Delhi announces entry-level admissions in schools

The details of the schedule will be made available on the school’s notice board, as well as on their website. The schools can charge the sum of ₹25 only as an admission registration fee, DoE said

New Delhi

The directorate of education (DoE), in a notification, said the application process is set to begin on December 4 and end by December 27. (Representative photo)

The Delhi government on Saturday declared the admission schedule for entry-level classes for those below the age of six in private unaided recognised schools for the 2026-27 academic session.

The directorate of education (DoE), in a notification, said the application process is set to begin on December 4 and end by December 27. The first merit list will be out on January 23 and the second will be released on February 9, and the admission process will be closed by March 19.

The details of the schedule will be made available on the school’s notice board, as well as on their website. The schools can charge the sum of ₹25 only as an admission registration fee, DoE said.

“Each school shall display the aforesaid admission schedule on its notice board and website... Only ₹25 (non-refundable) can be charged from the parents as admission registration fee,” the notification, a copy of which was accessed by HT, read.

The schedule is for prospective students applying for open-category seats and not for other categories of economically weaker sections (EWS), disadvantaged groups (DG) or children with special needs (CWSN), the DoE said. The notification mentioned that all private unaided recognised schools must reserve 25% of the seats for admitting children to pre-school, pre-primary and/or Class 1.

This is the first time that the admission to the entry level classes in Delhi schools will be carried out in accordance with the New Education policy (NEP) 2020, which prescribes a uniform age of six (6+) years for Class 1.

Under the existing structure, there are two classes—nursery and KG—in the foundational stage and then Class 1 with minimum age requirement of 3+, 4+ and 5+ years, respectively. Under the NEP 2020, the foundational stage will comprise of three classes—nursery (Balvatika 1/ Pre School 2), lower KG (Balvatika 2/ Pre School 2), and Upper KG (Balvatika 3/ Pre School 3)—before Class 1.

“The age criteria... will be implemented in phases starting from Academic Session 2026-27,” DoE had said in an earlier notification on October 24.

The age limit for those applying to nursery (Balvatika 1/ Pre School 1) shall be 3+ years up to 4 years, for kindergarten (KG), it should be 4+, up to 5 years, and for Class 1, it must be 5+ years, up to 6 years, as of March 31, 2026. The head of school can give age relaxation for admission of up to one month in the minimum and the upper age limit for these classes.

The applicants must have valid proof of address, such as ration card or smart card, issued in the name of parents or domicile certificate of the child or the parents, or bills, such as electricity bill, telephone bill, water bill or a passport in the name of the child or the parents, or Aadhaar card issued in the name of the parents, or voter identity card of any of the parents.

A monitoring cell shall be formed in each district in Delhi, chaired by the deputy director (district), to oversee the entire process, the notification said.