19 May 2026
As India's ambitious learners chart pathways to global universities and future-ready careers, Cambridge’s March 2026 exam series has recorded its strongest growth across secondary school qualifications. Results released today reveal over 91,000 exam entries for the March series, an increase of 7% on last year.
The continued growth of the March series – the largest of Cambridge’s three exam series in India each year– reflects a sustained acceleration in how Indian schools and families are embracing the flexible academic pathways offered by the Cambridge curriculum. Cambridge is the only international awarding body to hold a March exam series aligned to the Indian academic calendar, enabling students to meet local admission deadlines or explore international opportunities. In total, over 23,000 students at 447 schools in India sat exams in the March series.
Cambridge International AS & A Level: India's sharpest growth signal
The headline finding of the March 2026 series is the growth at senior secondary level, with entries for Cambridge International AS & A Level up 12% year-on-year. The qualification is recognised by top universities in India and worldwide and gives students a choice of assessment pathways to suit their aspirations. Entries for  Cambridge International AS Level grew by 16% and Cambridge International A Level entries grew by 8%.
Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry lead subject choices at International AS & A Level. This reflects a generation of learners pairing commercial ambition with scientific rigour: a profile strongly aligned with competitive global universities and future-focused career pathways in finance, technology, engineering, and international commerce.
At Cambridge IGCSE level, exam entries grew 6%, reflecting an expanding base of schools offering Cambridge at secondary level. Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry were again the most popular subjects, establishing the academic foundation from which AS & A Level growth flows. However, the spread of entries across Global Perspectives, Environmental Studies and Business Studies points to something equally important: schools are not simply adding Cambridge, they are building it out across the curriculum.
"Our heartiest congratulations to all the students who took Cambridge exams in our March series. The growth in  Cambridge International AS & A Level entries is the strongest signal we have seen that students and parents recognise the Cambridge Pathway as one of ambition. What makes this possible is flexibility in the curriculum itself, where students have the freedom to design their academic profile, and have it recognised by universities in India and across the world. The consistency of subject preferences across Cambridge IGCSE and International AS & A Level tells us that Indian learners understand exactly what they are preparing for, and they are preparing seriously. We wish them the best for their future," said Vinay Sharma, Cambridge’s Regional Director for International Education in South Asia.
Demand for international education is increasing at every stage in India, leading Cambridge to introduce a new series of Cambridge Checkpoint tests in March this year for primary and lower secondary learners. The new series is better aligned to the academic year in India, enabling schools to make timely decisions to support learners’ progression to secondary education and Cambridge IGCSE.