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Difference Between NID and UCEED, Which is Better NID or UCEED?
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Aspirants need to know that NID DAT and UCEED are both very reputed examinations in the field of design. Students who want to study design often wonder NID or UCEED which is better for them. To figure it out, it's important to look closely at each exam and see which is the best that fits the students want to achieve. These exams are conducted at a national level to select students for the undergraduate programmes in design. NID, known as The National Institute of Design conducts NID DAT exam once every year. In similar manner the UCEED exam is conducted once a year by IIT Bombay to grant admission to various BDes courses across IITs and other reputed institutions in India. Go through the full article to know NID vs UCEED, which one is better.
This Story also Contains
- NID DAT Vs UCEED: Highlights
- NID VS UCEED: Registration Process
- NID vs UCEED Eligibility
- NID vs UCEED: Paper Pattern
- UCEED vs NID DAT: Participating Institutes / Colleges
- NID vs IIT: BDes Courses Offered
- IIT vs NID: Placements
NID DAT Vs UCEED: Highlights
Particulars | NID-DAT | UCEED |
Exam Name | National Institute of Design- Design Aptitude Test | Undergraduate Common Entrance Examination for Design |
Conducting Authority | National Institute of Design (NID) | Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay |
Application Form Start Dates | September 2025 | October 2025 |
Application Form Fee | Rs. 3000 | Rs. 4000 |
Exam Pattern | Prelims - Part 1 - MCQ and subjective type question Part 2- Drawing Mains- Personal Interview and Studio Test | Part A- NAT, MCQ, MSQ Part B- Drawing skills |
Eligibility Criteria |
|
|
Participating Colleges | NID Ahmedabad, NID Gandhinagar, NID Bengaluru, NID Madhya Pradesh, NID Haryana, NID Andhra Pradesh and NID Assam | IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, IIT Hyderabad, IIITDM Jabalpur, IIT Guwahati, IIT Indore and IIT Roorkee |
Courses Offered | Graphic Design Film and Video Communication Exhibition Design Animation Film Design Ceramic and Glass Design Furniture and Interior Design Product Design Textile Design | Product design, user experience design, interaction design, visual design, communication design |
NID VS UCEED: Registration Process
NID DAT - The NID Design Aptitude Test is conducted once a year to choose the best candidates for admission in NID Ahmedabad and other campuses. The NID application form will be released in September 2025. The application fee for NID exam is Rs. 3000, which can go up to Rs. 4500 if the application fee is submitted at a later date.
UCEED - UCEED full form stands for undergraduate common entrance exam of design. The UCEED application form will be released in October 2025. The UCEED registration form fee is Rs. 4000. However, there is a concession for female, SC, ST and PWD candidates as they need to pay only Rs. 2000. For late fees the candidate needs to pay Rs. 500 extra for each category.
NID vs UCEED Eligibility
In order to get admission in IITs or NID for design admission, candidates are required to meet the eligibility criteria laid down by the concerned authorities. The difference between NID and UCEED eligibility needs to be checked before filling out the application form. The eligibility criteria include conditions and requirements related to minimum qualification, age limit, minimum aggregate marks and more.
NID DAT Eligibility Criteria
For UG admission through NID DAT, the students must know the following NID DAT eligibility criteria:
Aspirants must be under the age of 20 years in the year of application. However there is a age relaxation of 3 years for OBC-NCL, SC and ST candidates and a 5 year age relaxation for PWD candidates.
Aspirants must have passed the 12th or equivalent examination in any stream science, arts or commerce. Or the candidate must be appearing for the 12th examination or equivalent in the year of application.
UCEED Eligibility Criteria
Aspirants planning to obtain BDes admission at IITs or other UCEED colleges must know the following UCEED eligibility criteria set by the conducting authority. UCEED eligibility criteria is as follows:
For the candidates appearing for the UCEED exam, they must know the age limit which is 23. The candidate must be under the age of 23 on or after October 1 of the year of application. There is a relaxation of 5 years for SC, ST and PWD candidates
The candidates can only appear for the UCEED exam, a maximum of two times and that too in consecutive years.
The candidates must have passed all the exams in 12th class or equivalent from a recognised institution.
There are some colleges which state that science stream is compulsory. And some colleges which state Maths is compulsory as a subject. Students must check the eligibility criteria of individual colleges before applying to them.
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NID vs UCEED: Paper Pattern
Candidates need to know the difference between NID and UCEED patter pattern which is described in the article below. Knowing this the aspirants have to compare UCEED or NID which is better based on their views.
NID DAT exam consists of two stages: The Prelims and the Mains. Prelims is the first stage of the NID DAT exam which evaluates the candidate's ability in design aptitude and logical reasoning and a test to evaluate visual observation, creativity etc. Based on the NID DAT exam pattern, the NID question paper is a mixture of multiple choice questions, subjective type questions, and sketching. The NID DAT prelims have two parts. Part 1 consists of MCQ questions and subjective-type answers. Part 2 consists of drawing, sketching, and model making. There is no negative marking for NID DAT. The shortlisted candidates from the Prelims exam, need to appear for the mains exam, which involves studio tests and personal interviews.
UCEED exam is a three-hour exam consisting of 300 marks. UCEED question paper consists of two parts- Part A and Part B. Further, the UCEED paper A consists of three sections- numerical answer type (NAT), multiple select questions (MSQ), and multiple choice question (MCQ). The total marks for UCEED part A is 200. As per UCEED exam pattern, Part B consists of two questions of 50 marks each which evaluates the student's sketching and design aptitude. There is a negative marking in UCEED.
UCEED vs NID DAT: Participating Institutes / Colleges
Many reputed institutes accept the UCEED scores for design admission. However, the top IITs that participate in the UCEED exam to intake students are IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, IIT Hyderabad, IIITDM Jabalpur, IIT Roorkee and IIT Guwahati. However, IIITDM Jabalpur must have a science stream with physics, chemistry, and biology or maths as compulsory subjects. IIT Guwahati and IIT Roorkee prescribe a science stream with mathematics as a compulsory subject.
UCEED Colleges with Seats
The total number of seats offered by each college is given in the seat matrix below:
College | Number of Seats |
37 | |
IIT Delhi | 20 |
30 | |
66 | |
20 | |
IIT Guwahati | 56 |
| IIT Indore | 16 |
NID DAT gives access to the students across the three NID campuses to join the BDes programme. The campuses are in Ahmedabad, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Gandhinagar and Assam.
NID DAT Colleges with Seats
Colleges | Seats Available |
NID Ahmedabad | 128 |
NID Madhya Pradesh | 75 |
NID Haryana | 86 |
NID Andhra Pradesh | 75 |
NID Assam | 75 |
NID vs IIT: BDes Courses Offered
NID - The various BDes courses offered at NID are:
College | Courses Offered |
NID Ahmedabad | Graphic Design Film and Video Communication Exhibition Design Animation Film Design Ceramic and Glass Design Furniture and Interior Design Product Design Textile Design |
NID vs UCEED: Courses offered in IITs are:
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 |
IIT vs NID: Placements
Both IIT and NID have good placement opportunities for the candidates.
Table for IIT Placement Report:
Placement Details | Salary Offered |
|---|---|
IIT highest salary offered | 1.10 Crore |
IIT lowest salary offered | 6-8 LPA |
Table of NID Placement Reports:
Placement Details | Salary Offered |
|---|---|
NID highest salary offered during the industry interface | 46 LPA |
NID lowest salary offered during the industry interface | 4 LPA |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: What is the difference between UCEED and NID exam?
A:
The UCEED exam grant admission into IIT for B.Des course and the NID exam grants admission to NID campuses for B.Des.
Q: Which institutes accept the scores of NID and UCEED?
A:
All NID campuses, UCEED participating institutes, and design schools accept the scores of NID and UCEED.
Q: Can I apply to both NID and UCEED in the same year?
A:
Yes, but based on eligibility criteria and by checking the difference between NID and UCEED, candidates can apply.
Q: Is NID better than IIT design?
A:
Both are very reputed institutions in terms of design. It depends on the candidates interest in the course he wants to opt for and other factors like fee and living conditions. The candidate needs to qualify the respective examinations for each institution.
Q: What is the salary of NID students?
A:
NID is reputed for its placements and students can expect a salary of around 15 lakh per annum.
Q: Does 12th mark matter for NID?
A:
No, the marks do not matter, but the student has to qualify 10 + 2 or equivalent examinations.
Q: How many times can we appear NID?
A:
Students can appear for NID once a year, after their 10 + 2 exam till they are 20 years of age.
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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!
Currently, NSUT does not offer a B.Des. program. However, other institutes like IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, and IIITDM Jabalpur offer B.Des. through UCEED.
Expected UCEED Cutoffs (General Category):
IIT Bombay: Around Rank 14
IIT Delhi: Around Rank 35
IIITDM Jabalpur: Around Rank 165
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