ICAR AIEEA PG 2026 Expected Cutoff for SC and ST Categories

SC and ST students who appeared in ICAR AIEEA PG 2026 need a minimum of 192 marks out of 480 to qualify — that is the 40% threshold set by ICAR for reserved categories.

The ICAR AIEEA PG 2026 answer key was released on July 11, 2026, at the official NTA portal. With scores now estimable, students from SC and ST categories want to know whether they clear the qualifying bar and stand a chance at top ICAR Deemed Universities such as IARI, IVRI, and NDRI. While 192 marks forms the qualifying floor, actual admission cutoffs at individual institutes are higher and depend on seat availability, discipline, and total qualified applicants in each category.

• SC and ST minimum qualifying marks: 192 out of 480 (40%)
• General category minimum qualifying marks: 240 out of 480 (50%)
• OBC (NCL) minimum qualifying marks: 216 out of 480 (45%)
• Expected SC admission cutoff range at ICAR-DUs: 200–260 marks (based on 2024–25 trends)
• Expected ST admission cutoff range at ICAR-DUs: 185–245 marks (based on 2024–25 trends)
• ICAR AIEEA PG 2026 result and counselling are expected in August 2026

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ICAR AIEEA PG 2026 Minimum Qualifying Marks for SC and ST

ICAR mandates a minimum qualifying percentile for a student to be eligible for counselling. This threshold is separate from the actual admission cutoff at individual universities. SC and ST students must score at least 192 marks out of 480 — or at the 40th percentile — to be considered qualified and eligible for counselling. Students who do not meet this threshold will not receive a rank or participate in seat allotment regardless of discipline choice.

Scoring at or above 192 marks makes a student eligible to participate in centralised ICAR counselling. Final seat allotment then depends on merit rank within the category, discipline preference, and the closing cutoff set by each participating institute in each counselling round.

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ICAR AIEEA PG 2026 Expected Cutoff — Category-wise

The table below shows the expected overall cutoff mark ranges for each category for the 2026 admission cycle, derived from 2024–25 trends. These are not official figures; actual cutoffs will be published during counselling.

These ranges reflect expected admission cutoffs across ICAR Deemed Universities and State Agricultural Universities combined, based on 2024–25 trends. Cutoffs at premier institutes such as IARI New Delhi and IVRI Bareilly are typically at the upper end of the range for SC and ST categories. Students scoring in the lower half of the SC or ST range may find seats more readily at State Agricultural Universities.

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ICAR AIEEA PG 2026 Expected Institute-wise Cutoff Trends for SC and ST

Different ICAR Deemed Universities and SAUs have different seat counts for SC and ST quotas. The table below gives expected cutoff ranges at major ICAR-DUs based on 2024–25 data. Actual 2026 cutoffs will be published after each counselling round at the official portal.

Cutoffs vary further by discipline within each institute. Genetics and Plant Breeding, Agronomy, and Animal Nutrition are among the most competitive disciplines at IARI, with SC and ST cutoffs trending toward the upper end of the ranges listed above. Less-subscribed disciplines may have cutoffs toward the lower end, making them accessible to more students from reserved categories.

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Factors Affecting ICAR AIEEA PG 2026 Cutoff for SC and ST

Several variables influence how the final cutoff lands for SC and ST categories in a given year:

• Number of qualified reserved-category students: A larger pool of SC or ST students who cross the 192-mark qualifying threshold pushes admission cutoffs higher within those categories.
• Available seats per discipline: Each ICAR-DU allocates a fixed number of seats under SC and ST quotas. Fewer seats mean tighter cutoffs even when fewer students apply.
• Exam difficulty in 2026: If the paper was easier, aggregate scores rise and so do cutoffs; a tougher paper brings them down relative to previous years.
• Discipline demand: Popular disciplines such as Genetics and Plant Breeding, Agronomy, and Food Technology attract more students, raising their category-wise cutoffs above niche subjects.
• Roster system: Each institute follows a statutory roster for SC and ST seat rotation across academic years, which can alter the number of seats available in a given cycle and shift cutoffs accordingly.
• Counselling rounds: Seats vacated after Round 1 fill in subsequent rounds at lower cutoffs, offering students with moderate scores a second or third opportunity.