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    What is Difference Between UCEED and CEED?

    What is Difference Between UCEED and CEED?

    Sumeet SudarshanUpdated on 26 Dec 2025, 10:51 AM IST

    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

    1. UCEED 2026 vs CEED 2026: Overview
    2. CEED 2026 vs UCEED 2026: Registration
    3. UCEED 2026 vs CEED 2026: Eligibility Criteria
    4. CEED 2026 vs UCEED 2026: Counselling
    5. UCEED 2026 vs CEED 2026: Participating Colleges:
    6. CEED 2026 vs UCEED 2026: Courses
    What is Difference Between UCEED and CEED?
    Difference Between UCEED and CEED

    IIT Bombay will conduct UCEED 2026 and CEED 2026 on January 18, 2026. UCEED and CEED are the gateway to admissions into B.Des and M.Des programmes respectively of participating IITs.

    UCEED 2026 vs CEED 2026: Overview

    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

    CEED 2026 vs UCEED 2026: Registration

    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.

    UCEED 2026 vs CEED 2026: Eligibility Criteria

    Another difference between UCEED and CEED lies in the eligibility criteria, which are given below.

    UCEED Eligibility Criteria

    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.

    CEED Eligibility Criteria

    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

    UPES B.Des Admissions 2026

    Last Date to Apply: 26th March | Ranked #45 amongst Universities in India by NIRF | Ranked #1 in Academic Reputation in India by QS World University Rankings

    Pearl Academy B.Des Admissions 2026

    No. 1 Design & Fashion Institute by ASSOCHAM, India Today, Outlook and The Week rankings

    CEED 2026 vs UCEED 2026: Counselling

    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.

    UCEED 2026 vs CEED 2026: Participating Colleges:

    The top IITs that take part in the UCEED and CEED are as follows:


    CEED 2026 vs UCEED 2026: Courses

    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.

    UCEED Courses

    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

    CEED Courses

    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)

    Q: Who is eligible for the CEED exam?
    A:

    Anybody who has completed under-graduation course is eligible apply for the CEED exam.

    Q: What happens after you qualify for UCEED ?
    A:

    Students who qualify for the UCEED exam and have fulfilled all the eligibility criteria mentioned can join the BDes program.

    Q: How many times can I give CEED?
    A:

    Students can appear in CEED as many times as they want.

    Q: Can I get into IIT with UCEED?
    A:

    Yes, if a candidate has a good UCEED rank and he/she fulfils all the required eligibility for UCEED they can get into IIT.

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    Questions related to UCEED

    On Question asked by student community

    Have a question related to UCEED ?

    Hello,

    With an SC category rank of 92 in UCEED, you may be eligible for admission to some IITs, depending on the cutoff and seat availability during the counselling process. The cutoff varies each year, so you can check the details for the previous year's cutoff here: UCEED Previous Years

    Hi! To check the UCEED 2025 opening and closing rank, click on the link provided below.
    Link: UCEED 2025 cutoff

    Some of the top-ranked UCEED coaching institutes in Noida include BRDS, Pahal Design, Bhardwaj Classes, MY Design Studio, and Design Aspirants.