Nearly 64 years have passed since Bangladesh’s first agricultural university began its journey, yet misconceptions about these institutions are still going on.
Many people still believe that agriculture students are just highly educated farmers who grow rice and paddy, while others assume veterinary students only treat cats and dogs. But the reality is that agriculture students are far beyond these stereotypes.
But slowly, things are changing. Now, a lot of people are interested in getting admitted into agriculture universities. After all, who wants to miss out on tonnes of opportunities that can lead to making a bigger impact?
List of agriculture universities and seats Distribution
There are a total of 9 agriculture universities. These are:
| Name of the University | Number of seats |
| Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) | 1,116 |
| Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU) | 435 |
| Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University (SAU) | 698 |
| Sylhet Agricultural University (SAU) | 431 |
| Patuakhali University of Science and Technology (PUST) | 448 |
| Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (CVASU) | 270 |
| Khulna Agricultural University (KAU) | 150 |
| Habiganj Agricultural University | 90 |
| Kurigram Agricultural University (KuriAU) | 80 |
| Total Seat | 3,718 |
List of faculties
- Faculty of Veterinary
- Faculty of Agriculture
- Faculty of Animal Husbandry
- Faculty of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology
- Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology
- Faculty of Fisheries
- Interdisciplinary Institute for Food Security
- Faculty of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development
- Faculty of Forestry and Environment
- Faculty of Agricultural and Bioresource Engineering
- Faculty of Agribusiness Management
- Faculty of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine
- Faculty of Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Marine Science
- Faculty of Veterinary, Animal, and Biomedical Sciences
- Faculty of Agricultural Economics and Business Education
- Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering
- Faculty of Food Science and Technology
- Faculty of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences
- Faculty of Agriculture Economics and Agri-Business Studies
Marks Distribution
| Subject Name | Marks |
| English | 10 |
| Zoology | 15 |
| Botany | 15 |
| Physics | 20 |
| Chemistry | 20 |
| Math | 20 |
| Total Marks | 100 |
- Time Duration: 1 hour
- Question Pattern: MCQ
- Wrong Answer Deduction: 0.25
- Pass Marks: 40
Minimum Requirement
- Candidates must have passed the SSC examination from the science group in 2020/2021/2022 and HSC/equivalent in 2023/2024.
- In both the SSC/equivalent and HSC/equivalent examinations, candidates must obtain at least a GPA of 4.00 in each and at least a GPA of 8.50 in total, excluding the fourth subject.
- Both SSC/equivalent and HSC/equivalent examinations must be separate subjects in biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics.
- Based on the results of SSC and HSC examinations, 10 times more students can participate in the admission test.
- To qualify for primary selection, candidates must score at least 30% in the admission test. The total marks are 200, including 100 marks for the admission test, 40 marks for the SSC result, and 60 marks for the HSC result.
Preparation and exam strategies
Zarin Tasnim, a second-year student at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, emphasises that comprehending the entire textbook is crucial for effective preparation. “If someone wants to do well in the agriculture cluster admission test, they should carefully solve the questions from the last 10 years, as around 40% of the questions often come from previous exams,” she adds.
Here is a subject-wise preparation suggestion for the agriculture cluster admission test!
Biology:
You should highlight and study the important points from the textbooks. When you solve the question bank, you’ll start to understand what’s important and what’s not. Focus on cell structure, reaction sites, digestive enzymes, blood cells, nephrons, nerves, and Mendel’s laws. These areas need thorough preparation.
Chemistry:
It’s important to thoroughly study the textbooks. Focus on topics like electron configuration, molarity, oxidation-reduction reactions, gas laws, catalysts, various cosmetics, and named reactions.
In recent years, many questions in chemistry have come from the exercises in the textbook. So carefully study these exercises to strengthen your understanding of the material. By studying past questions, key topics, and the multiple-choice questions at the end of each chapter, it’s possible to score 18 out of 20 with ease.
Physics:
Most of the questions in physics are mathematical problems. You should solve example problems from each chapter as well as previous years’ admission test questions. Topics with the most math problems include work, energy and power, geometrical optics, electromagnetism, relativity, and electronics.
To solve multiple math problems in a short time, you’ll need to master shortcut techniques. Memorise all formulas and understand proportional and inverse relationships; this will help you to answer about 60% of the questions confidently.
Mathematics:
To do well in mathematics, you need to memorise formulas from every chapter, as questions often come directly from formulas, especially in calculus.
Most questions in math come from integration, differentiation, straight lines, complex numbers, probability, permutations and combinations, circles, and functions. For differentiation, memorise answers from past questions, as these often reappear in exams.
English:
There is no specific syllabus for English. You can start by solving questions from past admission exams.
Also, focus on basic grammar topics, especially parts of Speech, Articles, Tenses, Voice, Narration, Correction, Right form of verbs, Translation, Synonyms, Antonyms, Sentence Transformation, Sentence Joining, and Comprehension.
Since there’s still plenty of time before the agriculture cluster admission test, take all the suggestions seriously and make the most of it!