Checked 30 September 2026. From the ICSI restructuring announcement (10.04.2026), the CSEET FAQ (listed 08.09.2026), the student-services FAQ (updated 18.09.2026), the fee schedule (updated 29.09.2026) and the February 2027 flyer (24.09.2026). ICSI's documents disagree on CA Intermediate vs CA Final and on Class 10 registration; both conflicts are printed.
Not everyone who wants to become a Company Secretary has to sit CSEET. ICSI lists seven categories of students who are exempt and may register for the CS Executive Programme directly. The biggest group is simple: if you are a graduate, or in the final year of a three-year degree, you do not need CSEET. The rest are students who have cleared another professional exam or are far enough into an integrated programme. This guide lists every route, explains provisional registration, shows who is eligible to sit CSEET in the first place, and prints the two places where ICSI's documents disagree.
ICSI restructuring announcement (10.04.2026), section D; ICSI fee schedule (updated 29.09.2026).
The seven exemption routes
The restructuring announcement of 10 April 2026 says the following students "shall be exempted from CSEET and may register directly to CS Executive Programme". We have kept ICSI's order and wording.
| Item | Who | Registration | Also in |
|---|---|---|---|
| (a) | CS Foundation pass students | Regular | CSEET FAQ, student-services FAQ |
| (b) | Graduates and post-graduates | Regular | CSEET FAQ ("in any discipline"), fee schedule |
| (c) | CA Intermediate pass students | Regular | Fee schedule, student-services FAQ, course slides; the CSEET FAQ says CA Final instead (conflict C3) |
| (d) | CMA Final pass students | Regular | CSEET FAQ, fee schedule |
| (e) | Students appearing in the final year or final semester of a 3-year undergraduate programme | Provisional | CSEET FAQ, fee schedule |
| (f) | Students who have passed the 6th semester of a recognised 5-year integrated programme | Regular | Fee schedule |
| (g) | Students appearing in the 6th semester of a recognised 5-year integrated programme | Provisional | Fee schedule |
Source: ICSI restructuring announcement (10.04.2026), section D. "Provisional" is ICSI's word. Our reading: it means you register now and the registration is confirmed once you produce the qualifying result.
Check your own case
Do I need to sit CSEET? The exemption checker
Pick the qualification that best describes you today. The checker gives ICSI's rule, the document it comes from, and any conflict between ICSI's own documents.
Based on ICSI documents read 30 September 2026. Only Indian nationals may register for CSEET. ICSI's registration portal decides your case.
Conflict C3: CA Intermediate or CA Final?
This is the one exemption where ICSI's documents disagree. The restructuring announcement lists "CA Intermediate Pass students". So do the fee schedule (updated 29 September 2026), the student-services FAQ (updated 18 September 2026, "ICAI Intermediate Pass students") and ICSI's course slides. The CSEET FAQ, listed on 8 September 2026, instead says "Candidates who have passed the Final Stage of CA (ICAI)".
| Document | Date | Says |
|---|---|---|
| Restructuring announcement | 10.04.2026 | CA Intermediate pass |
| Student-services FAQ | Updated 18.09.2026 | ICAI Intermediate pass |
| Fee schedule (direct admission column) | Page updated 29.09.2026 | ICAI Intermediate pass |
| CS course overview slides | Undated | ICAI Intermediate |
| CSEET FAQ | Listed 08.09.2026 | Final Stage of CA |
Our reading: four documents, including the two most recent, say CA Intermediate, so a CA Intermediate pass is exempt. A CA Final pass is exempt on either reading. If you hold only CA Intermediate, confirm on ICSI's registration portal, which applies the rule in practice.
Conflict C4: can you register after Class 10?
The restructuring announcement, the CSEET FAQ and the syllabus all say CSEET is for a candidate who has "passed / appearing in the Senior Secondary (10+2) Examination". Two newer documents go further. ICSI's February 2027 flyer (dated 24 September 2026) lists eligibility as "10th Passed (Provisional Registration*) or 12th or Equivalent (Passed or appearing) or Under-Graduate Students", and the student-services FAQ (18 September 2026) says a Class 10 pass "can seek provisional registration for CSEET". Both add a condition: such students are "allowed to appear for CSEET exam after they provide Class XII Admit card / Class XII Mark sheet or equivalent".
Our reading: registration after Class 10 is now allowed in principle, but you cannot sit the exam until you are in Class 12. Registration is valid for three years from the month you register, so registering straight after Class 10 uses up part of that window before you can sit. For most students there is no gain in registering before Class 12.
Eligible to sit vs eligible for CS Executive
- To sit CSEET you may be appearing in Class 12 (and, per the newer documents, provisionally registered after Class 10).
- To register for CS Executive, Regulation 20(1) of the Company Secretaries Regulations, 1982 requires that you have passed 10+2 and passed CSEET (or be exempt).
- Our reading: these do not conflict. You can pass CSEET while in Class 12 and then register for Executive once your Class 12 result is out, within one year of the CSEET result.
Sources: restructuring announcement section C; Regulation 20(1) of the CS Regulations 1982; February 2027 flyer; student-services FAQ.
Who can sit CSEET at all
| Condition | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Nationality | Only Indian nationals can apply | Announcement section C; CSEET FAQ question 8 |
| Education | Passed or appearing in 10+2 or equivalent; Class 10 pass may register provisionally (newer documents only) | Announcement; February 2027 flyer; student-services FAQ (conflict C4) |
| Registration | Valid 3 years from the month of registration; any number of sittings inside it | Announcement section L; CSEET FAQ questions 32 and 33 |
| Before each first enrolment | Complete the one-day Student Induction Programme within one month of registration | SIP announcement; SIP guidelines clause 3.1 |
Does skipping CSEET cost you anything?
Exempt students register for CS Executive directly and pay a CSEET exemption fee of Rs 5,000, which ICSI's fee schedule includes in the Executive registration fee for the direct-admission routes. The Executive fees themselves belong to the Executive stage and are not covered here. For comparison, the CSEET route costs Rs 7,500 to register plus Rs 1,500 for each sitting (our arithmetic: Rs 9,000 if you pass at the first attempt, before any concession). January 2026 CSEET passers are the one group ICSI names as registering for Executive without the exemption fee, within a year of their result.
Where other pages get this wrong
A graduate does not have to pass CSEET to start the CS course.
Commonly published instead: Some pages still describe CSEET as the compulsory first step for everyone who wants to become a Company Secretary.
ICSI's announcement exempts graduates and post-graduates (and final-year students, provisionally) and lets them register for CS Executive directly. If you are a graduate, sitting CSEET would cost more than the exemption fee and delay your start by at least one session (our arithmetic).
What we could not confirm
We found no ICSI list of what counts as an "equivalent" to 10+2 or a "recognised" integrated programme; the registration portal applies those tests. We also found no rule for a student in the first year of a five-year integrated programme beyond the plain fact that the exemption starts at the 6th semester. Foreign nationals are outside CSEET; whether ICSI will admit you to Executive under Regulation 20(2) is a question only ICSI can answer.
ProSyllabus is an independent study site. We are not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI). Every rule below is quoted or summarised from ICSI documents, and ICSI decides every individual case.
Who is exempted from CSEET?
Per ICSI: CS Foundation passes; graduates and post-graduates; CA Intermediate passes; CMA Final passes; students in the final year or final semester of a 3-year degree (provisional); and students who have passed or are appearing in the 6th semester of a recognised 5-year integrated programme (the latter provisional).
Do graduates need to take CSEET?
No. Graduates and post-graduates in any discipline are exempt and can register for the CS Executive Programme directly.
Is CA Intermediate exempt from CSEET, or only CA Final?
ICSI's announcement, fee schedule, student-services FAQ and course slides say CA Intermediate. Only the CSEET FAQ says CA Final. Four documents, including the two newest, say Intermediate, so we read Intermediate as the rule.
Can I register for CSEET after Class 10?
ICSI's February 2027 flyer and student-services FAQ allow provisional registration after Class 10, but you may sit the exam only after producing a Class XII admit card or mark sheet. Older ICSI documents mention only 10+2 passed or appearing.
I am in the second year of my B.Com. Do I need CSEET?
Yes, unless you wait. The exemption starts in the final year or final semester of a 3-year degree. You can sit CSEET now, or register for CS Executive directly and provisionally once you reach your final year.
Is CMA Intermediate exempt from CSEET?
Not on any ICSI list we read. The exemption is for CMA Final passes.
Do exempt students pay any fee for skipping CSEET?
Yes. ICSI's fee schedule includes a CSEET exemption fee of Rs 5,000 in the Executive registration fee for the direct-admission routes.
Can a foreign national take CSEET?
No. ICSI says only Indian nationals can apply for CSEET. The Regulations let ICSI's Council admit foreign nationals to the Executive Programme on its own terms, so ask ICSI.
Sources
- official — ICSI — Announcement: Restructuring of CSEET, effective from the June 2026 session (dated 10.04.2026, PDF)
- official — ICSI — FAQs on Restructured CSEET (listed 08-09-2026, PDF)
- official — ICSI — Student services FAQs, Part 1 on CSEET (updated 18.09.2026, PDF)
- official — ICSI — Schedule of fee applicable to students of the CS course (fee page updated 29.09.2026, PDF)
- official — ICSI — CS course overview slides (undated, PDF)
- official — ICSI — CSEET February 2027 flyer (dated 24-09-2026, PDF)
- official — ICSI — Syllabus for Restructured CSEET, applicable from the June 2026 session (PDF)
- official — ICSI — Company Secretaries Regulations, 1982, Regulation 20 (ICSI book, PDF)
- official — ICSI — Introduction of the Student Induction Programme for CSEET (PDF)
- official — ICSI — Student training guidelines, clause 3.1: Student Induction Programme (PDF)
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
