Under the new policy, students must be at least six but less than seven years old on 1 January of the relevant academic year to qualify for Class 1 admission, in line with the National Education Policy 2010.

The minimum age for admission to Class 1 in the 2027 academic year has been raised to six years from five.

However, children with special needs will be eligible for an age relaxation of up to five years, according to the 2027 admission policy for private schools and school and colleges published by the Ministry of Education’s Secondary and Higher Education Division Tuesday night (10 November).

Under the new policy, students must be at least six but less than seven years old on 1 January of the relevant academic year to qualify for Class 1 admission, in line with the National Education Policy 2010.

For the 2027 academic year, applicants must have been born between 1 January and 31 December 2020. Submission of an attested copy of their online birth registration certificate as proof of age has been made mandatory.

The previous admission policy for the 2025 academic year had set the minimum age for Class 1 admission at five years.

The 2027 policy also makes lotteries mandatory for selecting students for Class 1. Schools must prepare a waiting list containing an equal number of candidates alongside the list of selected students.

If selected candidates fail to complete admission within the stipulated deadline, vacancies will be filled sequentially from the waiting list.

For Classes 2 to 9, students will be selected on merit through written admission tests against vacant seats. Candidates seeking admission to Class 9 must have passed the Class 8 or equivalent examination.

The one-hour admission test for Classes 2 and 3 will carry 50 marks, including 15 marks each for Bangla and English and 20 marks for Mathematics.

For Classes 4 to 9, the test will carry 100 marks, with 30 marks each for Bangla and English and 40 for Mathematics. The exam duration will be two hours.

The ministry has capped online application fees at Tk110 for Class 1 and Tk250 for Classes 2 to 9. Admission fees, including session charges, must be determined in accordance with the ministry’s instructions.