The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) fills master’s and PhD seats in agriculture and the allied sciences through two tests that the National Testing Agency (NTA) holds together: the All India Entrance Examination for Admission (AIEEA) for PG, and the All India Competitive Examination (AICE) for JRF and SRF, which leads to PhD admission with a fellowship. The 2027 cycle had not been notified as of 14 November 2026. This guide covers how the 2026 cycle ran and what each paper looks like.
How the 2026 cycle ran
| Step | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Form opened | May 2026 |
| Last date | Extended to 10 June 2026 |
| Exam | 4 July 2026, computer based |
| Result | August 2026 |
| Counselling | After the result, for the seats, on ICAR’s portal |
AIEEA PG was held in 20 subjects in 122 cities, and AICE-JRF/SRF in 72 subjects in 89 cities.
The two papers
| AIEEA PG | AICE-JRF/SRF (PhD) | |
|---|---|---|
| Questions | 120 | 120: Part A 20, Part B 50, Part C 50 |
| Marks | 480 | 480 |
| Time | 120 minutes | 2 hours |
| Marking | +4 for a right answer, -1 for a wrong one | +4 and -1 |
| Medium | English only | English only |
In the PhD paper, Part A covers general knowledge and reasoning, Part B the core group of subjects and Part C the specialised subject the candidate chose.
NAAC A++
NIRF #2 (2025)Jawaharlal Nehru UniversityNew Delhi, DelhiAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 1969View details
NAAC A++
NIRF #4 (2025)Jamia Millia IslamiaNew Delhi, DelhiAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 1920 · 239 acresView details
NAAC A++
NIRF #5 (2025)University of DelhiNew Delhi, DelhiAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, JEE MainEst. 1922View details
NAAC A
NIRF #6 (2025)Banaras Hindu UniversityVaranasi, Uttar PradeshAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 1916 · 1300 acresView details
NAAC A+
NIRF #10 (2025)Aligarh Muslim UniversityAligarh, Uttar PradeshAdmission: CUET UG, NET/JRF, NEET UGEst. 1920View details
NAAC A+
NIRF #18 (2025)University of HyderabadHyderabad, TelanganaAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 1974 · 2000 acresView details
NAAC A++
NIRF #37 (2025)Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar UniversityLucknow, Uttar PradeshAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 1996View details
NAAC A+
NIRF #77 (2025)Central University of PunjabBathinda, PunjabAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 2009 · 500 acresView details
NAAC A+
NIRF #79 (2025)Tezpur UniversityTezpur, AssamAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 1994 · 262 acresView details
NAAC A
NIRF #82 (2025)Mizoram UniversityAizawl, MizoramAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 2000View detailsFee in 2026
| Category | AIEEA PG | AICE-JRF/SRF |
|---|---|---|
| General | Rs. 1,300 | Rs. 2,000 |
| OBC (NCL), UPS and EWS | Rs. 1,255 | Rs. 1,955 |
| SC, ST, PwBD and third gender | Rs. 675 | Rs. 1,075 |
Where undergraduate admission fits
ICAR’s undergraduate seats in agriculture and allied subjects are filled through CUET UG. A Class 12 student aiming for B.Sc. Agriculture or a related degree sits CUET UG; AIEEA PG comes after the bachelor’s degree. See the CUET UG page for that route.
Agriculture at Central Universities
Several Central Universities have faculties of agriculture and allied sciences and fill their seats through CUET or ICAR’s counselling, as their admission documents say. The ICAR AIEEA page of this site files those notices with the steps of the exam.
What to do now
- Final-year students of B.Sc. Agriculture and allied degrees: revise the subject of your intended master’s and practise 120-question papers in 120 minutes.
- Master’s students aiming for a PhD seat: prepare Part C deeply, as it is the specialised part.
- Watch NTA’s ICAR page from April, going by last year.
