Nursery and RTE admission in Noida and Ghaziabad 2027–28

Where things stand

As in Gurgaon, there are no common dates for private schools in Noida, Greater Noida or Ghaziabad. Every school runs its own admissions, and the big ones now start very early. DPS Noida, DPS Greater Noida and DPS Indirapuram already have their 2027–28 notices up. Shiv Nadar School Noida had its 2027–28 Foundation Year list out by August 2026. If you are still waiting for winter, look at your shortlist’s websites now.

The free RTE seats run on a state schedule. Nothing for 2027–28 is out yet. Last year forms opened on 2 February 2026, but in the two years before that they opened on 1 December. So watch from December.

Private schools: ages

Each school sets its own age table, and even the cut-off date differs. For 2027–28:

A child who just misses one school’s cut-off may fit another’s. UP’s order of April 2024 puts the minimum age for Class 1 at 6 on 1 April. Reports say it covers state-board schools. Whether it binds CBSE and ICSE private schools isn’t clear, so follow the school’s own table.

Private schools: how it usually goes

• Register on the school’s own website and pay a registration fee that isn’t refunded. Last year that was Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,500 at the schools we checked.
• Then comes an interaction with the child and parents. Some schools hold a written test from UKG or Class 1.
• Schools give preference by their own rules: living nearby, siblings, alumni, staff children. Some use a draw of lots.
• Last year’s windows ranged widely. DAV Sahibabad opened forms on 22 September 2025, and DPS Noida took forms from 20 to 31 December 2025.

Typical papers: a municipal birth certificate with the child’s name, address proof (electricity bill, Aadhaar or rent agreement), Aadhaar for the child and parents, photos, and sibling or alumni proof.

Private schools: the rules on fees

From the UP Self-Financed Independent Schools (Fee Regulation) Act, 2018. It covers schools charging more than Rs 20,000 a year, but not stand-alone pre-primary schools.

• An admission fee is charged only once, at first admission.
• Caution money is capped at half the year’s composite fee, refundable with interest within 30 days of the TC.
• Rises for children already in the school are capped at the latest consumer price index rise plus 5%. For 2026–27 Gautam Buddh Nagar set this at 7.23%.
• Schools must put up their fee statement 60 days before the session, give a receipt for every payment, and not force parents to buy books or uniform from one shop. Uniforms can’t change within five years.
• Complaints go to the District Fee Regulatory Committee, chaired by the DM. In August 2026 it fined seven Noida schools Rs 1 lakh each.

Free seats under RTE

• Who: children from weaker sections and disadvantaged groups: SC, ST, backward classes, orphans, destitute children, children of parents with HIV or cancer, and children with disabilities or from families with disabilities.
• Income: most reports give Rs 1 lakh a year. One gives Rs 2 lakh. Check the order when it comes out.
• Which schools: any recognised private school in your own ward or gram panchayat.
• Ages for 2026–27, counted on 1 April: nursery 3 to 4, LKG 4 to 5, UKG 5 to 6, Class 1 6 to 7.
• Applying: online on the RTE portal. Upload documents, then Lock and Final Print. Block and district officers check each form, and only checked forms go into the lottery.
• Papers: one parent’s Aadhaar (the child’s Aadhaar was dropped for 2026–27), a bank account linked to that Aadhaar, the child’s birth certificate, income and residence certificates, ration card, and caste or disability certificates where they apply.
• Money: no fee for the child. The state pays the school and gives parents Rs 5,000 a year for books and uniform.
• If a school refuses: the Supreme Court said on 28 April 2026 that a school must admit a child the state has allotted, and raise any doubts afterwards. Complain at the district Basic Shiksha Adhikari’s office. Gautam Buddh Nagar set up an RTE help desk there in 2026.

In 2026–27 Gautam Buddh Nagar had about 12,000 RTE seats in 1,264 schools, down from 16,516 the year before. Across UP, 4.45 lakh children applied and 1.96 lakh got seats over three rounds.

RTE: last year’s dates

These come from news reports that agree with each other. We couldn’t open the official portal or order from here.

Official links

• UP RTE portal, for forms and lottery results
• DPS Noida, 2027–28 notice
• DPS Indirapuram, 2027–28 guidelines
• DPS Greater Noida, online admissions