ICAR JRF and SRF 2026-27: ₹37,000 a month, last date 31 October

This is a fellowship, not a scholarship, and the difference matters: you are paid to do research, and the money is a salary-sized monthly amount rather than a fee waiver.

ICAR awards Junior and Senior Research Fellowships for post-graduate study in agriculture and allied sciences. JRF funds a Master's degree. SRF funds a PhD. Both are awarded on merit in the All India Competitive Entrance Examination, together with concurrent admission to the degree programme.

What it pays. From ICAR's Office Memorandum of 15 October 2024:

A contingency grant is payable on top and was left unchanged by that revision. For context, these rates replaced ₹31,000 and ₹35,000 — so anyone quoting the older figures is working from a superseded circular.

Where you can hold it. The JRF is tenable only at the Agricultural Universities named in the guidelines: State Agricultural Universities, the deemed universities IARI (New Delhi), IVRI (Izatnagar), NDRI (Karnal), CIFE (Mumbai), AAU (Allahabad) and Central Agricultural University (Imphal), and the central universities with agriculture faculties — Banaras Hindu University, Aligarh Muslim University, Visva Bharati and Nagaland University. It is explicitly not available for admission to any other university.

Who can apply — JRF (for a Master's)

• You have passed, or are appearing in the final examination of, a Bachelor's degree in the relevant field under a 10+6, 10+2+5 or 10+2+4 pattern.
• 60% marks, or OGPA 6.60/10.00 (3.25/5.00, 2.6/4.00) for General, OBC and Under Privileged States candidates.
• 55% marks, or OGPA 5.50/10.00 (2.75/5.00, 2.20/4.00) for SC, ST and Physically Challenged candidates.
• Minimum age 19 years as on the date of the examination. No relaxation on the minimum.
• For M.V.Sc., you must have completed B.V.Sc. & A.H. including internship before registering.
• Duration is two years, and the guidelines say it will in no case be extended beyond that.

Who can apply — SRF (for a PhD)

• A completed Master's with OGPA at least 6.50/10.00 (3.25/5.00, 2.60/4.00) for General and OBC, or 5.50/10.00 (2.75/5.00, 2.20/4.00) for SC, ST and Physically Challenged candidates. Where only marks are awarded, 60% for General/OBC and 50% for SC/ST/PC.
• SRF admission is against 25% of PhD seats, with at least one seat per discipline, at accredited Agricultural Universities — except ICAR Deemed-to-be-Universities, which fill 100% of seats through their own national entrance examinations.
• Candidates with a three-year Bachelor's degree are not eligible, with a narrow proviso for those already enrolled in a Master's programme on the date of the notification.
• You must complete the PG degree in all respects and produce the degree completion certificate by 30 June or the date of counselling, whichever is later — miss it and neither admission nor the fellowship is granted.
• You must pursue the PhD at an Agricultural University other than the one where you did your Bachelor's or Master's.

Two conditions people find out about too late.

1. JRF to SRF is not automatic. After two years, an external assessment by your institution is mandatory for up-gradation, and SRF is awarded only after you pass it.
2. Annual satisfactory assessment is mandatory to keep the fellowship running through the SRF period.

Reservation for SC, ST, OBC and PH categories applies as per Government of India rules. Verifying those certificates is the responsibility of the Agricultural University that recommends you for admission.

There is no income ceiling. This is a merit award decided by an entrance examination, so family income does not enter into it at any stage.

Where to apply. On the National Scholarship Portal, by 31 October 2026. One-Time Registration comes first — do it before you start, because it is the step that quietly costs people the deadline.

Dates checked on 28 August 2026. Deadlines move without notice, so confirm on the official page linked above before you apply.