ICAR National Talent Scholarship 2026-27: ₹3,000 a month for UG and ₹5,000 for PG in agriculture, last date 31 October
For students doing a Bachelor's or Master's degree in agriculture and allied subjects at an Agricultural University, admitted through ICAR's all-India entrance examination. The condition that decides it: the university must be outside your own state of domicile. ₹3,000 a month for undergraduates and ₹5,000 a month for postgraduates, paid through the university. To keep it you need an OGPA of 7.00 out of 10, or 6.50 for SC and ST students. On the NSP until 31 October 2026.
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research runs the National Talent Scholarship for students who leave their home state to study agriculture. That is not a side condition — it is the point of the scheme. ICAR wants agricultural graduates who have studied outside the state they grew up in, and the scholarship is the incentive.
So before anything else: if you are studying at an Agricultural University inside your own state of domicile, you are not eligible, however good your marks are.
Who can apply
The guidelines say the scholarship is available to a student pursuing a Bachelor's or Master's degree programme, admitted through ICAR's all-India entrance examination, at an Agricultural University located outside their state of domicile, in a programme funded under ICAR's higher agricultural education scheme.
On top of that, a student stays eligible only if they:
- Take up approved courses and take admission at an Agricultural University outside their state of domicile
- Maintain merit and good conduct, certified by the head of the college or university
- Do not remain absent without prior permission, and do not take part in any agitation or strike
- Study whole-time, and do not take up any job, even part-time
- Do not accept any other scholarship during undergraduate study
- Do not leave the course within a month of admission
- Do not change the subject they were awarded the scholarship for
That "no other scholarship" line is the one to plan around. If you are already receiving a state post-matric scholarship, work out which is worth more before you apply for both.
What you get
- ₹3,000 a month at undergraduate level
- ₹5,000 a month at postgraduate level
- No contingency grant
A note on those figures, because most scholarship lists still carry the old ones. The scheme's own guidelines document sets ₹2,000 and ₹3,000. The last page of that same document is an ICAR office order dated 17 September 2018 which revises the rates to ₹3,000 for UG and ₹5,000 for PG, effective from the 2018-19 academic session. The revised figures are the ones we publish. If you see ₹2,000 quoted elsewhere, that is the pre-2018 rate.
How long it runs, and how to keep it
The scholarship is awarded initially for one year from the date you actually take admission, and is renewed for the rest of the degree provided you keep up academic performance and conduct.
The renewal test is specific: you must clear promotion to the next class and secure an OGPA or CGPA of at least 7.00 out of 10.00 — 6.50 out of 10.00 if you are SC or ST. If you do not hold that at the end of the first year, the scholarship is discontinued, and the guidelines say plainly that no relaxation is given. You must also clear all papers in each semester; failing any paper at any stage stops the scholarship. No scholarship is paid for a period of strike.
How the money reaches you
Not directly. ICAR pays the college, university or institute, usually as a lump sum in advance for twelve months, and the university then pays you monthly by direct benefit transfer into your bank account, which must be linked to your Aadhaar number. Payment starts from the month you join.
This matters in practice: if the money is late, the person to ask is your university's scholarship or accounts section, not ICAR. And if your Aadhaar is not seeded to a working bank account, the transfer has nowhere to land — fix that before the first disbursal, not after.
When it stops
- From the date you cease to be on the rolls of the institution
- From the date the sanction expires
- If you are dropped by the institution, or found guilty of a gross act of indiscipline
- If you do not maintain the academic performance above
- If you change discipline or university — no scholarship is paid in that case
If you leave the course before it finishes without the Council's prior approval, the guidelines say you may be required to refund the scholarship already drawn.
How to apply
Apply on the National Scholarship Portal at scholarships.gov.in. The ICAR National Talent Scholarship rows for UG and PG both show the scheme open from 1 June 2026, with student applications accepted until 31 October 2026. Complete your One Time Registration first, then apply under the ICAR scheme that matches your level.
After you submit, your institute verifies the application on the portal, and the university sends the joining report of admitted NTS-eligible students to the Council. Both steps happen after your deadline, not before it, so submitting on the last day leaves your college no room.
ICAR also runs separate schemes on the same portal for postgraduate scholarships and for junior and senior research fellowships, with the same 31 October 2026 last date. They are different schemes with different rules — apply under the one that matches what you are studying.
Dates checked on 9 August 2026. Deadlines in India move without notice, so confirm on the official portal linked above before you apply.
Published 9 Aug 2026. Dates change without warning, so check the official site before you apply. We never take your application, your documents or your money. You apply directly, always.