5 Best Non-IIT Colleges Accepting UCEED 2026 Scores for B.Des Admission

5 Best Non-IIT Colleges Accepting UCEED 2026 Scores for B.Des Admission

Ongoing Event

UCEED Application Date:01 Oct' 25 - 31 Oct' 25

Sumeet SudarshanUpdated on 06 Oct 2025, 06:23 PM IST

Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, has opened the UCEED 2026 application form on October 1, 2025. Candidates can complete UCEED registration online from the official website - uceed.iitb.ac.in. The UCEED participating institutes include 6 IITs and IIITDM Jabalpur. However, apart from these, candidates can also look at applying to non-IIT colleges in UCEED, which also feature among the top design colleges in India and accept UCEED 2026 scores. In this article, get the five best non-IIT colleges in UCEED if you have a low rank in the exam.

5 Best Non-IIT Colleges Accepting UCEED 2026 Scores for B.Des Admission
5 Best Non-IIT Colleges Accepting UCEED 2026 Scores

Through the UCEED entrance exam, candidates will be offered admission into the B.Des programmes of design colleges.

5 Best Non-IIT Colleges in UCEED

In this section, get the details of the 5 best non-IIT colleges in UCEED. The top colleges accepting UCEED scores also conduct their own design entrance exams, which candidates can appear for.

  1. BITS Design School

BITS Design School Mumbai is one of the top private design colleges in India. The college conducts the BITS DAT for admission into its B.Des programmes. However, the college also accepts scores in NID DAT and UCEED. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for a portfolio presentation and interview round.

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The college offers several streams in B.Des such as physical product designing, digital product design, experience design, and visual design. Candidates can check the details about the BITSDAT admission process here.

  1. MIT Institute of Design

MIT Institute of Design is another well-known private design college that accepts UCEED scores. Additionally, it also conducts its own MIT Design Entrance Test, for which candidates can appear to secure admission. Candidates can secure admission at MITID Pune, Ujjain, and Meghalaya campuses of the institute.

Candidates shortlisted based on the entrance exam score have to appear for a studio test and interview to secure final admission.

The college offers several design specialisations, such as

  • Fashion design

  • Fashion communication

  • Animation design

  • Game design

  • Graphic design

  • Transportation design

  • Product design

  • UI design

  • Interior space and furniture design

  1. Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI)

FDDI is one of the top government design colleges in India. Candidates who will appear for UCEED 2026 and obtain a valid score can apply to the institute. FDDI offers B.Des programmes in

  • Footwear Design and Production (FDP)

  • Fashion Design (FD)

  • Leather Lifestyle, and Product Design (LLPD)

Alternatively, candidates can also appear for FDDI AIST, which is the design entrance exam conducted by the institute. FDDI has 12 campuses in India, located at different cities as given below

FDDI Campuses

Noida

Chindwara

Fursatganj (Raebareily)

Guna

Chennai

Ankleshwar (Surat)

Kolkata

Patna

Rohtak

Hyderabad

Jodhpur

Chandiagarh

  1. GLS University, Gujarat

GLS University, Ahmedabad, is a private university offering design courses through the GLS Institute of Design. With a valid score in UCEED, candidates can apply to B.Des programmes in the following streams

  • Graphic design

  • Product design

  • Apparel design

  • Animation design

  • Environment and space design,

  • Accessories and Jewellery design.

Alternatively, candidates can appear for the GLS DAT entrance exam conducted by the university for its design admissions. Shortlisted candidates will be called for an interview to secure final admissions.

  1. DY Patil School of Design

DY Patil School of Design under DY Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune, is another top non-IIT college in UCEED to which candidates can apply. The university offers a 4-year full-time B.Des programmes in

  • Fashion design and communication

  • UI/UX design

  • Communication Design

  • Product Design

  • Interior Spatial and Furniture Design

The university also conducts the DPU AIDAT exam for its design admissions, which candidates can choose to appear for instead of applying with a UCEED score. Shortlisted candidates will be called to attend a studio test, interview, and portfolio round, after which final selections will be offered.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Which institutes participate in UCEED?
A:

There are 6 IITs in UCEED, namely IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Guwahati, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Roorkee, and IIT Indore. Additionally, IIITDM Jabalpur also participates in UCEED.

Q: When is the UCEED 2026 exam date?
A:

UCEED 2026 will be conducted on January 18, 2026.

Q: Who conducts UCEED?
A:

IIT Bombay conducts UCEED.

Q: Which programme is offered through UCEED 2026?
A:

Candidates can secure admission into B.Des programme through UCEED.

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Questions related to UCEED

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to UCEED ?

Hello,

NIFT 2026 admission - Applications release around November–December 2025.

UCEED 2026- Registrations open around September–October 2025.

Pearl Academy - They have multiple admission cycles (Jan, April, June). Applications usually open by October 2025 for Jan cycle.

Keep checking official sites regularly since dates shift slightly every year.

Thank you!

Hello!

UCEED is a competitive exam for design aspirants, testing design aptitude, logical thinking, creativity, and visualisation skills. To improve your score out of 300, start by understanding the exam pattern—Part A (objective) and Part B (subjective). For Part A, practice reasoning, numerical aptitude, and environmental & social awareness questions. For Part B, focus on drawing, sketching, and presenting your ideas clearly. Solve past year UCEED papers and join online mock test series. Spend at least 2–3 hours daily practising creative problem-solving and sketching. Also, work on time management because the exam requires quick thinking.

Thank you for reading, and I wish you the best


Hello Akanksha,

For NID DAT 2026, your eligibility is established based on your born date as you are born on or after July 1st 2005. For UCEED 2026, your eligibility is dependent on your born date by category. You are eligible if you are OPEN/EWS/OBC-NCL category and born on or after October 1, 2001. If you are SC/ST/PwD category you must be born on or after October 1, 1996 in order to be eligible. Based on your born date of December 20th, 2006 for both NID DAT 2026 and UCEED 2026; you will be eligible.

The UCEED exam is conducted by IIT Bombay, and the previous year’s question papers  you can download the papers along with answer keys directly from the link given below :

https://design.careers360.com/articles/uceed-previous-year-question-papers

Thank you and all the best!