Entrance tests for undergraduate agriculture programmes are generally objective, multiple-choice papers based on the class 11 and class 12 syllabus. Candidates answer physics, chemistry and biology, or mathematics in place of biology for some programmes, and where an agriculture stream has been studied at higher secondary level a dedicated agriculture paper may be offered instead. The programmes admitted to include the Bachelor of Science in agriculture and related degrees in horticulture, forestry, fisheries, dairy technology, food technology, agricultural engineering and community science, offered by state agricultural universities and by the deemed universities of the national agricultural research system. Seats are allotted by rank through centralised counselling, with a share of seats in each state agricultural university kept for candidates of that state. The subjects, the pattern and the accepted test for a given programme are stated in the institution's own admission notification.

Candidates must have passed, or be appearing in, the class 12 or equivalent examination from a recognised board with a science subject combination appropriate to the programme, typically physics, chemistry and biology or mathematics, and in some cases an agriculture stream taken at higher secondary level is accepted. Those awaiting results may usually apply subject to producing them before admission. Minimum qualifying marks, any age condition, and the relaxation available to reserved categories are laid down in the official notification of the conducting body and the admitting university and must be checked there. Domicile requirements apply to state-quota seats in state agricultural universities.