If you are in Class 12 and dreaming of a B.F.Sc. degree — the four-year Bachelor of Fisheries Science that opens the door to fisheries officer posts, ICAR research institutes, aquaculture industry jobs and a fisheries PhD — here is the one fact that decides your whole plan: there is no AIEEA UG exam any more. The last ICAR AIEEA (UG) was held by NTA on 13 and 14 September 2022. Since the 2023-24 session, ICAR fills its undergraduate seats through CUET (ICAR-UG) — NTA’s CUET (UG) test, followed by ICAR’s own online counselling. If you are still searching for “AIEEA UG 2027 application form”, stop: that form does not exist, and anyone selling you one is selling you nothing.
Read the honesty note first, because it runs through everything below: neither NTA nor ICAR has announced any 2027 dates yet. The CUET (ICAR-UG) 2027 bulletin is expected around January 2027, and every 2027 date in this guide is therefore an expected month, worked out from the 2026 cycle — not an announced date. All fee figures are the published 2026 figures. We label every expected item as expected, so you can plan now without being misled later. Check the official portals — cuet.nta.nic.in for the test and icarcounseling.com for counselling — before you pay anyone anything.
CUET (ICAR-UG) 2027 at a glance
| Route | CUET (ICAR-UG) — NTA’s CUET (UG) test + ICAR online counselling; no separate AIEEA UG since 2023-24 |
| Degree in focus | B.F.Sc. (Bachelor of Fisheries Sciences), 4-year bachelor’s degree, one of 13 programmes in the ICAR UG basket |
| Notification | January 2027 (expected) — CUET (ICAR-UG) 2027 bulletin |
| Application | January–February 2027 (expected), online at cuet.nta.nic.in |
| Exam | May 2027 (expected) — CUET (UG) 2027; in 2026 it ran 11 May to 7 June |
| Result | June 2027 (expected) |
| ICAR counselling | July 2027 (expected); in 2026 it ran 17 July to 23 August, with the vacant seat matrix after the mop-up round published 31 August 2026 |
| Seats | 20% All India Quota in 72 agricultural universities; 100% at ICAR-NDRI Karnal, ICAR-IARI New Delhi, ICAR-IVRI Izatnagar, RLBCAU Jhansi and Dr. RPCAU Pusa (2026-27) |
| Seat matrix guide | 6,002 quota seats in the 2025-26 matrix, quoted as a guide in the 2026 bulletin |
| Official portals | cuet.nta.nic.in (exam) • icarcounseling.com (counselling) • icar.org.in |
What changed — and why so many students still get it wrong
Until 2022, ICAR ran its own undergraduate entrance test, AIEEA UG, with one paper per stream (PCM, PCB, PCA or ABC). From the 2023-24 session, ICAR decided to admit UG students through the Common University Entrance Test, CUET (UG), and the 2026 ICAR bulletin confirms there is no direct admission to its bachelor’s seats without qualifying CUET (ICAR-UG). The change matters in three practical ways. First, you do not fill a separate ICAR form for the test — you take CUET UG with an ICAR subject combination and then register separately for ICAR counselling after the result. Second, your ICAR rank is made from your CUET scores in the subject combination you pick at counselling registration — so the subjects you choose in the CUET form decide your fisheries future. Third, the old AIEEA UG question papers (2019 to 2022) are still useful practice for Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics and Agriculture, but the test format is now CUET’s, not AIEEA’s.
What is B.F.Sc. — and what can you do with it?
B.F.Sc. is a four-year bachelor’s degree in fisheries science, covering aquaculture, fisheries resource management, fish biology, fish processing, fisheries economics and extension. It is one of 13 bachelor’s programmes in ICAR’s UG basket, alongside B.Sc. (Hons.) Agriculture, Horticulture, Forestry, Community Science, Sericulture, Natural Farming, Agribusiness Management and Food Nutrition and Dietetics, and B.Tech. Agricultural Engineering, Dairy Technology, Food Technology and Biotechnology. Veterinary degrees are not included in ICAR UG counselling.
A B.F.Sc. is the qualifying degree for state fisheries officer posts — the Bihar government, for example, hired 231 Matsya Prasar Padadhikari (fisheries extension officers) in 2026 on a four-year B.F.Sc. from an ICAR-recognised institution — and it is the entry ticket to M.F.Sc. and PhD programmes at institutes like ICAR-CIFE, to Young Professional and research roles at ICAR fisheries institutes, and to the private aquaculture, feed, hatchery and processing industry. It is also the degree that the sea-training route at CIFNET and the research careers at India’s fisheries institutes are built around. If you want a career in fish, rather than a general biology degree, this is the direct route.
Who can apply: eligibility (2026 rules)
| Nationality | Indian nationals |
| Age | At least 16 years on 31 August of the admission year (31 August 2026 in the latest bulletin), with no relaxation |
| Qualifying exam | Class 12 (10+2) after 12 years of study from a recognised board. A diploma or vocational course taken after Class 10 is not accepted |
| Minimum marks | At least 50% aggregate for General, OBC (NCL), UPS and EWS; 40% for SC, ST, Third Gender and PwBD. Marks are not rounded off — 49.99% does not count as 50% |
| Subjects | Class 12 with at least three of Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology and Agriculture as core subjects |
| CUET subjects | Your CUET subjects must match the subjects you passed in Class 12 — if you appear in a CUET subject you did not pass in Class 12, you are rejected at counselling |
| Appearing students | Class 12 students appearing in 2027 can apply, but must show the result at counselling |
| University conditions | Some universities add their own conditions, such as an upper age limit or a compulsory subject — check the bulletin for your target university |
The two traps to avoid: the marks rule and the subject-match rule. ICAR does not round marks, so a 49.9% aggregate is a fail for the general category however close it looks. And your CUET subject combination must be subjects you actually passed in Class 12 — picking a subject you did not study, hoping for a higher score, gets your candidature rejected at counselling, after the exam is already over.
Exam pattern: what the test actually looks like
| Mode | Computer-based test (CBT), run by NTA |
| Subjects for ICAR | At least 3 of Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology and Agriculture |
| Questions | 50 per subject test, all compulsory |
| Duration | 60 minutes per test |
| Marking | +5 for a correct answer, −1 for a wrong answer |
| Maximum marks | 250 per test |
| Rank | ICAR makes its own merit rank from your scores in the 3 subjects you choose at counselling registration |
| Syllabus | NCERT Class 12 syllabus, published by NTA on the CUET website |
For a B.F.Sc. aspirant, the natural combination is Physics, Chemistry and Biology (PCB); Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics (PCM) and Physics, Chemistry and Agriculture (PCA) are the other ICAR-accepted combinations. Each programme and university has its own essential subjects, listed in ICAR’s bulletin — check the B.F.Sc. row before you lock your combination in the CUET form, because you cannot change it later. And note the scoring: with +5/−1, a wrong guess costs a fifth of a correct answer, so blind guessing across 50 compulsory questions is a losing strategy.
Fees: what it costs (2026 figures)
| CUET (UG) form, up to 3 subjects — General | Rs 1,000 (paid to NTA) |
| CUET (UG) form, up to 3 subjects — OBC-NCL / EWS | Rs 900 (paid to NTA) |
| CUET (UG) form, up to 3 subjects — SC / ST / PwBD / Third gender | Rs 800 (paid to NTA) |
| ICAR counselling registration (non-refundable) | Rs 500 (paid to ICAR) |
| Seat acceptance fee (part of admission fee, all categories) | Rs 10,000 (paid on the ICAR portal) |
Two money warnings from the 2026 rules. First, NTA processing charges and GST are extra, on top of the figures above. Second, the Rs 10,000 seat acceptance fee is not refunded if you accept a seat in rounds 1 to 4 and neither withdraw it through your portal login by the deadline (16 August in 2026) nor join the university — and in the mop-up round there is no online withdrawal and no refund at all. Do not accept a seat you do not intend to take.
How to apply: the two-portal process
- Fill the CUET (UG) 2027 form at cuet.nta.nic.in when NTA opens it — expected January 2027. Choose at least 3 of Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology and Agriculture, the same subjects you study in Class 12. There is no separate ICAR form for the test.
- Download the admit card and take the test (expected May 2027). Attempt only the subjects you chose in the form.
- After NTA declares the CUET (UG) result (expected June 2027), register on the ICAR counselling portal, icarcounseling.com, to give your consent and pick your subject combination for rank generation. In 2026 this window ran 17 to 23 July. Without this step, ICAR does not give you a rank — your CUET score alone is not enough.
- When ranks are out, pay the Rs 500 counselling fee, fill your choices of programme and university, and upload your documents.
- If a seat is allotted, the university verifies your documents online; then pay the Rs 10,000 seat acceptance fee on the ICAR portal.
- Your provisional admission letter is sent by email after the university confirms your admission.
How ICAR counselling works — and the rules that catch people out
ICAR counselling is fully online: you never report to the university in person during the rounds. It has four rounds and a mop-up round. ICAR sends your login ID and password by SMS and email after you are declared eligible. Upgradation is allowed in rounds 1 to 3 after you pay the seat acceptance fee; it is not allowed in the mop-up round. Withdrawal is only through your login on the portal. Candidates with zero or negative CUET (ICAR-UG) marks cannot take part in counselling at all. The mop-up round needs fresh choices, and candidates who missed round 1 registration can join the mop-up by paying the Rs 500 counselling fee.
Reservation in the 2026 bulletin: 15% for SC and 7.5% for ST, with Central OBC (NCL) and EWS reservation in notified universities and 5% horizontal reservation for PwBD candidates. The ICAR quota rose from 15% to 20% of bachelor’s seats in agricultural universities in 2022-23, and ICAR fills 100% of seats at ICAR-NDRI Karnal, ICAR-IARI New Delhi, ICAR-IVRI Izatnagar, RLBCAU Jhansi and Dr. RPCAU Pusa.
What score do you need? The 2025 cut-off guide
ICAR has not posted a 2026 UG cut-off, so the 2025 first-round closing marks and ranks below (UR category, from ICAR’s official cut-off list; marks are the total of 3 CUET subjects) are the latest guide available. Treat them as a benchmark, not a promise — cut-offs move every year with the paper and the applicant pool.
| Programme | University | Domicile state | Closing marks (3 subjects) | Closing rank |
| B.F.Sc. | G.B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology | Bihar | 419.88 | 5,521 |
| B.Sc. (Hons.) Agriculture | Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University | Bihar | 551.13 | 1,095 |
| B.Sc. (Hons.) Agriculture | Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore | Bihar | 517.89 | 1,841 |
| B.Sc. (Hons.) Agriculture | Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology | Bihar | 505.72 | 2,171 |
The B.F.Sc. row is the one that matters for Fisheries India readers: the 2025 first-round closing mark for B.F.Sc. at G.B. Pant University was 419.88 out of 750 (three subjects at 250 each), at rank 5,521. That is a noticeably lower bar than the B.Sc. Agriculture rows in the same list — fisheries seats are competitive, but the closing marks show the door is genuinely open for a well-prepared PCB student. The official cut-off list gives opening and closing values by round, domicile state, programme, university and category, so check your own row before filling choices.
A 6-month prep plan (November 2026 to May 2027)
November–December 2026: Lock your subject combination — PCB for most B.F.Sc. aspirants — and confirm it against the B.F.Sc. essential-subjects row in the 2026 bulletin while you wait for the 2027 bulletin. Work through the NCERT Class 12 syllabus for your three subjects; that is the published CUET syllabus, not a coaching institute’s guess.
January 2027: Watch cuet.nta.nic.in for the CUET (UG) 2027 form and the ICAR bulletin on icar.org.in. Fill the form the week it opens, not the last day — and double-check that your CUET subjects match your Class 12 subjects exactly.
February–April 2027: Practise with the old AIEEA UG papers (2019 to 2022) for Physics, Chemistry and Biology, and with 2023 CUET domain papers in the subjects ICAR uses. Time yourself at 60 minutes per 50-question test, with the +5/−1 marking — train yourself to skip questions you cannot narrow down, because a wrong answer costs a fifth of a right one.
May 2027: Take the test. Then keep your documents ready — Class 12 marksheet, category certificate if applicable, and the result — because the ICAR counselling registration window is short (seven days in 2026) and there is no extension for a missing certificate.
July 2027: Register on icarcounseling.com the day the window opens, pay the Rs 500 fee, and fill your choices with B.F.Sc. first if fisheries is your goal — and list more than one university, because the 2025 cut-off table shows how much the closing mark varies between universities.
Frequently asked questions
Is ICAR AIEEA UG 2027 being held?
No. The last AIEEA UG was held by NTA on 13 and 14 September 2022. From the 2023-24 session, ICAR fills its UG quota seats through CUET (ICAR-UG), which is part of NTA’s CUET UG. You need a CUET UG score in an ICAR subject combination and must then register for ICAR counselling.
Is my CUET (UG) score enough for an ICAR seat, or must I register again?
You must register again. After the CUET (UG) result, you give consent and choose your subject combination on icarcounseling.com within ICAR’s window (17 to 23 July in 2026). Without it, ICAR does not give you a rank.
Which CUET subjects should I take for B.F.Sc.?
Take at least three of Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology and Agriculture, matching the subjects you passed in Class 12. PCB — Physics, Chemistry, Biology — is the natural combination for fisheries; each programme and university has its own essential subjects, listed in ICAR’s bulletin.
Can I get B.V.Sc. (veterinary) admission through ICAR UG counselling?
No. ICAR’s UG counselling covers bachelor’s programmes in agriculture and allied sciences other than veterinary sciences.
Do I have to visit the university during ICAR counselling?
No. Documents are verified online and the seat acceptance fee is paid on the ICAR portal, so you do not report in person during any round.
Will I lose the seat acceptance fee if I do not join?
Yes, if you accept a seat in rounds 1 to 4 and neither withdraw it through your portal login by the deadline (16 August in 2026) nor join the university. In the mop-up round there is no online withdrawal and the fee is not refunded.
What if my CUET score is zero or negative?
You cannot take part in ICAR counselling. A zero or negative CUET (ICAR-UG) score makes you ineligible — so attempt only questions you can answer with reasonable confidence.
Already a graduate? Your next step is different
- ICAR PhD 2027: ₹31,000 Fellowship, 120 Questions — the AICE-JRF/SRF (PhD) route for fisheries graduates: 120 MCQs, Rs 31,000 a month in the first two years, exam expected July 2027.
- Class 10 Pass? Sail the Seas: CIFNET’s 120 Seats — if you have passed Class 10, CIFNET’s two-year Vessel Navigator and Marine Fitter courses train you for deep-sea fishing vessels; the 2027 notification is expected around April–May 2027.
- 231 Fisheries Officer Jobs: Bihar Hiring — what a B.F.Sc. can get you after graduation: 231 Matsya Prasar Padadhikari posts in Bihar, Pay Level-7, for four-year B.F.Sc. holders.
- Norway Ocean Master’s: Aquaculture, Apply by Dec 1 — for graduates thinking beyond India: NTNU’s two-year Ocean Resources master’s in Trondheim, with a Sustainable Aquaculture specialisation; non-EU applications close Tuesday 1 December 2026.
Official links and sources
- AglaSem — ICAR AIEEA UG 2027: Admission via CUET (ICAR-UG) (published 9 October 2026, updated 18 October 2026; CUET route since 2023-24, 2027 dates expected, eligibility, fees, pattern, 2025 cut-offs; verified 7–8 November 2026)
- ICAR counselling portal — icarcounseling.com (official: CUET (ICAR-UG) 2026 information bulletin, 15 January 2026; ICAR-UG online counselling brochure 2026, 26 July 2026; 2025 cut-off list; vacant seat matrix after the 2026 mop-up round, 31 August 2026)
- CUET (UG) — NTA official portal (cuet.nta.nic.in; the 2027 form is expected here in January 2027)
- ICAR — icar.org.in (official ICAR site; the 2027 CUET (ICAR-UG) bulletin is expected here around January 2027)
All dates, deadlines, fees, eligibility rules, exam pattern and cut-offs above are taken from AglaSem’s ICAR AIEEA UG 2027 page (published 9 October 2026, updated 18 October 2026), which cites ICAR’s 2026 CUET (ICAR-UG) information bulletin and ICAR-UG counselling brochure, verified 7–8 November 2026. Neither NTA nor ICAR has announced 2027 dates yet — every 2027 date in this post is EXPECTED, based on the 2026 cycle, and all fee figures are the published 2026 figures. The 6,002 seats figure is the 2025-26 seat matrix quoted as a guide in the 2026 bulletin, and the cut-off table is the 2025 first round (no 2026 UG cut-off has been published). Confirm every date and fee on cuet.nta.nic.in and icarcounseling.com before you apply. Images in this post are illustrations.