Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday (October 3, 2025) provided major relief to agriculture students by resolving a long-standing concern regarding admission criteria in agricultural universities. He announced that 20% of undergraduate seats in agricultural universities will now be filled through the Indian Council of Agricultural Research’s (ICAR) all-India competitive examination.
The decision, which will come into effect from the 2025–26 academic session, will ensure uniform eligibility criteria across the country in line with the vision of ‘One Nation–One Agriculture–One Team’. Students who studied Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, or Agriculture in Class 12 will now be able to secure admission through the CUET-ICAR national entrance exam in a transparent and hassle-free manner.
For years, students faced confusion and barriers in admission due to differing eligibility criteria and subject combinations prescribed by various states and universities. Many deserving candidates were unable to pursue agricultural education despite having studied relevant subjects in Class 12. The issue recently gained attention on social media and was also raised by several state representatives. Taking note of this, Chouhan promptly directed ICAR Director General Dr. Mangi Lal Jat to consult agricultural universities and their vice chancellors, which led to a swift resolution.
The minister appreciated the ICAR leadership and agricultural universities for their cooperation in implementing the reform. He said the decision will simplify admissions and directly benefit nearly 3,000 students from the next academic year by removing unnecessary hurdles in B.Sc. Agriculture admissions.
According to the ministry, of the 50 agricultural universities offering ICAR quota seats, 42 have already accepted ABC (Agriculture, Biology, Chemistry) as an eligibility combination, while three more universities have included PCA (Physics, Chemistry, Agriculture). This ensures that about 2,700 seats, nearly 85% of the 3,121 ICAR quota seats available in 2025–26, will be accessible to agriculture and inter-agriculture students.
The remaining five universities, which require approval from their management boards, have assured that Agriculture will be included in their eligibility criteria from the 2026–27 session. However, discussions are still underway to introduce the change from this academic year itself.
