If you want to start a design or fashion career, it's essential that you're aware of the design entrance exam dates 2026. Whether it's UCEED and NID DAT, NIFT, SEED, or Pearl Academy, every one of these has its design entrance exam schedule and eligibility criteria. This guide consolidates all design exam dates 2026 into one place and gets you ahead with your applications and preparations. Read this article to find out when your preferred design exam will be held.
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A design entrance exam calendar helps you:
Track every design entrance exam date for BDes and MDes programmes.
Avoid missing important fashion designing admission dates.
Plan your portfolio and creative preparation efficiently.
Align your fashion designing course admission dates with board exam timelines.
Whether you’re aiming for Fashion Design, Industrial Design, Visual Communication, or UX/UI, keeping a close eye on deadlines is the first step toward your dream college.
UG Design Exam Name | BDes Admission Status | Registration End Date | Exam Date |
Registration open | October 31, 2025 | January 18, 2026 | |
NID DAT 2026 (BDes) | Registration open | December 1, 2025 | Prelims: December 21, 2025 Mains: April 2026 |
NIFT 2026 (BDes) | To open soon | December 2025 (tentative) | February 2026 (2nd week) |
MITID DET 2026 (BDes) | Registration open | February 28, 2026 | April 6, 2026 |
SEED 2026 (Symbiosis Design Exam) | Registration open | November 30, 2026 | January 11, 2026 |
UID DAT 2026 (Unitedworld Institute of Design) | Registration open | October 2026 | January 11, 2026 |
Registration open | October 31, 2025 | November 3, 2025 | |
Registration open | January 13, 2026 | January 17-19, 2026 | |
Registration open | October 25, 2025 | October 27 to November 15, 2025 | |
WUDAT 2026 (BDes) | Registration open | December 30, 2025 | January 4, 2026 |
Registration open | February 1, 2026 | March 31 to April 5, 2026 | |
GLS DAT 2026 (BDes) | Registration open | January 2026 | January 2026 |
IIAD 2026 (BDes) | Registration open | - | Online: December 13, 2025 Online & Offline: December 14, 2025 |
Registration open | - | - | |
Registration open | - | - | |
Registration open | - | - | |
Registration open | February 28, 2026 | April 19, 2026 | |
Registration open | - | - | |
Registration open | November 1, 2025 | December 20, 2025 |
* “BDes Admission Status” refers to whether registration/applications are open or expected to open.
Mark design exam application final dates in your calendar and schedule reminders a week before.
In case of design exams such as NID or UCEED with Prelims + Mains, leave buffer time for creative preparation (drawing, sketching, model-making).
Have all documents in hand (Class 12 marksheet, ID, portfolio/sketchbook) well before registration deadlines for BDes admissions.
Prepare sample papers for each exam's format: UCEED is more on general ability and visual creativity, NID DAT has objective & subjective components.
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PG Design Exam Name | MDes Admission Status | Registration End Date | Exam Date |
Registration open | October 31, 2025 | January 18, 2026 | |
Registration open | December 1, 2025 | Prelims: December 21, 2025 Mains: April 2026 | |
NIFT PG Entrance Exam 2026 (MDes) | Expected soon | December 2025 | February 2026 (2nd week) |
MITID DET 2026 (MDes) | Registration open | February 28, 2026 | April 6, 2026 |
WUDAT 2026 (MDes) | Registration open | December 30, 2025 | January 4, 2026 |
GLS DAT 2026 (MDes) | Registration open | January 2026 | January 2026 |
IIAD 2026 (MDes) | Registration open | - | December 13 (Online), December 14 (Online & Offline) |
* “MDes Admission Status” refers to registration/application status as known currently.
Since some design application deadlines are tentative, keep checking official websites at regular intervals.
Focus on your undergraduate project work, sketches, design thinking examples - these often form part of studios/interviews for MDes admissions.
If you’re targeting CEED, practise both the objective and subjective parts of the CEED entrance exam (visual perception, drawing, reasoning) ahead of time.
On Question asked by student community
Hello,
Getting admission in IITs or NID for BDes depends on a few things: your entrance exam score, portfolio, and sometimes your interview performance.
IITs (for BDes) : Admission is mainly through UCEED . You need a good rank in UCEED to get in.
NID : Admission is through NID DAT (Design Aptitude Test) . Your portfolio and DAT score matter a lot.
If your preparation and scores are strong, you have a chance. You can check previous years’ cut-offs to see where you stand.
Hope it helps !
Here are top BDes (Fashion Design) colleges in Bangalore:
National Institute of Fashion Technology , Bangalore – Top choice
JD Institute of Fashion Technology
Vogue Institute of Art and Design
IIFA Multimedia
Army Institute of Fashion and Design
Taking a second drop is not an issue if you clear the required entrance exams or meet the eligibility criteria.
FLAME University Pune is a good option for B.Des if you’re looking for a creative and interdisciplinary learning environment . The university offers a well-structured design program combined with liberal arts, allowing students to explore multiple interests It has a beautiful and modern campus with strong academic support and personalized attention due to smaller batch sizes. However, it is more know liberal arts and business programs, so if you want a purely design-focused education, you might also consider institutes like MIT-WPU or Shiv Nadar University. Overall, FLAME is suitable for students who want a broad, flexible design education and can afford the higher fees.
CUET qualifies BDes Fashion Designing students.
The basis for admission is the CUET score.
Hello,
No, for B.Des Fashion Designing , CUET is not always needed.
Some colleges take admission through CUET, but many top fashion institutes like NIFT have their own entrance exam. So, it depends on the college you are applying to. Always check the admission process of that particular college.
Hope it helps !
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