The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) conducts a centralized online counselling process for admission to Undergraduate (UG), Postgraduate (PG), and Ph.D. programs in agriculture and allied sciences in various Agricultural Universities across the country.
This counselling is based on the scores of the entrance examinations conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA)—primarily CUET (ICAR-UG) for undergraduate admissions and ICAR AIEEA (PG) for postgraduate admissions.
ICAR Counselling Procedure (UG & PG)
The counselling is conducted in multiple rounds (typically four main rounds plus a Mop-Up/Final round) on the official ICAR counselling portal. The overall process is as follows:
- Registration and Fee Payment: Eligible candidates must first register on the portal and pay the prescribed, non-refundable counselling fee.
- Choice Filling and Locking: Candidates must select their preferred agricultural universities and specific programs/courses in order of priority. It is critical to fill and lock choices before the deadline.
- Seat Allotment: Based on the candidate’s merit rank (ICAR Rank), reservation category, and the choices filled, a seat is provisionally allotted in a particular university and program.
- Document Upload and Verification: Candidates who are allotted a seat must upload the required original documents on the portal for online verification by the respective University.
- Query Response (if any): If the University finds any discrepancy in the uploaded documents, they will raise a query that the candidate must resolve by re-uploading the correct document within the specified time.
- Seat Acceptance Fee: After successful document verification, the candidate must pay a non-refundable Seat Acceptance Fee online to confirm their provisional admission.
- Provisional Admission Letter: Once the fee is paid, the candidate can download the Provisional Admission Letter.
- Upgradation/Movement: Candidates can opt to remain in the allotted seat or float/slide for a better preferred seat in the subsequent rounds, if available.
- Subsequent Rounds & Mop-Up: The process repeats for subsequent rounds to fill seats vacated by candidates opting for an upgrade or those who did not complete the admission formalities. A final Mop-Up/Final Round is held for any remaining vacant seats, which often requires fresh registration and choice filling for those not admitted earlier.
- Physical Reporting: After the completion of all online formalities, the candidate must report physically to the allotted University for final admission and fee payment as per the University’s schedule.
Key Documents Required for Counselling
Candidates must have all the following documents ready (usually in digital format for uploading) for the counselling process:
| Document Category | UG Admissions (B.Sc. Ag., etc.) | PG Admissions (M.Sc. Ag., etc.) |
| Exam & Score | CUET (ICAR-UG) Admit Card & Score Card | ICAR AIEEA (PG) Admit Card & Score Card |
| Academic | Class 10th Mark Sheet and Certificate | Bachelor’s Degree Mark Sheets/Grade Reports |
| Class 12th Mark Sheet and Certificate | Provisional/Final Degree Certificate (PDC/Degree) | |
| Other Mandatory | Date of Birth Proof (usually 10th Certificate) | Date of Birth Proof (usually 10th Certificate) |
| Valid Photo Identity Proof (Aadhaar, Passport, etc.) | Valid Photo Identity Proof (Aadhaar, Passport, etc.) | |
| Domicile Certificate | Domicile Certificate | |
| Character and Transfer Certificate from the last institution | Character and Transfer Certificate from the last institution | |
| Category (If Applicable) | SC/ST/OBC-NCL/EWS Certificate (as per Central Govt. format) | SC/ST/OBC-NCL/EWS Certificate (as per Central Govt. format) |
| PwBD (Person with Benchmark Disability) Certificate | PwBD (Person with Benchmark Disability) Certificate |
Note: For PG admissions, candidates must generally have a 4-year/5-year/6-year (10+6, B.Sc. Ag.) UG degree to be eligible, except for a few specific courses in ICAR Deemed Universities like IARI and NDRI. Always refer to the latest ICAR Counselling Brochure for exact eligibility criteria and the central format for reservation certificates.
