Last Updated on October 4, 2025 12:48 am by BIZNAMA NEWS
S.N. Verma / New Delhi
Union Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced a major reform in agricultural education, aimed at reducing stress for students and their families while ensuring fairness in admissions. From now on, 20% of undergraduate seats in agricultural universities will be allocated through an all-India competitive exam conducted by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
In line with the vision of “One Nation, One Agriculture, One Team,” the eligibility norms and subject groupings have been standardized nationwide. Students who studied Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, or Agriculture in their Class 12 curriculum will now have equal access to admissions through a transparent and uniform national entrance test.
Chouhan, speaking to the media in Delhi, stated that for the past few years, a major problem in admissions to undergraduate agricultural programs had been the inefficient eligibility criteria for students. These qualified agricultural students were held back by the varying subject combinations (Agriculture/Biology/Chemistry/Physics/Math) in grade 12, and varying rules and eligibility requirements in different states.
Students had raised this issue through social media in the past few days, and public representatives from some states had also written to Union Minister Shri Chouhan, who took immediate cognizance of the issue with compassion. Understanding the seriousness of the students’ concerns, he directed ICAR Director General Dr. Mangi Lal Jat to work with the state agricultural universities and their Vice Chancellors to find a quick solution. Shivraj Singh congratulated the ICAR Director General and his team for their prompt action in finding a solution. He also thanked the Vice Chancellors and Agricultural Universities for their cooperation in implementing the reforms. Shivraj Singh said that this has now made admission opportunities easier and more uniform for students across the country.
This streamlined system will eliminate all complexities related to admission to B.Sc. Agriculture from the academic year 2025-26, directly benefiting approximately 3,000 students. Union Minister Shivraj Singh stated that of the 50 agricultural universities offering ICAR seats in B.Sc. (Agriculture), 42 have accepted the ABC (Agriculture, Biology, Chemistry) subject combination as eligibility criteria, which is typically studied by Agriculture/Intermediate Agriculture students. Furthermore, three universities have also accepted the PCA (Physics, Chemistry, Agriculture) combination. As part of this effort, approximately 2,700 seats (approximately 85%) of the 3,121 seats available under the ICAR quota in B.Sc. (Agriculture) in 2025-26 will be available to students with 12th-grade Agriculture/Intermediate Agriculture subjects. Meanwhile, the remaining five universities, which require approval from their Boards of Management, have assured that they will include agriculture as part of their admission eligibility criteria for Class 12 from the upcoming 2026-27 academic year. Discussions are ongoing with these Vice Chancellors, and efforts are underway to begin this semester itself.
