Sainik School Reservation 2026: Seat Distribution Criteria, Class 6 & 9 Reservation for Girls, Reservation for SC/ST Category, & New Sainik School Reservation

Reservation in Sainik Schools allows 67% of the seats to be filled by students from the same state or Union Territory where the school is situated. The remaining 33% seats go to students from other states and UTs. From each of these groups, 15% seats are for Scheduled Caste (SC) students, 7.5% for Scheduled Tribe (ST) students, and 27% for Other Backward Classes (Non-Creamy Layer) for Sainik School Admission. The schools also keep 25% of the seats for children of defence personnel, including ex-servicemen. For Class 6, they reserve 10% of the seats, or at least 10 seats (whichever is more), for girls.

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Also Read: Sainik School Admission Criteria

Sainik School Reservation 2026-27 Flowchart

Students and parents can check the tentative reservation for Sainik School admission 2026-27 below:

Note: The above-mentioned image shows the tentative Sainik School Reservation for the academic year 2026-27. This may tend to change once the official notification is released. 

Also Read: Sainik School E-Counselling

Sainik School Seat Reservation for 33 Traditional Sainik Schools

Candidates can check the reservation rules for the existing 33 Sainik Schools below:

• 67% of seats go to students who belong to the same State or Union Territory (UT) where the Sainik School is located.

• 33% of seats go to students from other States and UTs.

• Inside both groups (Home State/UT and Other States/UT), seats are further divided like this:

  • 15% go to Scheduled Caste (SC) students.

  • 7.5% go to Scheduled Tribe (ST) students.

  • 27% go to Other Backward Classes (OBC-NCL) students from the central list.

• Altogether, these reservations cover 49.5% of the total seats.

• From the remaining 50.5% seats in both Home State/UT and Other States/UT, 25% are kept for children of defence personnel (serving or retired from the Army, Air Force, or Navy).

• In the “Other States/UT” quota, seats are given based on merit. But one State or UT cannot get more than 25% of the seats in this quota. For example, if there are 10 seats in the “Other States/UT” quota, no single State or UT can get more than 3 seats (25% of 10 or 2.5 rounded off to 3).

Also Read: Sainik School Dates

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Reservation In Sainik School For Girls in Class 6

Each school will give one seat in every category to girls for Class 6 Sainik School admission. Schools will also keep aside at least 10% of the total Class 6 seats or 10 seats (whichever is more) for girls, so that girls from all categories get a chance. For more details, parents can check Appendices V and VI in the information bulletin 2026-27, once it’s released in November or December 2025. 

Parents should regularly visit the official website, exams.nta.ac.in/AISSEE, or the website of the Sainik School you are applying to. On these websites, you can see:

• The number of available seats in each school, class, and category.

• The marks of the first and last candidates called for the medical exam (Initial Call List).

• The marks of the first and last candidates who actually got admission in each Sainik School.

• The Sainik School Cutoff Marks are the scores of the last candidate kept in the Waiting List for each category and class (from the Final Merit List).

Sainik School Reservation For Girls in Class 9

For Class 6 in Sainik Schools, the rule is very clear: schools must reserve 10% of the total seats or at least 10 seats (whichever is more) for girls. But for Class 9 Sainik School seats, the rules are not so clear. Official bulletins only say that girls can apply for Class 9, but they do not promise a fixed percentage of seats for girls in every school.

The number of seats for girls in Class 9 changes from school to school. It depends on things like how many total seats are available and how many girls have applied. Girls in Class 9 may also get seats in the same categories as boys (SC, ST, OBC, or General). However, the final list of seats for each school comes from that school’s official documents every year.

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Reservation in Sainik School for SC/ ST/ OBC Category

Parents and students can check the reservation percentage below for ST/SC/OBC-NCL categories for the Home State quota (List A) and the Other State Quota (List B) for a better understanding:

Illustration for total vacancies of 100:

(a) Total seats: 100
(b) Home State/UT 67%: 67
(c) Other States/UT 33%: 33

Further distribution of seats within Home State/UT (List-A) and Other States/UT (List-B) may be as under:

Therefore, the total allocation of seats will be as follows:

• SC: 15 (List A-10 + List B-05)

• ST: 07 (List A-05 + List B-02)

• OBC-NCL: 27 (List A-18 + List B-09)

• Defence: 13 (List A-09 + List B-04)

• General: 38 (List A-25 + List B-13)

Total = 100

Note: The data in the above table is for the academic year 2025-26. This can serve as a reference for the Sainik School Admission 2026. The figures may tend to change for the new academic year, which will be promptly updated.

• If an SC, ST, or OBC (NCL) student scores high enough to get a seat in the general merit list, the school will give that student a general seat. The school will not count that student in the reserved seats for SC, ST, or OBC (NCL) categories.

• The OBC (NCL) category will follow the Central Government list of OBCs, given on the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) website, ncbc.nic.in. This list, valid on the first day of the month when the AISSEE online admission form opens, will be used.

• Only students whose caste is on this Central OBC (NCL) list and who also meet the income limit can select the OBC (NCL) category in the form. Students listed only in their State or UT OBC list, but not in the Central OBC (NCL) list, must not select OBC (NCL).

Also Read: Sainik School Study Material

Sainik School Seat Reservation for Assam Rifles/ Coast Guard

Children of Coast Guard and Assam Rifles personnel should not choose the Defence Category. Instead, they must select their correct category: SC, ST, OBC (NCL), or General. They will get a seat under the Defence Category only if seats are still empty after admitting children of serving and retired Defence personnel. These children are not eligible for Defence scholarships.

If any of the reserved categories (SC, ST, or OBC-NCL) do not have applicants in the Home State/UT, the seats will be given to other available categories within the same State/UT. This is to make sure that 67% of the seats remain for students of the Home State/UT. Once you submit the application form, you cannot change your category. You can only correct it during the official “Correction Window” if needed.

Also Read: Sainik School Question Papers

New Sainik School Reservation

Students do not need to meet any domicile or category requirement to get admission in the Sainik School Stream of the approved New Sainik Schools, except for Kranthiveera Sangolli Rayanna Sainik School, Belagavi.

Also Read: Sainik School Previous Year Papers

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FAQs

1. How many seats are reserved for students of the Home State in Sainik Schools?

67% of total seats are reserved for students from the same State/UT where the Sainik School is located. The remaining 33% go to candidates from other States/UTs.

2. What is the reservation percentage for SC, ST, and OBC (NCL) students in Sainik Schools?

As per Sainik School reservation, 15% seats are reserved for SC students, 7.5% for ST students, and 27% for OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) candidates, as per the Central Government OBC list.

3. Are there reserved seats for girls in Class 6 admissions?

Yes, Sainik Schools reserve at least 10% of Class 6 seats, or a minimum of 10 seats (whichever is higher), across all categories exclusively for girls.

4. Is there a fixed reservation for girls in Class 9 Sainik School admission?

No fixed percentage is reserved for girls in Class 9 for Sainik School admission. Availability of seats depends on each school’s total intake and the number of eligible girl candidates applying.

5. What happens if reserved category seats remain vacant in the Home State quota for Sainik School admission?

Vacant reserved seats in the Home State quota are allotted to other eligible categories of the same State/UT, ensuring that 67% of seats remain with Home State students, for admission to Sainik Schools.