Coaching Centre Guidelines 2024: What Institutes Must Follow

Updated 26 October 2026 · Facts checked against the sources listed at the end

The Coaching Centre Guidelines 2024 are model rules from the Ministry of Education for coaching centres with more than 50 students. They ask centres to register before they start, hire graduate tutors, enrol students only from age 16 or after Class 10, keep fees fair with refunds, limit classes to 5 hours a day and set up counselling. Each state decides how to bring them in, so your state's own rules are the ones you must follow.

This guide explains each part in simple words. It also covers the separate 2024 advertising rules for coaching from the consumer authority, and ends with a checklist you can use for your own centre.

What the 2024 guidelines are

The full name is "Guidelines for Registration and Regulation of Coaching Center 2024". The Department of Higher Education in the Ministry of Education wrote them. On 16 January 2024, the Ministry sent them to all states and union territories.

They are model guidelines. Education is in the Concurrent List of the Constitution, so both the centre and the states can make rules on it. The Ministry asked each state to bring in these guidelines through its own law or rules. So the guidelines do not work on their own. What matters for you is the rule your state has made.

In short: read the 2024 guidelines to understand what is coming, then ask your district education office which state rule applies to your centre.

Who the guidelines cover

The guidelines use the word "coaching" for tuition, instructions or guidance in any subject given to more than 50 students. A "coaching center" is a place that gives such coaching for any study programme, competitive exam or academic support at school, college or university level.

Covered: tuition classes, school-level coaching, and coaching for competitive exams, when there are more than 50 students.
Not covered: counselling, sports, dance, theatre and other creative activities.
A "tutor" is anyone who guides or trains students in the centre, including tutors who give special tuition.

If you teach 50 students or fewer, these guidelines do not cover you. But your state's rule may set a different limit, so always check the state rule.

Registration: before you start

Under the guidelines, nobody may run a coaching centre without registering it first. Here is how registration works.

Rule	What it says
Register first	You may run coaching only after your centre is registered.
Centres that already exist	Apply within three months from the date your state starts the guidelines.
Where to apply	To the competent authority (an officer your state names) for the area where the centre is.
Branches	Each branch is a separate coaching centre and needs its own application.
Decision time	The authority must grant or refuse within three months of your application. A refusal needs written reasons and a hearing first.
Validity	Your state decides how long a registration lasts.
Renewal	Apply two months before the registration ends. Attach accounts audited by a chartered accountant.
Online	States are asked to set up a web portal so you can register online with little need to visit an office.

When you apply, you also give a written promise. You will call your centre only a "registered coaching center". You will not use the words "recognized" or "approved" on boards, brochures or letters. You also promise to show tutor qualifications, the timetable and fees on your website and on a notice board at the centre.

Tutors, age and promises

The guidelines list things a coaching centre must not do. Your registration can depend on them.

Do not hire tutors with a qualification lower than graduation.
Do not enrol students below 16 years of age. Enrolment should be only after the secondary school exam (Class 10).
Do not make misleading promises, and do not guarantee a rank or good marks to students or parents.
Do not publish misleading ads about your teaching, your facilities or your results.
Do not hire any tutor or staff member who has been convicted of an offence involving moral turpitude. Tell the authority when tutors change.
Do not register without enough space for each student.
Do not register without a counselling system for students.

The guidelines also ask you to tell students and parents the truth before they join. Explain how hard the exam is, the syllabus and the effort needed. Tell them clearly that joining a coaching centre does not guarantee success in any exam or admission.

Fees, receipts and refunds

Fee rules are some of the most important parts of the guidelines, because most complaints are about money.

Fee rule	What you must do
Fair fees	Keep tuition fees fair and reasonable, and give a receipt for every fee paid.
Prospectus	Print a prospectus with each course, its duration, number of classes, hostel (if any), fees, exit policy and refund policy. Show these details at the centre too.
Study material	Give the prospectus, notes and other material to enrolled students with no separate fee.
Refund	If a student paid in full and leaves midway, refund the fee for the remaining period, pro-rata, within 10 days. Refund hostel and mess fees too.
No mid-course rise	Do not raise the fee during the course that the student joined.

Pro-rata means in proportion to the time left. If half the course is left, half the course fee comes back. A clear tuition fee receipt for every payment makes refunds and audits much easier.

Building and safety

The guidelines set basic needs for the building. Fire safety comes first.

Give at least one square metre of space to each student in a class or batch.
Follow fire safety and building safety codes, and get a Fire and Building Safety Certificate from the authority your state names.
Keep a first aid kit and arrange medical help.
Display a list of nearby hospitals, doctors, police, fire service and women helpline numbers, and tell students about it.
Make sure every classroom has electricity, fresh air and good light.
Provide safe drinking water for students and staff.
Fit CCTV cameras where needed and keep the place secure.
Keep a complaint box or register, and form a committee to handle student complaints.
Provide separate toilets for males and females.
Make the building Divyang-friendly, as the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 requires.

You also may not move your centre to a new place without written approval from the competent authority.

Class hours and student well-being

A large part of the guidelines is about stress and mental health. These are the rules for classes.

No coaching classes during school or college hours for students who also study there. This protects school attendance and helps stop dummy schools.
Not more than 5 hours of coaching in a day. Classes should not be too early in the morning or too late at night.
A weekly off for students and tutors.
No test on the day after the weekly off.
Leave during big local festivals, so students can spend time with family.
Do not make the results of your own tests public. Use them to help weak students and to offer them counselling.
Do not split batches by marks. Form batches in the order students join, and do not change a student's batch until the course ends.
Do not discriminate by religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or descent.

The guidelines also ask centres to give students counselling. Share the names and timings of counsellors with students and parents. Hold workshops on mental health with experts. Train tutors to speak about weak areas kindly. Tell students about career options beyond engineering and medicine.

Website, records and penalties

Every coaching centre needs a website. It should show your tutors' qualifications, courses and their duration, hostel facilities (if any), fees, exit and refund policy, the number of students who took coaching, and how many got into higher education institutions. Keep it up to date.

Keep the records, accounts and registers your state asks for. You may also send a yearly report to the competent authority. Simple daily records, such as an attendance register, help you show what you do.

Complaints and penalties

Step	What the guidelines say
Who can complain	A student, parent, tutor or staff member against the centre, and the centre against a student or parent.
Time to decide	The authority or an inquiry committee should settle a complaint within 30 days.
First offence	A penalty of Rs 25,000.
Second offence	A penalty of Rs 1,00,000.
Further offence	Registration can be cancelled.
Appeal	Within 30 days of an order that refuses, does not renew or cancels a registration.

Advertising rules for coaching (CCPA 2024)

There is a second set of rules. On 13 November 2024, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) issued the "Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisement in Coaching Sector, 2024". These come under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. They cover coaching for more than fifty students, and they also cover endorsers, such as famous people who promote a centre.

No false claims about courses, duration, faculty, fees, refunds, selection rates, ranks or job promises.
No promises of assured admission, high marks or guaranteed selection.
Use a successful student's name, photo or video only with their written consent, taken after the result.
Next to a student's photo, show their name, rank and the course they took, and say whether they paid for it.
Write disclaimers in the same font as the main claim, not in tiny print.
Do not create false urgency, such as fake "only few seats left" messages.
Work with the National Consumer Helpline so students can raise complaints.

The CCPA does act on these rules. A government release on 15 May 2026 said it had issued more than 60 notices to coaching institutes and imposed penalties of over Rs 1.39 crore on 31 coaching institutes. Before you print a poster or post an ad, read our guide on coaching classes advertisement and check every claim.

State rules and a simple checklist

Many states have made their own rules since 2024. A Rajya Sabha reply on 12 August 2026 named, among others, Haryana (Act, 2024), Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Assam (Acts, 2025), Tripura and Nagaland (guidelines, 2025), and Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar Islands (2026). Older laws also exist in Bihar, Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Manipur. The details differ, so read your own state's rule.

Find your state's coaching rule and the officer who registers centres.
Register the centre, and each branch, before you start or within the time your state gives.
Check that every tutor is at least a graduate, and keep their papers.
Take students only from age 16 or after Class 10, unless your state rule says otherwise.
Print a prospectus with fees, exit and refund policy, and put the same on your website.
Give receipts for every fee, and refund leavers within 10 days.
Get the fire and building safety certificate, and fix toilets, water, lights and first aid.
Plan batches outside school hours, with not more than 5 hours a day and a weekly off.
Set up counselling and a complaint committee.
Check every ad for false or unproven claims, and take written consent before using toppers.

Sikhami can help with the record-keeping. Coaching institutes and tuition centres get a free LMS with classroom batches, attendance, fees and receipts, and video courses with tests and certificates. See Sikhami for institutes to begin, or read how to start a coaching centre if you are just starting.

Frequently asked questions

Are the coaching centre guidelines 2024 a law?

Not on their own. They are model guidelines that the Ministry of Education sent to states and union territories on 16 January 2024. Each state is asked to bring them in through its own law or rules. Follow the rule your state has made.

Can a coaching centre enrol students below 16?

The 2024 guidelines say a coaching centre should not enrol students below 16 years of age, and enrolment should be only after the secondary school exam (Class 10). Your state's rule may word this differently, so check it.

Do the guidelines apply to small home tuition?

The guidelines define coaching as teaching more than 50 students. A home tutor with 50 or fewer students is outside this definition. But your state rule may set a different limit, so check it before you assume you are exempt.

How many hours can a coaching centre teach in a day?

Not more than 5 hours a day, according to the 2024 guidelines. Classes should not be too early in the morning or too late in the evening, and there should be a weekly off for students and tutors.

What is the refund rule if a student leaves?

If a student paid the full fee and leaves in the middle of the course, the centre should refund the fee for the remaining period on a pro-rata basis within 10 days. Hostel and mess fees should be refunded too.

What is the penalty for breaking the guidelines?

The guidelines suggest Rs 25,000 for a first offence and Rs 1,00,000 for a second offence. After that, the registration can be cancelled. Your state's law may set different amounts.

Sources

Rules and rates change: check the source before you rely on a figure.

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