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Sainik School 2026 Reservation Policy: Quotas & Seat Rules Explained

Sainik School Reservation 2026 — What It Means & How It Works

Every year, many students dream of joining a Sainik School. These schools have a special system for reserving seats so that many categories of students get fair chances. For 2026, the reservation (quota) system continues to play a key role in admission. In this blog, I’ll explain in simple words how the reservation system works for Sainik School 2026, what the categories are, and the rules you should know.

What Is Sainik School & How Admission Works

Before jumping into reservation, it helps to know how one gets into a Sainik School.

  • Admission is possible in Class VI and Class IX.
  • The entrance exam is called AISSEE (All India Sainik Schools Entrance Exam), conducted by NTA (National Testing Agency).
  • After the exam, there is counselling (choice filling, seat allotment) and medical test before final admission.
  • Reservation is applied at various steps to allocate seats fairly.

Official site for exam: exams.nta.ac.in/AISSEE/

Why Reservation Is There

Reservation in Sainik Schools ensures that students from various backgrounds — state quotas, social categories (SC, ST, OBC), children of defence personnel, girls — get chances and that seats are not monopolized by any one group. It balances fairness and diversity.

Main Reservation (Quota) Rules for 2026

Here are the major reservation rules to know:

  • Home state / Other states quota
    Each Sainik School reserves 67% of its seats for students from the same State/Union Territory (Home State quota). The remaining 33% of seats are for students from other states / UTs (Other State quota).
  • Within each quota (Home / Other), social categories
    In both Home State and Other State quotas, several categories are reserved:
Category% of seats
SC (Scheduled Caste)15%
ST (Scheduled Tribe)7.5%
OBC-NCL (Other Backward Classes, Non-Creamy Layer)27%
  • Defence personnel / ex-servicemen quota
    After allocating for SC / ST / OBC in each quota, 25% of the remaining seats are reserved for wards (children) of defence personnel (serving or ex-servicemen).
  • Girls’ Reservation (for Class VI)
    For entry into Class VI, each Sainik School reserves 10% of its strength (or a minimum of 10 seats, whichever is more) for girls. This is done within the quota system.
  • Cap on other-state allotment
    In the Other States quota, there is a rule that no one state/UT should get more than 25% of seats in each category. If a state has more applicants, it cannot exceed that cap.
  • Unfilled seats reallocation
    If some reserved seats are left unfilled (for example, no candidate in ST or no girl applicant in some category), they may be reallocated to other categories or among quotas (Home or Other) following rules.

These reservation rules are followed throughout selection: entrance merit, counselling, and final allotment.

Example of How Reservation Works (Hypothetical)

Suppose a Sainik School has 100 seats:

  1. Home State quota: 67 seats — only students from that state
    Other States quota: 33 seats — rest of India
  2. In Home State quota (67 seats):
    • SC = 15% of 67 → about 10 seats
    • ST = 7.5% → about 5 seats
    • OBC-NCL = 27% → about 18 seats
    • After allocating these, out of remaining seats in that quota, 25% are for defence children
    • Then the rest are general (open) seats within Home State quota
  3. In Other State quota (33 seats):
    • SC (15%) → about 5 seats
    • ST (7.5%) → about 2–3 seats
    • OBC-NCL (27%) → about 9 seats
    • Then 25% of leftover for defence children
    • Cap rule: no one state should get more than ~8 seats in that category
  4. Girls’ seats
    Out of the Class VI seats (say 60 seats in that class), 10% (6 seats) or minimum 10 seats will go for girls, whichever is more. So if total seats are 100, then 10 seats are reserved for girls (within both quotas and categories).
  5. Unfilled seats might move to general or other categories as per rules, so seats are best utilized.

Reservation in New / Approved Sainik Schools

Some new Sainik schools (approved ones) may follow slightly different rules. In some, 40% of seats are filled by merit (without reservation by domicile), and 60% seats are reserved for students already studying in those approved new Sainik Schools under special routes.

These new schools may not strictly apply all the home-state reservation or social category reservation in the same way as older Sainik Schools.

Steps Where Reservation Applies

Reservation is used in:

  1. At the time of counselling/seat allotment
    The merit list is made subject to quotas. Candidates are slotted into seats reserved for their category/quota.
  2. During final verification & medical
    Candidates shortlisted under reservation categories must produce valid documents (SC/ST certificate, domicile certificate, defence service certificate, etc.)
  3. If some seats remain vacant
    Reallocation of unfilled reserved seats may happen to other categories or quotas as per prescribed rules.

So reservation is not just a label; it actively influences each stage.

Important Dates for 2026 (Expected & Recently Announced)

Here is a table of important dates related to Sainik School admission 2026 and reservation related steps (some are tentative, based on recent years). Always confirm from the official NTA / Sainik School site.

EventStart DateLast / End Date
Online application for AISSEE 2026 opens10 October 202530 October 2025
Last date to pay registration fees31 October 2025
Form correction window2 November 20254 November 2025
Issue of admit cardsDecember 2025December 2025
AISSEE exam dateJanuary 2026January 2026
Answer key (provisional) releaseFebruary 2026February 2026
Result declarationMarch 2026March 2026

These are the broad dates. Each Sainik School or state counselling schedule may slightly differ. Use official NTA or Sainik School Society sites for latest timeline.

Things to Keep in Mind & Tips

  • When filling your application, choose your correct category (SC / ST / OBC / General / Defence / Girl, etc.).
  • Make sure you have valid supporting documents (SC/ST certificate, domicile certificate, defence service proof, etc.).
  • Girls applying: in Class VI, 10% seats are for girls. In Class IX, girls may also apply subject to vacancy and in some schools.
  • Other-state applicants: check the 33% quota and cap rule (no state gets more than 25% in that quota).
  • Keep track of allotted quota (Home or Other) and seats under categories during counselling.
  • If your reserved seat category is not used / you qualify in general merit, you might also get a general seat.
  • Familiarize yourself with how unfilled seats are reallocated and stay updated with changes in rules each year.

Why Reservation Matters for You

Reservation gives an opportunity to:

  • Students who belong to SC, ST, or OBC categories
  • Children of defence personnel
  • Girls (for Class VI)
  • Students from the home state and from other states under a fair quota

Without reservation rules, only general category or high scoring students may dominate all seats. With reservation, more diversity and fairness come in.

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