ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF (PhD) 2027 is the national entrance exam that NTA conducts for ICAR for admission to PhD programmes in agricultural universities and for the ICAR JRF/SRF fellowship. Dates are not announced yet. Based on 2026, the application form is expected in May 2027 and the computer-based exam in July 2027.
ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF (PhD) 2027
This page covers the expected 2027 dates, how to apply and the fee, eligibility, the exam pattern, the fellowship and the official downloads.
| Full name | ICAR All India Competitive Examination for JRF/SRF (Ph.D.), AICE-JRF/SRF (Ph.D.) |
|---|---|
| Conducted by | National Testing Agency (NTA) for ICAR; counselling by ICAR |
| Exam level | National |
| Courses / Purpose | Ph.D. admission in agricultural universities and the ICAR JRF/SRF fellowship, in 72 subjects |
| Exam date | Expected July 2027 |
| Application | Expected May to June 2027, online only |
| Application fee | Rs 2,000 (General); Rs 1,955 (OBC-NCL, UPS, Gen-EWS); Rs 1,075 (SC, ST, PwBD, third gender), 2026 |
| Eligibility | Master's in the matching subject with OGPA 6.50/10 or 60% (5.50 or 50% for SC, ST, PwBD, third gender) |
| Mode | Online, computer-based test (CBT) |
| Questions and marks | 120 MCQs, 480 marks, 2 hours |
| Negative marking | 1 mark deducted for each wrong answer (+4 for a correct answer) |
| Official website | exams.nta.nic.in/icar |
ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF (PhD) 2027 Important Dates
NTA has not released the 2027 schedule yet, so the 2027 dates below are expected months. In 2026 the form opened on 8 May and the exam was held on 4 July 2026, so a similar May to July window is expected in 2027.
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Information bulletin | May 2027 Expected |
| Online application | May 2027 Expected |
| Exam city intimation | June 2027 Expected |
| Admit card | June 2027 Expected |
| AICE-JRF/SRF | July 2027 Expected |
| Provisional answer key | August 2027 Expected |
| Answer key challenge | August 2027 Expected |
| Result | August 2027 Expected |
| ICAR counselling | September 2027 Expected |
How to Apply for ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF (PhD) 2027
You apply online at exams.nta.nic.in/icar once NTA publishes the 2027 information bulletin, expected in May 2027. Only one application is allowed, and you choose one subject of specialisation in it. No offline form is accepted.
Apply Online for ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF (PhD) 2027
Applications for ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF (PhD) 2027 are expected in May 2027.
- Go to exams.nta.nic.in/icar and read the information bulletin, especially the subject-wise eligibility table.
- Register with your own mobile number and email ID, and note the system-generated application number.
- Log in and fill in your personal details, the PhD subject you want, your Master’s degree details and your preferred exam cities.
- Capture a live photograph and upload a scanned photograph, signature and, if it applies, a PwBD certificate.
- Pay the fee online by debit card, credit card, net banking or UPI.
- Download the confirmation page and keep a printout.
| Category | Fee (latest bulletin, 2026) |
|---|---|
| General / Unreserved | Rs 2,000 |
| OBC-NCL, UPS, Gen-EWS | Rs 1,955 |
| SC, ST, PwBD, Third gender | Rs 1,075 |
Processing charges and GST are extra. NTA opens a one-time correction window after the last date; in 2026 it ran from 12 to 14 June 2026. Mobile number, email, name, parents’ names, date of birth and gender cannot be changed.
Who can apply for ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF (PhD) 2027?
You can apply if you are an Indian national with a Master’s degree in a subject that ICAR lists as eligible for your chosen PhD subject, with the minimum OGPA or marks shown below. The rules here are from the 2026 bulletin, the latest one.
- Qualifying degree: a Master’s degree in the matching agricultural or allied subject, as listed in the bulletin’s subject-wise table. A Bachelor’s degree of 3 years’ duration is not accepted, except in a few courses at IARI and NDRI.
- Final-year students can apply, but must complete the Master’s degree, including thesis and viva, by the date the bulletin fixes (31 July in 2026).
- Age: at least 20 years on the date fixed in the bulletin (31 August in 2026). There is no upper age limit.
- Students already in a PhD can apply afresh if they have not completed two years on the exam date.
- In-service candidates need a sponsorship certificate from their employer at counselling.
| Category | Minimum OGPA (10-point scale) | Minimum marks |
|---|---|---|
| General, OBC-NCL, UPS, EWS | 6.50 | 60% |
| SC, ST, PwBD, Third gender | 5.50 | 50% |
Marks are not rounded off, and where OGPA is awarded, a percentage equivalent is not accepted.
What is the ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF (PhD) 2027 exam pattern?
The exam is a single 2-hour computer-based paper of 120 multiple-choice questions for 480 marks, offered in 72 subjects. Each correct answer gets 4 marks and each wrong answer loses 1. The table shows the 2026 pattern, the latest official one.
| Part | What it covers | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part A | General knowledge of agriculture, animal husbandry, dairying, fisheries and allied sciences, including current events (common to all subjects) | 20 | 80 |
| Part B | Core group that contains your chosen PhD subject | 50 | 200 |
| Part C | Your specialised subject at Master’s level | 50 | 200 |
| Total | 2 hours, LAN-based CBT, English only; +4 correct, -1 wrong, 0 unattempted | 120 | 480 |
Part B and Part C follow ICAR’s subject-wise syllabus; see the ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF (PhD) syllabus for the core groups and topics. In 2026 the PhD paper was held from 3 to 5 PM, after the AIEEA (PG) morning shift.
How much is the ICAR JRF/SRF fellowship and who gets it?
The ICAR JRF/SRF fellowship pays Rs 37,000 a month in the first and second years (JRF) and Rs 42,000 a month in the third year (SRF), plus a research contingency grant of Rs 10,000 a year. It runs for three years and is awarded only after online counselling.
- The number of fellowships in each subject depends on how many candidates appeared in that subject over the previous three years, so it is known only at counselling.
- Candidates who qualify for counselling but miss a fellowship can still get a PhD seat without fellowship, as per rank and seat availability.
- You must keep an OGPA of 7.00 out of 10 (6.50 for SC, ST and PwBD) each year to keep the fellowship.
- The fellowship is valid only at agricultural universities, ICAR deemed universities, central agricultural universities and the central universities with an agriculture faculty listed in the bulletin.
- 15% of seats and fellowships are reserved for SC and 7.5% for ST candidates, with 5% horizontal reservation for PwBD.
Through this exam ICAR fills 30% of PhD seats in agricultural universities and 100% of seats at IARI, IVRI, NDRI, CIFE, Dr. RPCAU Pusa and RLBCAU Jhansi. In 2025-26 there were 2,278 such PhD seats.
ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF (PhD) 2027 Official Notices and Downloads
The 2027 bulletin is not out yet. Until then, the 2026 bulletin and ICAR’s syllabus are the latest official documents.
- PDFICAR AICE (PhD) 2026 Online Counselling Brochure (29 September 2026)Official site · icarcounseling.comOpen
- PDFICAR PG (other than Veterinary) and PhD counselling schedule 2026-27 (29 September 2026)Official site · icarcounseling.comOpen
- PDFICAR AICE-JRF/SRF (Ph.D.) 2026 Information Bulletin (latest) (8 May 2026)Official site · cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.inOpen
- PDFICAR syllabus for AICE-JRF/SRF (Ph.D.), all subjects (latest)Official site · icar.org.inOpen
- LINKICAR AICE-JRF/SRF (Ph.D.) official website (NTA)Official site · exams.nta.nic.inOpen