Design & ArchitectureUCEED / NID / NIFT

Best Design Colleges
in India 2026

NID, NIFT, IIT Design, SPA, CEPT — compare fees, entrance exams, specializations, and placement outcomes across India's top design and architecture schools.

Browse Design Colleges →Exam Dates 2026

20NIFT Campuses

16NID Institutes

5IIT Design Schools

₹12–50LUX Designer Salary

JanUCEED / NID DAT

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UCEED / NID DAT Guide Guide →

Entrance Exams

Design Entrance Exams 2026

UCEED

Undergraduate Common Entrance Exam for Design

When: Jan 2026

For: IIT B.Des (Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Guwahati, Jodhpur)

Fee: ₹2,000–4,000

NID DAT

National Institute of Design DAT Prelims + Mains

When: Jan (Prelims), Apr (Mains) 2026

For: NID Ahmedabad, NID campuses across India

Fee: ₹3,000

NIFT Entrance

NIFT Entrance Test (CAT + GAT + Situation Test)

When: Feb 2026

For: All 20 NIFT campuses — B.Des, B.FTech

Fee: ₹2,500

NATA

National Aptitude Test in Architecture

When: Apr & Jul 2026

For: B.Arch at private architecture colleges

Fee: ₹2,000 per test

JEE Paper 2

Joint Entrance Exam Paper 2 (B.Arch / B.Planning)

When: Apr 2026 (with JEE Main)

For: IIT Architecture, SPA Delhi, NIT Arch

Fee: Included with JEE Main

CEED

Common Entrance Exam for Design (PG)

When: Jan 2026

For: IIT M.Des programs (Mumbai, Delhi, Bombay, etc.)

Fee: ₹3,000

Specializations

Design Specialization Demand & Salary 2026

Product Design

SolidWorks, Rhino, KeyShot, Figma

Demand

Very High

Avg Package

₹12–35L

NID, IIT Bombay, MIT-ID, IIT Delhi

UX / Interaction Design

Figma, Adobe XD, Principle, Framer

Demand

Extremely High

Avg Package

₹15–50L

IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, Srishti, NID

Fashion Design

Adobe Illustrator, CLO3D, Photoshop

Demand

High

Avg Package

₹8–25L

NIFT Delhi, Pearl Academy, NIFT Mumbai

Communication / Graphic Design

Adobe Suite, After Effects, Blender

Demand

High

Avg Package

₹8–22L

NID, Srishti, NIFT

Interior / Space Design

AutoCAD, SketchUp, Revit, 3ds Max

Demand

Moderate-High

Avg Package

₹7–18L

NID, CEPT, SPA Delhi

Animation / Game Design

Maya, Unreal Engine, After Effects, ZBrush

Demand

Very High

Avg Package

₹10–40L

Srishti, Whistling Woods, NID

Architecture

AutoCAD, Revit, Rhino, SketchUp

Demand

Moderate

Avg Package

₹6–20L

SPA Delhi, CEPT, IIT Roorkee Arch

Textile / Craft Design

Photoshop, manual craft techniques

Demand

Niche but growing

Avg Package

₹6–15L

NID, NIFT, Craft schools

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Design Entrance Exams 2026

UCEED

Undergraduate Common Entrance Exam for Design

When: Jan 2026

For: IIT B.Des (Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Guwahati, Jodhpur)

Fee: ₹2,000–4,000

NID DAT

National Institute of Design DAT Prelims + Mains

When: Jan (Prelims), Apr (Mains) 2026

For: NID Ahmedabad, NID campuses across India

Fee: ₹3,000

NIFT Entrance

NIFT Entrance Test (CAT + GAT + Situation Test)

When: Feb 2026

For: All 20 NIFT campuses — B.Des, B.FTech

Fee: ₹2,500

NATA

National Aptitude Test in Architecture

When: Apr & Jul 2026

For: B.Arch at private architecture colleges

Fee: ₹2,000 per test

JEE Paper 2

Joint Entrance Exam Paper 2 (B.Arch / B.Planning)

When: Apr 2026 (with JEE Main)

For: IIT Architecture, SPA Delhi, NIT Arch

Fee: Included with JEE Main

CEED

Common Entrance Exam for Design (PG)

When: Jan 2026

For: IIT M.Des programs (Mumbai, Delhi, Bombay, etc.)

Fee: ₹3,000

Design Specialization Demand & Salary 2026

Product Design

SolidWorks, Rhino, KeyShot, Figma

Demand

Very High

Avg Package

₹12–35L

NID, IIT Bombay, MIT-ID, IIT Delhi

UX / Interaction Design

Figma, Adobe XD, Principle, Framer

Demand

Extremely High

Avg Package

₹15–50L

IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, Srishti, NID

Fashion Design

Adobe Illustrator, CLO3D, Photoshop

Demand

High

Avg Package

₹8–25L

NIFT Delhi, Pearl Academy, NIFT Mumbai

Communication / Graphic Design

Adobe Suite, After Effects, Blender

Demand

High

Avg Package

₹8–22L

NID, Srishti, NIFT

Interior / Space Design

AutoCAD, SketchUp, Revit, 3ds Max

Demand

Moderate-High

Avg Package

₹7–18L

NID, CEPT, SPA Delhi

Animation / Game Design

Maya, Unreal Engine, After Effects, ZBrush

Demand

Very High

Avg Package

₹10–40L

Srishti, Whistling Woods, NID

Architecture

AutoCAD, Revit, Rhino, SketchUp

Demand

Moderate

Avg Package

₹6–20L

SPA Delhi, CEPT, IIT Roorkee Arch

Textile / Craft Design

Photoshop, manual craft techniques

Demand

Niche but growing

Avg Package

₹6–15L

NID, NIFT, Craft schools

Best Design Collegesin India 2026

Search & Filter Design Colleges

Design Entrance Exams 2026

Design Specialization Demand & Salary 2026

Need help choosing a design college?

Best Design Collegesin India 2026

Search & Filter Design Colleges

Design Entrance Exams 2026

Design Specialization Demand & Salary 2026

Need help choosing a design college?

Best Design Colleges
in India 2026

Best Design Colleges
in India 2026