Sainik School Dates 2026: Notification (OUT), Application Form Date, Entrance Exam Date, & Admit Card Date

The Sainik School exam (AISSEE) date 2026 is likely scheduled in the month of January. The AISSEE application form has started from October 10, 2025, and the last date to apply is October 30, 2025. The last date for application fee payment is October 31, 2025, till 11:50 PM. The AISSEE admit card will be issued in January 2026. Sainik School Result date and the merit list are expected in March 2026, while admission counselling likely to begin by the 2nd week of March 2026.

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Sainik School Admission Online Application 2026 Date

Parents can check here the important dates for the Sainik School Admission Online Application process, which started yesterday, i.e. October 10, 2025, and the last date to apply is October 30, 2025. The Sainik School exam date is in January 2026. Check below for an overview of dates for the AISSEE 2026 application form filling process:

Sainik School Admit Card 2026 Date

Sainik School Admit Card 2026 release date will fall 8-10 days before the AISSEE exam date. The admit card will be available to download via the official website, exams.nta.nic.in/sainik-school-society/. To download the admit card, candidates must login to the official portal using their application number and date of birth. Check the tentative dates for the admit card release below:

Sainik School Answer Key 2026 Date

NTA usually posts the Sainik School Answer Key for Classes 6 and 9 about 27–30 days after the exam on the NTA Sainik School portal. The Sainik School answer key release date will most probably fall in February 2026. Students can check it and challenge mistakes within 2-3 days by paying Rs 200 per question. Experts review the objections, correct valid errors, and the final key is used for AISSEE results. Check the table below for a quick overview of dates for the Sainik School answer key 2026:

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Sainik School Merit List 2026 Date

NTA will likely release the merit list of Sainik School in the 1st or 2nd week of March 2026. It shows the students who qualified for Class 6 and Class 9 admission. The list is prepared by school, class, gender, and category, and comes in PDF format on the NTA Sainik School portal. The Sainik School merit list also includes roll number, application number, name, category, domicile, marks, result status, and All-India rank. Students whose names appear in the list move to e-counselling, and then a medical exam confirms final admission. Check out the table below to get a quick snapshot of dates for the Sainik School Merit List:

Note: The date for the merit list release is the same as the Sainik School result date.

Sainik School E-Counselling Date

Sainik School admission counselling will begin in the 3rd or 4th week of March 2026 (if delayed), after AISSEE results are announced. Qualified students must re-register at pesa.ncog.gov.in/sainikschoolecounselling for the e-counselling. The process follows the merit list, seat availability, and reservation rules. However, New Sainik Schools under the Sainik School Stream do not follow the reservation rules; the only exception is Kranthiveera Sangolli Rayanna Sainik School in Belagavi. Check below for a quick overview of the dates for Sainik School E-Counselling:

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Sainik School Medical Test Date 2026

The date for the Sainik School Medical Test would likely fall in March 2026. Sainik School medical test will be mandatorily done for all the student candidates who cleared the AISSEE 2026 exam, and are also through with their e-counselling. This medical test is important because marks on this test will be added to the candidate’s marks received in the entrance exam. By adding both marks, a final merit list will be created for admission purposes. 

Conclusion

The final closure of Sainik School Admission 2026 will probably be in June. E-Counselling and medical exam responsibility will lie with Sainik Schools Society and not with NTA. Most seats in Sainik Schools will be filled by the end of June. The last date for Sainik School admission usually means the last school has also filled its seats through admission counselling and medical test, and now they are ready to commence classes for the new academic session. Classes for the academic year 2026-27 will most likely begin from the 1st week of July 2026. 

Sainik School Admission 2026 Important Links

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FAQs

1. When will the Sainik School application form 2026 be released?

The AISSEE 2026 application form started on October 10, 2025. The last date to apply is October 30, 2025, till 5 PM. Sainik School entrance test fee payment last date is October 31, 2025, till 11:50 PM. Candidates can start filling form online via the official portal, exams.nta.nic.in/sainik-school-society/. 

2. What is the last date to apply for Sainik School exam 2026?

The last date to submit the Sainik School application form and pay the exam fee is October 30 and 31, 2025, respectively.

3. When will the AISSEE 2026 exam be held?

The AISSEE 2026 entrance exam for Classes 6 and 9 is tentatively scheduled in January 2026 across different centres in India.

4. When will the AISSEE 2026 answer key be released?

NTA will tentatively release the Sainik School answer key 2026 in the 3rd or 4th week of February, with an option to challenge errors within 2–4 days.