CBSE opens List of Candidates window for Class X and XII main exams 2026-27 from 24 September

NEW DELHI: CBSE-affiliated schools have entered the List of Candidates season for the 2026-27 main board examinations. Circular CBSE/LOC/X-XII/2026-2027/ dated 17 September, hosted on the Board website, tells Principals that submission of LOC for Classes X and XII is the central pre-exam activity and splits the work into preparatory checks, eligibility rules and portal steps.

Annexure-A of the same circular opens the normal-fee window from 24 September 2026 (Thursday) to 21 October 2026 (Wednesday) for finalisation of LOC data with digital payment. A late-fee slab of Rs 2,000 per candidate, over and above the normal fee, runs from 22 October to 30 October 2026. For schools paying by challan, the normal window closes earlier, on 17 October, with late fee challan generation allowed till 26 October as printed in Annexure-A (ii).

Fees schools must budget for

For five subjects, the circular lists Rs 1,600 per candidate for schools in India, Rs 5,500 for Nepal, and Rs 11,000 for other countries, with additional per-subject rates if a student offers more than five subjects. Class XII practical fees are listed separately at Rs 160 per practical subject in India, Rs 175 in Nepal and Rs 375 in other countries. Visually impaired candidates are exempted from examination fees for Classes X and XII. Hard-copy migration certificates will not be issued as a compulsory practice; a soft copy will be available after Class XII results, with online applications if a hard copy is needed later.

Process safeguards before finalisation

Schools must first update OASIS and Health and Physical Education portal data, then move to LOC. Affiliation number remains the login identity. CWSN data has an earlier closing date than LOC, so disability records should be uploaded before the CWSN cut-off, not after LOC is frozen. Photographs for newly added candidates should be recent, high contrast, and stored with the registration number as the file name. After the last date, schools will generate a data verification slip for each candidate to catch name, date of birth or subject errors.

Principals are told to take a daily status report from the teacher handling LOC for seven days before the last date. Excuses such as a clerk leaving station or a student staying away will not be accepted if data is wrong or missing. Subject codes need special care for Hindi A/B, Urdu A/B, Mathematics Standard/Basic in Class X, and for core versus elective language and Mathematics versus Applied Mathematics in Class XII. Once LOC is finalised, subject-change requests close to the exam will not be entertained.

Schools should open the Registration/LOC link through the CBSE site or Pariksha Sangam, finalise within the normal window that began on 24 September, and keep fee reference numbers safe. Partial submission inside a fee slab is not allowed; each slab should go up in one lot. The online submission clock stops at 11:59 midnight on the designated last dates, and the circular says no extension will be given on those dates.

Regional Offices will watch corrections and additions closely, so schools should sponsor only bonafide Class IX/XI registered students in the X/XII LOC.