ICAR AIEEA PG 2026 counselling for AIQ seats begins September 29

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi, is set to begin the online counselling process for All India Quota (AIQ) seats in Postgraduate (PG) and Doctoral (PhD) programmes for the Academic Year 2026-27. The counselling will commence on September 29, 2026, and will be conducted through the official portal, icarcounseling.com.

This counselling round is for admission to PG programmes, excluding the Veterinary stream, and all PhD programmes, including Veterinary, across over 74 agricultural universities in India. The official public notice regarding this counselling, bearing notice number F.No. Agril. Edn./1-17/2026-Exam Cell, was issued by ICAR’s Agricultural Education Division on September 25, 2026.

Eligibility and Application Process for PG and PhD Admissions

Candidates aspiring for PG admissions must hold a 4-year, 5-year, or 6-year Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture or Allied Sciences. A minimum aggregate of 60% marks is required for General, OBC, and EWS candidates, while SC, ST, and PwBD candidates need 50%. In addition, a valid AIEEA-PG 2026 rank card with a non-zero score is mandatory, and candidates must be at least 19 years old as of August 31, 2026.

For PhD admissions, candidates are required to possess an M.Sc., M.V.Sc., or M.Tech degree in Agriculture or Allied Sciences. A valid AICE-JRF/SRF (PhD) 2026 rank card issued by the National Testing Agency (NTA) is essential. JRF holders are eligible for a fellowship of Rs. 37,000 per month, while SRF holders receive Rs. 42,000 per month from ICAR.

The counselling process involves a non-refundable registration fee of Rs. 500. Upon seat allotment, candidates must pay a Seat Acceptance Fee of Rs. 10,000 online. Candidates are advised to keep all necessary documents, testimonials, and certificates ready as per the official public notice.

Examination Details and Seat Distribution

The ICAR AIEEA-PG and AICE-JRF/SRF (PhD) examinations for the 2026-27 academic year were conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on July 4, 2026. The results for ICAR AIEEA PG 2026 were after that declared between August 29 and 30, 2026. Out of 42,110 registered candidates, 38,720 appeared for the examination.

AIQ seats constitute 30% of the total seats available at State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) and 100% of the seats at ICAR’s premier institutions. These premier institutions include IARI New Delhi, ICAR-NDRI Karnal, IVRI Bareilly, RLBCAU Jhansi, CIFE Mumbai, and Dr. RPCAU Pusa. “All may kindly note and keep their documents, testimonials, certificates, etc. ready for the purpose,” stated the ICAR public notice.

Previous Year Cutoff Trends and Important Dates

Analysis of the previous year’s (2025) cutoff data for ICAR PG admissions indicates variations in closing marks across different universities and categories for the same discipline. For instance, in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, the first-round Unreserved (UR) cutoff was 316 marks at IARI Pusa, compared to 205 marks at Kerala Agricultural University. Similarly, Soil Science saw a UR cutoff of 361 at Punjab Agricultural University and 355 at Professor Jayashankar Agricultural University in 2025. Candidates are advised to compare their AIEEA-PG 2026 rank and marks with these specific previous year cutoffs rather than relying on a single overall number.

The Information Bulletin for ICAR AIEEA (PG) – 2026 and ICAR AICE – JRF/SRF (Ph.D) – 2026 were both issued on May 8, 2026. Candidates are directed to regularly visit icarcounseling.com for updates on specific round-wise dates, counselling registration, choice filling, seat allotment, and document verification processes.

Further reading

• ICAR AIEEA (PG) and AICE-JRF/SRF (Ph.D.) 2026 counselling dates soon on official portal
• TANCET/CAT 2026: Apply for MBA admissions in Tamil Nadu colleges now
• XAT 2027 registration extended: apply by December 6 for January 3 exam
• CMAT application form: eligibility, dates and how to apply
• ICAR AIEEA: complete exam guide

Written by Nishit Kumar

Nishit Kumar is a senior EdTech industry leader with over a decade of experience in building and scaling education platforms, shaping their product, content, and growth strategy. At FindMyCollege, Nishit oversees content and editorial strategy, guiding topic selection and content frameworks to ensure accuracy, relevance, and student-first value across the website.

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