There is no single Sainik School fee. Each school sets its own fee structure, revises it every year and publishes it on its own website, and neither the Sainik Schools Society’s counselling procedure nor NTA takes responsibility for those figures. This page therefore does not quote an average. It links to the fee page or circular that each of the 33 Sainik Schools publishes, labelled with the session the school itself names, and it says plainly where we could not find one.
To show what a structure looks like, Sainik School Ghorakhal’s 2026-27 document lists a total of ₹1,88,450 for a General-category child newly admitted to Class 6, which includes ₹3,000 of refundable security money. That is one school’s figure for one category, not a national guide. Other schools differ in their heads and in their totals.
Why fees differ from school to school
The AISSEE bulletin tells candidates to visit the website of each school for fee information, and the Society’s counselling procedure for 2026 says the same: candidates should read the fee structure and scholarship rules of the individual school, and the counselling process does not entertain complaints about them. Fees are also revised. Ghorakhal’s 2026-27 structure notes that its dietary charge went up after approval by the school’s board in April 2026, Sambalpur’s page states that tuition rises by 10 per cent every year under the Society’s directions, and Ghorakhal’s tuition line carries the same 10 per cent increase. Read the current year’s document, and ask whether the figure for your child’s class and category is the one you will pay.
The approved New Sainik Schools in partnership mode are different again. The bulletin says that their fee structure, education board, medium and residential arrangements vary from school to school, so there is no common table for them. Our guide to new Sainik Schools in partnership mode explains how they work.
School-wise fee pages, checked on 12 October 2026
The table follows the Society’s list of 33 existing schools, arranged by state. The last column gives the session as the school labels it, not as we read it. A link opens the school’s own page or document, so check the session before you rely on it.
Three notes on the table. First, the Society’s own list pointed to addresses for Bhubaneswar, Chittorgarh and Sambalpur that were serving unrelated pages when we checked, so for those three we use the addresses printed in the AISSEE-2026 bulletin, and for Kazhakootam, whose listed address did not respond, we also use the bulletin’s. Second, Bhubaneswar’s fee page is labelled with the 2023-24 session, which shows why the label matters. Third, a few schools post their fee structure as an image or PDF with no session in the page text, so we say “not labelled”.
What a fee structure usually contains
Read the headings before you compare totals. Ghorakhal’s 2026-27 structure for new Class 6 admissions is a good illustration, and Sambalpur’s page for the same year lists a similar set with different amounts.
| Head | Ghorakhal, 2026-27, new Class 6, General | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition fee | ₹1,28,615 | Teaching; the school notes a 10 per cent rise as per Society rules |
| Dietary charges | ₹36,580 | Mess, at ₹124 a day for 295 days |
| Incidental charges | ₹20,255 | Washing, haircut, travel difference, diary and calendar, barrack damage, specs, magazine and smart class, as listed |
| Security money, refundable | ₹3,000 (₹1,500 for SC/ST) | Deposit, not a fee |
| Total | ₹1,88,450 (₹1,86,950 for SC/ST) | As stated on the school’s document |
Other schools group things differently. Sambalpur’s page, for instance, lists a miscellaneous and clothing head and pocket money separately, and gives its own instalments, with a first payment at admission and a second before 15 October 2026. So compare like with like: tuition against tuition, food against food, and the refundable deposit apart from the real cost.
Scholarships and help with fees
For the approved New Sainik Schools, the Society’s page says the Government of India offers fee support of 50 per cent of fees, subject to an upper limit of ₹40,000 a year, for 50 per cent of the class strength or a maximum of 50 students, on a merit-cum-means basis, from Class 6 to Class 12. For the 33 older schools, many school sites post scholarship notices next to the fee circular. These cover wards of defence personnel and, in some states, state-government schemes.
We do not quote scholarship amounts, because they differ by school and by state and are revised. One detail shows why the fine print matters: the bulletin says wards of Coast Guard and Assam Rifles personnel are not entitled to the defence scholarship and should not choose the defence category. Read the school’s own notice for your category, and keep your income and service certificates ready.
Seats: what the bulletin tells you
Seat numbers change every year and are set school by school, so the right place to look is the bulletin’s vacancy appendix and the seat matrix on the AISSAC counselling portal. The 2026 bulletin gives a tentative list of vacancies for Class 6 and Class 9 in each Sainik School, split by boys and girls, home state and other states, and by category, and it warns that vacancies are subject to revision. A few rules shape the numbers.
- 67 per cent of seats in each Sainik School go to candidates domiciled in that state or union territory, and 33 per cent to candidates from other states.
- In Class 6, 10 per cent of the vacancies or 10 seats, whichever is more, are set aside for girls in each Sainik School.
- No single other state or union territory can take more than 25 per cent of a school’s other-state vacancies.
- Vacancies for approved New Sainik Schools in the bulletin come from data the schools supplied, and the bulletin says they may change.
Our guide to AISSEE eligibility and age limit explains home state, outside state and reservation in more detail.
Before you pay anything
- Registration and choice filling on the AISSAC counselling portal were free of cost in 2026. Do not pay anyone for them.
- The AISSEE application fee is a different payment. For 2026 it was ₹850 for General, defence wards and OBC (non-creamy layer) candidates and ₹700 for SC and ST candidates, paid to NTA online.
- School fees are paid to the school, after a seat is accepted and documents are verified. Use the payment link on the school’s own website.
- The bulletin cautions families against touts and agents who promise help with admission for money. Neither NTA nor the Society has authorised anyone to do so.
If you would like to talk through the cost of a Dehradun coaching route alongside any school fee, free counselling is available by phone or WhatsApp on +91 70170 31757.
Sainik School fees: common questions
FAQs
Questions parents ask us.
Can't find yours? Ask on WhatsApp; a counsellor usually replies within working hours.
Ask on WhatsAppHow much are Sainik School fees per year?
There is no single figure. Each school sets and publishes its own structure. As one example, Ghorakhal's 2026-27 document totals ₹1,88,450 for a General-category new Class 6 admission, including ₹3,000 refundable security money.
Are Sainik School fees the same in every school?
No. Tuition, food and other charges differ, and the schools revise them every year. The approved New Sainik Schools set their own fees, and the bulletin says they vary from school to school.
Is there a fee to apply for the AISSEE?
Yes. For AISSEE-2026 the application fee was ₹850 for General, defence wards and OBC (non-creamy layer) candidates and ₹700 for SC and ST candidates, paid online to NTA. Check the new bulletin for the next cycle.
Is registration for counselling free?
Registration and filling in school choices on the AISSAC portal were free of cost in 2026, according to the Society's procedure.
Is there any help with fees?
The Society says approved New Sainik Schools receive Government of India fee support of 50 per cent of fees up to ₹40,000 a year for eligible students. Many older schools post scholarship notices for defence wards and for their state's schemes.
Where is the Sainik School fee for Uttarakhand?
Uttarakhand has one Sainik School, at Ghorakhal in Nainital district. Its 2026-27 fee structure is linked in the table above.
Does the fee on this page include coaching?
No. This page covers school fees only. Our coaching fees are on the fee structure page.
Sources
- Sainik Schools Society, existing schools
- Sainik Schools Society, new schools in partnership mode
- NTA, AISSEE-2026 information bulletin (PDF)
- Sainik Schools Society, AISSAC 2026 standard operating procedure (PDF)
- Sainik School Ghorakhal, official website
- Sainik School Ghorakhal, fee structure for 2026-27 (PDF)
- NTA, AISSEE portal (information bulletin, public notices, answer keys)
For preparation in Dehradun, see our Sainik School coaching in Dehradun page, and for what we charge for coaching, the fee structure. Both are separate from any Sainik School’s own fees.
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