PCS Coaching Online: Check End Date, GST and Refund First

Among foundation courses open for enrolment on 30 October 2026, online UPPCS fees ran from ₹11,800 (Iqra IAS, GST included) to ₹53,000 (Sanskriti IAS), about 4.5 times apart (53,000 ÷ 11,800 ≈ 4.5). Khan Global Studies lists ₹4,999 but its registration was closed, and Sanskriti's ₹4,500 Prelims Test Series is a practice product, not a foundation course. The cheapest listing is not necessarily cheaper per month of access.

GS is General Studies. CSAT is the Civil Services Aptitude Test paper.

Our working for cost per month of access divides the fee by the months each page lists. It assumes the listed access period, the GST treatment shown by each provider, and no instalment charges:

• Iqra: ₹11,800 ÷ 12 months ≈ ₹983 a month.
• Sanskriti (GS only): ₹48,000 ÷ 36 months ≈ ₹1,333 a month. This is the best case, because "up to 3 years" is a ceiling.
• Khan: ₹4,999 ÷ 18 months ≈ ₹278 a month, on the listed validity. The next section shows why that figure can mislead.

For the national UPSC exam, see our page on how to compare UPSC coaching fees by scope.

Compare the access end date. A validity label is not an end date. Khan Global Studies' page says "18 Months" but also gives a fixed expiry of 2 March 2027, which is the date that counts. Some batches may count validity from the start date; ask which applies.

The Khan Global Studies batch above lists classes starting 8 September 2025 and ending 2 March 2027, and registration was closed when we checked on 30 October 2026. From that date, 2 March 2027 is 123 days away, about four months (123 ÷ 30.4 ≈ 4.05). Had the batch been open at ₹4,999, you would have paid roughly ₹1,250 a month (4,999 ÷ 4), not ₹278.

Names do not tell you the cycle either. Physics Wallah's UPPSC batch list shows seven online batches, and the listing shows no fees. Their end dates run from 30 May 2027 for Saksham 3.0 and Pratham 3.0 to 31 May 2029 for UPPSC Prarambh 2029, all under the same exam name.

As of 30 October 2026, the UPPSC PCS 2026 Prelims is scheduled for 6 December 2026, per the UPPSC notice page; the Mains and interview dates have not been announced.

Which end date is enough depends on your stage. This is our recommendation:

• Sitting a Prelims soon: for the 6 December 2026 Prelims, a foundation batch leaves almost no time, so a Prelims test series with full-length multiple-choice tests and explained solutions is the realistic purchase; evaluated answer writing matters for the Mains.
• Aiming at a later cycle: pick a course whose access ends after the Mains and the interview, not just after the Prelims.
• Mains and interview dates: the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission publishes the schedule on uppsc.up.nic.in. Check it rather than trusting a course page's "2026" or "2027" label.

If a batch started before you, ask whether earlier recorded classes are included and whether they expire on the same date as the rest of your access.

Not always. Iqra IAS lists ₹10,000 "+ 18% GST", which makes the total ₹11,800 (10,000 × 1.18). Another provider's headline number may already include GST, or may not. Ask every provider for the total payable, in writing, before you compare.

Instalments need the same check. Sanskriti IAS lists no-cost EMI (equated monthly instalments) over 7 or 12 months through Bajaj Finance on its foundation course. Add up all instalments and confirm the total equals the listed fee.

Expect only what the provider's written terms say, so get them before paying. As of 30 October 2026, only Iqra IAS states a refund window on its course page: refunds only within the first 15 days of admission, none after that. Sanskriti IAS's UPPCS foundation page and Drishti IAS's UPPCS foundation page state no refund terms, so ask for them in writing.

The Ministry of Education's Guidelines for Regulation of Coaching Centres, January 2024, say a centre should arrange a pro-rata refund within 10 days when a student withdraws mid-course. They are guidelines, not a law, aimed at private coaching centres, and state rules govern enforcement, so ask a provider which rules it follows.

One more point is our own inference. A refund window counted from admission can run out while a recorded course is still barely started, so ask whether the window is measured in days or in content used. Our guide on getting coaching refund terms in writing has the wording to ask for.

A quote sheet should hold ten lines, each with a pass test. Fill one in per provider, then compare cost per month. Ask the provider for any line you cannot answer from its page.

Worked example, using the fees above and our arithmetic:

• Iqra: line 2 is ₹11,800, line 4 is 12 months, so line 5 is ₹983. Line 10 is 15 days from admission.
• Sanskriti (GS only): line 2 is ₹48,000, and line 4 is at most 36 months, so line 5 is at best ₹1,333. Line 10 is a question to put to the provider.
• Classes: Iqra lists 300+ classes, so about ₹39 a class at most (11,800 ÷ 300). Sanskriti lists about 620 to 650, so ₹74 to ₹77 a class (48,000 ÷ 650 and ÷ 620). Class length is not given, so treat this as a rough guide only.

Line 7 can differ widely. Drishti IAS lists a 2-year prelims test series and 500 answer evaluations in its live online UPPCS Foundation, and its page shows no fee. Iqra lists 25+ tests.

Our coaching fee comparison calculator lets you enter each provider's total payable and access months to compare cost per month.

We list online and hybrid IAS and PCS institutes in our online coaching directory. Ratings are labelled by their source, such as a public review site or Google. Browsing, comparing, sending an enquiry or callback request and submitting a review are free for students.

We do not teach courses, run classes or take course payments. You pay the provider directly, so the quote sheet above is the step that matters. A Verified badge on a profile means the institute shared its details and we verified them. It confirms details, not results. Some profile information comes from public sources rather than from the institute.

The fees above come from providers' own pages; the directory lists other online IAS and PCS institutes, for example Drishti IAS, which you can compare with their listing ratings. Send an enquiry or callback request to the ones you pick and ask for the ten lines in writing. If a provider will not answer lines 2, 3 and 10, we would take that as a reason to move on.

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