RTE Admissions 2025 to begin from today, confirms Tamil Nadu government—check schedule and other details
The Tamil Nadu government has announced that the admission process for the 2025–26 academic year under the Right to Education (RTE) Act will be held from October 6 to October 17 this year. This announcement follows the release of essential funds by the Union government, which has brought an end to the uncertainty that had previously delayed the start of the admission process.
The decision was made following the release of funds under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme, after the Tamil Nadu government declined to implement the three-language policy in PM SHRI schools, which had led to the withholding of ₹2,151 crore.
The scheme also includes reimbursement for RTE admissions for the 2024–25 academic year in private schools. Around 6,000 private schools are expected to upload details of the seats filled in their entry-level classes, after which 25% of those seats will be reserved under the RTE quota.
The Tamil Nadu school education department mentioned, “The Government of Tamil Nadu announces the commencement of admissions under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 (RTE Act) for the academic year 2025-26.”
“This follows the release of the State’s share of RTE reimbursement funds by the Government of India… A special 10-day online admission window is scheduled to regularise eligible children already admitted under the RTE quota,” it added.
According to B Chandra Mohan, School Education Secretary, “The govt of India has now released the funds, thereby enabling the commencement of RTE admission for 2025-26 across TN.”
Children belonging to specific vulnerable groups will be given priority for admission. These groups include orphans, children affected or infected by HIV, transgender children, children of scavengers, and children with disabilities. In cases where the number of applications exceeds the available quota, a fair and transparent random selection process will be carried out to determine admissions.
Tamil Nadu RTE Admissions Schedule
RTE 25% admission process for the academic year 2025–26 begins on 06.10.2025 (Day 1) with the issuance of the admission notification. On 07.10.2025 (Day 2), schools are required to upload the total number of seats filled in the entry-level class as of 30.09.2025. The next day, 08.10.2025 (Day 3), 25% of the seats reserved under RTE will be identified and made visible through the school login portal. On 09.10.2025 (Day 4), details of all eligible children—including Aadhaar number, date of birth, address, income/community certificates, and the Parent Declaration as per G.O. No. 66 dated 07.04.2017—must be uploaded.
On 10.10.2025 and 13.10.2025 (Days 5 and 6), schools will display the list of eligible and ineligible applicants on their notice boards, with reasons for any rejections clearly mentioned. Parents will have the opportunity to submit any missing documents during this time. The final list of eligible children will be published on 14.10.2025 (Day 7). If less than 25% of the seats are filled, eligible children will be tagged under the RTE quota in the EMIS Portal on 15.10.2025 (Day 8).
In cases where applications exceed the 25% quota, a random selection process will be conducted on 16.10.2025 (Day 9) after granting admissions to children under priority categories. The names of selected children will be displayed immediately after the selection. Finally, on 17.10.2025 (Day 10), the selected children will be tagged in the EMIS Portal.
