There is no Sainik School in Dehradun. Uttarakhand’s only Sainik School under the Sainik Schools Society is Sainik School Ghorakhal, which stands near Nainital, in Nainital district. The institution people usually have in mind when they say “military school in Dehradun” is the Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC) at Garhi Cantt, which is a separate college with its own entrance examination and admits to Class 8 only.
This page sets out what the official lists say, how Ghorakhal, RIMC and the Rashtriya Military Schools differ, how to avoid being misled by names that borrow “Sainik” or “Doon”, and what a Dehradun family can do to prepare for the AISSEE.
What the official lists say
The Sainik Schools Society’s page of existing schools names 33 schools, and the AISSEE-2026 bulletin’s Appendix I-A gives their states. In Uttarakhand there is one, Sainik School Ghorakhal. The same bulletin’s list of approved New Sainik Schools in partnership mode names none in Uttarakhand. And the five Rashtriya Military Schools are at Ajmer, Bengaluru, Belgaum, Chail and Dholpur, so none of them is in Dehradun or elsewhere in Uttarakhand.
| Institution | Where | Entry class | How admission works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sainik School Ghorakhal | Near Nainital, Nainital district, Uttarakhand | Class 6 and Class 9 | AISSEE conducted by NTA, then e-counselling and a medical. No interview. |
| Rashtriya Indian Military College | Garhi Cantt, Dehradun | Class 8 only | RIMC entrance examination through NTA, a viva through the state government and a medical |
| Rashtriya Military Schools | Ajmer, Bengaluru, Belgaum, Chail, Dholpur | Class 6 and Class 9 | Common entrance test; check the latest notification |
| Approved New Sainik Schools | None listed in Uttarakhand in the AISSEE-2026 bulletin | Class 6, and Class 9 in some schools | AISSEE, with the 40 and 60 per cent routes |
Sainik School Ghorakhal: what to know
The school’s own website says it was established on 21 March 1966 on the estate of the Nawab of Rampur, and gives its address as Nainital, Uttarakhand 263156. It admits to Class 6 and Class 9 through the AISSEE, like every other Sainik School. The bulletin says admission for girls is open in Class 6 of the Sainik Schools, and in Class 9 subject to vacancies, so check Ghorakhal’s own row in the bulletin’s vacancy table and its website.
- Admission: through the AISSEE and the Society’s e-counselling. A child who is domiciled in Uttarakhand counts as home state for Ghorakhal, for which the bulletin reserves 67 per cent of seats. Everyone else counts as outside state, with a smaller share.
- No interview: the Society discontinued the Sainik School interview from the 2019-20 session. Merit rests on the written test, subject to medical fitness.
- Fees: Ghorakhal publishes its own fee structure. Its 2026-27 document lists a total of ₹1,88,450 for a General-category child newly admitted to Class 6, including ₹3,000 of refundable security money, and the school revises its figures each year.
- Scholarships: the school posts a notice on Ministry of Defence and Uttarakhand state government scholarships. We do not quote amounts because the notice is undated and rates change. Read it on the school’s website.
The school’s fee page is linked in our table on Sainik School fees and seats, along with the pages of the other 32 schools.
RIMC is in Dehradun, but it is not a Sainik School
The Rashtriya Indian Military College educates boys and girls from Class 8 to Class 12 and describes itself as a feeder institution to the National Defence Academy. Its entrance examination is separate from the AISSEE. For the July 2027 term, the age band is 12 years 6 months to 14 years on 1 July 2027, the written test is on 6 December 2026, and a viva and a medical follow. The application window for this cycle has closed. If your child is in Class 6 or 7 and you are weighing RIMC, our guide to choosing RIMC coaching in India sets out the process and the questions to ask.
Names that borrow “Sainik” or “Doon”
Because Dehradun has no Sainik School, the name has a pull that some private institutions use. A coaching centre, a school or an “academy” in Dehradun may carry Sainik, Doon or both in its name. That does not make it one of the 33 Sainik Schools or an approved New Sainik School. A simple test applies. Look for the school in the Society’s list of existing schools, or in Appendix I-B of the AISSEE bulletin if it claims to be a partnership school. If it is on neither, it is not a Sainik School, whatever its signboard says.
The bulletin makes a related point about agents. It cautions families against anyone who promises help with admission in exchange for money, and it says neither NTA nor the Society has authorised any person or agency to offer such help. Admission to a Sainik School is only through the NTA application and the Society’s counselling.
Writing the AISSEE from Uttarakhand
You do not need to travel outside the state to sit the test. The AISSEE-2026 exam cities in Uttarakhand were Almora, Dehradun, Haldwani, Kotdwar, Pithoragarh, Roorkee and Rudrapur. Candidates list their preferred cities on the application, and the bulletin says there is no link between the exam city and the school opted for, so a child can sit the exam in Dehradun and apply to Ghorakhal or to a school in another state. Allotment of the centre is by computer, and the exam city list changes by cycle.
The AISSEE-2027 bulletin had not been released when we checked the NTA page on 12 October 2026, and NTA’s tentative calendar of 16 September 2026 lists the exam for 31 January 2027. Our guide to AISSEE eligibility and age limit explains the age rule the 2026 bulletin used.
The Dehradun route for AISSEE preparation
A child who lives in or near Dehradun can prepare for the AISSEE without leaving home. GS India Defence Academy runs classroom coaching for the exam at Street 1, Subharti Road, Nanda Ki Chowki, Lower Kolhupani, Dehradun 248007. We have no online classes. For a family from another state, the academy has separate hostels for boys and girls with a mess, and we ask families to visit before deciding, since a child of ten or eleven living away from home is a decision for everyone involved.
Free counselling is available by phone or WhatsApp on +91 70170 31757, and a counsellor can tell you whether a Dehradun batch is a good fit for your child’s class and for the date of the exam. We say plainly that attending coaching in Dehradun does not make a child a candidate for a Sainik School in Dehradun. There is no such school, and the child will sit the AISSEE for Ghorakhal or another Sainik School like anyone else.
Sainik School in Dehradun: common questions
FAQs
Questions parents ask us.
Can't find yours? Ask on WhatsApp; a counsellor usually replies within working hours.
Ask on WhatsAppIs there a Sainik School in Dehradun?
No. Uttarakhand has one Sainik School under the Sainik Schools Society, at Ghorakhal near Nainital. The Rashtriya Indian Military College in Dehradun is a different institution.
Which is the Sainik School in Uttarakhand?
Sainik School Ghorakhal, in Nainital district, is the only existing Sainik School in Uttarakhand on the Society's list.
What is the fee of Sainik School Ghorakhal?
Ghorakhal publishes its own fee structure. Its 2026-27 document totals ₹1,88,450 for a General-category new Class 6 admission, including ₹3,000 refundable security money. Figures are revised each year.
Is RIMC a Sainik School?
No. RIMC at Garhi Cantt, Dehradun, admits to Class 8 only, through its own entrance examination, a viva and a medical.
Is there a Rashtriya Military School in Dehradun?
No. The five Rashtriya Military Schools are at Ajmer, Bengaluru, Belgaum, Chail and Dholpur.
Can I write the AISSEE in Dehradun?
Yes. Dehradun was one of the examination cities in the 2026 bulletin. The list changes by cycle, so check the new bulletin.
How do I know whether a school in Dehradun with Sainik in its name is genuine?
Check the Society's list of existing schools and Appendix I-B of the AISSEE bulletin. A school on neither list is not a Sainik School or an approved New Sainik School.
Sources
- Sainik Schools Society, existing schools
- NTA, AISSEE portal (information bulletin, public notices, answer keys)
- NTA, AISSEE-2026 information bulletin (PDF)
- Sainik School Ghorakhal, official website
- Sainik School Ghorakhal, fee structure for 2026-27 (PDF)
- RIMC, admission procedure
- Rashtriya Military Schools, official website
- Sainik Schools Society, order of 4 July 2018 discontinuing the admission interview (PDF)
- NTA, public notice of 16 September 2026 with the examination calendar up to March 2027 (PDF)
For preparation in the city itself, see Sainik School coaching in Dehradun, and for our coaching fees the fee structure. The list of Sainik Schools in India shows every school by state, and our comparison of RIMC, Rashtriya Military Schools and Sainik Schools sets the three side by side.
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