Lady Cadet Course 2026: Eligibility, Pay & How to Apply

The Lady Cadet Course is the Pakistan Army’s route for women graduates to earn a commission as Captain. Unmarried females up to 28 with 16 years of education apply online at joinpakarmy.gov.pk, clear tests, medical, ISSB, then complete six months of training at PMA Kakul.

Most online guides about the Lady Cadet Course are copy-pasted advertisement reposts. They disagree with each other on dates, quote salaries without any source, and never admit what they do not know.

I compared eight ranking pages for this keyword and found real conflicts — on the age cut-off date, the course number, even the test pattern.

This guide works differently. Every figure is traced to a named source. Conflicts are flagged in the open. Where no official number exists, I write NOT AVAILABLE instead of guessing.

How This Guide Was Researched

I started with the official induction advertisements mirrored on jobs portals and the Pakistan Army’s own portal, joinpakarmy.gov.pk. I then cross-checked every claim against eight ranking guides and kept only what at least two independent sources agreed on.

Single-source claims are labeled as such. Figures I could not verify through any published source are marked NOT AVAILABLE. I last checked the intake status on 10 October 2026 — but intakes open and close, so confirm the current window on joinpakarmy.gov.pk before you apply. I have not served in the Army; this guide is compiled from public documents, which is exactly why I show my sources instead of asking for blind trust.

Lady Cadet Course Eligibility Criteria 2026

You must be an unmarried female citizen of Pakistan, aged 28 or under, holding 16 years of education from a recognized university. Miss any one of these and the online form will reject you, so check each point before you apply.

Age: The maximum age is 28 years. Four sources state the cut-off as 28 years on 1 May 2026 for LCC-28, while two cite 1 November instead. One source mentions a 3-month relaxation at both ends of the age bracket. Because the reference date shifts with each intake, read the date printed in the current ad — do not rely on last year’s.

Gender and marital status: Only unmarried females may apply. This is consistent across all eight sources with no disagreement.

Education: You need 16 years of education — a BS, BE, MA, MSc or equivalent — from an HEC or PEC recognized university. The marks bar is a CGPA of 2.5 out of 4.0, which equals 62.5% (one source cites 60%; I use 62.5% since most agree on it). Here is the maths, step by step: 2.5 ÷ 4.0 × 100 = 62.5%. So a transcript showing 62.5% or a CGPA of 2.5 clears the bar.

Three more rules apply. First, no third division or Grade D anywhere in your academics. Second, at most one second division or Grade C in your whole career.

Third, you must have studied as a regular student — private candidates are not eligible. MS and MPhil holders get preference at the interview stage.

Nationality: You must be a citizen of Pakistan. Dual nationals may apply but must surrender their other nationality after final selection.

Which Corps Can You Join? Education Requirements

The Lady Cadet Course inducts women into seven corps, and your degree decides which ones you can choose. Pick a corps that matches your discipline, because the interview panel will test you on it.

The exact disciplines on offer change with each intake, so treat this table as a map rather than the final word. The live advertisement on joinpakarmy.gov.pk lists exactly which degrees are open right now.

Physical and Medical Standards

The physical bar is modest but fixed: minimum height 5 feet and a 1.6 km run inside 14 minutes. Train for the run early — it rejects more candidates than any written test.

Height: Minimum 5 feet (152.4 cm). This figure is identical across all sources I checked.

Weight: Checked against BMI standards during the medical. No separate published weight chart exists for the Lady Cadet Course, so staying in a healthy BMI range is the practical target.

Run: 1.6 km in 14 minutes. Here is the pace maths: 1,600 metres ÷ 14 minutes = 114 metres per minute, which is about 6.9 km/h. That is a steady jog, not a sprint.

Most healthy adults can reach it with 4 to 6 weeks of regular practice. Start with brisk 2 km walks. Then alternate jogging and walking until you can hold the pace.

Medical: An initial medical happens at the AS&RC and a detailed final medical at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH). Eyesight, hearing and general fitness are checked to military standards.

How to Apply Online for Lady Cadet Course

Register at joinpakarmy.gov.pk while the intake window is open, or walk into the nearest Army Selection and Recruitment Centre with your documents. Both routes lead to the same test.

1. Open www.joinpakarmy.gov.pk during the announced registration window.
2. Select the Lady Cadet Course entry and fill the online form with your personal and educational details.
3. Submit the form and note your roll number and test date carefully.
4. Alternatively, register in person at the nearest AS&RC — carry original documents.

Documents you will need: original degrees verified by HEC/PEC, CNIC, domicile certificate, six recent photographs, and an NOC if you work in a government department. One source mentions a Rs 100 cross-postal order in favour of Director General Personnel Administration (DGPA), GHQ Rawalpindi. I found this in only one place, so carry one to be safe but do not be surprised if the centre does not ask for it.

Selection Process Step by Step

Nine stages stand between registration and the final merit list. The ISSB is the hardest filter — most rejections happen there, not in the written test.

Test pattern: The initial written test has three parts. The academic section has 50 MCQs from your degree subject. The verbal intelligence section has roughly 65 to 90 questions.

The non-verbal section has roughly 68 to 90 questions. Each section gets about 30 minutes. I found the exact counts differ between sources and between batches, so prepare for the ranges rather than a fixed number.

ISSB rules to remember: You get a maximum of two ISSB attempts in your lifetime for this entry, with a 120-day gap required between attempts. Two rejections make you permanently ineligible for ISSB-based entries, so attempt only when you are fully prepared.

Training at PMA Kakul and Commission

Selected cadets complete six months of military training at the Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul, then pass out as Captains. The training covers drill, weapons handling, tactics and officer leadership — the same PMA that trains male cadets, in a condensed six-month course designed for direct-entry officers.

On passing out, you are commissioned as a Captain in your allotted corps. The Lady Cadet Course is a short-service commission entry: you sign a 7-year service bond after training, unlike the longer commission of PMA Long Course cadets. Six sources agree on 7 years; one outlier claims 17, which I treat as an error.

Salary, Stipend and Benefits: What We Actually Know

The Pakistan Army publishes no official pay figure for Lady Cadet Course officers, so this section separates verified facts from estimates. I searched specifically for an official number and could not find one — any site quoting an exact salary without a source is guessing.

Verified: You are commissioned as a Captain, and Captains draw the standard military pay scale plus allowances. Service benefits include free medical care, accommodation support and pension as per service rules. The Army does not publish a per-entry-route pay chart.

Unofficial estimates (single sources — treat with caution): One jobs site reports a training stipend of about Rs 61,000 per month at PMA Kakul. Another estimates a Captain’s starting pay at PKR 60,000–80,000 per month before allowances. Neither cites an official document, so I present them as estimates, not facts.

NOT AVAILABLE (not published anywhere I could find): the official stipend during training, the official starting salary of a Captain via this course, and the per-corps seat breakdown for any intake.

Lady Cadet Course Timeline: Which Intake Is Current?

The course is announced roughly twice a year, but the sources conflict badly on course numbers and dates. Read this table as a warning to verify, not as a schedule.

I found three different 2026 windows across the sources, and the course numbering does not line up — some sites appear to mix up LCC-26, 27 and 28. The honest position is that I cannot tell you from secondary sources which intake is open today. Open joinpakarmy.gov.pk and check the live advertisement. It takes two minutes and it is the only source that matters.

Which Route Fits You? LCC vs AFNS vs GDMO

Your qualification decides your route into the Army as a woman. Apply to the wrong one and you lose a year, so use this table before you fill any form.

The Army is not the only uniformed option for graduates. This site also covers FIA Jobs 2026 online apply and NCCIA Jobs 2026 with the same sourced approach. You will also find the Islamabad Police job portal guide and Sub-Inspector jobs 2026 eligibility and pay.

The Short Version

• The Lady Cadet Course commissions women graduates as Captains after 6 months at PMA Kakul.
• You must be an unmarried female, 28 or under, with 16 years of education (CGPA 2.5 out of 4.0, which is 62.5%).
• Apply at joinpakarmy.gov.pk or your nearest AS&RC during the announced window.
• Clear the written test, the 1.6 km run, medicals, ISSB and the GHQ interview.
• No official salary figure is published — treat unsourced pay claims as estimates.
• Course dates conflict across websites, so verify the live intake on joinpakarmy.gov.pk.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the age limit for the Lady Cadet Course?

The maximum age for the Lady Cadet Course is 28 years. For LCC-28, most sources state the limit as 28 years as of 1 May 2026, while two sources cite 1 November as the cut-off date. One source mentions a 3-month relaxation in the upper and lower age limits. Because the reference date changes with each intake, always check the date printed in the current official advertisement before applying.

How do I apply online for the Lady Cadet Course?

Visit www.joinpakarmy.gov.pk, select the Lady Cadet Course entry, and fill the online registration form with your personal and educational details. Submit the form and note your test date, or register in person at the nearest Army Selection and Recruitment Centre with your documents. For LCC-28, registration ran from 22 December 2025 to 20 January 2026 according to seven independent sources.

What is the salary of a lady cadet in Pakistan?

No official salary figure for Lady Cadet Course officers is published by the Pakistan Army. One jobs site estimates a Captain’s starting pay at PKR 60,000–80,000 per month excluding allowances. Another reports a training stipend of about Rs 61,000 per month at PMA Kakul. Both are single, unofficial sources.

What is the minimum height requirement for the Lady Cadet Course?

The minimum height for the Lady Cadet Course is 5 feet (152.4 cm). This figure is identical across every source I checked, with no disagreement anywhere. Weight is assessed against BMI standards during the medical examination at the Army Selection and Recruitment Centre and later at the Combined Military Hospital. There is no separately published height relaxation for any category.

What is the test pattern for the Lady Cadet Course?

The initial test at the Army Selection and Recruitment Centre is a computerized MCQ exam in three parts. The academic test has 50 questions from your degree subject. The verbal intelligence test has roughly 65–90 questions. The non-verbal test has roughly 68–90 questions. Each part gets about 30 minutes.

By Mohsin Rabnawaz. I research job and career guides from official advertisements and named sources so you get numbers you can verify, not copy-pasted claims.