CBSE Ends Additional Subject Option For Private Class 12 Students In 2026 Board Exams, Sparks Student Outcry

In a sudden step that has triggered widespread backlash, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has withdrawn the facility for private candidates to sit for an additional subject in the 2026 board exams. The move, which was brought in halfway through the academic year without any notice, has left thousands of aspirants, mostly drop-year students, in disarray, rethinking their strategies.

For years, the extra subject option has provided private students in Classes 10 and 12 with additional academic choice, usually utilising it to change streams or add subjects such as Mathematics or Biology to improve eligibility for competitive exams like JEE and NEET. With the option now scrapped, most students fear limited academic choices and lost career opportunities.

Meanwhile, CBSE released a notification on Monday, marking a distinction between the board and the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS). The board pointed out that whereas CBSE conducts face-to-face education, NIOS offers open and distance learning where there is more flexibility in the choice of subjects. The notice further explained that additional subjects, when offered, are studied over a two-year period and not as short-term add-ons.

Many students voiced their frustration on the social media platform X after CBSE’s decision

One user wrote, “CBSE suddenly removed the additional subject option after this academic session had already begun, leaving drop-year students like us stranded. If this had been announced before April or May, we could have chosen alternative routes instead of wasting another year.”

Another aspirant expressed concern, saying, “The Central Board of Secondary Education has removed the option for private students to take an additional subject in the 2026 board exams without warning, throwing many who had planned for courses like JEE and NEET into uncertainty.”

Highlighting the impact on career choices, a student shared, “We wanted to add Mathematics under the additional subject option for CBSE private candidates. Many of us took a drop year for this, but now CBSE has removed the feature. Please resolve this issue, otherwise our year and career will go to waste.”

Another user urged the board for clarity, writing, “This decision is ruining students’ futures. I request CBSE to at least clarify its stand on the additional subject option in the 2026 exams. If you do not plan to allow it, please inform us so that we can take alternative steps.”