The admission process for session 2026-27 has started in 5 sports colleges of Uttar Pradesh. There will be admission for a total of 518 seats in Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Saifai, Fatehpur and Saharanpur. Applications will be online and PEN number will be mandatory.
Lucknow. The Uttar Pradesh government is continuously taking new steps to nurture sports talent in the state and provide better sports facilities to the youth. In this series, the admission process in sports colleges of the state has been started for the session 2026-27. This time, admissions will be held on a total of 518 possible vacant seats of classes 6, 9 and 11 in sports colleges located in Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Saifai, Fatehpur and Saharanpur.
Online application process started, application fee kept at Rs 200
The state government has recently started two new sports colleges in Saharanpur and Fatehpur. The admission process has started in both these colleges from session 2026-27. Now admissions are being taken in total five sports colleges in the state.
The entire application process has been kept online. Khel Sathi portal is being used for this. Interested candidates can apply by visiting the website of Sports College Lucknow SPORTSCOLLEGELKO.IN and Khel Sathi portal khelsathi.in. The application fee has been fixed at Rs 200.
PEN number mandatory for sports college admission
This time, the Yogi government has made the Permanent Education Number (PEN) issued from the UDICE portal mandatory to make the application process more transparent and technically strong. No application will be accepted without PEN number. Verification of academic records of students will be done through UDICE Plus portal.
Many sports facilities will be available in Lucknow, Gorakhpur and Saifai Sports College.
Special training for different sports will be given in all the sports colleges of the state. Training in athletics, badminton, cricket, football, hockey and volleyball will be given in Guru Gobind Singh Sports College, Lucknow.
Facilities for volleyball, wrestling, gymnastics, badminton, hockey and judo will be available in Bir Bahadur Singh Sports College, Gorakhpur. Training in athletics, cricket, football, hockey, wrestling, kabaddi and swimming will be provided in Major Dhyanchand Sports College located in Etawah (Saifai).
Admission in these sports will be done in Fatehpur and Saharanpur Sports College.
Only Class 9 students will be admitted to athletics, hockey, handball and wrestling in Fatehpur Sports College. Whereas in Saharanpur Sports College, admissions will be made for class 9 in athletics, hockey, boxing, judo and weightlifting. The aim of the government is to provide better training to sports talents from different regions in the sports of their choice.
Eligibility fixed for classes 6, 9 and 11
The government has also prescribed some necessary eligibility criteria for admission. For admission in Class 6, the student must have passed Class 5 in the session 2025-26. Similarly, it has been made mandatory to pass class 8 for class 9 and class 10 for class 11. Students who have taken a gap of one year will have to give this information by giving an affidavit.
Keep these important documents ready before application
The online application process has been made easy and secure. Before applying, students will have to keep their latest photograph, Aadhar card, birth certificate, mark sheet, signature, mobile number, email ID and PEN number ready. After registration, OTP will be sent to mobile and email. After completion of verification, login ID and password will be issued, with the help of which the application form can be filled.
Preliminary selection exam will be of 100 marks
Yogi government has kept the selection process completely merit and performance based. The preliminary selection examination will be of total 100 marks. There will be 50 marks for physical test and 50 marks for skill and game test. It will be mandatory to score at least 40 percent marks in both the examinations. Sports experts will test the players’ fitness, technique and performance on the field. After this the merit list will be released.
Admission will be available after main selection examination and medical examination.
Students successful in the preliminary examination will appear in the main selection examination. This exam will also be of 100 marks, which will include physical and skill test. The government has also set special standards for some sports. There is a minimum height set for entry into volleyball. In class 9, the height of boys should be at least 175 cm and that of girls should be 160 cm. Whereas in class 11, the height has been fixed at 180 cm for boys and 165 cm for girls. Players with greater height will be given preference.
Separate weight categories fixed for wrestling, boxing and judo
Different weight categories have been prescribed for sports like wrestling, boxing and judo. Applications can be made for various competitions of running, jump and throw in athletics. After completion of the selection process, biological age verification of successful students will be done. For this, medical examination centers have been set up in Lucknow, Gorakhpur and Etawah. Candidates successful in biological age test will be given final admission after counselling.
The entire selection process will be transparent and merit based.
Principal of Lucknow Sports College, Atul Sinha said that the application process has been made completely online and transparent. Students will be selected only on the basis of their sporting talent, fitness and performance.