SBI Apprentice Recruitment 2026 : If you're a graduate looking for your first real break in the banking sector, the State Bank of India has just opened one of the biggest doors of the year. On 19 May 2026, SBI released advertisement CRPD/APPR/2026-27/07, inviting applications for 7,150 apprentice training seats across India under the Apprentices Act, 1961.
Table of Contents
Here's everything you need to know before you click "Apply."
What This Is (And What It Isn't)
Let's get the most important thing out of the way first: this is not a job at SBI. It is a one-year structured apprenticeship under the Apprentices Act. You will not be an SBI "employee," you will not receive employee benefits, and SBI has no obligation to offer you regular employment when the year ends.
- A monthly stipend of ₹15,000 for twelve months while you gain real banking experience.
- A National Apprenticeship Certificate jointly issued by SBI-NSDC / BFSI-SSC after you pass the skill evaluation test.
- Weightage and relaxation in future SBI Junior Associate recruitment for apprentices who successfully complete training with satisfactory conduct.
For a fresh graduate, that's a credentialed year inside India's largest public-sector bank, plus a leg up on the clerk-level exam everyone is chasing anyway.
SBI Apprentice Recruitment vacancy
- Total seats: 7,150 (provisional)
- Online registration window: 19 May 2026 to 8 June 2026
- Online examination: Tentatively July 2026
- Stipend: ₹15,000 per month
- Training duration: 1 year
Read here Official Notification link https://sbi.bank.in/documents/77530/57941334/19052026_ENGAGEMENT+OF+APPRENTICE+2026+ADVERTISEMENT+CRPD_APPR_2026-27_07.pdf/fa9015ff-2268-a829-f9e8-8c1b5d55e126?t=1779173730791
Apply Link here https://ibpsreg.ibps.in/sbiaapr26/
- SBI Apprentice Recruitment Application fee: ₹300 for General/OBC/EWS; nil for SC/ST/PwBD
The seat distribution skews heavily toward populous states. Andhra Pradesh leads with 709 seats, followed by Uttar Pradesh (561), Maharashtra (504), Telangana (491), West Bengal (460), and Kerala (403). Smaller states and UTs get correspondingly fewer seats — Manipur has just 6, Meghalaya 8, and Chandigarh 15.
SBI Apprentice Recruitment Eligiblity
The criteria are refreshingly simple, which is partly why this recruitment draws such enormous applicant pools:
SBI Apprentice Recruitment Education
Education: Graduation in any discipline from a recognized university or institute, completed by 1 April 2026.
Age (as on 1 April 2026): Minimum 20, maximum 28 years. So you should have been born between 2 April 1998 and 1 April 2006 (both inclusive). Standard government age relaxations apply for SC, ST, OBC, and PwBD candidates.
Local language: You must be proficient in reading, writing, speaking, and understanding one of the specified local languages of the state you apply to. If your 10th or 12th mark sheet shows you studied that language, you're exempt from the language test. Otherwise, you'll sit a separate test after the written exam.
A few important disqualifiers:
- You cannot have completed (or be currently pursuing) an apprenticeship anywhere else.
- You cannot have a year or more of post-graduation work experience.
- Ex-Servicemen are not eligible (no reservation applies here).
- A history of loan default or adverse CIBIL record will disqualify you.
One State Only — Choose Wisely
This is the single most strategically important rule in the entire notification: you can apply for only one state, and you can appear for the examination only once under this project.
When you register, you'll pick three preferred districts within your chosen state. But here's the catch — opting for a district doesn't guarantee placement there. SBI allots training seats based on administrative requirement, anywhere within the state you applied to.
So before you fill the form, decide: Are you applying to your home state where the language test is a non-issue and you have local proof? Or are you chasing a state with a better seat-to-applicant ratio? Both strategies are valid — just commit to one.
SBI Apprentice Recruitment Selection Process
Selection happens in three stages:
1. Online Written Test (60 minutes, 100 marks)
Four sections of 25 questions each, with separate timing per section:
- General/Financial Awareness — 15 minutes
- General English — 15 minutes
- Quantitative Aptitude — 15 minutes
- Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude — 15 minutes
There's a negative marking of 1/4 mark for each wrong answer. The exam is offered in 15 languages — English, Hindi, and 13 regional languages depending on the state you apply to. (The General English section is, naturally, only in English.)
A state-wise and category-wise merit list is drawn from aggregate scores. If two candidates tie at the cut-off, the older candidate ranks higher.
2. Test of Local Language
Held after the written exam, in a center within the state you applied to (at your own expense). Skipped if your 10th/12th certificate already shows you studied the language.
3. Medical Examination
A standard fitness check as per the Bank's requirements.
Reservations and PwBD Provisions
The 7,150 seats break down as: 1,107 SC, 586 ST, 1,672 OBC, 699 EWS, and 3,086 UR. PwBD reservation is horizontal — 92 VI, 79 HI, 70 LD, and 63 in categories d & e (autism, specific learning disorder, mental illness, and multiple disabilities).
A few category-specific points worth flagging:
- OBC candidates must produce a Non-Creamy Layer certificate issued between 1 April 2026 and the joining date. No extensions.
- EWS candidates need an Income and Asset Certificate based on FY 2025-26 income, valid for 2026-27. No certificate, no EWS benefit — apply under General instead.
- PwBD candidates with "likely to improve" temporary disabilities are not eligible for reservation; progressive, non-progressive, or "not likely to improve" conditions are.
- Scribe facility and 20 minutes per hour of compensatory time are available for eligible PwBD candidates under the standard government guidelines.
Category cannot be changed after registration. Decide before you click submit.
How to Apply for SBI Apprentice Recruitment
The process runs entirely online:
- First, register on the NAPS portal at apprenticeshipindia.gov.in. This step is mandatory — you cannot apply to SBI without it.
- Read the detailed guidelines on bfsissc.com.
- Then head to sbi.co.in/careers or sbi.bank.in/careers and find the Apprentice application under Current Openings.
- Scan and upload your photograph, signature, left thumb impression, and a handwritten declaration (specifications in Annexure-I of the official notification).
- Pay the fee online via debit card, credit card, or net banking.
Save the registration number and password the system generates — you'll need them to retrieve your call letter in June.
A small but easy-to-miss detail: do not write the handwritten declaration in capital letters, and make sure it's in English and in your own handwriting. Applications get rejected over exactly this kind of thing.
The SBI apprenticeship is not a shortcut to a banking career, and treating it like one will only lead to disappointment. After twelve months, you'll be relieved from your work area — that's the deal. What you take with you is a year of real branch experience, a recognized certificate, and a meaningful edge in the next Junior Associate exam.
For a 22-year-old graduate weighing options, ₹15,000 a month plus inside exposure to how India's biggest bank actually runs is a strong proposition. Just go in with clear eyes, pick your state carefully, and prepare seriously for the July exam.
The window closes on 8 June 2026. That's not very long.
