Tuition Rules for Students: A Ready Rule Sheet for Tuition and Coaching Classes, and the Official Rules Behind It

What tuition rules are, and what they are not

There are two kinds of rules in a tuition class. The first kind is written by the government: who must register, how fees and refunds work, how many hours a day you may teach. The second kind is written by you: when students must arrive, what they do with phones, what happens if homework is missing. This guide is about the second kind, the rules you give students. But your rules sit on top of the government's rules, so you need to know both.

If you want the full picture of the government side, read our guide to coaching centre guidelines. Here we only use those rules where they change what you can write on your rule sheet.

Most tuition classes mix the first three into one page. That is fine, as long as each rule is clear and none of them breaks the fourth.

The official rules your class rules must respect

In January 2024 the Ministry of Education sent its Guidelines for Regulation of Coaching Center to all states and union territories. The guidelines are a model. Each state decides whether and how to turn them into law. By August 2026 the Ministry told Parliament that many states and union territories had brought out their own rules or laws, including Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Assam, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh. The guidelines define a coaching centre as one that teaches more than fifty students, so a small home tuition may fall outside them. Even then, they are a sensible standard to follow, because parents and complaint officers read them.

Here is what the guidelines say on the points that usually appear on a rule sheet.

Two other official rules matter. The Central Consumer Protection Authority's Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisement in Coaching Sector, 2024 say you may not use a successful student's name, photo or testimonial in an ad without their written consent, and that consent must be taken only after the success. So a rule like "by joining, you agree that we may use your photo and result in our ads" is the wrong way round. And the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 treats anyone under eighteen as a child and needs a parent's verifiable consent before a child's personal data is processed.

Your state may have its own Act or rules with extra conditions. Check your state education department's website before you print your rule sheet, and keep a copy of the state rules in your office.

How to write tuition rules for students, step by step

1. List the problems you actually have. Look back at the last three months. Late arrivals? Unpaid fees? Phones? Rules should solve real problems, not imagined ones.
2. Split rules for students from terms for parents. A Class 7 child cannot decide when fees are paid. Put attendance, behaviour, phones and homework in the student part. Put fees, refunds, pick-up and contact in the parent part.
3. Check each rule against the official rules. Use the table above. Remove or rewrite anything about non-refundable fees, public marks lists, moving students between batches by marks, or using photos without consent.
4. Write each rule in one short sentence, starting with what to do. "Come five minutes before class" works better than "Late-coming will not be tolerated".
5. Add what happens if a rule is broken. Keep it calm and fair, in steps. A rule with a harsh consequence will not be applied, and then nobody believes the rest.
6. Test it on two parents and two students. Ask them what each rule means. If they read a rule differently from you, rewrite it.
7. Print it, share it, and get it signed. Put it on the notice board, attach it to the admission form, send it on WhatsApp, and keep a signed copy for each student.

The trade-off at every step is between being complete and being read. Put the most important rules first, and move rare cases to a separate fee and refund policy that you hand over at admission.

Tuition rules for students: a rule sheet to copy

Copy this sheet, replace the words in square brackets, and delete what does not apply. It is written for a tuition class or coaching centre teaching school students. For adults preparing for a job or college exam, drop the parent lines.

Part A: rules for students

1. Come on time. Be in your seat by [time] for a [time] class. If you are more than [number] minutes late, wait quietly at the back and join at the next break.
2. Tell us before you miss a class. Message [teacher name / office number] before the class. After [number] classes missed without a message, we will call your parents.
3. Bring your notebook, textbook, pen and the homework for that day.
4. Do your homework. If you could not do it, tell the teacher at the start of class and say what was hard. Trying and getting it wrong is fine. Copying is not.
5. Keep your phone switched off or on silent, inside your bag, during class. You may use it at the break or when the teacher asks you to.
6. Respect everyone. No teasing, bullying, name-calling, or comments about anyone's caste, religion, body, family or marks. This includes the class WhatsApp group.
7. Ask doubts freely. There is no silly question. If you do not want to ask in front of others, ask after class or write it on a slip.
8. Look after the classroom. Keep it clean, do not damage furniture or boards, and switch off fans and lights when you leave last.
9. Take every test honestly. Your marks are shared only with you and your parents.
10. If you feel unsafe, unwell or very stressed, tell [name], any teacher, or use the complaint box. You will not get into trouble for speaking up.

Part B: terms for parents

1. The fee for this course is Rs [amount] for [duration], payable [in full / in instalments of Rs [amount] by the [day] of each month]. You will get a receipt for every payment.
2. The fee will not be increased during this course. Notes and study material are included in the fee.
3. If a student who has paid in full leaves before the course ends, we refund the fee for the remaining period, worked out on a pro-rata basis, within 10 days of the written request.
4. Classes run [days] from [time] to [time]. [Day] is the weekly off. We do not hold tests on the day after the weekly off.
5. Please drop and pick up your child on time. We are responsible for students only during class hours, inside the centre.
6. We will share marks, attendance and progress with you privately, by [WhatsApp / app / progress report], and meet you at a parent-teacher meeting every [period].
7. We will not use your child's name, photo or result in any advertisement without written consent, taken after the result.
8. To raise a concern, speak to [name] at [number], or write in the complaint register at the front desk. We reply within [number] working days.

Part C: acknowledgement

"I have read these rules and terms, and I agree to follow them. Student name: ____. Class / batch: ____. Student signature: ____. Parent or guardian name: ____. Parent signature: ____. Date: ____."

Keep the signed slip with the student's admission form. If a dispute comes up later, this slip shows what both sides agreed.

Fee and refund rules, written fairly

Fee lines cause most disputes, so they deserve the most care. The table shows common lines found on tuition rule sheets and a fairer way to write them.

Give a receipt for every payment, cash or online. The guidelines say receipts must be available, and a receipt also protects you when a parent says they paid.

How a pro-rata refund works: a simple calculation

Say a student paid Rs 24,000 in full for a 12-month course, which is Rs 2,000 a month. They leave 10 days into the 5th month. If your policy refunds the full months not yet started, that is months 6 to 12, so you refund 7 x Rs 2,000 = Rs 14,000. Write the counting rule down in advance so the parent can check the sum. These figures are an example, not a price guide.

Attendance, leave and punctuality rules

Attendance rules work when they are simple and when you actually mark attendance every class. Decide three things and write them down.

• What counts as late. For example, more than 10 minutes after the start. Mark late separately from absent, so a student who comes late is not treated as absent.
• How to ask for leave. A message before the class, from the parent for younger students. A note afterwards for illness.
• What you do after repeated absence. A call to the parent after a set number of missed classes, not a fine. Absence is usually a sign of a problem: health, home, travel or falling behind.

Keep your timetable inside the official limits. The guidelines say coaching should not go beyond 5 hours a day, should not start too early or end too late, should not clash with school hours, and should give students and tutors a weekly off. They also ask centres to plan leave around important local festivals so students can be with family. If your rule sheet says "no leave during the exam month", soften it to "please plan family events around test dates where possible".

Mark attendance the same way every day, whether in a register or an app such as a student attendance app. A rule about absence means little if your records are patchy.

Discipline without punishment: a fair consequence ladder

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, written for schools, says no child shall be subjected to physical punishment or mental harassment. A tuition class is not a school, but parents and the police will judge you by the same standard. So your rules should never mention hitting, standing outside in the sun, insulting a child in front of others, or sending a child home alone. What works instead is a calm ladder of steps.

Serious matters, such as bullying, threats, sexual remarks or anything that puts a child at risk, skip straight to step 4 the same day. If a child tells you about harm at home or outside, listen, write down what was said, and get help from the right authority. Do not try to investigate alone.

For more ideas on keeping a class calm before rules are broken, see our guide to classroom management.

Rules for online tuition classes

Online classes need a few extra rules. The Ministry of Education's PRAGYATA guidelines on digital education, released during the school closures of 2020, recommend limits on screen time for different groups of students and give do's and don'ts on posture and cyber safety. Use them as a guide for how long your online sessions run, with breaks between them.

1. Join with your real name, so the teacher knows who is in class.
2. Keep your camera on when the teacher asks, and your microphone off unless you are speaking.
3. Sit at a table if you can, with the screen at eye level, and take the short breaks the teacher gives.
4. Do not share the class link, the password or recordings with anyone outside the batch.
5. Do not record, screenshot or post other students' faces or names.
6. If someone you do not know joins or posts something wrong, tell the teacher at once.

If you record classes, say so in the rules, say who can watch the recordings and for how long you keep them. For students under eighteen, the parent's consent matters under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, which also bars tracking or behavioural monitoring of children and targeted advertising directed at them.

Safety, well-being and help lines

The Ministry's guidelines ask coaching centres to keep a first aid kit, and to display a list of hospitals, doctors, police, fire service and women's helpline numbers and tell students about them. They also ask centres to take care of students' mental well-being, avoid putting undue pressure on them, and have a way to help a student in distress quickly.

Add a short safety box at the bottom of your rule sheet, filled in with your local numbers:

• Nearest hospital and clinic: [name, phone]
• Police: [local station, phone]
• Fire service: [phone]
• Women's helpline: [phone]
• Tele MANAS mental health helpline: 14416 (free, 24x7, run by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare)
• Centre contact for emergencies: [name, phone]

Students under exam pressure often think asking for help is a sign of weakness. Rule 10 on the sheet, and this box, tell them it is normal.

Worked example: rewriting a tuition centre's old rule sheet

Here is an example, made up for this guide, of how an owner might rewrite an old rule sheet. Imagine a tuition centre teaching Classes 8 to 10 maths and science to about forty students in two batches, in a city whose state has adopted rules based on the Ministry's guidelines.

The new sheet has eight student rules and eight parent terms, down from twenty-two mixed rules. The owner reads it aloud on the first day of each batch, gives students five minutes to ask questions, and sends the PDF to parents on WhatsApp with the acknowledgement slip.

How to share your rules so they are actually followed

• Read them aloud on the first day. Five minutes, with time for questions. Students follow rules they have heard explained.
• Display them. The guidelines ask centres to show the timetable, fees and general information on a notice board in a prominent place. Put the rule sheet next to it.
• Attach them to admission. Give the rule sheet and the fee and refund policy with the admission form, before the fee is paid, so the parent agrees with full knowledge.
• Repeat the key rules at the start of each term and at every parent-teacher meeting.
• Apply them the same way to everyone. A rule that is relaxed for one student and strict for another will be questioned by every parent who hears about it.

Translate the sheet if your families are more comfortable in another language. A rule a parent cannot read is not a rule they have agreed to.

Common mistakes with tuition rules, and how to avoid them

• Too many rules. Nobody remembers twenty-five. Aim for about eight student rules and eight parent terms.
• Copying a rule sheet from the internet without checking it. Many sample sheets online still say fees are non-refundable. Check every line against the official rules in your state.
• Rules with no consequence, or with a harsh one. Use the consequence ladder so every rule has a calm, fair next step.
• Public marks lists and ranking boards. They feel motivating but the guidelines say results of the centre's tests should not be made public, and they hurt students at the bottom.
• Using photos of students in ads by default. Take written consent after the result, and only then.
• Never updating the sheet. Review it once a term. Rules that no longer solve a real problem should go.

When a rule sheet like this is not for you

This sheet is a starting point, not legal advice. It may not fit as it is if:

• You run a residential or hostel coaching centre. You will need separate hostel rules, and the refund rule also covers hostel and mess fees.
• You teach adults only, such as job or college entrance aspirants who pay their own fees. Drop the parent part and address the student directly.
• Your state has its own Act or rules with specific forms, notices or declarations. Follow those first and use this sheet only for what they do not cover.
• You face a real legal dispute. Talk to a lawyer, not a template.

Doing this on Sikhami

Rules about attendance and fees are easier to apply when your records are clean. Sikhami gives coaching institutes and tuition centres a free LMS with classroom batches, attendance, fees and receipts, so you can mark late and absent in every class and see who has paid and who is due before you call a parent.

You can see how batches and attendance work in the Help Centre article on batches, timetable and attendance, and how fees and receipts work in the article on the fee book and receipts. To start, see Sikhami for institutes.