Top 10 Agricultural Universities: Check India's NIRF 2024 Ranking in Agriculture & Allied Sectors

Want to make a career in Agriculture? Go through the list of top 60 agricultural colleges in India, their NIRF rankings and list of courses offered by them. 

Agriculture forms the backbone of the Indian economy. As the agriculture sector is growing in the country the demand for trained professionals in the field is also increasing. Candidates can pursue graduation or post-graduation degree courses in the field of agriculture, after which they can secure jobs in both the government and private sectors. A graduate/ post-graduate in this field can get appointed as an Agricultural Research Scientist, Agriculture Officer, Production Manager, Farm Manager, etc. Interested students can also opt for jobs in the fields of teaching, banking, and insurance.

The Indian economy holds the sixth position in the world’s top economies and being an agrarian country, it becomes very important for the nation to improve the education facilities towards agriculture domain, R&D, Job prospectus, etc. so that India can accelerate more in the Indian economy from the agriculture sector.

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If you are eying a successful career in the field of agriculture, it is important that you enroll in a reputed university in order to gain maximum benefits in the form of good faculty and campus facilities. Therefore, given below are top 10 agricultural universities in India as per the latest rankings released by the National Institutional Ranking Framework in Agriculture and Allied Sectors.

Towards the end of the article, we have listed the top 60 agricultural universities in India as mentioned in NIRF Agricultural Rankings 2024.

It may be noted that ICAR is an autonomous organisation that falls under the ambit of the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India. The council is responsible for the coordination and management of research and education in the field of agriculture in India. Earlier till 2022 ICAR has been releasing the Ranking list for the top agricultural universities/ colleges across the nation. However, from the past 2 years NIRF, the National Institutional Ranking Framework has started releasing its NIRF Ranking in the Agricultural Universities and Allied Sectors.

NIRF Ranking 2024 Parameters

Below are the list of parameters upon which NIRF, National Institutional Ranking Framework has given accreditations and ranking to the institutes and universities of the nation.

Teaching, Learning & Resources (TLR)

• Student Strength including Doctoral Students (SS)
• Faculty-student ratio with emphasis on permanent faculty (FSR)
• Combined metric for Faculty with PhD (or equivalent) and Experience (FQE)
• Financial Resources and their Utilisation (FRU)

Research and Professional Practice (RP)

• Combined metric for Publications (PU)
• Combined metric for Quality of Publications (QP)
• IPR and Patents: Published and Granted (IPR)
• Footprint of Projects and Professional Practice (FPPP)

Graduation Outcomes (GO)

• Metric for University Examinations (GUE)
• Metric for Number of Ph.D. Students Graduated (GPHD)

Outreach and Inclusivity (OI)

• Percentage of Students from Other States/Countries (Region Diversity RD)
• Percentage of Women (Women Diversity WD)
• Economically and Socially Challenged Students (ESCS)
• Facilities for Physically Challenged Students (PCS)
• Perception (PR) Ranking

Top 10 NIRF Ranking Agricultural Universities in India 2023

Candidates can go through detailed information about the top 10 agricultural universities in India as per rankings 2023 which is the latest release the by NIRF.

ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute

[ICAR Rank 1]

Establishment Year: 1905
Location: New Delhi

Popularly known as Pusa institute, Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) attained the status of a deemed university in 1958. The institute’s campus is a self-contained sylvan complex which is spread over an area of about 1,250 acres. Currently, the institute has about 20 divisions, five multi-disciplinary centres, eight regional stations, two off-season nurseries, three all-India coordinated research projects, and 10 national centres functioning under coordinated research projects. The university offers PG and PhD courses majorly in disciplines such as:

Agriculture	Biochemistry
Bioinformatics	Computer Application
Environmental Sciences	Food Science
Horticulture	Floriculture
Fruit Science	Vegetable Science
Microbiology	Plant Pathology
Seed Science	Soil Science
Water Science

ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI)

[ICAR Rank 2]

Establishment Year: 1923
Location: Karnal, Haryana

As one of the premier dairy research institutes, National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) offers high quality education in the field of dairy technology and offers UG, PG, PhD, and diploma courses to students. The university’s campus sprawls over 560 hectares (about 1,383 acres) and houses various labs, hostels, complexes, etc. All labs of the university are equipped with state-of-the-art analytical instruments to conduct high quality research.

Courses offered at NDRI are mentioned below:

Diploma in Dairy Technology	Diploma in Animal Husbandry & Dairying
BTech (Dairy Technology)	Master’s Programme
Doctoral Programme

Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana

[ICAR Rank 3]

Establishment Year: 1962
Location: Ludhiana, Punjab

Situated on the Ludhiana-Ferozepur Road, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) is spread over an area of about 1,510 acres on its main campus and 4,615 acres at the regional research stations. The University has four constituent colleges, which are:

• College of Agriculture
• College of Agricultural Engineering
• College of Home Science
• College of Basic Science & Humanities

The university currently offers four UG courses, 43 PG courses, and 29 PhD courses to students. The university performs integrated functions of teaching, research, and extension in the fields of:

Agriculture	Agricultural Engineering
Home Science	-

ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute

[ICAR Rank 3]

Establishment Year: 1889
Location: Izatnagar, Bareilly

Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) is a research institute that is dedicated to livestock research and development. With a faculty strength of over 275, the institute awards degrees for PG and PhD courses offered in over 20 disciplines of:

• Basic Sciences
• Veterinary and Animal Science
• Livestock Products Technology

Apart from this, IVRI also offers diploma courses in the fields of:

Animal Husbandry	Animal Reproduction
Veterinary Biological Products	Poultry Husbandry
Medicine and Surgery	Meat Products Technology

GB Pant University of Agriculture & Technology

[ICAR Rank 4]

Establishment Year: 1960
Location: Pantnagar, Uttarakhand

With a total staff strength of about 2,878 including 763 teachers and officers, 59 technical staff, 631 administrative and ministerial personnel, and 1425 class III employees, GB Pant University of Agriculture & Technology offers UG and PG programmes under:

Faculty of Agriculture	Faculty of Agribusiness Management
Faculty of Basic Sciences	Faculty of Fishery Science
Faculty of Home Science	Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Science

University of Agriculture Sciences, Banglore

Establishment Year: 1964
Location: Banglore, Karnataka

It is located in Bengaluru and is recognised by UGC.The University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore currently has administrative headquarters at the Gandhi Krishi Vigyana Kendra (GKVK) on the Bangalore-Hyderabad Highway.

It has the following affiliated colleges:

• College of Agriculture, Bengaluru at Gandhi Krishi Vigyana Kendra
• College of Agriculture, Mandya
• College of Agriculture, Hassan
• College of Sericulture, Chintamani
• College of Agricultural Engineering, Gandhi Krishi Vigyana Kendra, Bengaluru
• College of Agriculture, Chamrajnagar

List of UG Courses
Campus	College	Degree offered
GKVK Campus, Bangalore	College of Agriculture	B.Sc. (Hons.) Agriculture B.Sc. (Hons.) Agri. Business Management
Mandya Campus	College of Agriculture	B.Sc. (Hons.) Agriculture
Hassan Campus	College of Agriculture	B.Sc. (Hons.) Agriculture B.Tech. (Biotechnology) B.Tech. (Food Technology)
Chintamani Campus	College of Sericulture	B.Sc. (Hons.) Agriculture B.Sc. (Hons.) Sericulture
Chamarajanagara Campus	College of Agriculture	B.Sc. (Hons.) Agriculture
GKVK Campus, Bangalore	College of Agriculture	B.Tech. (Agril. Engg.)

*Offered at College of Agriculture, Mandya 

DFP-Banner

ICAR- Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai

[ICAR Rank 7]

Establishment Year: 1961
Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra

It was initially under the administrative control of Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India and subsequently transferred to ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) in 1979. The mandate of the Institute was widened to include higher fisheries education, research as well as extension education under its functional fold. A total of five centres operate under CIFE, including ones at ICAR CIFE Rohtak centre at Rohtak in Haryana state, Kolkata in West Bengal state, Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh state, Pawarkheda in Madhya Pradesh state and Motihari in Bihar state.

The university currently offers four UG courses, PG courses, and PhD courses to students in 12 different branches. The university performs integrated functions of teaching, research, and extension in the fields of:

Sr.No	UG Courses Offered	PG Courses Offered
1	Agriculture	Agriculture
2	Horticulture	Horticulture
3	Fisheries Science	Fisheries Science
4	Agricultural Engineering	Agricultural Engineering
5	Forestry	Forestry
6	Dairy Technology	Dairy Technology
7	Food Technology	Food Technology
8	Biotechnology	Biotechnology
9	Community Science	Community Science
10	Sericulture	Sericulture
11	Veterinary Science	Veterinary Science
12	Food Nutrition & Dietetics	Food Nutrition & Dietetics

Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University

[ICAR Rank 8]

Establishment Year: 1965

Location: Rajendra Nagar, Hyderabad

Aspirants can pursue UG, PG, PhD and Diploma courses offered at Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University. Candidates can secure admission in different courses offered at Faculty of Agriculture, Faculty of Home Science, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology as well as Polytechnic. The list of courses offered this agriculture university is as mentioned in the table below:

List of UG Courses
BSc (Hons) Agriculture	BFSc
BVSc & AH	BSc (Hons) Horticulture
BTech Agricultural Engineering	BTech Food Technology
BSc (Hons) Community Science
PG & PhD Courses Offered in Faculty of Agriculture
Agronomy	Agricultural Economics
Entomology	Agricultural Extension
Genetics & Plant Breeding	Plant Pathology
Seed Science & Technology	Soil Science
Crop Physiology	Molecular Biology and Biotechnology
Microbiology (only MSc)	Agronomy (Water Management) only MSc
MBA (ABM)
PG & PhD Courses Offered in Faculty of Home Science
Foods & Nutrition	Textile and Apparel Designing
Family Resource Management	Human Development and Family Studies
Home Science Extension & Communication Management
PG & PhD Courses Offered in Faculty of Agri. Engineering
Soil & Water Engineering
List of Diploma Courses
Diploma in Agricultural Engineering	Diploma in Agriculture
Diploma in Seed Technology	Diploma in Organic Agriculture

Chaudhary Charan Singh, Haryana Agriculture University

[ICAR Rank 9]

Establishment Year: 1970
Location: Hisar, Haryana

Spread over an area of 7,219 acres at main campus and 1,426 acres at outstations, Chaudhary Charan Singh, Haryana Agriculture University (CCSHAU) also has four constituent colleges, namely, College of Agriculture, College of Agricultural Engineering & Technology, College of Basic Sciences & Humanities, and College of Home Science. Each college building consists of well-planned lecture rooms, labs, auditorium, seminar rooms, audio-visual labs, computer facilities, etc. The university’s main campus also has a well-developed experimental farm of 994 hectares.

The varsity offers UG, PG, and PhD courses majorly in the disciplines including:

Home Science	Agriculture
Basic Sciences	Food Science

• Agriculture
• Veterinary
• Dairy Technology
• Agricultural Engineering

ICAR Admissions 2024: UG & PG Programmes

In order to get admission to the agricultural sciences and its allied domains offered at undergraduate and post-graduate programmes, candidates must appear for the entrance exam mentioned below:

UG Courses: ICAR offers admission to 12 UG programmes in Agriculture and Allied Sciences (other than Veterinary Sciences) at various Agricultural Universities on 20% of the University Seats (100% seats in RLBCAU, Jhansi; Dr. RPCAU Pusa, Bihar; ICAR-NDRI, Karnal; ICAR-IARI, New Delhi and its Hubs), through CUET UG Exam.

Check the CUET UG 2025 tentative schedule from below:

Events	Dates
CUET UG 2025 Exam Notification	Fourth Week of October 2024
Commencement of CUET UG registration 2025	Last week of February 2025
Last date for CUET 2025 registration	First week of April 2025
Release of CUET date sheet 2025	Last week of April 2025
CUET UG 2025 Exam Date	May/June 2025

PG Courses: Students who wish to aim in one out of the 30 per cent seats in Master's degree programmes in agriculture universities like the Central Institute of Fisheries Education (CIFE), Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), and National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), must appear for ICAR AIEEA PG Exam.

Eligibility: Candidates who want to appear in the ICAR AIEEA PG 2024 exam, must ensure that he/she fulfils the eligibility requirements for the exam. Failing to the eligibility criteria or document required during the counselling process will lead to the rejection of the candidature of the applicant. 

Candidate should note that for admission to Master’s degree programmes through the entrance exam conducted by NTA, only the candidates who have passed graduation with four/six (12+4/10+6 B.Sc. Ag./B.Tech.) / five years (B.V.Sc. & AH) / 5½ years (B.V.Sc. & AH) degree programme will be eligible. 

Candidates with a Bachelor’s degree with a 3-year duration will not be considered for admission through ICAR AIEEA PG in AUs under the ICAR-AU system except in a few courses at two ICAR-Deemed Universities (DUs), viz. IARI and NDRI for which the eligibility criteria of the concerned ICAR-DU, including admission of graduates having passed with 3 years’ degree, would prevail for admission.  

ICAR Rankings 2024: List of Top 60 Agricultural Universities in India

Below is the ICAR Ranking list of the top Agricultural Universities that one can pursue in :

ICAR Rank 2020	Name of University
1	ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi
2	ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal
3	Punjab Agricultural University Ludhiana
4	Banaras Hindu University
5	ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar
6	Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore
7	ICAR- Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai    Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agriculture University
8	G B Pant University of Agriculture and Technology Pantnagar
9	Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Fisheries University
10	Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Science & Technology of Kashmir, Srinagar
11	University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore
12	National Institute of Food Technology
13	Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur
14	Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat
15	Odisha University of Agriculture & Technology, Bhubaneswar
16	Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur
17	University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad
18	GADVASU, Ludhiana
19	Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Himachal Pradesh Krishi Viswavidyalaya Palampur
20	Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Science & Technology of Kashmir, Jammu
21	National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management
22	Lovely Professional University
23	Anand Agricultural University
24	University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad
25	Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University
26	Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University
27	Annamalai University
28	West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences
29	Dr Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University
30	Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies
31	Central Agricultural University, Imphal West
32	Tamil Nadu Dr. J. Jayalalithaa Fisheries University
33	Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University
35	Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences
36	Navsari Agricultural University
37	Bihar Agriculture University
38	Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University
39	Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education
40	Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya
41	UP Pt Deen Dayal Upadhaya Pasu Chikitsa VigyanVishwa Vidhyalaya evam Go Anusandhan, Mathura
42	Rajasthan University of Veterinary Animal Science, Bikaner
43	Rajmata Vijayraje Scindia Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Gwalior
44	Sri Konda Laxman Telangana State Horticultural University, Hyderabad
45	Vasantrao Naik Marathwada KrishiVidyapeeth, Parbhani
46	Sardar Krushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University, Dantiwada
47	Dr YSR Horticultural University, Venkataramannagudem
48	Punjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola
49	Banda University of Agriculture & Technology, Banda
50	Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University, Tirupati
51	Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour
52	Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture & Technology, Kanpur
53	Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University, Jabalpur
54	Chhattisgarh Kamdhenu Vishwavidyalaya, Durg., Chhattisgarh
55	Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, Hisar
56	PV Narsimha Rao Telengana Veterinary University, Hyderabad
57	Swami Keswanand Rajasthan Agriculture University, Bikaner
58	Kamdhenu University, Gandhinagar
59	Sri Karan Narendra Agriculture University, Jobner
60	University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Shivamogga

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