The Doon School, Dehradun: boys-only boarding school for Classes VII to XII. Fees 2026-27, admission process, exam pattern, academics, campus, alumni and FAQs.

Introduction

• Doon admits boys into Class VII and VIII only, through a written test, a group discussion and an interview.
• The 2026-27 test was held on 9 August 2026. The 2027-28 dates are yet to be announced.
• Fees for 2026-27 start at ₹14,54,000 a year, plus a one-time admission fee of ₹5,00,000.
• About 20% of students receive means-tested bursaries.

The Doon School is one of India’s best-known boys’ boarding schools. This page covers its history, campus, academics, facilities, fees, admission process, exam pattern and alumni, so parents can find everything about Doon in one place. Details on fees and dates change every year, so we date-stamp them and ask you to confirm with the school’s Admissions Office.

The Doon School

The Doon School was established in 1935 by barrister S.R. Das. The school’s stated mission is to attract and develop exceptional boys from all backgrounds to serve a meritocratic India.

It is a six-year course with about 605 students and 80 faculty. Every boy belongs to a house for his whole time at the school, and sons of Old Boys are placed in their fathers’ house.

Memberships listed by the school:

• Indian Public Schools’ Conference
• Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (UK)
• International Boys’ Schools Coalition
• Boarding Schools’ Association (UK)
• Round Square Association
• AFS-India
• International Association for College Admission Counselling
• College Board
• Council for Advancement and Support of Education

House system. Doon has five boarding houses (Tata, Oberoi, Hyderabad, Kashmir and Jaipur) and two holding houses (Foot and Martyn), named after the school’s first two Headmasters. Boys spend their first year in Foot or Martyn, then move to a main house from C Form. Each house is run by a Housemaster and an Assistant Housemaster, a team of tutors who each look after 8 to 10 boys, and a Dame (Matron) who handles personal welfare, meals and medication.

The Doon School Campus

The campus is known as Chandbagh and sits on Mall Road in Dehradun. The school’s profile describes a campus of about 70 acres.

The school began a master plan for the estate in 2012, running to 2030.

The Doon School Academics

Boys move through three stages, and the board changes as they go up.

Middle School. It is built on six subject groups: Language Arts; Global Languages; STEM; Natural and Human Explorations; Performative and Reflective Learning; and Well-being and Core Competencies.

ICSE (Classes IX and X). English (Language and Literature) and History, Civics and Geography are compulsory. Boys choose a language (Hindi, Sanskrit, French, German or Spanish), Mathematics, Economics or Commercial Studies, a Science, and a sixth subject such as Art, Western Music, Robotics and AI, or Computer Applications.

ISC (Classes XI and XII). Boys take 5 or 6 subjects across Science, Commerce and Humanities, with English compulsory.

IB Diploma. Six subject groups at Higher or Standard Level, plus Theory of Knowledge, a 4,000-word Extended Essay, and Creativity, Activity, Service. Scores run to a maximum of 45, with a minimum of 24 needed to pass the Diploma. The school’s profile notes that IGCSE was discontinued from 2025.

How learning is supported.

A seven-day timetable, with classes in the morning only on Saturdays.

Teacher-student ratio of 1:8, with about 25 boys in junior classes and fewer at senior levels.

A tutor for every boy from Year 1, plus a Housemaster and Assistant Housemaster.

A Learning Centre for personalised academic support.

Half-yearly and promotional trials, termly reports and parent-teacher meetings each term.

Socially useful and productive work (SUPW) from Class VII to XII, with a minimum of 20 hours a term.

The Doon School Achievements and Honours

Student awards. The school gives the Scholar’s Blazer, the Games Blazer, School Colours for Classes XI and XII, Reading Awards at Bronze, Silver and Gold levels, and Colours in Arts, Debating, Dramatics and Quizzing.

University destinations. The school’s profile lists offers from India, the USA, the UK, Australia, Canada, Europe, Hong Kong, Singapore, China and Dubai. Examples include BITS Pilani, Ashoka University, St. Stephen’s College, Cornell, Duke, Dartmouth, Johns Hopkins, NYU, Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial College London, the London School of Economics, McGill, Toronto, Bocconi and Nanyang Technological University.

The Doon School General Facilities

The Doon School Sports Facilities

The school lists fifteen sports at team and individual levels, with a team of professional coaches and daily PE classes in every year group.

Most boys play for the school or their house, and some go on to district, state and national levels. The school also runs a five-day mountain expedition each term that combines adventure with community service in remote villages.

The Doon School Admission

The Doon School admits boys into Class VII and Class VIII only. The process has three stages: a written test with a review of school reports, a group discussion with four boys, and a personal interview. Most boys come from day schools, and the school does not require prior boarding experience. The 2026-27 cycle is complete: registration closed on 10 July 2026 and the test was held on 9 August 2026. The 2027-28 dates are yet to be announced.

The Doon School Admission Eligibility

The school also looks for strong academic ability, good character, and talent in areas such as sports, music, culture and leadership. It does not require recommendations from current or past parents, pupils or schools.

The Doon School Admission Process

Register online by the deadline.

Pay the registration fee. It is non-refundable and follows a sliding scale.

Upload documents: the boy’s birth certificate and the fee payment receipt.

Sit the admission test at a centre across India or abroad.

Attend the interview if shortlisted.

How selection is weighted.

Documents the school reviews. Besides the registration documents, the school looks at school reports as evidence of engagement and improvement, and representational certificates at district, state or national level. Participation certificates do not count.

Test centres. In earlier years the school has used centres in Dehradun, Kolkata, Jaipur, Lucknow, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore, and it shares the list each year before the exam. International applicants may sit the exam at the school and be interviewed soon after, after coordinating with the Admissions Office.

The Doon School Admission Application Form

Registration is online, through the school’s registration form. Registration does not guarantee admission. The school does not accept donations, and any attempt to offer one leads to disqualification. For 2026-27, the deadline was 10 July 2026. For 2027-28, the form dates are yet to be announced.

Registration Charge

The registration fee is non-refundable and follows a sliding scale, so registering early costs less. The exact amount depends on when you register, so check the current figure on the registration form before paying.

The Doon School Fees

The fee table below is as published by the school for academic year 2026-27.

First-year cost. For an Indian resident on the ICSE/ISC track, the school fee, admission fee and imprest advance come to about ₹20,04,000. Including the refundable security deposit, the amount paid at the start is about ₹27,04,000. This is our own calculation from the published figures and excludes the registration fee and personal expenses.

Scholarships and bursaries. The school offers merit-based scholarships for excellence in a specific field. Means-tested bursaries, which the school says may cover up to 100% of fees, support about 20% of students, and admissions are both need-based and need-blind. Families can apply for a bursary even without a scholarship.

Fees are revised every year. Confirm the current figures with the school’s Admissions Office before paying.

The Doon School Exam Pattern and Syllabus

The written test covers three areas. The admissions guide describes what each looks for, and it describes qualities rather than chapters.

There is no Hindi test. A Hindi placement assessment is done only after a boy joins. The school does not release past papers. See our original Doon School entrance exam sample papers for practice.

The Doon School Alumni

Alumni of The Doon School are called Doscos, and the school’s website cites an alumni network of 5,000+. The names below are a selection of well-known alumni and not the school’s official list.

Read more in our famous alumni of The Doon School guide.

Are you interested in enrolling at The Doon School, Dehradun?

Talk to the Truemaths team on WhatsApp or through our contact page. We help families understand the Doon process and prepare boys in English, Mathematics, and Reasoning and Case Study, along with discussion and interview practice. See our page on Doon School entrance exam coaching in Dehradun.

Conclusion

The Doon School is a boys-only boarding school with a 1:8 teacher-student ratio, a choice of ISC or IB after the ICSE, and a campus built around a house system. Boys join in Class VII or VIII through a written test, a group discussion and an interview, and the 2026-27 fee starts at ₹14,54,000 a year. The school says it does not endorse tutoring and values curiosity over cramming, so the best preparation is steady reading, thinking and conversation. For next steps, read our guide to The Doon School admission 2026-27.

Related FAQs