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Top 10 Entrance Exams for Design Courses in India

Geetika Bansal
Geetika BansalUpdated On: January 31, 2023 11:52 am IST

Design courses are offered at the UG and PG levels by numerous institutions in India. One must take entrance exams to get admission to design programmes in the top design colleges. Check out the list of the top 10 design entrance exams in India.   

 

Top 10 Entrance Exams for Design Courses in India

Career in Design is in demand these days and there are not one but many design entrance exams that are held in India. Most of the top design colleges of India conduct admissions through design entrance exams which are of the national, state, or institute level. Many design colleges also provide merit-based admissions to candidates. Collegedekho has compiled the list of the top 10 design entrance exams for which candidates have to appear in order to pursue desired design courses.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics surveyed that the designers, especially graphic designers, have seen an increased demand every passing year till 2021. With more and more students opting for this field, it becomes of utmost importance that the design universities or colleges that offer programmes in design, select the most suitable candidates for the final admissions. This ensures that the number of good designers that our country gets is on a constant rise.

Top 10 Design Entrance Exams in India

The schedule of some top design entrance exams is provided in the table given below. Candidates who are seeking admission to various design colleges in India can check this schedule in order to stay updated with design admissions.

Exam Name

Application Process Starts

Application Process Ends

Admit Card Release Date

Exam Date(s)

Mode of Exam

Announcement of Result

NIFT Exam

01 November, 2022  31 December, 202215 January, 202305 February, 2023

Online

March 2023

UCEED

30 September, 2022

09 November, 2022

13 - 17 January, 202322 January 2023

Online

9 March, 2023

CEED

30 September, 2022 09 November, 202213 January, 202322 January, 2023

Online

7 March, 2023

NID DAT

21 October, 2022

22 December, 20222 January, 2023

Prelims: 8 January, 2023

Offline & Online Mode

May 2023

PAF Entrance Exam

10 January, 2023

12 January, 2023

15 January, 2023 - 17 January, 2023

Online

A few days after the exam

FDDI AIST

15 December, 2022

1 May, 2023

5 June, 2023

18 June, 2023

Offline

July 2022

SEED

5 September, 2022

4 January, 2023

7 January, 2023 - 15 January, 202315 January, 2023

Online

23 January, 2023

AIEED

01 November, 202215 December, 202221 December to 30 December, 2022

December 2022 - February 2023 (Phase-wise)

Online

7 Days After the Exam 

IIAD Entrance Exam-21 January, 2023-28 January, 2023

Online

To be Announced

Also Read: All About Common Entrance Examination for Design (CEED)

Top National Level Design Exams

These are the various national level design exams that every design course aspirant must give:

  • UCEED: Undergraduate Common Entrance Examination for Design, commonly known as UCEED, is a computer-based examination conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. IIT Bombay offers a bachelor course in design which is BDes. It is conducted in the month of January every year. The duration of this exam is three hours and the applicants are tested on their design thinking and problem-solving skills, environmental and social awareness knowledge, etc. The exam is conducted for 2 hours 30 minutes.

  • AIEED: This exam is given to crack the entrance for Arch College of Design and Business and has two sections namely: General Aptitude Test and Creative Aptitude Test. The college offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the field of design. The applicants are tested on these skills: Lateral Thinking & Creative Problem Solving and Awareness of Design Principles. It is held for two hours and has maximum marks of 100.

  • CEED: It is for designing programmes for IITs, UPES and IIScs. The Common Entrance Examination for Design, popularly known as CEED, is held especially for M.Des aspirants. The exam has two parts: Subjective and Objective questions. These skills are tested in the applicants in this examination: Environmental and Social Awareness, Creativity, Communication Skills. It has two sections: A and B.

  • FDDI: FDDI AIST exam is best suited for fashion aspirants who are solely interested in footwear designing and want to pursue a profession only in that sphere. Footwear Design and Development Institute offers programmes in both undergraduate and postgraduate design courses. This exam is conducted in the month of May every year and its syllabus focuses on General Awareness, Verbal Ability and Quantitative Aptitude.

Top Institute Level Design Exams

These are some institute specific exams, designed for design aspirants:

  • NIFT: By giving the NIFT exam, students get to be a part of the most prestigious college in the country for fashion and design, that is the National Institute of Fashion & Design. This exam is usually held in the month of January or February by the university itself. By giving this exam, the students are open to pursuing courses like Bachelor of Design, Bachelor of Fashion Technology, Master of Design, Master of Fashion Management and Master of Fashion Technology. The students are analysed on their creativity, illustration skills, current affairs, quantitative ability, etc. The exam is for two hours and is conducted in offline mode.

  • SEED: Symbiosis International University conducts the SEED exam that has objective type questions. There are almost 150 multiple choice questions that have to be attempted by the aspirant within a time frame of 2.5 hours. In this exam, the aspirants are tested on the basis of their creative thinking ability, their awareness about general designs, their knowledge about Indian culture and also about spheres and geometry. The syllabus focuses on Creative and Problem-Solving Abilities and the Application of Basic Knowledge of Science and Mathematics.

  • NID: NID Exam is for the National Institute of Design. After clearing the aptitude test of NID, the aspirants are open to exploring undergraduate and postgraduate courses at the NID campus. The applicants are tested on their skills in optical illusion, innovation and creation, designing outlines for beginners, drawing fundamentals, colours patterns. The exam is for 3 hours and has both kinds of sections: Objective and Subjective.

  • GD Goenka Dat: GD Goenka DAT’s pattern is similar to that of NIFT and NID’s entrance exams. This exam is conducted by GD Goenka University with a duration of three hours. It is conducted in offline mode. These skills are tested in the exam: Visual Appreciation Skills, Analytical and Critical Thinking and Conceptual Thinking.

  • UID: This test is conducted by the UID - Unitedworld Institute of Design (UID) and is usually conducted in the month of January. UID offers BDes and MDes courses to students, therefore, this exam offers the doors to those courses for them. The candidates also go through a situation test and a round of portfolio evaluation test after giving the UID test. The syllabus focuses on current affairs and problem identifying skills. It is for two hours and thirty minutes.

  • PAF: Pearl Academy of Fashion conducts PAF and the exam is commonly known as the PAF exam. It has two types: GPT - General Proficiency Test and DAT - Design Aptitude Test and is usually conducted through several cycles every year. Aspirants are tested on these skills: language ability, mathematical skills, logical reasoning, etc. The exam pattern of PAF varies from course to course. All sections are of 1-hour in duration.

Application Forms for Top 10 Entrance Exams of Design

Given below are the links to the application forms of designed entrance exams:

NIFT Exam Application Form 2023

UCEED Application Form 2023

CEED Application Form 2023

NID DAT Application Form 2023

PAF Application Form 2023

SEED Application Form 2023

FDDI Application Form 2023

AIEED Application Form 2023

IIAD Entrance Exam Application Form 2023

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Syllabus for Top 10 Entrance Exams of Design

Check out the detailed syllabus of the top 10 design entrance exams:

NIFT Exam Syllabus 2023

UCEED Syllabus 2023

CEED Syllabus 2023

NID DAT Syllabus 2023

PAF Syllabus 2023

SEED Syllabus 2023

FDDI Syllabus 2023

AIEED Syllabus 2023

IIAD Entrance Exam Syllabus 2023

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Exam Pattern for Top 10 Entrance Exams of Design

Given below is the exam pattern for entrance exams of design.

NIFT Exam Pattern 2023

UCEED Exam Pattern 2023

CEED Exam Pattern 2023

NID DAT Exam Pattern 2023

PAF Exam Pattern 2023

FDDI Exam Pattern 2023

SEED Exam Pattern 2023

AIEED Exam Pattern 2023

IIAD Exam Pattern 2023

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Preparation Guide for Top 10 Entrance Exams of Design

Given below are a few tips, tricks and strategies for the preparation of the design entrance exam.

NIFT Exam Preparation 2023

UCEED Preparation 2023

CEED Preparation 2023

NID DAT Preparation 2023

PAF Preparation 2023

SEED Preparation 2023

FDDI Preparation 2023

AIEED Preparation 2023

IIAD Entrance Exam Preparation 2023

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Detailed Self-Study Guide for Design Entrance Exams in India!

Also ReadNIFT Entrance Exam Preparation Important Topics

    Popular Design Colleges in India

    Check out the list of some of the popular design colleges in India. The location of the institutes has also been given.

    College Name

    Location

    Pearl Academy

    Delhi

    International Institute of Fashion Design

    Pune, Maharashtra

    International College of Fashion (ICF)

    Delhi

    Tecnia Institute of Art and Design (TIAD)

    New Delhi, Delhi

    World University of Design (WUD)

    Sonepat, Haryana

    JD Institute of Fashion Technology

    Navi Mumbai

    Centre for Design Excellence (CODE)

    Jaipur

    Maeer's MIT Institute of Design (MITID)

    Pune, Maharashtra

    Aditya College of Design Studies (ACDS Mumbai)

    Mumbai

    Lovely Professional University (LPU)

    Jalandhar

    List of Best Design Colleges Apart from NID & NIFT!

    With the increase in demand for design courses, the levels and types of programmes offered in design have witnessed a rise. There are various specialisations in which candidates can enrol themselves. Getting into one of the leading design institutes in the country becomes easier if you score well in these entrance exams.

    Fill our Common Application Form (CAF) or dial the student helpline number 1800-572-9877 (toll-free) to find the best college for yourself. You can also drop your queries in the QnA portal.

    For more information, stay tuned to CollegeDekho!

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