Design Colleges in Chandigarh - Courses, Fees, Admissions 2026, Cutoff, Placements

There are about 30+ best Design colleges in Chandigarh. Of these,  16 colleges are privately owned, 4 colleges are owned by public/government organisations, and 3 colleges are owned by public-private entities. Students can secure admission after passing Class 12 boards or through entrance exams like UCEED, NID Entrance Exam,  etc.. Some of the top Design colleges in Chandigarh include Chandigarh University, Arena Animation, Amity University Online, Panjab University, Indian Institute of Fashion and Design (IIFD), Chitkara Design School, Chitkara University, Goswami Ganesh Dutta S.D. College, Chandigarh Group of Colleges, Landran, Government Home Science College Chandigarh, Chitkara University, Chandigarh,  and many others.

It is estimated that joining the top Design colleges in Chandigarh can be affordable as most colleges have tuition fees of less than INR 1 lakh. Listed below are some colleges along with their tuition fees:

Low-cost Design Colleges	Tuition Fee
Government Home Science College, Chandigarh	INR 28,000 - INR 87,000
MAAC Chandigarh	INR 70,000
National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology	INR 2,000 - INR 4,000
ThinkNext Technologies	INR 2,000
Sri Sukhmani Group of Institutions	INR 93,000

Joining the top Design colleges in Chandigarh can be worthwhile for you. For that, you need to check its ROI. Listed below are some colleges along with their tuition fees and average placement package:

College Names	Tuition Fee	Average Placement Package
Panjab University	INR 3 lakh	INR 3 LPA - INR 5 LPA
Government Home Science College, Chandigarh	INR 28,000 - INR 2 lakh	INR 3 LPA
MAAC Chandigarh	INR 70,000 - INR 4 lakh	INR 2 LPA
SXILL	INR 70,000 - INR 3 lakh	INR 2 LPA - INR 4 LPA

Students can pursue design courses at UG also at PG level in India. The most popular design course at the UG level is Bachelor of Design (BDes) and the most popular PG level course in this stream is Master of Design (MDes). The BDes degree programme is a full-time, 4-year programme with specialisations in fashion design, interior design, accessory design, textile design, and many other areas.

The BDes degree has changed over time and it is now available with many different design specialisations like graphic design, multimedia design, visual effects design, visual communication, and game design.

The Master of Design (MDes) degree is one of the qualifications that help in specialising and skill development for a career in the design industry. Only those with a bachelor's degree in a related field can pursue a master's degree in design.

Starting first year at Chandigarh University is an exciting transition. Students should focus on maintaining high attendance, actively engaging with faculty mentors & balancing academics with campus life.

Several top design colleges in India offer undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in various design disciplines. While the specific eligibility criteria may vary from college to college, here are the general eligibility requirements for admission to top Design colleges in Chandigarh:

• UG Level: Candidates must have completed Class 12 from a recognised board from any stream, that is,  Science,  Commerce, and Arts can apply for the course.
• PG Level: Candidates should have completed graduation from a recognised college/university. Most colleges prefer graduates with a Bachelor's degree in Design stream only. However, candidates from other streams are also eligible to apply for the course based on the required skill set and aptitude.

Eligibility criteria for UCEED 2026 are given below.

• Age limit - Candidate must be born on or after October 1, 2001. In the case of candidates belonging to SC, ST, and PwD categories, there is a relaxation of 5 years.

• Number of attempts - Candidate is allowed to appear in UCEED exam for a maximum of two times and that too in consecutive years.

• Academic requirements - Candidate must have passed 10+2 exam in 2025 or 2026. Those who appeared for first time in their qualifying examination in 2024 or earlier are NOT eligible.

NID DAT, along with NIFT and UCEED are among the most competitive national-level entrance exams in the country. The fact that there are only 425 seats for the B. Des and 347 seats for the M.Des programme makes it very competitive. But that being said, if the candidate prepares well and with the correct strategy, then the NID DAT exam can be cracked. Among the first things the candidate needs to do is prepare a efficient study timetable get familiar with the syllabus and pattern, and use good books as reference material. 

To give oneself a higher chance of securing a good rank in NID DAT, it is important to use good-quality books a reference material.

 Here are some of the best books recommended by experts and previous rank holders to prepare for the NID DAT exam.

• NID (B. Des. ). Entrance Books and Test Series by AFAINDIA
• Basic Rendering by Robert W. Gill
• Design drawing by Francis D. K. Ching
• NIFT/NID/IIFT Entrance Exam Guide by RPH Editorial Board 

 For a few courses, such as MA, BA, MLib, etc., admissions are completely based on merit in the last qualifying examination. Students must go through the Panjab University CHD-conducted/ national-level entrances and then appear for the university-level selection rounds for final admission at Panjab University.

The table below shows the top private Design colleges in Chandigarh along with their tuition fees:

Private Colleges	Tuition Fee
Chandigarh University (CU) Admission	INR 6 Lacs - INR 8 lakh
Chitkara Design School, Chitkara University Admission	INR 4 Lacs - INR 8 lakh
Chandigarh Group of Colleges, Landran Admission	INR 2 lakh
Chitkara University, Chandigarh Admission	INR 4 lakh
MAAC Chandigarh Admission	INR 70,000 - INR 4 lakh

CEED is an entrance exam for postgraduate Design courses such as M.Des and UCEED entrance exam is for undergraduate Design courses such as B. Des. UCEED is open to all nationals (Indian/Foreign). Many reputed colleges such as Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB), Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH) and Indian Institute of Information Technology Design and Manufacturing Jabalpur (IIITDMJ) aceept UCEED scores. You should have qualified for CEED exam if you wish to seek admission to Master of Design M.Des programmes at IISc Bangalore, IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Guwahati, IIT Hyderabad, IIITDM Jabalpur, and IIT Kanpur, and to Ph.D. programmes in Design at IISc Bangalore, IIT Bombay, IIT Guwahati, IIT Hyderabad, and IIT Kanpur. 

The table below shows the top specialisations offered by various Design colleges in Chandigarh:

Top Specialisations	No. of Colleges
Graphic Design	12
Web Design	12
Fashion Design	6
UI / UX	6
Game Design	5

The Bachelor of Design (BDes) programme is popular for various reasons. For starters, it gives a solid foundation in a variety of design disciplines, such as graphic design, industrial design, fashion design and others It allows you to explore and specialise in the areas of your interest. The practical and hands-on character of BDes programmes allows students like you to build demonstrable skills and a strong portfolio, both of which are required for entry into the competitive design business. Furthermore, the interdisciplinary approach encourages creativity and problem-solving, preparing graduates for a variety of employment choices. The growing demand for design experts in areas ranging from technology to marketing contributes to the appeal of BDes as a versatile and dynamic education that allows students to shape the visual and functional aspects of the environment around them. Check Popular Colleges for BDes.

This institute has rated as one of the top fashion design institutes in the country. It has accepted as Best Fashion Institute in Chandigarh two years in a row and ranked as one of the Top 10 Design Colleges in India. According to Education Scopup Magazine, IIFD offers an excellent curriculum that includes both theoretical knowledge and practical exposure, thus preparing the students to fit into the industry immediately. The great placement record of 99% makes graduates get chances with Marks & Spencer, Satya Paul, and such other big brands. With this reputation and quality, IIFD is certainly the first choice for Chandigarh's aspiring designers.

Of course, here are some top online college options for BDes in India:

Online BDes Colleges	Tuition Fee
YCMOU Nashik BDes	INR 2.24 Lakh
VOU BDes	INR 84,000
Wisdom School of Management for Distance Education BDes	INR 3 Lakh

Note: The information is taken from the official/counselling body of the institute/exam.

Bachelor of Design (BDes) is the most popular type of UG Design courses. BDes is offered in many different specializations, that provides foundational knowledge of specific Design fields. It is a 4-year degree that is offered across thousands of Design colleges in India.

Design courses are offered in the undergraduate, postgraduate or Diploma courses. They are also offered through certificate courses. Candidates can pursue BDes, BFTech (Apparel Production), Diploma in Fashion Designing, Diploma in Apparel Merchandising,  BSc in Fashion Design, BA (Hons) Fashion Design, BA (Hons) Product Design, BA (Hons) Jewellery Design, BA (Hons) Communication Design, BA (Hons) Fashion Styling & Image Design, Bachelors in Textile Design etc. Here are some popular types of Designing courses can be pursued in specialisations listed below:

• Fashion Design
• Graphic Design
• Interior Design
• Web Design
• User Experience Design
• Knitwear Design 

Goswami Ganesh Dutta S.D. College offers admission solely on the basis of merit. The eligibility criteria varies for each course. However, the admission to all courses is based on the merit acquired in the qualifying exam as well as scores obtained in the course-level entrance exam for some courses. Candidates who wish to apply to GGDSD College, must fulfil the course-specific eligibility criteria.

Yes, you can get direct admission in CGC Landran. The college mainly selects students on a merit basis for most of the courses. Students who have completed Class 12/ graduation may apply for UG and PG courses respectively. However, seats are only limited and offered to eligible students only.

Yes, Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh is a government university. NIRF recently ranked PEC in Chandigarh in the rank band of 101-150 under the Engineering category. Being a government university, the university places great focus on the research work and several other activities. 

Chitkara University NCHMCT JEE cutoff 2025 for admission to the BSc in Hospitality Management course was 4062 in the last round, for the students belonging to the General AI quota. The first round closing rank for the same course was 6366. Check out the table below:

Course	Round 1	Last Round
B.Sc in Hospitality Administration	6366	4062

The fee bracket for programs offerred by the Government Home Science College, Chandigarh is approximately INR 25790 - INR 158615.

International Academy for Certification and Training (IACT) has below criteria for taking admissions to it's various courses:

Courses	Eligibility
UG Diploma	Candidate must have passed 10+2 from a recognised board.
Certificate	Candidate must have passed 10+2 from a recognized board.

The fees structure for programs offerred by the Dev Samaj College For Women, Chandigarh is INR 31660 - INR 61440.

Candidates who have completed Class 12 are eligible to apply at MAAC Chandigarh. The academy has not specified the minimum aggregate required for a course. Since, 55% is a decent score, aspirants can apply for admission. The selection for certificate programmes at MAAC is merit-based.

NIELIT offers certificate, diploma, and several other courses to students. The centre offers Short Term/Summer Training programmes to students such as Python with Data Science and Machine Learning, PHP with MySQL, C/C+, Certificate courses in Cloud Computing and Virtualisation, and others. Students can select any course of their choice and pay its fee online or offline.

BigBoxx Professional Academy offers Degree, Diploma and Certificate courses including 9 UG and 1 PG courses. Additionally, it also has After 10th Diploma courses. These programs are offerred in Full Time mode. BigBoxx Professional Academy has specializations such as Certificate specializations in Web Design, PHP, Digital Marketing, Java, AutoCAD, Android, Graphic Design, Wordpress, Photoshop, Illustrator, HTML & CSS, Entrepreneurship, C / C+, UG Diploma specializations in Computer Science Engineering, After 10th Diploma specializations in Digital Marketing, Game Design.

Inter National Institute of Fashion Design, Chandigarh provides programmes including Certificate in streams such as Design, and are excellent for students to build their careers. The institute has specializations in Fashion Design.

The seats availability for offered courses at Government Polytechnic College For Women, Chandigarh goes up to 200. Courses offerred by Government Polytechnic College For Women, Chandigarh are approved by eminent Government bodies such as AICTE.

The seats availability for offered courses at Dharma College goes up to 2660.

The seats availability for offered courses at Academy of Applied Arts - Chandigarh goes up to 15.

1.     Top companies that hire Art graduates are:

Top Companies for Arts Graduate
Microsoft Corporation	Robosoft Technologies
AAPC	Lowe Lintas
Cognizant	Saregama India Limited