Admission Deadlines 2026: Doon, Mayo, Rishi Valley, DAIS, and Pathways

Mitcheljhonny

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Jul 1, 2026

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If you’re a parent tracking admission timelines for India’s top boarding and day-cum-boarding schools, the next few months matter more than any other stretch of the year. The Doon School, Mayo College, Rishi Valley School, Dhirubhai Ambani International School (DAIS), and Pathways World School each run on their own admission calendar — and missing a single deadline can mean waiting a full year for the next cycle. This guide lays out every confirmed date directly from official school sources, cross-checked in the last week of June 2026, so you’re working with facts and not forwarded WhatsApp messages.

Quick Comparison: 2026 Admission Timelines at a Glance

SchoolClasses OpenRegistration DeadlineTest DateCurriculumThe Doon SchoolVII & VIII only10 July 20269 August 2026ICSE / ISC / IBMayo College, AjmerIV–IX & XI30 September (annually)October (Aptitude Analysis)CBSE / CambridgeRishi Valley School4, 6, 7 (limited seats: 5, 8, 9)~30 November (pattern-based, confirm with school)Feb–AprilICSE / ISC (CISCE)DAIS, MumbaiVIII (IGCSE) & XI (IBDP) entry pointsNot yet published for next cycle~October (pattern-based)IGCSE / IBDPPathways World School, GurgaonRolling, Playgroup–XIINo fixed deadline — rolling admissionsOngoing, subject to seatsIB / Cambridge

1. The Doon School, Dehradun — Registration Closes 10 July 2026

Of all five schools, The Doon School has the tightest and most closely watched window this year. According to the school’s official admissions page, boys applying for entry into Class VII (D Form) or Class VIII (C Form) — the only two entry points Doon offers — must complete registration by 10 July 2026. The Common Entrance Examination itself is scheduled for 9 August 2026, conducted simultaneously at multiple centres across India as well as abroad.

A few things worth flagging for parents:

• The registration fee is non-refundable and rises on a sliding scale as the deadline approaches, so early registration genuinely saves money, not just stress.
• Doon does not admit into any class after Class VIII — there is no lateral entry route, which is a common misconception among parents coming from other CBSE schools.
• Hindi is no longer part of the entrance test; the paper covers English, Mathematics, Science, and Reasoning.
• Shortlisted candidates are called for a personal interview after the written exam, with final decisions typically communicated in the following months.

Full details on the notification, form download, and stage-wise process are covered in our dedicated Doon School entrance exam notification guide, which we update as soon as the school issues any revision. If your child is already deep into preparation, our Doon School entrance exam sample papers mirror the actual test pattern across English, Maths, Science, and Reasoning, so students walk in familiar with the format rather than guessing on exam day.

It also helps to remind your child why this particular deadline is worth chasing. Doon’s list of famous alumni — spanning politics, business, literature, and sport — is often the single most motivating conversation you can have with a 12-year-old staring down a tough exam.

2. Mayo College, Ajmer — Applications Close 30 September

Mayo College’s admission process runs on a fixed annual rhythm, confirmed directly on the school’s official site. The Common Aptitude Analysis — the entrance test for admission into Classes IV through IX — is held every October, and the last date to apply is 30 September of the same year. The test is entirely offline (pen-and-paper), conducted at multiple centres in India with provision for overseas candidates through Indian embassies.

Key process notes from the official admissions page:

• The test evaluates English and Mathematics, calibrated to the specific class of admission.
• Registration requires a ₹25,000 fee plus ₹1,000 for the prospectus and sample paper, after which materials are couriered within 10 working days.
• Shortlisted candidates and parents are called for an interaction with the Education Committee in November, December, or January.
• Class XI admissions follow a separate track, considered only after CBSE Class X board results are declared, with a minimum 90% eligibility threshold.
• The new academic session begins in the first week of April.

Because the aptitude test leans heavily on comprehension, grammar application, and word-problem mathematics rather than rote recall, families typically need 8–12 months of structured lead time. Our Mayo College Ajmer admission guide breaks the syllabus down phase-by-phase — foundation building, skill enhancement, and final revision — so preparation doesn’t collapse into last-minute cramming in September.

3. Rishi Valley School, Chittoor — Deadline Pattern Points to Late November

Rishi Valley’s official admissions page confirms that for the 2026–27 academic year, hard-copy applications closed on 30 November 2025 — a cycle that has already concluded by the time of this update. The school follows this same annual pattern for every intake, which means families targeting the 2027–28 session should expect the application window to close around late November 2026, though the school has not yet published the exact date on its official site as of this writing. We’d recommend confirming directly with the admissions office (admissions@rishivalley.org) before finalising any preparation timeline.

What we do know for certain from the official process:

• New students are accepted primarily into Classes 4, 6, and 7, with a limited number of seats in Classes 5, 8, and 9.
• Application forms, once submitted with the ₹1,000 fee, are reviewed by a selection committee in early January (early February for Class 11).
• Shortlisted candidates sit for written tests in English and Mathematics, plus an interview, between February and April.
• The academic year at Rishi Valley begins around mid-June, split into two four-month terms.

Rishi Valley’s admission process is unusual among elite boarding schools because character and philosophical fit — rooted in J. Krishnamurti’s educational vision — carry real weight alongside academics. Our Rishi Valley School admission guide covers what the interview panel typically probes for, beyond just exam scores, which matters just as much as maths preparation here.

4. Dhirubhai Ambani International School, Mumbai — Next Cycle Dates Awaited

DAIS runs one of the more structured, multi-stage admission processes among the five schools, but it’s also the one where the next cycle’s exact dates aren’t public yet. Confirmed directly from the school’s official admissions page: the Class VIII (IGCSE) Aptitude Test for the 2026–27 academic year was held on 11 October 2025, while the two-stage Class XI (IBDP) admission test ran on 4 October 2025 (Stage I) and 8 November 2025 (Stage II), with final interactions in the first week of December 2025. Students admitted through this cycle join campus when the new academic year begins on 10 August 2026. That means the application and testing window for this cycle has already closed.

Based on this consistent yearly pattern, families should expect DAIS to open registrations for the 2027–28 cycle sometime around August–September 2026, with the aptitude test likely falling in October 2026 — but treat this as an informed estimate, not a confirmed date, until the school publishes its updated admissions brochure. A few structural facts that don’t change year to year:

• DAIS only accepts new students at two entry points beyond the primary years: Class VIII (IGCSE) and Class XI (IBDP).
• Class VIII eligibility requires successful completion of Class VII from a recognised school.
• Class XI (IBDP) admission involves a two-stage written test — a multiple-choice Stage I in Logical Reasoning, Mathematics, and English, followed by a descriptive Stage II covering English, Mathematics, and an elective (Social Studies or Science).
• The registration charge is a non-refundable ₹8,000, payable online at the time of application.

Given the two-stage IBDP test format especially, DAIS aspirants benefit from starting well before the school even opens the portal. Our DAIS Mumbai admission guide maps out both the IGCSE and IBDP entry routes in detail, including what the school’s personal statement prompt is actually looking for.

5. Pathways World School, Gurgaon — No Fixed Deadline, Rolling Admissions

Pathways is the outlier on this list, and in a good way for parents managing a tight school-shortlisting calendar. The school’s official admissions page states plainly that Pathways offers admission throughout the year, subject to seat availability in the relevant grade — there is no fixed application closing date the way there is for Doon or Mayo.

The process itself still has structure, even without a hard deadline:

• Enquiries are followed by a school tour, which can be conducted online for out-of-city or overseas families.
• Primary-grade applicants are assessed informally by the primary head through simple activities.
• Grades 6 to 9 candidates go through a written test in English and Mathematics plus an interaction; Grade 9 additionally includes Integrated Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology).
• A one-time, non-refundable registration fee is payable once a family decides to proceed past the school tour.

Rolling admissions sound like less pressure, and in one sense they are — but popular grade levels and boarding slots do fill up mid-year, so “no deadline” shouldn’t translate into “no urgency.” Our Pathways World School Gurgaon admission guide covers how seat availability actually plays out grade-by-grade, and what the written test looks like for the 6–9 age band.

Why These Deadlines Are Worth Taking Seriously

Every one of these five schools admits at very specific entry points — Doon closes its doors after Class VIII, DAIS only opens at Class VIII and XI, Rishi Valley favours Classes 4, 6, and 7. Miss the window for your child’s eligible entry class, and in most cases the next opportunity is a full year away, sometimes longer if the school reduces intake at a particular grade the following cycle. That’s the real cost of a missed deadline — not just a delayed application, but potentially a closed door.

Preparing With the Deadline in Mind

Across Doon, Mayo, Rishi Valley, DAIS, and Pathways, one pattern repeats: the schools that publish fixed deadlines (Doon’s 10 July, Mayo’s 30 September) also run the most competitive, syllabus-heavy entrance tests, while Rishi Valley and DAIS weight the interview and personal statement more heavily even within a structured test format. Families who start preparation 6–8 months ahead of the relevant deadline consistently report a calmer, more paced run-up compared to those who begin once the notification is already out.

This is exactly the gap TrueMaths was built to close for Dehradun-based and pan-India families targeting these schools. We run structured, entrance-exam-specific coaching — weekly pattern-based mocks, interview and personality prep aligned to each school’s actual panel expectations, and parent-visible progress tracking — rather than generic tuition repackaged as “boarding school prep.” If your child is on the clock for Doon’s August exam or gearing up for Mayo’s October Aptitude Analysis, it’s worth having a conversation with us early enough that the deadline works in your favour, not against it.

All dates in this article were cross-checked directly against the official websites of The Doon School (doonschool.com), Mayo College (mayocollege.com), Rishi Valley School (rishivalley.org), DAIS (dais.edu.in), and Pathways World School (pws.edu.in) as of late June 2026. Schools reserve the right to revise these dates at their discretion — always confirm with the admissions office before finalising travel or exam-day plans.