UCEED Application Date:01 Oct' 25 - 31 Oct' 25
Both UCEED and CEED exams are conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, to select the best design students. However, one major difference between UCEED and CEED is that through the UCEED exam, candidates secure admission into undergraduate design courses, while the CEED exam allows students to join postgraduate design courses. Candidates appearing for UCEED 2026 and CEED 2026 can get the UCEED vs CEED comparison in this article to understand the difference between the UCEED and CEED exams, based on eligibility, counselling process, fee, and more.
This Story also Contains
Particulars | UCEED 2026 | CEED 2026 |
Full form | Undergraduate Common Entrance Examination for Design | Common Entrance Examination for Design |
Conducting Authority | Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay | Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay |
Official Website | uceed.ittb.ac.in | ceed.iitb.ac.in |
Application Form Start Date (tentative) | October 1, 2025 | October 1, 2025 |
Application Form Fee | Rs. 4000 | Rs. 4000 |
Course Offered | Undergraduate | Postgraduate and PhD |
Eligibility Criteria | Under the age of 25 Can appear for the exam a maximum of two times Qualified 10+2 or equivalent | No Age Limit Must have completed under graduation No limit on the number of attempts |
Participating Colleges | IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, IIT Hyderabad, IIITDM Jabalpur, IIT Guwahati, and IIT Roorkee | IISc Bangalore, IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Guwahati, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Jodhpur, IIT Kanpur, IIT Roorkee, IIITDM Jabalpur, IIITDM Kancheepuram |
Fees | Rs. 6-10 Lakhs | Rs. 30K- Rs. 3.75 Lakhs per annum |
Courses Offered | Product design, user experience design, interaction design, visual design, communication design | M.Des in Product Design and Engineering, Industrial Design, Communication Design, Animation, Interaction Design, Mobility and Vehicle Design, Visual Design, XR Design, Industrial Design, PhD in Design |
The registration process for both exams is similar. There is hardly any difference between UCEED and CEED registration process as both of them are conducted by IIT Bombay. However, the difference between UCEED and CEED registration is that the students need to visit the designated website for the specific exam.
The UCEED 2026 application form will be released on the official website - uceed.iitb.ac.in. The candidates need to pay a fee of Rs 4000 as the UCEED application form fee. Similarly, the CEED application form will be released on the official website- ceed.iitb.ac.in, and the students need to pay the application form fee Rs. 4000.
Another difference between UCEED and CEED lies in the eligibility criteria, which are given below.
The students seeking admission into the BDes courses in IITs and other UCEED colleges must know the following UCEED eligibility criteria that need to be fulfilled.
Candidates must be under the age of 25 on the year of application. Relaxation of 5 years for the SC, ST, and PwD categories.
Candidates can appear for the UCEED exam twice in consecutive years.
The students must have completed the 10 + 2 level of education or equivalent.
The MDes aspirants of IITs should fulfil these CEED eligibility criteria to join the Institution.
The students must have completed their degree/diploma / postgraduate degree of a minimum of 3 years after 10 + 2.
There is no age limit
There are no restrictions on the number of attempts for the exam
The UCEED counselling will be conducted after the declaration of the results of the UCEED entrance exam. The students need to register themselves on the UCEED exam portal through the official website, fill out their preferences for college, and upload the necessary documents, which also include a valid UCEED result. Followed by this, the candidates need to make a payment of the registration fee. The candidates who will be allotted seats in the counselling session. Allotted candidates are required to accept the seat and pay the prescribed fee before the deadline.
The CEED counselling, on the other hand, is done by each participating institution individually. The candidates need to fill in the application form on each institution’s website, and they need to pay for each college individually. The candidates also need to appear for an entrance exam and a personal interview for further selection. The results of the colleges will be declared individually, and a list of selected candidates will be published on the website. These candidates need to pay a seat acceptance fee before the deadline to secure their seats.
The top IITs that take part in the UCEED and CEED are as follows:
UCEED | CEED |
IIT Bombay | |
IIT Delhi | |
IIT Guwahati | |
IIT Hyderabad | |
IIITDM Jabalpur | |
Various courses are available at undergraduate and postgraduate level at various IITs. The students can refer to the difference between UCEED and CEED courses from the table given below.
Institution | BDes Courses offered |
IIT Bombay | Industrial design, communication design, animation design, interaction design, mobility and vehicle design |
IIT Delhi | Product design, visual design |
IIT Guwahati | Industrial design, communication design, ergonomics, usability engineering, design management |
IIT Hyderabad | Product design, visual design, spatial design, interaction design, user experience design |
IIT Roorkee | Product design, material and manufacturing, ergonomics, user experience design, interaction design, visual design |
IIITDM Jabalpur | Product design, visual design, interaction design, communication design, craft design |
Institution | MDes Courses offered |
IIT Bombay | MDes in Industrial Design, Communication Design, Animation, Interaction Design, Mobility and Vehicle Design , PhD in Design |
IIT Delhi | MDes in Industrial Design |
IIT Guwahati | MDes in Design, PhD in Design |
IIT Hyderabad | MDes in Visual Design, PhD in Design |
IIT Roorkee | MDes in Industrial Design |
IIITDM Jabalpur | MDes in Design |
IIT Kanpur | MDes in Design, PhD in Design |
IISc Bangalore | MDes in Product Design and Engineering , PhD in Design |
IIITDM Kancheepuram | MDes in Integrated Product Design |
IIT Jodhpur | MDes in XR Design |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Anybody who has completed under-graduation course is eligible apply for the CEED exam.
Students who qualify for the UCEED exam and have fulfilled all the eligibility criteria mentioned can join the BDes program.
Students can appear in CEED as many times as they want.
Yes, if a candidate has a good UCEED rank and he/she fulfils all the required eligibility for UCEED they can get into IIT.
On Question asked by student community
Hello Dear Candidate,
Here's the full study material for UCEED 2026: https://design.careers360.com/download/ebooks/uceed-full-study-material Thank You
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!
NAAC A+ Grade | Among top 100 universities of India (NIRF 2024) | 40 crore+ scholarships distributed
Ranked amongst top 3% universities globally (QS Rankings)
Management Conclaves | Industrial visits to eminent companies | Celebrated guest speakers
1000+ Recruiters | 450+ Patents | 50000+ Alumni network
Choose Creative Edge by TopRankers for Design Test Preparation
Avail Merit Scholarships