Last verified: 13 October 2026. This is an explainer, not breaking news: the AISSEE 2027 notification is still not released (EXPECTED Oct–Nov 2026). The fee figures below are CONFIRMED from official school fee notices for 2026-27, opened and read today. They are the best guide to 2027-cycle costs until schools publish fresh notices — fees vary by school and rise every year.
With the AISSEE 2027 application window expected to open this month, parents usually ask one question after “what is the exam date”: what will it actually cost me if my child gets in? The honest answer: a Sainik School seat costs real money — but less than it looks at first, and there are scholarships most families never hear about until it is too late.
Take Sainik School Korukonda (Andhra Pradesh), whose official “New Admissions Fee Structure for the Year 2026-27” is published on the school website. For a General/OBC/Defence-category cadet, the table totals ₹2,06,375, with advance payments for books, horse-riding and the like taking the amount payable to about ₹2,14,000 (SC/ST families pay marginally less: about ₹2,12,500). Tuition alone is ₹1,28,625; the rest is diet charges (₹44,250 — computed at ₹150 × 295 days), clothing and washing (₹26,000), pocket money (₹3,000), incidental charges and a security deposit.
Two independent data points confirm the range. Sainik School Kapurthala (Punjab) lists an annual fee of about ₹1,82,143 — tuition ₹1,16,922, diet ₹41,300, clothing, pocket money, horse-riding ₹5,400 and incidental charges. The New Sainik School at Amritsar (a PPP-model school) publishes a 2025-26 structure totalling ₹2,00,000: a one-time ₹10,000 admission charge, ₹80,000 annual dues and tuition, ₹50,000 hostel, ₹45,000 diet, ₹15,000 kitting, ₹5,000 pocket money and a ₹5,000 refundable caution deposit, paid in two instalments.
Across schools, third-party compilations put the 2025-26 range from about ₹1,16,924 (Amaravathinagar) to ₹2,26,881 (Imphal). The takeaway: budget ₹2 lakh a year for a mid-tier estimate, then adjust once your allotted school publishes its notice.
Korukonda’s notice carries a line worth reading twice: “There will be 10% hike on Tuition Fee every year as per direction of Sainik Schools Society.” So do not budget six years of Class 6 at the admission-year figure. A ₹1,28,625 tuition becomes roughly ₹1,41,500 in year two and ₹1,55,700 in year three, compounding. Ask the school office for the projected six-year schedule at the time of admission — it is a reasonable question, and schools are used to it.
1. Ministry of Defence defence scholarships. The MoD pays a full scholarship of ₹32,000 a year to children of NCOs and Other Ranks, and a half scholarship of ₹16,000 to children of JCOs. This is published in the Sainik Schools’ own scholarship pages (Imphal’s, for instance), alongside an MoD “sharing of burden” contribution of roughly ₹11,000–12,000 a year toward enhanced fees and diet charges for each cadet.
2. State government scholarships. Many states run their own schemes on top. Manipur’s page shows the pattern: merit scholarships covering 50–100% of tuition and diet charges, scaled to marks in the annual exam or the AISSEE itself, with relaxed thresholds for SC/ST/OBC cadets.
3. SC/ST concessions. Beyond the defence scholarships, SC/ST candidates pay reduced security deposits and the AISSEE application fee is lower (₹700 vs ₹850, expected for 2027). Some schools also list fee concessions specifically for SC/ST cadets.
The catch: scholarships are not automatic. Admission offices expect families to apply through the school or state portal with income, category and service documents after admission. Put it on your to-do list the week your child joins.
First, the application fee is not the school fee. Paying ₹850 to fill the AISSEE 2027 form only buys your child the entrance exam on 31 January 2027 (CONFIRMED tentative, NTA calendar). The annual fee is paid later, in instalments, after e-counselling allots a seat.
What is the annual fee of a Sainik School for 2027 admission? Roughly ₹1.8–2.1 lakh a year at most established schools, per official 2026-27 notices. Expect the 2027-cycle figures to be confirmed after the NTA bulletin releases.
Do Sainik School fees go up every year? Yes — tuition rises 10% annually under the Sainik Schools Society’s standing direction. Budget for the rise, not just year one.
Are there scholarships or fee concessions? Yes: MoD defence scholarships (₹32,000 full for NCO/Other-Rank wards, ₹16,000 half for JCO wards), MoD fee-burden sharing of about ₹11,000–12,000 a year per cadet, state merit/income scholarships, and SC/ST concessions. Apply after admission; they are not automatic.
Is the AISSEE application fee the same as the school fee? No. The ₹850/₹700 application fee (expected for 2027) only covers the entrance exam. The school fee of about ₹2 lakh a year is paid in instalments after your child secures a seat.
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