Last verified: 16 October 2026. RMS CET dates below were read in NTA’s official RMS CET 2026 information bulletin. UP Sainik School dates were cross-checked today on NDTV and ABP Live (16 October 2026). Facts marked CONFIRMED have two independent sources; everything else is advice.
This is an explainer, not a news flash: October holds two separate school-exam deadlines, and they are now days away. The RMS CET 2026 regular window — for admission to the five Rashtriya Military Schools — closes on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, four days from now (CONFIRMED — NTA bulletin). The UP Sainik Schools entrance exam 2027-28 form — for Lucknow and Gorakhpur — closes on Sunday, 25 October 2026 at 5 pm, nine days away (CONFIRMED — NDTV and ABP Live, both reporting today).
| RMS CET 2026 | UP Sainik School 2027-28 | |
|---|---|---|
| Schools | 5 Rashtriya Military Schools (Class 6 & 9) | Lucknow + Gorakhpur (Class 6 & 9) |
| Regular deadline | 20 Oct 2026, 5 PM (CONFIRMED) | 25 Oct 2026, 5 PM (CONFIRMED) |
| Fee deadline | 20 Oct, 11:50 PM (CONFIRMED) | With the form, by 5 PM (CONFIRMED) |
| Normal fee | Rs 1,000 (Gen/OBC); Rs 750 (SC/ST/KIA wards) (CONFIRMED) | Rs 1,000 (CONFIRMED) |
| Late window | 21–25 Oct, +Rs 500 (CONFIRMED) | 26–31 Oct, total Rs 2,000 (CONFIRMED) |
| Correction window | 27–28 Oct (CONFIRMED) | 3–5 Nov (CONFIRMED) |
| Exam date | 13 Dec 2026 (CONFIRMED) | 20 Dec 2026 (CONFIRMED) |
1. Do not file on the last day. This is the single most valuable advice in this article. NTA and state portals slow down badly on deadline evenings (EXPECTED — this pattern repeats every admission cycle, and the fee transaction has a separate, earlier cutoff than people expect). Aim to submit two full days early. If you are reading this on 18 October, the RMS form should already be your evening’s top priority.
2. Keep both deadlines on one calendar. Many UP families apply to both the RMS CET and the UP Sainik School exam. These are different forms on different portals with different login credentials — note down the application numbers separately, and never mix up the two correction windows (27–28 October for RMS, 3–5 November for UP).
3. Prepare scans before you log in. Photograph, signature, and certificates must be in the portal’s specified sizes. Getting scans done on a deadline evening — when the cyber café is crowded with other parents doing the same thing — is how mistakes happen. Our passport-photo spec guide covers the NTA scan rules that apply here too.
4. If the fee payment fails, pause — don’t panic-pay twice. Check your bank statement or UPI history first; debited-but-unconfirmed payments are usually reconciled automatically within a day or two. Re-paying immediately is the main cause of double debits. Our payment-failure guide walks through the exact recovery steps.
5. Save everything. Screenshot the confirmation page, save the PDF, note the application number and password somewhere both parents can find. You will need these for the admit card, the correction window, and the result — six months later, nobody remembers them.
6. Use the correction window as a safety net, not a plan. RMS corrections are open only two days (27–28 October); UP gives three days (3–5 November). Name, date of birth and mobile number are typically not editable — see what NTA allows you to change — so get those fields right on the first attempt.
7. For UP applicants: verify domicile now. The strict rule stands: both the child and the father must hold a valid UP domicile, or the application is wasted effort (CONFIRMED). If either certificate is pending, chase it today.
Once both forms are in, the calendar turns to exams: RMS CET Stage-1 on 13 December, UP Sainik School entrance on 20 December — a week apart. Families doing both should start splitting their prep by exam pattern now (our UP deadline deep-dive and RMS five-days-left update carry the full milestone tables). December will arrive faster than it looks.
When does the RMS CET 2026 application window close?
The regular window closes on 20 October 2026 — the form must be submitted by 5 PM and the fee transaction must succeed by 11:50 PM. A late window runs 21–25 October with an additional Rs 500 late fee.
What is the last date for the UP Sainik School 2027-28 application?
25 October 2026 at 5 pm is the last date with the normal fee of Rs 1,000. A late window runs 26–31 October 2026 (till 5 pm) with the fee doubled to Rs 2,000.
Is there a correction window after these forms close?
Yes. RMS CET 2026 opens corrections on 27–28 October 2026, and the UP Sainik School form opens corrections on 3–5 November 2026. Only select fields are editable, so the first submission still has to be careful.
What should I do if my fee payment fails on the last day?
Check your bank statement first — many failed payments are actually debited and reconciled automatically. Wait before re-paying to avoid a double debit, save every receipt screenshot, and read our detailed payment-failure guide linked above.
How helpful was this article?
