — unusual, and it rules out candidates who completed graduation unusually early.
Application fee
| Category | Fee |
|---|---|
| Unreserved and all others | ₹1,000 |
| SC / ST / PwD | ₹250 |
Salary
The published scale is ₹82,485 – 4,050(14) – ₹1,39,185 – 4,390(4) – ₹1,56,745. Read plainly: the post starts at ₹82,485, rises by ₹4,050 a year for fourteen years to ₹1,39,185, then by ₹4,390 a year for four more to ₹1,56,745.
That starting figure is well above the entry pay in most central government recruitment at the graduate level — the RRB NTPC graduate posts at Pay Level 5 and 6 start at a fraction of it. Public sector insurance and banking officer cadres pay on their own scales rather than the central pay matrix, which is why the comparison looks so lopsided. Allowances, deductions and the cost of a metro posting all sit on top of the basic figure.
Selection process
Three stages:
- Phase I — Preliminary examination, 17 November 2026. An online screening paper.
- Phase II — Main examination, 22 December 2026. The paper that counts.
- Interview. Final stage for candidates who clear Phase II.
The gap between the two papers is five weeks, and the gap between the closing date and Phase I is under three. Anyone applying now should treat preparation as already underway rather than something to begin after the form is submitted.
How to apply
- Apply online at nationalinsurance.nic.co.in. Applications close on 28 October 2026.
- Choose your discipline carefully. The stream you apply in determines which vacancy pool you compete for, and it cannot be changed afterwards.
- Check your graduation percentage against the 60 per cent bar before paying. This is a hard cutoff, and a mark sheet that falls short will be caught at verification rather than at application.
- Keep your category certificate in the correct central format if you are claiming relaxation.
Our application checklist covers the document requirements.
Official links
| National Insurance Company | nationalinsurance.nic.co.in |
| Banking and insurance exams | Read the guide |
| Document checklist | Read the guide |
Questions
What is the last date to apply?
28 October 2026. Applications opened on 8 October 2026.
How many posts are for general graduates?
200 of the 321 posts are in the Generalist stream, open to graduates and post-graduates of any discipline. The other 121 are split across eight specialist disciplines.
What is the age limit?
21 to 30 years as on 1 October 2026, with relaxation as per applicable rules. Note the lower limit is 21, not 18.
When is the exam?
Phase I on 17 November 2026 and Phase II on 22 December 2026, followed by an interview.
Is 60 per cent in graduation compulsory?
Yes, for all disciplines where the qualification is stated, relaxed to 55 per cent for SC and ST candidates.
Source. Compiled from the NICL Administrative Officer 2026 notification, cross-checked across reports on 17 October 2026. The discipline-wise figures sum to the stated total of 321.
Where coverage is inconsistent: one source describes the selection as two online exams and an interview while another names the stages Prelims, Mains and Interview. These describe the same three-stage process. Qualifications for the Risk Engineers, Company Secretaries and Agriculture streams are not consistently stated in secondary coverage — check the notification PDF for those.
Figures here are reproduced from the official notification. Where this page and the notification differ, the notification governs. Spotted an error? Report it here.