Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A total of 1.62 lakh students have applied for admission under the Right to Education (RTE) Act in state for the academic session 2025–26, against 94,000 available seats. The number of applications is 174% higher than the seats reserved under the Act. Of the total applications, 1.11 lakh have been verified, while verification of the remaining 51,000 is still underway.
According to official data, Burhanpur district has recorded the highest demand with 3,655 applications for just 672 seats, which is 544% of its capacity. In Barwani, 3,529 students have applied for 1,253 seats (282%). However, Sheopur and Niwari are the only districts where the number of applicants is lower than available seats—Niwari received 142 applications for 163 seats, and Sheopur got 438 applications for 508 seats.
In terms of seat availability, Indore leads with 6,825 seats, receiving 11,994 applications. Bhopal has 6,124 seats and has seen 14,038 applications, or 229% of capacity. Gwalior has the third-highest number of seats at 3,995, followed by Jabalpur with 3,886.
The online application process began on May 7 and will continue until May 21. Document verification will be completed by May 23. In districts where applications exceed the number of seats, an online randomised lottery will be held on May 29, and selected students will be informed via SMS. Admissions must be completed between June 2 and June 10, for entry-level classes including Nursery, KG-1, KG-2, and Class 1.
More takers, less seats
Total seats available: 94,000
Total applications received: 1.62 lakh
Most oversubscribed district: Burhanpur (544%)
Lowest demand: Sheopur and Niwari
Lottery & admission dates: Lottery on May 29, admissions from June 2–10
