PAU Admission Dates 2027

The next admission cycle is expected to begin with PAU-CET 2027 applications. The tentative schedule below follows the admission pattern stated for the 2027-28 cycle.

Subject to revision. Kindly check with the official sources to confirm

PAU uses its own entrance test for many courses and also accepts selected national-level exams for some programmes. The accepted exam details are given below.

PAU Courses and Fees

PAU runs over 80 programmes through six constituent colleges. Its courses cover agriculture, horticulture, engineering, community science, basic sciences, and humanities. Fees range from INR 1.06 Lakhs for the Diploma in Agriculture to INR 7.68 Lakhs for B.Tech Biotechnology and B.Tech Food Technology.

Subject to revision. Kindly check with the official sources to confirm

M.Tech is available in Farm Machinery and Power Engineering, Process and Food Engineering, Soil and Water Engineering, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, and Remote Sensing and GIS. The integrated B.Sc+M.Sc course is offered in Biochemistry, Botany, Chemistry, Microbiology, Physics, and Zoology.

PAU Admission Process

PAU gives admission on merit through PAU-CET or accepted national-level exams. The university does not provide management quota or NRI seats. Applications and counselling are handled centrally through the PAU admission portal at pau-apms.in.

B.Sc (Hons.) Agriculture and Horticulture

B.Sc Agriculture and B.Sc Horticulture are PAU’s main UG programmes. These courses have the highest enrolment and strong competition.

• Eligibility: 10+2 with Physics, Chemistry, and Biology or Mathematics with 50% aggregate marks
• Entrance: A valid PAU-CET (UG) score is compulsory
• Selection stages: PAU-CET merit rank, choice filling during counselling, seat allotment, document verification, and admission confirmation
• The application fee is INR 3,500 for the first test and INR 1,500 for each additional test

PAU-CET is an offline objective exam. It has 200 questions for 200 marks and lasts 3 hours. The merit list is prepared only from the PAU-CET score.

B.Tech Programmes (Agricultural Engineering, Biotechnology, Food Technology)

For B.Tech courses, PAU considers PAU-CET (UG) scores as well as JEE Main scores. JEE Main qualified students are placed in a separate merit list.

• Eligibility: 10+2 with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics, or Biology for Biotechnology, with 50% aggregate
• Entrance: PAU-CET (UG) or JEE Main score
• Selection: Programme-wise combined merit list followed by centralised counselling at PAU Ludhiana

Postgraduate Programmes (M.Sc, MBA, M.Tech, MCA, MJMC)

PG admission is based on PAU-CET (PG), which is held separately every July. M.Sc seats under the ICAR nominees quota are filled through ICAR AIEEA without PAU-CET. GATE qualified students can apply for M.Tech seats.

• M.Sc eligibility: Bachelor’s degree in the relevant subject with 60% aggregate
• MBA and MBA Agri-Business eligibility: Bachelor’s degree in any subject with 50% aggregate
• M.Tech eligibility: B.Tech in a relevant engineering branch with 60% aggregate
• MCA eligibility: Bachelor’s degree with Mathematics at 10+2 or graduation level and 50% aggregate

ICAR nominees admitted through ICAR AIEEA PG get a scholarship of INR 5,000 per month and do not need to appear for PAU-CET.

PhD Programmes

PhD admission is through the PAU PhD Entrance Test, which is conducted twice a year. ICAR SRF holders and university-funded fellows are considered under their own seat categories. Applicants need a relevant Master’s degree with 60% marks. UGC-NET and CSIR-NET qualified students may be considered for fellowship-linked PhD seats.

Diploma in Agriculture and Certificate Programmes

The 2-year Diploma in Agriculture requires a Class 10 pass from a recognised board. Certificate courses in Interior Designing and Early Childhood Care and Education are each 1 year long. Admission to these programmes is based on merit in the qualifying examination.

PAU Placements

PAU placements cover agri-input, food processing, banking, and engineering sectors. NIRF 2025 data for the 2023-24 graduating batch shows a median placement salary of INR 4.80 LPA. The highest reported offer was INR 18 LPA, and 78% of eligible UG and PG students were placed as per NIRF data.

B.Tech and MBA students usually see stronger participation from private-sector recruiters. Many B.Sc Agriculture and Horticulture students also choose M.Sc courses, ICAR JRF fellowships, state agricultural department jobs, and UPSC agricultural services along with campus placement options.

Because of PAU’s Green Revolution history and ICAR link, its students have strong recognition for government agricultural research, state KVKs (Krishi Vigyan Kendras), and public sector agri-input companies. Alumni also appear for Punjab State Civil Services, Agriculture Officer exams, and Bank Specialist Officer roles in rural and agricultural banking.

PAU Rankings

PAU is regularly placed among India’s top agricultural universities. In NIRF 2025, it held the 3rd rank in Agriculture and Allied Sectors with a score of 75.83, behind ICAR-NDRI Karnal at 2nd. In the NIRF Overall category, PAU is among the top 100 institutions in India.

The NIRF Agriculture score of 75.83 reflects PAU’s work in teaching and learning resources, research publications, and graduation outcomes. The university has appeared in the NIRF Agriculture category consistently since the framework began.

PAU Scholarships

PAU supports students through tuition fee concessions, PG fellowships, ICAR-funded national scholarships, and merit awards. The main beneficiaries are SC/ST students and students with strong academic records.

Girl students can get extra concessions. PAU also has a separate aid programme for students from rural and backward class backgrounds. Students may apply for more than one scholarship at the same time, but they must meet the conditions of each award.

PAU Campus and Infrastructure

PAU has a 1,500-acre campus in Ludhiana, making it one of India’s largest agricultural university campuses. The campus includes six constituent colleges, research farms, experimental crop plots, orchards, a seed production centre, and a technology commercialisation unit. Its Biannual Farmers’ Fair has been held every November and March since 1967 and brings in more than 100,000 farmers from Punjab and nearby states.

Facilities on campus include a central library with major agricultural research collections, biotechnology and food science laboratories, computer centres, a language lab, and a sports stadium that has hosted Ranji Trophy cricket matches. PAU provides separate hostels for male and female students. Hostel fees go up to INR 36,980 per year for both boys and girls hostels. The campus also has a post office, bank branch, and university hospital for students and staff.

PAU has an outstation campus at Ballowal Saunkhri in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district. It houses the PAU-College of Agriculture for students from that region. The university’s research farms and field plots support applied field work by students and teachers, so students get field exposure along with classroom learning.

PAU vs GBPUAT Pantnagar vs CCSHAU Hisar

Students looking at PAU for agriculture courses often compare it with G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GBPUAT), Pantnagar in Uttarakhand, and CCS Haryana Agricultural University (CCSHAU), Hisar in Haryana. All three are major government agricultural universities in north India and offer similar flagship UG courses with state-supported fee structures.

Among these three, PAU has the highest NIRF Agriculture rank and strong links with Punjab’s agri-input and food processing sector. GBPUAT Pantnagar, founded in 1960 as India’s first agricultural university, has the largest campus and strong research credentials. CCSHAU Hisar mainly serves Haryana-domicile students and is known for dryland cropping systems and livestock sciences. For most students, state domicile eligibility and distance from home are major factors while choosing among these universities.