Last verified: 5 October 2026. Kit contents below come from Sainik School Korukonda’s joining instructions and Sainik School Kalikiri’s new-admission fee structure. Lists and charges vary by school and year — confirm against your joining letter.
The day your child gets a Sainik School seat, one question will drown all others in your WhatsApp groups: what exactly do we need to buy? The useful answer: the school issues the uniform itself, and what you pack is a long practical list that has almost nothing to do with stitching shirts.
This is the single most misunderstood point. You do not take your child to a tailor. On arrival, the school issues the complete uniform kit — from the beret and badge down to the socks and name tabs — and the cost is billed in the admission fees. That is why fee structures carry a “clothing” or “uniform” line: Kalikiri’s AY 2025-26 new-admission fee structure, for example, lists a Uniform Clothing Fee of Rs. 1,500 (CONFIRMED — sskal.ac.in). Korukonda’s joining instructions list 39 uniform and clothing items issued to each cadet on arrival and subsequently (CONFIRMED — sainikschoolkorukonda.org). Standardisation is the point — every cadet dressed identically, down to the shoulder flaps.
Here is what one school’s official list contains (Korukonda’s published list; your school’s version will look similar):
| Group | Items (quantity) |
|---|---|
| Footwear & socks | Leather shoes black, white and blue running sports shoes (1 pair each); maroon, black and white socks (4 pairs each) |
| Headgear & insignia | Beret, badge, heckle, lanyard, cap, name tabs (5) |
| Belts & tie | School belt, dinner belt, tie, shoulder flaps, kamarbandh/jallar/scarf set |
| Main uniform | Khaki TC shirt + trouser sets (3), white full-sleeve TC shirts (3), grey TC trousers (3) |
| Sports & PT | White/black shorts (3 each), coloured and white t-shirts (3 each), tracksuit, roundneck t-shirt |
| Everyday & bedding | Cotton vests (3), towels (4), handkerchiefs (5), bedsheets (4), pillow covers (2), mosquito net, blanket |
| Others | School bag, swimming trunk, raincoat with cap, sweater, mattress & pillow set |
Two things to notice. First, girl cadets are covered — Korukonda’s joining list explicitly includes black skin tights, inner sportswear, and mesh hair bun/juda nets with hair pins for girl cadets (CONFIRMED). Second, this list is from a school that has been refining it for years; expect your school’s kit to be similar in spirit, with local differences.
Korukonda publishes indicative rates alongside the list:
| Component | Amount (approx) |
|---|---|
| 39 uniform & clothing items | Rs. 18,309 |
| Less: clothing fee | (-) Rs. 1,500 |
| Subtotal | Rs. 16,809 |
| Washing charges | (+) Rs. 4,000 |
| Total (rounded) | Rs. 20,800 |
Costs vary by school:
Some schools bill item-by-item, others fold uniform into a lump sum. Budget Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 20,000 for clothing in the first year depending on the school, and read your joining letter line by line. Our fee comparison across schools breaks down the total first-year cost beyond just the uniform.
Korukonda’s joining list tells parents exactly what the cadet must possess at admission — and it is refreshingly practical.
Clothing (not issued): six or more underwear, one pair of dark (black) trousers, two civil pairs — no jeans or baggy pants.
Stationery: two ballpoint pens with spare refills, geometry box, colour-pencil and sketch-pen sets, an Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, clipboard, gum, eraser, sharpeners, 12-inch scale, water-colour box with brush, two rolls of brown paper, two marker pens.
Toiletries: two combs, hair oil, shampoo, two toothbrushes, large toothpaste, three toilet soaps, two washing soaps, soap cases, Vicks Vaporub, talcum and foot powder, Dettol, Band-Aid, small scissors, nail clipper — plus hair nets and pins for girl cadets.
Miscellaneous: a large black steel box (36" x 15" x 12") with the cadet’s name painted in block letters, one moulded-plastic suitcase, stainless steel glass, shoe-polish kit, slippers, plastic mug, bucket, small torch, four good-quality padlocks, six clothes hangers, naphthalene balls, a small sewing kit, twelve clothes clips, a washing brush, and sanitiser.
The school adds a lovely piece of hard-won advice: cadets lose keys, so give combination (number) locks instead of padlocks with keys. Also welcome: a musical instrument, which the school will look after. Explicitly banned inside the hostel: sports gear like hockey sticks, racquets and cricket bats.
Two admissions-day essentials that parents forget: six latest passport-size colour photos of the candidate, one family group photo (parents plus all siblings with the candidate), and stamp-size photos of the candidate, father, mother and guardian for the visitor’s pass (CONFIRMED — Korukonda joining instructions).
Three rules from Korukonda’s rulebook worth knowing before packing:
Use this the weekend before reporting:
And one money rule: fees, including the uniform billing, are paid through the school’s stated mode only — do not hand cash to anyone claiming to arrange uniforms or admission from outside. For what comes after the uniform is issued, the mess-food guide covers daily life inside.
Does the school provide the uniform, or do parents buy it? The school issues the full uniform kit on arrival and bills it in the admission fees — parents do not stitch uniforms outside. The charge varies: Korukonda’s published list totals roughly Rs. 20,800 including washing charges, while Kalikiri charges a Rs. 1,500 uniform clothing fee on top of kit billing.
How much does the Sainik School uniform kit cost? Korukonda’s published list prices about 39 items at roughly Rs. 18,309, totalling about Rs. 20,800 after the clothing-fee adjustment and washing charges. Other schools fold uniform into lump-sum admission fees — Rs. 20,000 is listed for Kodagu, Rs. 5,900 for Kittur Rani Channamma. Confirm your joining letter.
What should parents send with the child for admission? Each school publishes a joining list. Korukonda’s asks for six or more underwear, one dark trouser, two civil pairs without jeans, stationery including an Oxford dictionary, a toiletry kit, a large steel box with the cadet’s name painted on it, a suitcase, padlocks, a torch and sewing items. Six passport photos plus a family photo are also required.
Can girls wear the Sainik School uniform? Yes. Girls are admitted to Sainik Schools and follow the same uniform. Korukonda’s joining list includes girl-specific items — black skin tights, inner sportswear, and mesh hair bun or juda nets with hair pins.
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