StudyDesk Scholarships
About the scheme
The ICAR Post Graduate Scholarship supports master’s students in agriculture and allied sciences at agricultural universities under the ICAR-AU system: the State Agricultural Universities, the deemed universities IARI in New Delhi, IVRI at Izatnagar, NDRI at Karnal, CIFE in Mumbai and AAU at Allahabad, the Central Agricultural University at Imphal, and central universities with a faculty of agriculture — BHU, AMU, Visva Bharati and Nagaland University. The award follows the entrance examination, not a separate scholarship application: candidates admitted through the All India Entrance Examination under ICAR All India Quota seats are automatically eligible, and then complete the portal formalities described below.
Three neighbouring ICAR schemes are easy to confuse with this one, and the amounts must not be mixed. The National Talent Scholarship pays Rs 3,000 a month at undergraduate level and Rs 5,000 a month at postgraduate level, and it requires studying at an agricultural university outside your state of domicile; this scholarship has no such outside-state condition. The ICAR Junior and Senior Research Fellowships are for PhD students and pay Rs 37,000 a month in the first two years and Rs 42,000 in the third, with a Rs 10,000 annual contingency. Older aggregator pages quoting Rs 8,640 a month belong to an older Junior Research Fellowship scale, not to this master’s scholarship; the current figure for this scheme, from the National Scholarship Portal scheme FAQ, is Rs 12,640 a month.
Who can apply
- Be admitted to a master’s degree programme in agriculture or an allied science at an agricultural university under the ICAR-AU system.
- Have entered through the All India Entrance Examination on an ICAR All India Quota seat. Students admitted through a state agricultural university’s own entrance test are not eligible.
- Hold a bachelor’s degree in the concerned field, or be appearing in its final examination, from a 10+6, 10+2+5 or 10+2+4 stream.
- Be at least 19 years old on the date of the entrance examination; there is no relaxation on this.
- For M.V.Sc. admission, have completed B.V.Sc. and A.H. with internship before the date of registration.
- Meet the marks standard: 60% marks, or an OGPA of 6.60 out of 10.00 (3.25 out of 5.00, or 2.6 out of 4.00), for general, OBC and Under Privileged States categories; 55% marks, or an OGPA of 5.50 out of 10.00 (2.75 out of 5.00, or 2.20 out of 4.00), for SC, ST and physically challenged candidates. Where a university awards only grades, its Registrar certifies the OGPA-to-percentage equivalence. Reservation follows Government of India rules, and the university verifies the certificates.
Benefits and continuation
The scholarship pays Rs 12,640 a month plus a contingency grant of Rs 6,000 a year — about Rs 1,51,680 a year in monthly payments alone — for the entire duration of the master’s degree programme, subject to good conduct, punctuality and a minimum academic performance. Continuation requires an OGPA of 6.60 out of 10.00, or 60% marks, for general, OBC and UPS categories, and 5.50 out of 10.00, or 55% marks, for SC, ST and physically challenged candidates. The fellowship is not paid automatically for the full course regardless of performance: fall below the qualifying OGPA and the continuation condition fails.
Documents needed
Because the award follows the entrance examination, the document the portal FAQ names for release of the scholarship is the award letter issued by ICAR. In the portal process you will also enter your entrance examination and AIQ admission details exactly as they appear on your admission record, together with your bank account and Aadhaar details.
How to apply
- Register or log in on the National Scholarship Portal and select the ICAR Post Graduate Scholarship (PGS) scheme under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education.
- Enter your entrance examination and AIQ admission details exactly as they appear on your admission record, along with your bank account and Aadhaar details.
- Upload the award letter issued by ICAR.
- Applications closed 31 October 2026. Your university must verify the application by 15 November 2026, and district, state and ministry verification runs to 30 November 2026.
FAQs
No. Admission through the All India Entrance Examination on an ICAR AIQ seat makes you automatically eligible; you still have to complete the National Scholarship Portal formalities and upload the ICAR award letter before the closing date.
No. Only admissions through the All India Entrance Examination on ICAR All India Quota seats in the ICAR-AU system qualify.
Rs 12,640 a month plus Rs 6,000 a year as a contingency grant, for the duration of the master’s degree, subject to the minimum OGPA.
No. The talent scholarship pays Rs 3,000 a month at undergraduate level and Rs 5,000 at postgraduate level and requires studying outside your home state. This scholarship has no outside-state condition and pays the fellowship rate above.
6.60 out of 10.00, or 60% marks, for general, OBC and UPS categories; 5.50 out of 10.00, or 55%, for SC, ST and physically challenged candidates.
31 October 2026 (now closed), for the student application on the National Scholarship Portal, with institute verification by 15 November 2026.
Verified 1 Nov 2026: ICAR Post Graduate Scholarship (PGS) closed 31 Oct 2026 — the 2026-27 NSP window closed 31 Oct 2026 and no ICAR-specific extension was found (the 15 Nov extension covers NMMSS only). Institute verification to 15 Nov and ministry verification to 30 Nov 2026 are verification windows, not an extension.
