In a major relief for aspirants, agricultural universities across India have agreed to admit students for the BSc Agriculture course with Agriculture as one of the intermediate subjects under the ICAR quota. The decision addresses a long-standing grievance of students who had cleared the ICAR All India Competitive Examination but were denied admission due to restrictive eligibility norms.
The ICAR quota, which accounts for 20% of seats across 50 agricultural universities, offers 3,121 seats filled through the national-level exam conducted by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). Until now, most universities only admitted candidates with subject combinations such as Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics, excluding those with Agriculture at the intermediate level.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan confirmed that the revised criteria will come into effect from the 2025-26 academic year, ensuring uniform opportunities nationwide. “This streamlined system will eliminate all complexities related to admission to BSc Agriculture from the 2025-26 academic year, directly benefiting approximately 3,000 students,” he said.
According to ICAR Director General M. L. Jat, only a few states, including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar, offer Agriculture as an intermediate subject. Denying such candidates admission was unfair despite their success in the entrance exam.
Of the 50 universities, 42 have already accepted the ABC (Agriculture, Biology, Chemistry) subject combination, while three universities have approved the PCA (Physics, Chemistry, Agriculture) combination. The remaining five institutions are expected to include Agriculture as a subject in their eligibility from the 2026-27 session, though discussions are ongoing to implement it from the current academic year.
This change marks a significant step toward making BSc Agriculture admissions more inclusive and accessible for students from diverse educational backgrounds.