Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS), an autonomous organisation under the Union Ministry of Education, has invited online applications for admission to Class IX in Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas for the 2027–28 academic year.

Admission will be offered through the Class IX Lateral Entry Selection Test against vacant seats expected to be available in individual Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas. The online application process is free, and eligible students must complete registration by September 30, 2026.

The selection test is scheduled for Saturday, April 10, 2027.

Important Dates
Event Date
Last date for online registration September 30, 2026
Application correction window Two days after the registration deadline, for selected fields only
Admit-card availability Date to be announced; preferably around one month before the examination
Class IX selection test April 10, 2027
Result announcement To be notified later
Who Can Apply?

A candidate must satisfy all the following eligibility conditions:

The applicant must be an Indian national studying in India.
The applicant must be studying in Class VIII during the 2026–27 academic year.
Class VIII must be studied in a government or government-recognised school.
The candidate must be a bona fide resident of the district in which admission is sought.
The district of residence, district of Class VIII study and district of the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya must be the same.
The candidate’s date of birth must fall between May 1, 2012 and July 31, 2014, with both dates included.
The same age requirement applies to General, OBC, SC, ST and Divyang candidates.
Final admission is subject to the candidate passing Class VIII during the 2026–27 session.

Students who passed Class VIII in an earlier academic session are not eligible. A candidate who appeared for the Class IX lateral-entry selection test in the previous academic session is also ineligible.

Kerala Vacancy Details

The prospectus lists 14 functioning Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas in Kerala. However, Class IX lateral-entry admission is conducted only against available vacancies.

For 2027–28, the official tentative vacancy list contains four seats across three Kerala districts:

District Vacancy category Tentative seats
Kollam Rural OBC 1
Pathanamthitta Rural UR 1
Wayanad Rural OBC 2
Total
4

These vacancies are tentative and may increase or decrease. Selection does not automatically guarantee admission, as admission remains subject to the availability of the relevant seat and verification of eligibility documents.

OBC applicants must belong to a community included in the Central OBC List. Candidates whose communities are not included in the Central List should apply under the General category.

Examination Pattern

The test will contain 100 objective-type questions carrying 100 marks. Questions will be based on the Class VIII syllabus.

Subject Questions Marks
English 15 15
Hindi 15 15
Mathematics 35 35
General Science 35 35
Total 100 100

The examination duration will be two hours and 30 minutes without a break. Eligible Divyang candidates will receive an additional 50 minutes after producing the required certificate.

Candidates must answer on an OMR sheet using a blue or black ballpoint pen. One mark will be awarded for every correct response, and there is no negative marking.

The question paper will be available in English and Hindi. The language selected while applying cannot be changed later.

Candidates must obtain the minimum qualifying marks prescribed by NVS in all four subjects. The merit list will be prepared using the marks obtained in Mathematics, General Science and the higher score from either English or Hindi.

Examination Centre

The selection test will normally be held at the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in the candidate’s district. NVS may also allot another examination centre when necessary.

How to Apply
Visit the official NVS Class IX registration portal.
Open the Class IX Lateral Entry Admission 2027–28 registration link.
Read the prospectus and confirm eligibility.
Enter the candidate’s personal, residential and school details.
Provide details including the state, district, Aadhaar number, Class VIII school information, address and APAAR ID/PEN, wherever applicable.
Upload the candidate’s photograph, candidate’s signature and parent’s signature.
Verify every entry carefully before submitting the form.
Download or print the completed registration form for future reference.

Applications can be submitted using a desktop computer, laptop, tablet or mobile phone. Help desks are also available at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas to assist parents and candidates with registration free of cost.

Files Required During Registration

The following files must be prepared in JPG or JPEG format, with each file measuring between 10 KB and 100 KB:

Recent photograph of the candidate
Candidate’s signature
Parent’s signature

Candidates and parents must ensure that the residence, school, category, gender and other information entered in the application is correct. Only selected fields can be changed during the two-day correction window.

Documents Required After Selection

Provisionally selected candidates will have to produce the following documents for verification:

Government-issued birth certificate
Valid proof of residence from the district concerned
Proof that the candidate studied Class VIII in an eligible school
Aadhaar card copy
Rural-area certificate, if claiming the rural quota
SC, ST or Central-list OBC certificate, wherever applicable
Divyang or UDID certificate, wherever applicable
Other eligibility documents prescribed by NVS

Parents should obtain a Transfer Certificate from the current school only after document verification and confirmation of admission by the respective JNV.

Education and School Charges

Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas are co-educational residential schools affiliated with CBSE. Education, boarding and lodging, uniforms, textbooks and stationery are provided free of cost.

Students in Classes IX to XII are generally required to pay ₹600 per month towards Vidyalaya Vikas Nidhi. SC, ST and Divyang students, all girl students and students from below-poverty-line families are exempt.

Different VVN provisions apply to eligible wards of government employees as specified in the prospectus.

Selection and Results

Results will be published through the NVS application portal, the notice board of the respective Vidyalaya and the concerned JNV website. Selected candidates may also be informed through registered or speed post.

Provisional selection does not create an automatic right to admission. Admission will be confirmed only after verification of age, residence, school, category and other eligibility documents.

There is no provision for re-evaluation or re-totaling of answer sheets, and individual marks will not be communicated.

Official Links

Application portal:
https://cbseitms.nic.in/2026/nvsix_9/

Official prospectus:
https://cbseitms.nic.in/2026/nvsix_9/assets/pdf/FINAL_CLASS_IX_PROSPECTUS_2027.pdf

Previous-year question paper:
https://cbseitms.nic.in/2026/nvsix_9/assets/pdf/Previous_Year_Question_Paper.pdf

Candidates and parents should read the complete official prospectus before submitting the application.

Visit Official Website