Students in India now pay Rs 1,600 for the standard five-subject package, up from Rs 1,500
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has raised fees for class 10 and 12 board exams starting with the 2025-26 session, the first increase since 2020. The board green-lit the change in June, and it will hit students sitting for the February 2026 tests.
The extra payment will cover rising costs on paperwork, digital answer sheet grading, shipping materials to far-off centers, and upgrading online systems. The new fees structure will be applicable for the 2025-26 school year and will apply to everyone taking 2026 board exams.
Students in India now pay Rs 1,600 for the standard five-subject package, up from Rs 1,500. If they want to add more subjects, then they need to pay Rs 320 each, instead of Rs 300. Practical exam fees has jumped to Rs 160 per subject from Rs 150.
Theory papers rose Rs 20 each, while class 12 hands-on tests went up Rs 10.
For students studying abroad at CBSE-affiliated schools, the fee hike is steeper, Rs 11,000 for five subjects, up from Rs 10,000. Extra subjects cost Rs 2,200 a piece, versus Rs 2,000 before.
Their practicals now run Rs 375, up from Rs 350.The overall hike lands between 7 and 10 percent across the board. The CBSE notice doesn’t spell out payment methods or deadlines, so parents and schools should check cbse.gov.in for updates.
CBSE will conduct the 10th, 12th board exams 2026 from February 17, 2026 in pen and paper format. The exams will conclude on April 9, 2026.
The board released the CBSE syllabus and exam pattern 2026 on the official website. Students must finish with their syllabus by January 2026 and start practising the CBSE sample papers and previous years question papers for better preparation of the exams.
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Abhay Anand is an experienced education journalist with over 15 years in print and digital media. Currently serving as Manager- Editorial at Shiksha.com, he specializes in higher education policy, student mobility,
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No, CBSE released the CBSE Class 12 date sheet for all subjects together. However, to make the exam dates simpler to find and use, Shiksha.com divides and shares the CBSE 12th date sheet according to three streams - Science, Commerce and Arts.
Students can click on CBSE 12th Date Sheet to check stream-wise date sheet for CBSE 12th board exams.