As reserve talents for research, graduate students of scientific research institutions directly participate in the implementation process of various scientific research projects, which greatly promotes the innovation work of scientific research institutions. As an essential part of the national agricultural scientific and technological innovation system, provincial agricultural research institutions urgently need to maintain or expand the team of graduate students. Under the current graduate student recruitment system, provincial agricultural research institutions need to solve the problem of how to innovate on the recruitment methods, continuously expand the recruitment scale, and attract more outstanding graduate students to join the scientific and technological innovation team. This paper firstly introduced the institutional changes and recruitment status of graduate students in agricultural research institutions, then analyzed the problems faced by provincial agricultural research institutions in recruiting graduate students. Finally, combining the work practice of Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, it came up with pertinent recommendations, to provide references for graduate student recruitment of provincial agricultural research institutions.