Schools chasing CBSE affiliation for the 2027-28 session just got more breathing room. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has pushed back the last date for filing online applications on its SARAS 7.0 portal to 30 September 2026, and the extension covers every category of application, not just a few.
The board said it took the call after the SARAS portal stayed down for a stretch, which had left several schools unable to meet their original cut-off dates.
SARAS is CBSE’s online system for handling affiliation. Schools use it to apply for fresh affiliation, upgrades, extensions, and related permissions, and each type of application moves through a chain of checks before the board clears it.
Here is what changes for schools:
| Item | Revised timeline |
|---|---|
| Online application submission (all categories), Session 2027-28 | Up to 30 September 2026 |
| “Compliance after grant” | Extra 30 days from the date the notification was issued |
| “Compliance after deficiency at Part A level” | 15 days from the date the notification was issued |
CBSE has also revived timelines that had already lapsed while the portal was non-functional, for applications filed under SARAS 7.0. In those cases a school gets the additional 30-day window to submit its compliance after grant, and a separate 15-day window if a deficiency was flagged at the Part A stage.
The knock-on steps get more time too. The board said the dates set for members of the Inspection Committee to give their consent, for fixing and finalising inspection dates, for the actual inspection, and for filing the Inspection Committee report all stand extended in line with the new deadline. Any other time-bound activity tied to these steps moves along with them.
This instruction went out to the heads and managers of all affiliated schools, and applies across the board’s network.
Schools that were racing an earlier deadline set under the previous circular of 26 February 2026 should note the new September date and check their SARAS 7.0 dashboard for the exact compliance windows that now apply to their file. If a school has a pending deficiency at Part A level, the 15-day clock is the one to watch.