Over 2 lakh students apply for Punjab Schools of Eminence, residential schools admissions

Chandigarh: Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains on Friday said the state government's 'Sikhya Kranti' (education revolution) initiatives are yielding positive results, citing a high volume of admission applications for Schools of Eminence and Residential Schools for meritorious students.

"Over two lakh students have registered for admissions to Classes 9 and 11, competing for nearly 20,000 available seats. The response shows growing confidence among parents and students in government school system," Bains said in a statement.

According to the minister, Punjab at present has 118 Schools of Eminence and 10 Residential Schools for meritorious students. Admissions are currently being processed for the 2026-27 academic session.

For Class 9, there are 4,248 seats available in Schools of Eminence, calculated at 36 seats per school. Residential Schools for meritorious students offer 50 seats for Class 9 through one currently operational institution. For Class 11, Schools of Eminence have 11,187 seats available for new applicants. While the total sanctioned intake is 15,104, 3,917 students currently in Class 10 at these institutions will be promoted internally.

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In addition, 4,600 seats are available in Residential Schools for Class 11 admissions." So far, 93,300 students have registered for Class 9 admissions, out of which 74,855 applications have been submitted. Similarly, for Class 11, 1,10,716 students have registered and 92,624 applications have been submitted. 36,537 students across both grades are yet to complete their final submissions, the minister said. Bains urged applicants to finish the process before the deadline.

The last date for submitting applications is January 25, 2026. The entrance examination will be conducted on March 1, 2026. Details regarding admit cards and examination centres will be released through official channels later.