School Admissions in Hyderabad: When to Apply, Documents, Tests and Open Days

Admissions in Hyderabad follow several calendars at once. Sindh's government schools work to a provincial session, private networks set their own timing, and cadet colleges recruit months ahead of a new year. On 3 November 2026 SchoolNama held 120 Hyderabad campus records, and none of them is marked as having admissions open; their notes ask parents to contact the school or campus office for current admissions. SchoolNama's events file holds no Hyderabad open day, and its notices file holds no Hyderabad school notice. Every date below comes instead from a school page or report we opened on 3 November 2026.

When do government schools take admissions? For the 2026-27 session, ProPakistani reported on 28 February 2026 that Sindh's 2026-27 academic year would begin on 1 April 2026, that admissions up to Class 9 would stay open from 1 to 31 March 2026, and that Class 11 admissions would be completed under the Central Admission Policy from 1 June until the last week of July 2026. Business Recorder also reported on 13 February 2026 that the new academic year in Sindh would commence on 1 April 2026. The Express Tribune, however, described 1 August 2026 as the start of the 2026-27 academic year in its 31 July 2026 report on the six-day school week. We found no notification on the School Education and Literacy Department's home page settling the matter, and no 2027 admission schedule for Sindh's government schools, so confirm dates with the school or the district education office.

Which Hyderabad options have a dated window open now? The clearest one we found is a cadet college outside the city that tests in Hyderabad. ProPakistani reported on 27 October 2026 that Cadet College Larkana is taking applications for Classes VII and VIII for the 2027-28 session, with a last date of 26 December 2026 and an entry test on Sunday 10 January 2027. Hyderabad is one of the examination centres it lists, alongside Karachi, Mirpurkhas, Nawabshah, Larkana and others, although the report says a centre may be cancelled or shifted if too few candidates apply. Forms and prospectuses cost Rs 3,000. The City School's admissions page says registrations are open throughout the year, adding that registration does not guarantee admission, and it names Hyderabad among the cities where it offers A Level; its campus directory includes Hyderabad as a city option.

Foundation Public School lists four Hyderabad campuses on its site: the Elementary Extension, the Elementary Section in Latifabad, the Autobahn Campus and the Defence Campus. Its admissions page says applications open in November and asks parents to check the website for an announcement then. It describes admissions as rolling, says most interviews are held in November, December and January with limited seats after that, and says admissions run only from Pre-Nursery to Grade 9. All applications go online, and the campuses do not accept them in person. On 3 November 2026 both its admissions page and its Latifabad campus page still showed an 'admission closed' graphic, so we could not confirm that its 2027-28 window had opened.

Boarding schools set their own timetables. Cadet College Petaro's admissions portal, when we opened it, still showed its 2026 admissions for Class XI and AS, with a last date of Saturday 22 August 2026, a written test on Saturday 29 August 2026 and a non-refundable entry test fee of Rs 4,000. It also linked a 2026 advertisement for Classes VII, VIII and O-I, whose dates were not in the page text, and its menu read 'admission closed'. We found no 2027 notice there. In Karachi, ProPakistani reported on 27 October 2026 that Cadet College Karachi wants applications for Classes VII, VIII, IX and XI for 2027-28 before 30 November 2026, with ages counted as of 30 April 2027; that report did not mention a Hyderabad test centre.

Are tests and interviews common? Yes. Every school whose page described a process used a test, an interview or both. The City School assesses Playgroup and Kindergarten children on reading level, vocabulary, colour and number concepts, confidence, spoken English and motor skills; from Class I it sets a 30-minute test in English, Urdu and Mathematics with a 50 percent pass mark, and it schedules interviews with both parents. Foundation Public School sets no test for Pre-Nursery, tests and interviews Nursery and Kindergarten children on the same day, and for Grades 1 to 9 holds the interview first, with a test later for children it judges a good fit. Its page says the campus visit takes about 30 minutes and that parents are assessed on their conduct too. Cadet College Larkana's test covers English, Mathematics, Urdu or Sindhi, Islamiat, Social Studies, Science and General Knowledge on the Sindh Textbook Board syllabus, ProPakistani reported, while Cadet College Karachi's written test requires at least 60 percent in each subject before a medical test and interview. For preparation, see /news/school-admission-test-preparation, and for tutoring, /tutors.

Ages decide the entry class. Foundation Public School's age table gives each class a 12-month band in years and months: Pre-Nursery from 2 years 5 months to 3 years 4 months, Nursery from 3 years 5 months to 4 years 4 months, Kindergarten from 4 years 5 months to 5 years 4 months, and Grade I from 5 years 5 months to 6 years 4 months. The page does not say on what date age is measured, so ask the school. Cadet College Larkana's applicants must be 11 to 13 for Class VII and 12 to 14 for Class VIII on 30 June 2027, with no relaxation, according to ProPakistani. Our guide /news/class-1-admission-age-pakistan explains how cut-offs work, and /news/best-time-to-apply-school-admission-pakistan covers timing more broadly.

What documents will you need? Most of the pages we read ask for the child's birth certificate or B-Form, photographs and the last school's records. Foundation Public School wants a copy of the birth certificate with the original shown and returned, and says copies issued within the last six months are not accepted, so ask the school exactly what that covers; it also asks for two passport-size photographs, the previous school's progress report where there is one, and a Rs 1,500 application fee paid at the interview. The City School asks for two recent passport-size photographs, an attested photocopy of the birth certificate and, for transfers, the last report card with provisional and character certificates. ProPakistani's report lists four photographs, previous school records and the B-Form or birth certificate for Cadet College Larkana, plus the parent's CNIC, domicile and Permanent Residence Certificate, an undertaking on Rs 100 stamp paper, and attestation by a government officer of Grade 17 or above. Petaro's portal asks for a photograph with a blue background, a paid HBL challan, a school verification certificate and the father's or guardian's domicile showing the candidate's name. Our wider checklist is at /news/school-admission-documents-pakistan.

Scholarship routes have their own deadlines. The Sindh Education Foundation's announcements page listed its SSESP scholarships for Class VIII for the 2026-27 academic year with a last date of 25 February 2026, followed by a date-extension notice dated 26 February 2026 that did not show the new date. That cycle has passed, and we found no notice yet for the next one, so check the foundation's site early in the new year.

Where can parents find open days? We found no dated open day for the 2027-28 intake on any Hyderabad school page we read on 3 November 2026, and SchoolNama's events file holds none for the city. The City School's admissions page links to a tour-booking page, and Foundation Public School's process brings shortlisted families to the campus for an interview. For other schools, ask for a visit directly, ideally before the school's registration closes.

Because seats are limited, apply to more than one school and keep every deadline and test date in one calendar. Build a shortlist on the Hyderabad city page (/hyderabad), compare options with /compare, and see /news/best-schools-in-hyderabad, /news/best-o-level-schools-in-hyderabad, /news/best-matric-schools-in-hyderabad or /news/low-fee-schools-in-hyderabad for a wider view. Families who can consider Karachi will find that city's 2027-28 windows in /news/school-admissions-in-karachi. Then confirm dates with each school directly, since most Hyderabad schools we looked for had not published a 2027-28 deadline.