Design Colleges in India: Courses, Fees, Admissions 2024, Cutoff, Placements

There are about 2,300+ best Design colleges in India: Of these, 1,221 colleges are privately owned, 330 colleges are owned by public/government organisations and 123 colleges are owned by public-private entities. Students can secure admission after passing Class 12 boards or through entrance exams like CUET, UCEED, NIFT Entrance Exam, NID Entrance Exam, NID Entrance Exam, etc. Some of the top Design colleges in India include NIFT Delhi, Amity University University Noida, NIFT Bangalore, NIFT Mumbai, NIFT Chennai, NIFT Hyderabad, NIFT Gandhinagar, Pearl Academy Mumbai, and many others.

LATEST UPDATE:

• NID DAT 2025 applications are open for B.Des and M.Des courses, and the last date to apply has been extended to Dec 6, 2024. The NID DAT 2025 (Prelims) exam will be held on Jan 5, 2025.

Best Design Colleges in India: Highlights 2024

Design is a diverse field that covers numerous elements including Fashion, Textile, Graphics, Apparel, Web, Games, UI/UX, Jewellery, and so on. With the rising popularity and introduction of new concepts related to aesthetics, the yearly turnover of the Design industry has surpassed every other sector.

The key highlights related to the top Designing colleges in India are mentioned below:

Particulars	Parameters/Statistics
No. of Design colleges	2,300+ colleges
Annual Fees	Free: 22 colleges INR < 1 lakh: 663 colleges INR 1-2 lakh: 364 colleges INR 2-3 lakh: 238 colleges INR 3-5 lakh: 254 colleges INR > 5 lakh: 291 colleges
Top Specialisations	Fashion Design, Graphic Design, Apparel Design, Textile Design, Web Design, Game Design, etc.
Accepted Entrance Exams	IIAD Entrance Exam, CUET, UCEED, NIFT Entrance Exam, NID Entrance Exam, etc.

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from official website and may vary.

Best Design Colleges in India: Admissions 2024

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 India:

• 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.

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from official website and may vary.

Best Design Colleges in India: Exam Schedule 2025

The most popular entrance exams accepted by the top 10 Design colleges in India are:

• CUET: Common University Entrance Test is a national level entrance exam conducted by NTA for admission to UG courses offered by participating institutes. Introduced in 2022, the CUET exam aligns as a significant UG entrance examination, offering candidates a common platform for seeking admission to UG programs in top colleges/universities throughout India.
• UCEED: The Undergraduate Common Entrance Examination for Design is a national-level exam conducted by IIT Bombay for admission to the BDes program at the participating institutes:
• CEED: The Common Entrance Exam for Design is a national-level exam conducted by IIT Bombay for admission to M.Des and Ph.D. courses offered by participating institutes. 
• NIFT Entrance Exam: Every year, the National Institute of Fashion and Technology holds a nationwide entrance exam to select applicants for enrollment in its various UG and PG level programmes. Students can enroll in the BDes, B.F.Tech, MDes, and MFM programmes after passing the entrance test.
• NID Entrance Exam: NID Design Aptitude Test (DAT) is a national-level entrance exam conducted by the National Institute of Design (NID) for admitting candidates to the Bachelor of Design (BDes) and Master of Design (MDes) courses offered by the participating institutes. The Design Aptitude Test comprises two steps:
  • DAT Prelims - The candidate first appears in the Prelims exam.
  • DAT Mains - The scores of DAT Prelims are used to shortlist candidates for DAT Mains.
• IIAD Entrance Exam: It is the most popular exam accepted by Design colleges in India. Candidates must appear in a studio simulation (for UG candidates) or a personal interview (for PG candidates) round after taking the written portion of the IIAD entrance exam. Students have the option of taking the IIAD Entrance Exam in computer-based offline mode or from home. 

Please refer to the table below for the schedule of popular entrance exams along with their date for admission to the best colleges for Design in India:

Exam Name	Dates	Exam Schedule
CUET	May '25 - Jun '25	CUET Schedule
UCEED	19 Jan '25	UCEED Schedule
CEED	19 Jan '25	CEED Schedule
NIFT Entrance Exam	Feb '25	NIFT Exam Schedule
NID Entrance Exam	05 Jan '25	NID Exam Schedule
IIAD Entrance Exam	Jan '25	IIAD Exam Schedule

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from official website of the institute/exam.

Best Designing Colleges in India: Entrance Exam Wise

Given below are the best Design colleges in India that accept the following entrance exams in India:

Exam Name	No. of Colleges Accepting Exam	Popular Colleges
CUET	79 colleges	Amity University Noida, UPES, Amity University Mumbai, etc.
UCEED	55 colleges	UPES. FLAME University, IDC-IIT Bombay, etc.
CEED	34 colleges	NIFT Delhi, UPES, IDC-IIT Bombay, etc.
NIFT Entrance Exam	35 colleges	NIFT Delhi, NIFT Mumbai, NIFT Bangalore, etc.
NID Entrance Exam	31 colleges	UPES, FLAME University, School of Design, MIT WPU, etc.

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from official website of the institute/exam.

Best Designing Institutes in India: Courses, Fees, Eligibility

Please refer to the table below for some of the top Design schools in India with their courses offered and tuition fees:

College Names	Courses Offered	Tuition Fee/ Eligibility
Amity University Noida	BDes in Fashion Design, Bachelor of Interior Design, Bachelor in User Experience Design, etc.	Fee: INR 2.88 lakh - INR 12.54 lakh CUET, Merit-Based, etc.
NID Ahmedabad	BDes in Animation Film Design, BDes in Graphic Design, MDes in Film and Video Communication, etc.	Fee: INR 11.43 lakh - INR 15.72 lakh Design Aptitude Test
NIFT Delhi	MDes, BDes in Fashion Design, MFM, etc.	Fee: INR 70,800 - INR 12.34 lakh NIFT Entrance Exam, CEED, etc.
MIT-ADT University	MDes in User Experience Design, BDes in Product Design, BDes in Animation Design, etc.	Fee: INR 4.9 lakh - INR 12.65 lakh MITID DAT
NIFT Mumbai	MDes, BDes in Fashion Communication, BFTech in Apparel Production, etc.	Fee: INR 1.64 lakh - INR 12.34 lakh NIFT Entrance Exam, CEED, etc.

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from official website and may vary.

Best Private Design Colleges in India

Listed below are the top 10 private Design colleges in India along with their total tuition fee and eligibility criteria/entrance exams:

College Names	Total Tuition fee	Eligibility/Exams
Amity University Noida Admission	INR 3 lakh – INR 13 lakh	CUET and Merit-Based
JD Birla Institute Admission	INR 2 lakh - INR 4 lakh	Merit-based
Pearl Academy Admission	INR 1 lakh - INR 3 lakh	Pearl Academy Entrance Exam and Merit-Based
Parul University Admission	INR 2 lakh - INR 11 lakh	PU DAT
MIT-ADT University Admission	INR 5 Lakh - IINR 17 lakh	MITID DAT

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from official website and may vary.

Best Government Design Colleges in India

Listed below are the government Design colleges in India along with their total tuition fee and eligibility criteria/entrance exams:

College Names	Total Tuition fee	Eligibility/Exams
NID Ahmedabad Admission	INR 10.68 lakh – INR 14.68 lakh	DAT
NIFT Delhi Admission	INR 70,800 – INR 12.34 lakh	NIFT Entrance Exam and Merit-Based
NIFT Mumbai Admission	INR 1.3 lakh – INR 11.74 lakh	NIFT Entrance Exam and Merit-Based
NID Bengaluru Admission	INR 9.97 lakh	DAT
NID Gandhinagar Admission	INR 9.97 lakh	NID Entrance Exam

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from official website and may vary.

Best Semi-Government Top Design Institutes in India

Listed below are the public-private top 10 Designing colleges in India along with their total tuition fee and entrance exams/eligibility criteria:

College Name	Total Tuition Fee	Eligibility/Exams
INIFD Vashi Admission	INR 4.5 lakh	Merit-Based
Carmel College, Mala Admission	INR 36,000	Merit-Based
St. Aloysius College Admission	INR 36,000	Merit-Based
Arya Post Graduate College Admission	INR 23,890	Merit-Based
Hamidia Girls' Degree College	INR 30,000 - INR 40,000	Merit-Based

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from official website and may vary.

Location-Wise Best Design Colleges in India

Given below is the city-wise distribution for the top Design schools in India:

Best Design Colleges in Delhi/NCR

Delhi/NCR is home to about 300 top Design colleges in India ranking of which 167 colleges are private, 38 colleges are government owned and the rest 6 are under semi-government organisations:

Please refer below for some of the best Design colleges in Delhi/NCR:

College Name	Tuition Fee	Eligibility/Exams
Amity School of Fashion Technology	INR 2.88 lakh - INR 11.84 lakh	Merit-Based
Amity University Noida	INR 2.9 lakh - INR 12.54 lakh	CUET and Merit-Based
DTU	INR 2.88 lakh	UCEED, CEED
IIAD Entrance Exam	INR 9.66 lakh - INR 21.08 lakh	IIAD Entrance Exam and Merit-Based
NIFT Delhi	INR 70,800 - INR 12.34 lakh	NIFT Entrance Exam and Merit-Based
Pearl Academy	INR 1.4 lakh - INR 3.2 lakh	Pearl Academy Entrance Exam, DAT

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from official website and may vary.

Best Design Colleges in Mumbai

Mumbai is home to 199 Design Universities in India of which 123 are private, 12 colleges are government and two colleges are semi-government owned. 

Please refer to the table below for some of the best Design colleges in Mumbai:

College Name	Tuition Fee	Eligibility/Exams
Amity University Mumbai	INR 1.68 lakh  -  INR 10.56 lakh	CUET and Merit-Based
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj University	INR 80,000 - INR 3.8 lakh	Merit-Based
IDC-IIT Bombay	INR 70,000 - INR 11.56 lakh	UCEED, CEED
IIAD-IIT Bombay	INR 1 lakh - INR 11.56 lakh	UCEED, CEED
NIFT Mumbai	INR 1.3 lakh - INR 11.74 lakh	NIFT Entrance Exam and Merit-Based
NMIMS School of Design, NMIMS	INR 17.8 lakh	UCEED, NMIMS DAT and Merit-Based
Pearl Academy Mumbai	INR 2.2 lakh - INR 21.52 lakh	Pearl Academy Exam and Merit-Based

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from official website and may vary.

Best Design Institutes in Bangalore

Bangalore is home to about 152 Design colleges of which 94 colleges are private, 6 colleges are government owned and only one college is semi-government owned.

Please refer to the table below for some of the best Design colleges in Bangalore:

College Name	Tuition Fee	Eligibility/Exams
NID Bengaluru	INR 9.97 lakh	NID Entrance Exam
NIFT Bangalore	INR 60,000 - INR 12.34 lakh	NIFT Entrance Exam and Merit-Based
Srishti Manipal Insitute of Art, Design and Technology	INR 1,35 lakh - INR 5.61 lakh	UCEED, SAT India and SMEAT
Vogue Institute of Art and Design	INR 1.36 lakh - INR 6 lakh	Merit-Based
RV University	INR 6 lakh - INR 15 lakh	UCEED

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from official website and may vary.

Best Design Colleges in Pune

Pune is home to about 131 colleges of which 81 colleges are private, 6 are government-owned and four colleges are semi-government owned.

Please refer to the table below for some of the best Design colleges in Pune:

College Name	Tuition Fee	Eligibility/Exams
MIT-ADT University	INR 4.9 lakh - INR 12.65 lakh	MITID DAT
SID Pune	INR 17.6 lakh	SEED and Merit-Based
MIT-WPU Pune	INR 8 lakh - IR 14 lakh	NIFT Entrance Exam and Merit-Based
School of Design, MIT WPU	INR 14 lakh	NIFT Entrance Exam and Merit-Based
International School of Design	INR 62,000 - INR 5.85 lakh	Merit-Based

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from official website and may vary.

Best Design Colleges in India: Fees vs Salary

Return on Investment (ROI) measures the profit or advantage you will receive if you enroll in a degree at a specific university. It evaluates the candidate's return on investment for the fees paid while they were studying and the return they received in the form of placements.

Listed below are the best Design colleges in India along with their total tuition fee and annual average package:

College Names	Total Tuition Fee	Annual Average Package
Division of Mechanical Sciences, IIS	INR 18,000	INR 28 LPA
IIT Guwahati	INR 1.14 lakh - INR 8 lakh	INR 13.5 LPA - INR 22.5 LPA
Symbiosis School of Planning, Architecture and Design	INR 16 lakh	INR 8.9 LPA - INR 20.8 LPA
IIT Hyderabad	INR 24,000 - INR 8 lakh	INR 16.5 LPA - INR 20 LPA
IIT Roorkee	INR 20,000 - INR 4 lakh	INR 12 LPA - INR 18 LPA

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from official website/ media reports/ NIRF website and may vary.

To know more about the different Design colleges in metropolitan cities CLICK BELOW:

• Design Colleges in Kolkata
• Design Colleges in Chennai
• Design Colleges in Hyderabad

Highest Salary Offered by Best Design Colleges in India

The table below shows the top Design colleges in India along with their placement packages and top recruiters:

College Name	Annual Median Package	Prominent Recruiters
Division of Mechanical Sciences, IIS	INR 28 LPA	Accenture, Amazon, IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, etc.
IIT Guwahati	INR 13.5 LPA - INR 22.5 LPA	Larsen & Toubro Ltd, Schlumberger, Piramal, TVS R&D and GAIL, etc.
IIT Hyderabad	INR 16.5 LPA - INR 20 LPA	IIT Bombay, Amazon, Adobe, Microsoft, Oracle, etc.
IIT Roorkee	INR 12 LPA - INR 18 LPA	Accenture Japan Ltd, Intel, Amazon, ITC Ltd, JP Morgan, etc.
IIT Delhi	INR 15.5 LPA - INR 17.6 LPA	Microsoft, Bain, Accenture, Jaguar, McKinsey & Co., etc.

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from official website/ media reports/ NIRF website and may vary.

Best Low-Cost Designing Colleges in India

The below table showcases the best Design colleges in India that are inexpensive but offer quality education to their students:

College Name	Courses Offered	Tuition Fee / Eligibility
Kalindi College DU	BVoc in Web Designing	Fee: INR 540 - INR 74,000 CUET and Merit-Based
NIELIT Ranchi	Online Web Designing	Fee: INR 708 Merit-Based
DEI Women's Polytechnic, Dayalbagh Educational Institute	Certificate in Dress Designing and Tailoring, Certificate in Interior, Exterior Designing and Decoration, Certificate in Cutting and Sewing, etc.	Fee: INR 750 - INR 3,000 Merit-Based
Tamil Nadu Open University	BSc in Apparel and Fashion Design, BFA in Visual Communication Design, Short Term Course in Tailoring and Dress Making, etc.	Fee: INR 800 - INR 20,800 Merit-Based
Aligarh Muslim University	Diploma in Interior Design, BVoc in Fashion Design and Garment Technology, Certificate in Calligraphy and Graphic Design, etc.	Fee: INR 800 Merit-Based

Top Specialisations for Best Designing Colleges in India

Refer to the table below for top specialisations offered by the best Design colleges in India along with their number of colleges:

Best Design Colleges in India: Cut-Off 2024

Listed below are the cut-offs for best Design colleges in India for the year 2024:

• Amity University Noida Cutoff 2024
• NIFT Delhi Cutoff 2024
• MIT-ADT University Cutoff 2024
• NID Ahmedabad Cutoff 2024

Best Design Colleges in India: Comparison 2024

Below is a comparison of the best Design colleges in India:

• NIFT Mumbai Comparison with other Colleges
• NID Ahmedabad Comparison with other Colleges
• Symbiosis Institute of Design Comparison with other Colleges
• JD Institute of Fashion Technology Comparison with other Colleges

Tasbiya Khan10-22-2024 12:18