Pearl Academy B.Des Admissions 2026
No. 1 Design & Fashion Institute by ASSOCHAM, India Today, Outlook and The Week rankings
UCEED Admit Card Date:08 Jan' 26 - 08 Jan' 26
UCEED, the entrance exam for design admissions at the IITs is open to students from all streams including arts and humanities. However, a closer look at the eligibility criteria at some of the participating IITs namely IIITDM Jabalpur, IIT Guwahati and Roorkee shows that only students from a science background at the 10+2 level can apply for the B.Des programmes. Careers360 takes a deeper look at the reasons and possibilities.
This Story also Contains
Candidates who have qualified in UCEED and completed their 10+2 in the science stream can apply to all seven participating institutes. The same does not apply to candidates from a commerce or arts background as they can apply only to IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Hyderabad and IIT Indore.
A closer look at the IIT B.Des courses open to students from all backgrounds and the ones open to the science students show many differences. Candidates can verify distinctions in the syllabus for the as well as the placements offered at these institutes.
Candidates who are applying at the IITs for the Bachelor of Design programme need to fulfill the basic age limit criterion given below and also qualify in UCEED.
Age Limit is extended to candidates who are born on or after Oct 1, 2000 (OPEN/EWS/OBC-NCL) or on/after Oct 1, 1995 (SC/ST/PwD).
Exam Qualification requires that the candidates must have a valid UCEED rank.
Academic Eligibility requires that candidates must have passed Class XII (all 5 subjects) in 2024 or 2025. Those appearing in 2023 or earlier are not eligible.
The differences in the course eligibility are as stated below.
Candidates from the Science Stream (at 10+2 level) with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics as subjects are eligible to apply to all the seven participating institutes.
IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Indore: Open to students from all streams (Science, Commerce, Arts & Humanities). Science without Mathematics is also accepted here.
IIT Guwahati & IIT Roorkee: Only candidates from Science with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics at 10+2 are eligible. Students from Commerce, Arts, or Science without PCM cannot apply.
IIITDM Jabalpur: Accepts students with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics/Biology at 10+2. Commerce, Arts, and Humanities students are not eligible.
Class XII Passing Condition: Candidates appearing in 2025 must complete all parts of their exam before application and submit proof of passing by September 30, 2025.
Eligibility Criteria | Name of the Institutes |
Students from all streams (Science, Commerce, Arts & Humanities) and Science without Mathematics |
|
Students from the Science Stream (at 10+2 level) with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. |
|
Students with Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics/Biology at 10+2 can apply. Commerce, Arts or Humanities at 10+2 are not eligible. |
|
The differences in the IITs Admission Criteria can be traced to the eventual differences in the syllabus for B.Des offered at the Institutes. Some institutes like IIT Roorkee and IIT Guwahati focus on a science based curriculum as opposed to IIT Mumbai which has a curriculum that is tailored more to design.
Name of the Institute | Core Syllabus |
| |
| |
| |
|
Name of the Institute | Core Syllabus |
| |
| |
|
In the latter case, we can see that Universities that are strictly focused on the science background candidates have core/elective courses that involve engineering and computer science courses.
Candidates who are applying for courses in either category can benefit from knowing the eventual Placement packages that are allotted. The IIT placement packages are specified in the table below.
Name of the Institute | Percentage Placed | Average CTC |
IDC School of Design, IIT Mumbai | B.Des: 52.94% | Rs.16 - 17 LPA |
IIT Delhi | B.Des: 12.50% | Rs.20.54 LPA on average |
IIT Hyderabad | B.Des: 55.56 % | Rs.14.40 LPA |
IIT Indore | - | - |
IIT Guwahati | 74% | Rs.18 LPA |
IIT Roorkee | - | Rs.17 LPA |
IIIT DM, Design and Manufacturing Jabalpur | B.Des: 38.51% | Rs.16 LPA |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
NID ranks higher in the preference for Design owing to its highly specialized and structured courses. IITs like IIT Bombay with Industrial Design Centre are among the top-ranked institutes alongside NID.
Candidates need to clear the Undergraduate Common Entrance Examination for Design (UCEED). Furthermore, the eligibility criteria should be verified based on whether the candidate has a 10+2 background in Science, Art or Commerce.
The candidates should have a minimum of 55% marks (50% marks in case of SC/ST/PwD) or equivalent grades in the qualifying degree for individual streams.
IIT Guwahati and IIT Roorkee require Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics in the 10+2 examinations for candidates to qualify for the Design course.
Any candidate who has completed Class 12 can apply for the BDes course. Candidates need to apply online for BDes course with an application fee of Rs. 3,800 for open and Rs. 1,900 for reserved category.
On Question asked by student community
Hello,
For admission to Ajeenkya D.Y. Patil University (ADYPU), you must score a minimum of 50% in your 12th grade for the general category. However, ADYPU conducts its own entrance exam, known as the ACET ADYPU Common Entrance Exam, which includes a studio test and a personal interview. So, you would have a chance for admission based on how well you score in the entrance exam.
Hope it helps!!!
If you’re looking for free courses for NID, NIFT, and UCEED preparation, that’s a great idea to get started without spending much. Many platforms offer free foundation and crash courses covering topics like design aptitude, logical reasoning, general awareness, and sketching. You can go through the link I’ll attach from Careers360, which provides free preparation material and courses for these exams. It will help you access mock tests, previous year papers, and video lectures to build a strong base for the entrance exams.
https://design.careers360.com/nift-nid-uceed-entrance-exam-free-crash-course
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
Ranked 2nd in the IIRF 2023 Design School Ranking | Approved by AICTE | Highest CTC 13 LPA
Ranked amongst top 3% universities globally (QS Rankings)
No. 1 Design & Fashion Institute by ASSOCHAM, India Today, Outlook and The Week rankings
EXAMS dates- 13-14 Dec | Leading Design College | Highest CTC: ₹12 LPA | Average CTC: ₹7.5 LPA | Scholarships for Deserving Students
Courses offered in- Fashion Design, Product Design, Communication Design, Interior & Spatial Design & Animation & VFX Design
Ranked #45 amongst Universities in India by NIRF | Ranked #1 in Academic Reputation in India by QS World University Rankings