ICAR AIEEA PG, AICE JRF/SRF PhD 2026 application begins; exam on July 4 for agricultural, allied sciences

Vaishnavi Shukla | May 9, 2026 | 03:58 PM IST | 2 mins read

ICAR: Candidates can apply online on the official website at exams.nta.nic.in/icar, by June 7; JRF/SRF and AIEEA exam for 2026 test for 72 and 20 subjects, respectively

ICAR PG, PhD entrance exam dates announced. (Representational Image: Wikimediacommons)

ICAR : The National Testing Agency (NTA) has started accepting applications for the Indian Council of Agricultural Research All India Entrance Examination for Admission-Postgraduate (ICAR AIEEA PG) 2026 and All India Competitive Examination for Junior Research Fellowship and Senior Research Fellowship (AICE JRF/SRF) PhD 2026 for admissions to PG and PhD courses in agricultural and allied sciences for the academic year 2026-27 on behalf of ICAR.

Candidates will have to apply online for AIEEA PG and AICE PhD through the official website at exams.nta.nic.in/icar, by June 7. Candidates must fulfil the eligibility criteria as prescribed and ensure that the information entered is accurate.

ICAR JRF/SRF 2026 exam will be conducted for 72 subjects at 89 cities, while the AIEEA PG 2026 exam will be held for 20 subjects across 122 cities in the country.

Also read ICAR ex-deputy DG: India’s agricultural universities need urgent overhaul

AIEEA PG, AICE JRF/SRF PhD 2026: Application details, dates

Candidates must fill out their ICAR application form through Aadhaar-based authentication and also make sure that their Aadhaar details are updated as per the guidelines of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIAI), including their latest photograph and demographic details.

Additionally, to fill out the application form, candidates will have to upload a live photograph during submission

The dates for ICAR AIEEA PG, AICE 2026 are shown in the table below.

Events

Dates

Application form

June 7 till 5 pm

Last date for fee payment

June 7

Application correction

June 9 to 10

Exam date

July 4

For PwD and PwBD candidates, the details of the UDID card uploaded will be verified through the facility of the department of empowerment of persons with disabilities. Candidates who do not possess a UDID Card are required to upload a valid disability certificate, which may be verified by the issuing authority.

Also read ICAR stipend hikes 21 months late; ‘financially distressed’ agriculture researchers seek legal recourse

ICAR AIEEA, AICE Application Fee 2026

The application fee for ICAR AIEEA and AICE 2026 is shown in the table below.

Category

ICAR JRF/SRF

ICAR AIEEA

General and unreserved

Rs 2,000

Rs 1,300

Other Backward Classes (OBC)- (NCL)/UPS/ EWS

Rs 1,955

Rs 1,255

SC/ST/PwBD/Third Gender

Rs 1,075

Rs 675

ICAR PG, PhD Entrance Exam Pattern 2026

The AIEEA PG 2026 exam pattern is shown in the table below.

Exam mode

CBT (Computer-Based Test) (Annexure-VIII)

Duration

120 minutes (2 hours)

Number of Questions

120

Question type

Multiple Choice Questions

Marking

  • 4 marks for each correct response
  • -1 mark for each incorrect response (negative scoring)
  • 0 for non-attempt

Medium of Paper

English only

The exam pattern for AICE PG JRF/SRF PhD 2026 is shown in the table below.

Exam mode

LAN-Based CBT (Computer-Based Test)

Duration

2 Hours

Number of Questions

120 (20 + 50 + 50)

  • 20 – Part A (General knowledge/reasoning ability)
  • 50 – Part B Core Group (refer Table-1) containing the specialized Subject opted by the candidate for Ph.D.
  • 50 – Part C Specialized Subject opted by the candidate for Ph.D.

Type of Questions

Multiple Choice with 4 options

Maximum Marks

480 (80+200+200)

Scoring

  • 4 marks for each correct response
  • -1 mark for each incorrect response (negative scoring)
  • 0 for non-attempt

Paper Medium

English only

For regular updates, candidates can download the information brochure for the academic year 2026-27 from the official website. For any queries or clarifications, candidates can call NTA help desk at 011-40759000/ 011-6922770 or write to NTA at ican@nta.ac.in.

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