UP Board raises privatecandidate registrationcap to 1,200 per school

According to the updated policy, schools designated as forwarding (registration) centres for private candidates can now register a maximum of 1,200 private candidates -- 500 for High School and 700 for Intermediate, state secondary education department officials confirmed.

The Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad (UP Board) has revised its registration norms for private candidates appearing for the 2026 High School (Class 10) and Intermediate (Class 12) examinations.

The UP Board headquarters in Prayagraj. (HT File)

According to the updated policy, schools designated as forwarding (registration) centres for private candidates can now register a maximum of 1,200 private candidates -- 500 for High School and 700 for Intermediate, state secondary education department officials confirmed.

The revised guidelines, issued on July 29 by Krishna Kumar Gupta, the special secretary (secondary education), allow for an increase in this limit under exceptional circumstances. With the recommendation of the district inspectors of schools (DIOS) concerned and approval from the joint director of education at the divisional level, the cap can be raised to 650 for Class 10 and 850 for Class 12, UP Board secretary Bhagwati Singh confirmed.

Earlier, the cap was 1,000 students per centre -- 400 for Class 10 and 600 for Class 12. In special cases, with prior approval from the UP Board headquarters, the cap could be extended to 600 for Class 10 and 800 for Class 12.

Under the new system, the authority to increase the number of registrations rests with the divisional joint director of education, eliminating the need for direct approval from the Board headquarters. Additionally, the DIOS offices will collect individual application forms from forwarding authorities (school principals) and submit them to the respective regional UP Board offices.

These records will now be preserved for six years, up from the earlier three-year retention period, said officials.

UP Board’s regional offices have also been directed to maintain records of all application forms for six years, aligning with the updated provisions outlined in the July 29 circular, they added.