NEW DELHI: The much-anticipated race for nursery admissions in Delhi’s private schools will officially begin today with the Directorate of Education (DoE) opening the application window for Nursery, Kindergarten, and Class 1 for the 2026–27 academic session.
More than 1,700 private schools across the capital will participate in the admission cycle, which follows a uniform schedule mandated by the Delhi government.
As per the DoE notification, schools are permitted to charge only a non-refundable registration fee of up to Rs 25, a cap introduced to prevent arbitrary charges during the application stage.
“Each school shall display the aforesaid admission schedule on its notice board and website… Only Rs 25 (non-refundable) can be charged from the parents as admission registration fee,” the circular states.
Applications will remain open until December 27, giving parents a window of just over three weeks to complete the process. Authorities have advised families to submit forms early to avoid last-minute hurdles as several schools experience heavy traffic toward the final days.
This year’s admissions will closely follow New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 guidelines, particularly regarding age requirements for Nursery (Balvatika 1/Pre-School 1) three plus to under four years, Lower KG (Balvatika 2) four plus to under five years and Upper KG (Balvatika 3), and Class 1, five plus to under six years.
The child must meet the prescribed minimum age as of March 31, 2026. A relaxation of up to one month may be granted by the school principal upon a written request. Students already enrolled in Nursery, KG, or Class 1 will continue under the earlier age norms.
The DoE released a comprehensive admission schedule on November 22, detailing every stage of the process. Schools must upload details of all applicants by January 9, 2026, followed by the publication of points-based scores on January 16.
The first admission list along with the waiting list will be released on January 23, while a second list, if required, will be issued on February 9.
This story is reported by Ifrah Mufti of The New Indian Express