Summary: This article provides an overview of India's various design and architecture entrance exams, with associated requirements and application processes. It highlights the various entrance exams to help aspirants make informed choices when selecting an institute and course for design and architecture studies.

In India, the journey for aspiring design and architecture students towards securing a seat in a prestigious college typically starts with a competitive entrance examination. These exams evaluate candidates' creative aptitude, design thinking abilities, and potential to excel in these vibrant fields.

But with many exams, navigating the options can feel overwhelming. Here's a breakdown of India's top design and architecture entrance exams to help chart your course.

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Design and Architecture Entrance Exams

The design and architecture entrance exams are conducted at various levels, such as state, national, and university levels. 

At the university level, the entrance examination is conducted by the concerned university itself, and the level of that entrance examination is easy. After qualifying for the entrance exam conducted by the university, you will get a direct seat in the course you have applied for.

At the state and national levels, you must take an entrance exam conducted by various top institutes and specific conducting bodies, followed by the counselling process.

List of Design Entrance Exams 2024 in India

The following are the most popular design entrance exams conducted to provide admissions to various design and architecture programs.

Those who wish to choose design as a career must appear for any one of these exams.

• NIFT (National Institute of Fashion Technology)
• NID (National Institute of Design)
• FDDI (Footwear Design Development Institute)
• UCEED (Undergraduate Common Entrance Exam for Design)
• SEED (Symbiosis Entrance Exam for Design)

NIFT (National Institute of Fashion Technology)

The NIFT entrance exam is conducted annually for admission into UG and PG design courses. This design entrance exam is conducted for 16 NIFTs for the 3000+ undergraduate seats.

• The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) primarily offers two undergraduate courses: Bachelor of Design (B.Des) and Bachelor of Fashion Technology (B.F.Tech).
• A Bachelor of Design (B.Des) is offered in several specializations, such as Accessory Design, Leather Design, Fashion Design, Fashion Communication, and Knitwear Design.
• Bachelor of Fashion Technology (B.F.Tech) is a technology-based program, and eligibility for this program is in physics, chemistry, and mathematics in classes 11th and 12th.
• If you have applied for the B.Des entrance exam, you must appear for the Creative Ability Test (CAT) and a Situation Test, but B.F.Tech students just have to take the General Ability Test (GAT).

NID (National Institute of Design)

The National Institute of Design (NID) offers a Bachelor in Design program at its three campuses: NID Ahmedabad, NID Bengaluru, and NID Gandhinagar. NID (National Institute of Design) also offers a Graduate Diploma Program in Design (GDPD) in their Andhra Pradesh (AP), Haryana, Madhya Pradesh (MP), and Assam Campuses.

• The NID entrance exam includes a Design Aptitude Test (DAT), a Situation Test and a Personal Interview Round.
• Around 125 seats for the Bachelor of Design (B.Des) programs are offered across all the NIDs combined.

FDDI (Footwear Design Development Institute)

• The Footwear Design Development Institute (FDDI) conducts an entrance exam known as the All India Selection Test (AIST).
• They offer around 2500+ seats in their 12 Footwear Design Development Institutes (FDDIs) across India.
• The FDDI offers various undergraduate programs, such as a Bachelor of Design (B.Des) in Leather Design, a Bachelor of Design (B.Des) in Footwear Design, a Bachelor of Design (B.Des) in Fashion Design, and a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Retail and Fashion Merchandise.

UCEED (Undergraduate Common Entrance Exam for Design)

• IIT Bombay conducts the Undergraduate Common Entrance Exam for Design (UCCED) for admission in 179 seats in the Bachelor of Design (B.Des) program across 4 Indian Institute of Technologies (IITs).
• The 4 IITs for which the UCEED entrance exam is conducted are the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jabalpur, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad.
• 15+ other Institutions across India accept UCEED scores.

SEED (Symbiosis Entrance Exam for Design)

• Symbiosis International University conducts the Symbiosis Entrance Exam for Design (SEED) to admit students to the Bachelor of Design program at the Symbiosis Institute of Design.
• There are 180 seats offered in Communication Design, Industrial Design, and Fashion Design.

List of Architecture Entrance Exams in India 2024

You must take the most popular architecture entrance exams to opt for Architecture as a Career.

• JEE Main Paper II (Joint Entrance Exam for B.Arch program)
• NATA (National Aptitude Test in Architecture)
• HITSEEE (Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science Engineering Entrance Examination)
• GAT GITAM Admission Test (Gandhi Institute of Technology and Management Admission Test).
• BSAUEEE (BS Abdul Rahman University Engineering entrance exam)
• KIITEE (Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology Entrance Exam)
• AMUEEE (Aligarh Muslim University Engineering Entrance Examination)

JEE Main Paper II (Joint Entrance Exam for B.Arch program)

• JEE Main is one of the toughest national-level examinations. After qualifying for JEE Main, you can be admitted to NIIT, IIT, and GFTI institutes.
• The eligibility criteria for appearing for the JEE Main Paper 2 Exam is that you should have scored a minimum of 75% marks in class 12th, with physics, chemistry, and mathematics as compulsory subjects.
• If you want to be admitted to IITs, you must take JEE Advanced.
• From 2021 onwards, the JEE Main entrance examination will be conducted four times in one year.
• The JEE Main examination will be held in February, March, April, and May.
• You can take the JEE Mains examination in any of the months you wish to.

NATA (National Aptitude Test in Architecture)

• You should have scored a minimum of 50% marks in your class 12th with physics, chemistry, and mathematics as compulsory subjects to apply for the NATA Exam.
• If you have completed a diploma with maths as a compulsory subject, you are also eligible to apply for the NATA test.
• This is also a national-level entrance examination.
• Your NATA scorecard will have a validity of 1 year. In that one year, you can use that scorecard anytime. Some institutes accept the NATA scorecard at the time of admission.
• The top institutes that accept the NATA scorecard are – Dr Rizvi College of Architecture Mumbai, Chandigarh College of Architecture, Jamia Islamia College of Architecture, Delhi, IES College of Architecture, Dehradun Institute of Technology, Sir JJ College of Architecture, etc.

HITSEEE (Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science Engineering Entrance Examination)

• To gain admission to HITs (Hindustan Institute of Technology), you must take the HITSEEE examination.
• To apply for this entrance examination, you should have secured a minimum of 50% aggregate marks with physics, mathematics, and chemistry/ biology as the main subjects.
• If you have completed a three-year diploma in business mathematics or mathematics, you are the only person eligible to apply for the HITSEEE entrance examination.

GAT GITAM Admission Test (Gandhi Institute of Technology and Management Admission Test)

• This entrance examination is conducted by GITAM University only. They offer many undergraduate courses also.
• The basic eligibility criteria to apply for this entrance examination are 50% marks, with physics, chemistry, and mathematics as the main subjects.
• The GITAM University has three campuses in Visakhapatnam, Bangalore, and Hyderabad.

Check: NATA Drawing Preparation

KIITEE (Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology Entrance Exam)

• If you want to apply for this entrance examination, you must have scored at least 60% in your class 12th with maths, physics, and chemistry as the main subjects.
• The eligibility criteria for the B.Arch course vary from university to university. Some universities want a minimum of 50%, some want 60%, and some want 75% in class 12th as eligibility criteria to apply for the examination.

Check: How To Prepare For NATA In One Month [Preparation Strategy]

Key Takeaways

Cracking a design or architecture entrance exam requires dedication, strategic preparation, and a passion for your chosen field. Understanding the top exams and aligning your preparation with your aspirations can increase your chances of securing a seat at your dream design or architecture college.

• Explore UCEED, NID DAT, NIFT, and AIEED for design, JEE Main (Paper II), and NATA for architecture.
• Choose exams based on program level (undergrad/postgrad) and your design discipline.
• Practice drawing, observation, and design thinking to build a strong foundation.
• Solve past papers and mock tests to master the exam format and time management.
• Prepare with dedication fueled by a passion for design or architecture.