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CBSE Makes Third Language Mandatory for Classes 9 and 10 Starting 2026 Academic Year

The Central Board of Secondary Education has issued new guidelines making it compulsory for students in classes 9 and 10 to study three languages. The rule applies to students entering class 9 in the 2026 to 2027 academic year and at least two of the three languages must be Indian languages.

By Open Vaartha Desk · 2026-07-14

TL;DR

CBSE has made a third language compulsory for classes 9 and 10 from the 2026 to 2027 academic year with at least two languages required to be Indian languages.

Key points

CBSE has issued clear guidelines making three language study compulsory for all students in classes 9 and 10 starting from the 2026 to 2027 academic year.
At least two of the three languages must be Indian languages such as Telugu, Hindi, Sanskrit, Tamil or Kannada and the third can be any foreign or non native language.
There will be no board exam for the third language in class 10 and it will instead be assessed through internal school level exams which students must pass to receive their class 10 pass certificate.
Students who fail the internal third language exam will be given a second chance through a re assessment conducted by the school before final results are announced.

The Central Board of Secondary Education has released new guidelines on the study of a third language for students in classes 9 and 10. The board has made it clear that students entering class 9 in the 2026 to 2027 academic year will be required to study three languages as part of their curriculum. This marks a significant change in how language education is structured under the CBSE system going forward. Under the new rules at least two of the three languages studied must be Indian languages. CBSE has listed Telugu, Hindi, Sanskrit, Tamil and Kannada among the languages it recognises as Indian languages. Students will have the freedom to choose any foreign or non native language as their third language option. This gives schools and students some flexibility in deciding which languages to include while still meeting the core requirement.The third language in class 10, referred to as R3, will not have a board exam. Instead it will be tested through an internal examination conducted by the school itself. CBSE has made it clear that students must pass this internal R3 exam to be eligible for their class 10 pass certificate. Passing the third language at school level is therefore not optional and will directly affect whether a student receives their final certificate.If a student does not pass the internal third language exam, the school is required to give that student a second opportunity. Schools must conduct a re assessment before the final results for class 10 are announced so that students have a fair chance to clear the subject. This provision ensures that students are not disadvantaged permanently due to a single internal assessment result.It is important to note that these new rules apply only to students who are entering class 9 in the 2026 to 2027 academic year. Students who are already in class 10 this year will continue under the old system and the new third language requirement will not apply to them. CBSE has made this distinction clear to avoid confusion among schools and students currently enrolled in class 10.