Campus Talk | BMC announces admission schedule for its popular CBSE, ICSE, IGCSE, and IB schools

The BMC entered the non-state board education space in 2020 by starting its first CBSE division at Mumbai Public School in Poonam Nagar, Jogeshwari East.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has announced that the admission process for its non-state-board schools—those affiliated with the CBSE, ICSE, IGCSE, and IB – for the upcoming academic year (2026-27) will begin from January 1, 2026. These schools run by the civic body have gained significant popularity among parents in Mumbai, especially those belonging to the economically weaker sections of society.

There are 22 BMC-run schools affiliated with central and international boards—19 under the Central Board of Secondary Education, and one each under the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education, International Baccalaureate, and the International General Certificate of Secondary Education. There are 2,262 seats available for admission in these schools from the nursery to Class 1.

Civic officials say these schools have been receiving an overwhelming response from parents because they offer popular curricula without charging any fees, while private schools that offer these curricula are expensive.

The popularity of these schools has prompted the BMC to formalise and streamline the admission process, which starts early, along with private schools, unlike the admission cycle for state-board schools, which runs in May and June.

As per information provided by the BMC’s education department, the admission processes will be completely online. This year, the admission process will be held between January 1 to January 20, 2026. For applications, parents have to visit http://www.mcgm.gov.in/irj/portal/anonymous/qlSchool , where all details will be made available.

Owing to the high number of applications received each year, admissions are given through a lottery system to ensure transparency and fairness. The same process will be followed this year too.

The admission manual released by the BMC states that as per the respective board’s guidelines, there can be a maximum of 34 students in a class in the CBSE and ICSE schools, whereas in IGCSE and IB schools, one class should not have more than 26 students.

“In order to adhere to these guidelines, seats are allotted through a lottery process,” said an official, adding that names of the schools and the number of seats available would be uploaded on the portal.