ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute

Latest Admission Updates (2026)

The ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), Pusa, New Delhi conducts its 2026 postgraduate and doctoral intake entirely through the NTA-administered ICAR AIEEA (PG) and ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF (Ph.D.) examinations. Below are the most recent, time-sensitive updates an aspirant needs as of June 2026.

• 7 June 2026 - Last date to apply (most important deadline): The online application window for both ICAR AIEEA (PG) for M.Sc/M.Tech at IARI and ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF for Ph.D. closes on 7 June 2026.
• 8 May 2026: Online registration opened on the NTA ICAR portal (exams.nta.nic.in/icar) for the 2026 cycle.
• Early July 2026 (expected, based on the 2025/2026 notification): The Computer-Based Test (CBT) for ICAR AIEEA (PG) and AICE-JRF/SRF is scheduled for the first week of July 2026.
• NIRF 2024 (announced 12 August 2024): IARI New Delhi was ranked No. 1 in India in the Agriculture & Allied Sector category with a score of 83.16, reaffirming why it is the most sought-after seat in the ICAR counselling list.
• Post-result: Seat allotment for IARI happens through centralised ICAR PG/Ph.D. counselling, where IARI must be chosen as the first preference during choice-filling.

ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute Admission 2026: Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility at IARI New Delhi is programme-specific and is checked at two stages - first to sit the relevant entrance exam, and again during counselling/document verification. The table below answers the most common applicant question: "Am I eligible for IARI's M.Sc, M.Tech, or Ph.D. in 2026?" It lists the minimum degree required, the qualifying marks (with the relaxed threshold for reserved categories), and the exact entrance exam each programme accepts. Read each row against your own degree and aggregate before paying the application fee, because IARI does not relax these floors at counselling.

The key takeaway: IARI's PG entry floor is a 60% Bachelor's aggregate (55% for SC/ST), and Ph.D. entry requires a 60% Master's aggregate plus a valid AICE-JRF/SRF rank. Candidates who completed their degree under the 10+2+4, 10+1+4, 10+2+3, or 10+6 (B.Sc Agriculture) systems are accepted. Your next step is to confirm your discipline maps to an IARI subject in the ICAR information bulletin before locking choices, since IARI Ph.D. selection additionally weighs your interview and past academic record.

Course-Wise Admission Status

This section answers "Which IARI programmes are open for 2026 and how do I get in?" As of June 2026, applications for all three flagship programme types are channelled through the single NTA window that closes on 7 June 2026. The table below shows the live application status, the admission mode, and the accepted exam per programme. Seat counts at IARI are discipline-wise and are released subject-by-subject in the ICAR counselling seat matrix rather than as one institute total, so use this as a status map and verify your specific subject's seats in the official matrix.

The bottom line: every IARI PG and doctoral seat for 2026 runs off the same 7 June 2026 application deadline, so there is no separate institute-level form to fill. M.Sc and M.Tech are two-year programmes; the Ph.D. is recorded as a three-year programme in our admissions data. After the exam, your real competition begins at counselling, where you must rank IARI first to convert your rank into a Pusa seat.

Application Fees

Two distinct application fees apply depending on whether you are entering IARI through the PG route (ICAR AIEEA) or the doctoral route (AICE-JRF/SRF), and both are paid online to NTA - not to IARI directly. The table below answers "How much does it cost to apply to IARI in 2026, and has it changed?" It separates the NTA exam application fee by category from the actual IARI programme tuition you pay after admission. Note these are two different payments at two different stages, so budget for both.

Takeaway: the exam application fee is modest (₹675-₹2,000 by category in 2026), and IARI's tuition is deliberately low for a No. 1-ranked institute - ₹31,000 for the full M.Sc Agriculture or M.Tech and ₹75,200 for the Ph.D. The PG and Ph.D. application fees have held steady into 2026, and IARI's programme fees remain among the most affordable in Indian agricultural education. Separately, at counselling you must deposit a refundable/adjustable seat-acceptance fee of ₹10,000 to confirm your allotted seat.

Entrance Exam Requirements

IARI accepts only ICAR's national exams - there is no institute-specific test. M.Sc and M.Tech aspirants must clear ICAR AIEEA (PG); Ph.D. aspirants must clear ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF and then face an interview. The table below answers "Which exam do I need for IARI and when is it in 2026?" along with a realistic guide to how competitive a score must be at Pusa. Because IARI is the top-ranked agricultural institute, its closing ranks are far tighter than the overall qualifying cutoff, so treat the "competitive" column as the IARI bar, not the exam's pass bar.

The key point: a mere qualifying score will not secure IARI - for high-demand M.Sc disciplines the institute's closing rank routinely sits in the single or low double digits all-India, as the cutoff data below shows. The 2026 exam dates are expected in the first week of July (based on the 8 May-7 June 2026 application schedule); confirm the exact date on your NTA admit card. Ph.D. applicants should remember that the written exam only shortlists them - IARI's final Ph.D. selection blends entrance marks, academic record, and interview performance.

Cutoff Analysis (2024-2026)

This section answers the question every IARI aspirant asks: "What rank do I need to get in?" The table below presents the closing ranks recorded in our admissions database for IARI New Delhi by programme level and category, alongside the trend direction heading into 2026. Closing ranks are released category-wise and discipline-wise after each counselling round, so read your own category row and remember a lower number means a tighter, more competitive cutoff. Use these as a benchmark to judge whether your expected rank is realistic for Pusa.

The clear trend: IARI's PG closing ranks are extraordinarily tight - a General-category M.Sc seat in a top discipline closed around all-India rank 10 in 2023, while OBC M.Sc Agriculture closed near rank 37 and a second General discipline near rank 71. The much wider EWS UG benchmark (~9691 in 2023) shows how demand concentrates at the very top for the flagship PG subjects. Because applicant volumes keep rising and IARI remains NIRF No. 1, expect 2026 closing ranks to hold tight or fall further in popular disciplines - so aim for a sub-100 all-India rank in competitive M.Sc subjects and prioritise IARI early in choice-filling.

Counselling Process

Admission to IARI is finalised through centralised ICAR (NTA) counselling after results - there is no separate IARI walk-in admission. Follow these steps in order:

1. Registration: After the result, log in to the ICAR counselling portal with your AIEEA/AICE roll number and password to register for the counselling rounds.
2. Choice filling & locking: List your university-discipline preferences in order. To get Pusa, place ICAR-IARI, New Delhi as your first choice for your target subject, then lock your choices before the deadline.
3. Seat allotment: ICAR allots seats round-wise based on your all-India rank, category, and locked choices (four online rounds plus a mop-up/final round).
4. Online document verification: Upload and get your mark sheets, degree/provisional certificate, category certificate (if applicable), ID proof, photographs, and migration/transfer certificates verified; correct any flagged errors before the deadline.
5. Seat-acceptance fee payment: Pay the ₹10,000 seat-acceptance fee online to confirm the allotted IARI seat.
6. Reporting & admission: Report (online/physical, as instructed) to IARI for final admission; Ph.D. candidates additionally clear the IARI interview where entrance marks, academic record, and interview performance decide final selection.

As a reference, the 2026 final-round counselling activity ran in early February 2026 (choice-filling closing 3 February, allotment from 5 February, verification/fee by 6 February), so watch the portal closely once results are declared and act within each round's narrow window.

Important Dates (2026)

This master schedule answers "What are the IARI admission dates for 2026 and what is still pending?" It consolidates the application, exam, and counselling milestones for the ICAR AIEEA (PG) and AICE-JRF/SRF cycle through which IARI admits. Dates not yet officially fixed are marked as expected, based on the released 2026 application schedule. Treat the application close date as your hard deadline and verify the exam date on your admit card.

The single date that matters most right now is 7 June 2026 - miss it and there is no IARI admission this cycle. After applying, your focus shifts to the early-July exam and then to rapid action during each counselling round, since allotment-to-fee windows are often only a day or two. Bookmark exams.nta.nic.in/icar and iari.res.in and check both daily once results approach.