Coaching Institute file
ForumIAS
- Registered as
- ForumIAS Academy
- Headquarters
- New Delhi
- Operates under
- Private, unaffiliated — no regulator approves a coaching centre
- Exams
- UPSC Civil Services
- Website
- Visit ↗
A strong regulatory and disclosure record on file: we found no CCPA penalty and no CCPA notice against ForumIAS, and it publishes a results page naming each successful candidate with their rank, year and the specific course they took. The deductions come from its restrictive refund policy and a documented mid-course Current Affairs faculty disruption.
The arithmetic
Every point, and why
Everything starts at 100. Below is every point we cut, the rule that caused it, and the document it came from. None of it is our opinion.
Government Record
100/100Fines and orders against them from a government body, board or university.
Admission & Bribes
Not assessedDonation or bribe asked for a seat. Seats given outside the normal process.
We have no document about this, so we do not score it. That is not a pass.
Fees & Extra Charges
Not assessedMoney charged that was never in the fee list. Unapproved hikes. Forced buying.
We have no document about this, so we do not score it. That is not a pass.
Refunds
20/100What their refund policy says, next to the rule they are supposed to follow.
Your Certificates
Not assessedKeeping your original documents. Not giving your TC, migration or marksheet.
We have no document about this, so we do not score it. That is not a pass.
Teaching & Facilities
50/100Classes, teachers, labs and hostels you paid for but did not get.
Safety
Not assessedRagging, beating, harassment, or a building that is not safe.
We have no document about this, so we do not score it. That is not a pass.
Advertising
Not assessedAds a government body has found to be misleading.
We have no document about this, so we do not score it. That is not a pass.
What They Tell You
100/100What they show you before you pay — fees, teachers, and whether they are even recognised.
When You Complain
Not assessedHow they behave when you complain, and whether they have a complaint cell at all.
We have no document about this, so we do not score it. That is not a pass.
Each score above comes only from the cuts listed under it. The overall 68/100 is our published call on ForumIAS — weighing those 4 checked areas together with how serious the record is. It is not a simple average. How we grade →
The public record
4 documents on file
Every source below is linked, so you can check it yourself. This is everything behind the grade above — there is nothing else.
- 01Regulatory orderChecked 28 July 2026
No CCPA penalty and no CCPA notice found
We searched CCPA and PIB announcements and the press reporting on coaching-sector enforcement from 2023 to 2026 and found no penalty against ForumIAS, and no notice either. It does not appear in the lists of institutes issued notices in October 2023 or in any subsequent penalty round. Absence of a record is not proof of good conduct, but it is what the record shows.
- 02Published policyRetrieved 28 July 2026
Publishes each advertised candidate's rank, year and the course they actually took
ForumIAS maintains a public results page that names successful candidates alongside their rank, the year, and the specific programme each of them enrolled in. This is precisely the disclosure whose absence CCPA has repeatedly penalised other institutes for — where a student can see that an advertised topper took a free interview programme rather than the expensive foundation course, the claim stops being misleading.
- 03Service delivery4 September 2024
Lost Current Affairs faculty mid-course — disclosed it and offered an unconditional full refund
ForumIAS disclosed to its Current Affairs 2025 batch that it had lost the faculty for that course mid-way, and offered every affected student an unconditional 100% refund. The delivery deduction records the mid-course disruption itself; no grievance deduction is applied because the institute disclosed the problem and offered a full refund.
- 04Published policyRetrieved 28 July 2026
Published policy: courses non-refundable except on proven deficiency of service
The published refund policy states that courses are non-refundable and non-transferable, with a refund considered only where the student proves a deficiency of service. Because an ordinary course exit retains the full fee, the policy is treated as a deduction above the 10% threshold. Placing the burden of proof on the student falls short of the Ministry of Education's January 2024 standard, which requires a pro-rata refund within 10 days on mid-course exit regardless of fault.
SourcesForumIAS — refund policy ↗
Their policy vs the standard
What they promise, and what you are owed
What ForumIAS says
“Courses are non-refundable and non-transferable.”
The published refund policy makes courses non-refundable and non-transferable, with refunds considered only on proven deficiency of service, and places disputes under Delhi jurisdiction.
Read their policy ↗Retrieved 2026-07-28
What the rule for a coaching institute says
If you paid the full fee and leave the course midway, they must refund the fee for the remaining period within 10 days. That includes hostel and mess fees, if you paid them.
Guidelines for Regulation of Coaching Centres, 2024, Ministry of Education, Government of India, January 2024. A summary of the Education Ministry’s coaching rules, not the exact words. Source ↗
These are national guidelines that states are asked to adopt. They are not a criminal law on their own. The route that actually works for one student is the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 — poor service and unfair trade practice — through the helpline and the consumer commissions.
What students say
Studied at ForumIAS?
Tell other students what you actually got for your money.
Reviews are the opinions of individual students and are checked before publication. They are not findings of this site or of any regulator, and they have no effect whatsoever on ForumIAS's grade — that comes only from the documents above.
Right of reply
This space is reserved for ForumIAS
Nothing here yet, and that means nothing either way — this page is built from public documents and we have not asked them for comment. If you are from ForumIAS and anything above is wrong, write to help@coachingreportcard.com. We fix mistakes quickly, and publish any reply here in full, word for word.