The undergraduate first-year admission test for the agricultural cluster of universities for the 2026–27 academic year is likely to be postponed following the decision to hold re-examinations for students who failed the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations.
The matter will be discussed at an upcoming meeting of the Vice-Chancellors of the cluster universities on Sunday, 15 November.
Professor Dr Md Rafiqul Islam Sardar, Vice-Chancellor of Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), is expected to attend the meeting.
Agriculturist Dr Faruque Ahmad, Additional Registrar (Academic Section) of BAU, disclosed these details during an interview on Thursday.
He stated that a new tentative date for the admission test will be determined following the Vice-Chancellors’ meeting.
He added that university authorities will attempt to hold the examination after Eid to ensure smooth organisation and proper conduct, with plans to commence classes and academic activities around July.
The admission test for the 2026–27 academic session was tentatively scheduled for 2 January.
Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University (SAU) is in charge of overall organisation and coordination for this year’s admission test.
When the initial date was announced, authorities clarified that the schedule was not final and would be settled through subsequent discussions.
This year’s HSC and equivalent examination results were published on 31 October, recording a pass rate of 52.12 per cent—the lowest since 2004.
On the result publication day, the Education Minister announced that students who failed in one or two subjects would be allowed to re-sit only those failed subjects within the following month.
A total of 4,22,905 students fall into this category, and the supplementary examination is scheduled to begin on 1 December for both regular and irregular candidates.
According to admission test officials at BAU, ensuring that this large number of successful candidates from the supplementary exams get the opportunity to sit for the admission test is a primary consideration.
Holding the test in early January could create complications regarding the publication of re-examination results and the application timeline, necessitating a revision of the admission test date.
Under the agricultural cluster system, student admissions to agricultural and agriculture-related higher education institutions across the country are conducted centrally, attracting a massive number of applicants every year.
In the last academic year, a total of nine universities participated in the cluster system.
These included Bangladesh Agricultural University, Gazipur Agricultural University, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Sylhet Agricultural University, Khulna Agricultural University, Habiganj Agricultural University, and Kurigram Agricultural University.
