The Design Village (TDV), Noida: Fees, Courses, Placements, Ranking & Admission 2027

The Design Village (TDV) is a specialist private design school in Noida, founded in 2014 and known for studio-based learning, industry-practitioner faculty and international exposure, with a Europe campus in Italy and a France campus with L'École de Design Nantes Atlantique (EDNA). 

Its degrees are conferred by O.P. Jindal Global University (UGC-recognized), Institution of Eminence). The B.Des India program costs ₹26.9 lakh in total, including a two-month residency at the Italy campus, and merit scholarships of up to 100% of tuition are available. 

It suits students who want a hands-on, portfolio-first, globally connected design education. TDV is ranked the #1 Design School in India 2026 (IIRF, Best Design Institutes - Affiliated).

If you are weighing TDV for your 2027 or 2028 design-school plans, this guide walks you through the fee structure, placements, ranking in India, scholarships, reviews and the admission process - clearly, and from official sources. Applications for the 2027 intake close on 20 November 2026, and the TDV Acceptance Challenge is on 22 November 2026. 

Apply for TDV 2027 (deadline 20 Nov 2026)

Key Highlights of The Design Village (at a glance)

Detail	Information
Institute	The Design Village (TDV)
Founded	2014 -  positioned by TDV as "India's only design school founded by designers"
Location	C-29 & C-75, Sector 8, Noida, Delhi NCR - 201301 (Noida, not Greater Noida)
Other campuses	Europe Campus: Borgo Priolo (Pavia), Italy
	France campus: L'École de Design Nantes Atlantique (EDNA), Nantes
Degree awarded by	O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) - UGC-recognized, Institution of Eminence,  ranked #1 private university in India (QS)
Programs	B.Des (Hons) - 4 yrs · M.Des (Hons) - 2 yrs · India-France dual degrees
B.Des fee (India)	₹26,90,000 (total, 4 years)
B.Des fee (India–France dual)	₹46,90,000 (total, 4 years)
M.Des fee (India)	₹14,45,000 (total, 2 years)
Ranking	IIRF 2026 Rank #1 (Best Design Institutes - Affiliated)
Scholarships	Merit scholarships up to 100% of tuition for qualifying applicants
Admission	TDV Acceptance Challenge (online aptitude test + interview) + portfolio
Key dates (2027 intake)	Application deadline: 20 Nov 2026; Entrance exam (Acceptance Challenge): 22 Nov 2026
Scale	65+ faculty · 400+ students
Apply / contact	apply.thedesignvillage.org; Email - admissions@thedesignvillage.org; contact number - +91 88606 08188

What Is The Design Village (TDV) and Who Is It For?

The Design Village is a specialist design institute - not a university with a design department, but a school built around studios, workshops and live projects. It was set up in 2014 by a founding team of practicing designers and industry leaders - Sourabh Gupta (Principal Architect, Archohm), Navneet Garg (MD, CAYA Consults), Rishi Agarwal (Founder, JCBL) and Mridu Sahai (Co-Founder & CEO).

That "by designers, for designers" origin shapes everything - the curriculum, the critique culture, and the heavy use of working professionals as faculty.

TDV is a good fit if you want:

• A hands-on, project-based design education rather than a lecture-and-exam model.
• Multidisciplinary freedom - you can lean into communication, interaction, product, interior/spatial or transdisciplinary design.
• International exposure built into the degree (a residency in Italy; a dual-degree route through France).
• A small, studio-sized cohort (around 400 students across the school) with close mentor access.

Many applicants also prepare for government institutes such as NID and NIFT through India's major design entrance exams. We compare these options later in this guide. 

Check the Highest Paying Design Careers in India

Where Is The Design Village Located, and What Does the Campus Look Like?

TDV's India campus is at C-29 & C-75, Sector 8, Noida, Delhi NCR - 201301. A quick clarification, since the two are often confused online - TDV is in Noida (Sector 8), not Greater Noida.

The nearest metro is on Noida's Blue Line, and the campus sits inside an industrial-design ecosystem of studios, workshops and manufacturing units - which is deliberate, since so much learning happens through real making.

Here is what the campus offers, based on TDV's own prospectus:

• A Forbes award-winning campus in NCR's industrial district, partly housed in a repurposed katha factory. 
• A transparent, multi-storey studio building with an open central "agora" for critique and collaboration, plus a stepwell-style gathering space and a landmark deodar tree at its heart.
• A FABLAB (accredited by the Fab Foundation, which emerged from MIT) for prototyping in wood, metal, ceramics and digital fabrication.
• A MACLAB running licensed Adobe Creative Suite through TDV's Adobe partnership - one of the few private institutions to hold one. 
• An in-house design incubator (which TDV describes as India's first design-led incubator within a private design institution), fully equipped maker studios and a library.
• Student residences run with Gablestay, about 10 minutes from campus: gender-specific, air-conditioned double and triple rooms, with free daily transport to and from campus. 
• A Europe Campus at a restored estate (Castello di Torrazzetta) in Borgo Priolo, near Pavia in northern Italy - where B.Des students spend a two-month creative residency.

Tip for applicants: Alongside the prospectus browse the official gallery and student project pages, and if you can, attend an open day. The work on the walls tells you more about a design college than its buildings.

What Courses Does The Design Village Offer?

TDV offers undergraduate and postgraduate design programs, plus international dual-degree tracks. All degrees are conferred by O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU).

Undergraduate - B.Des (Hons), 4 years

India Program specializations (pathways):

• Communication & Interaction Design
• Interior & Space Design
• Product & Industrial Design
• Transdisciplinary Design

India-France Dual Degree (with EDNA) specializations:

• Communication & Interaction Design
• Interior & Space Design
• Product & Industrial Design
• Fashion & Textile Design

Postgraduate - M.Des (Hons), 2 years

• India Program: Communication & Interaction Design, Interior & Space Design, Product & Industrial Design
• India-France Dual Degree: Strategic Design & Management, which awards an M.Des (Hons) from JGU and a Master's-level diploma from EDNA, with access to France's RECE post-study work permit.
• "Design for Transformation" - a Masters delivered with POLI.design, with a residential stint in northern Italy

What each B.Des pathway leads to:

Pathway	What you work on	Example career roles
Communication & Interaction Design	Digital products, UI/UX, brand strategy, interactive media	UI/UX Designer, Interaction Designer, Creative Director, Brand Identity Designer
Interior & Space Design	Spatial, public and interior environments (designed and run with Archohm)	Interior Designer, Public Space Designer, Design Project Manager, Green Building Consultant
Product & Industrial Design	Physical products, prototyping, materials, manufacturing	Industrial Designer, Product Experience Designer, Material Innovation Designer
Transdisciplinary Design	Systems, services and social/strategic design	Design Strategist, Service Designer, Social Designer, Design Entrepreneur
Fashion & Textile Design (dual)	Garment construction, textiles, couture, sustainability	Fashion Designer, Textile Designer, Fashion Communication

Curious which of these actually fits you? It helps to understand the highest-paying design careers before you lock a specialization - your pathway choice matters more than most applicants realize.

Mentor Note: The specialization you pick in Year 1 shapes your portfolio, your internships and your first job. If you are torn between, say, interaction design and product design, talk it through before you apply - it is far easier to choose well now than to switch later.

Get the B.Des Specialization + Salary Guide

What Is The Design Village Fee Structure? (B.Des & M.Des Fees)

Fees are the question most applicants and parents want answered first - and it is also where the aggregator sites contradict each other most. The table below is the official fee structure from TDV's own 2026 prospectus, so you can plan with real numbers. These are total program fees (not per year) unless stated.

The Design Village fee structure (official)

Programme	Duration	Total fee	Degree route
B.Des (Hons) - India Programme	4 years	₹26,90,000	JGU
B.Des (Hons) - India–France Dual Degree	4 years	₹46,90,000	JGU + EDNA (France)
M.Des (Hons) - India Programme	2 years	₹14,45,000	JGU
M.Des (Hons) - India–France Dual Degree (Strategic Design & Management)	2 years	₹23,45,000	JGU + EDNA (France)

Postgraduate fees are subject to a ~5% annual increase, as stated in TDV's prospectus. Fashion & Textile Design is offered through the 4-year India-France dual degree (₹46,90,000).

What the B.Des India fee includes:

The all-inclusive two-month creative residency at TDV's Europe Campus in Italy is built into the B.Des program fee - a value-add that sets TDV apart from many Indian design schools.

The Design Village college Noida fees - other costs to budget

Cost	Approx. amount	Notes
Student residence (Gablestay) - (room + utilities + mess)	~₹2,08,000 / year	Indicative; confirm the current fee with admissions. Residences are about 10 minutes from campus, with free transport.
Refundable hostel deposit	~₹10,000	One-time
Application fee	₹2000	Pay during online application

NOTE: Program fees are from TDV's 2026 prospectus; hostel figures are indicative. Always reconfirm the live fee on apply.thedesignvillage.org before you pay, since fees revise each intake.

What Scholarships Does The Design Village Offer?

The TDV scholarship program is merit-based - per the official site, TDV offers merit scholarships that can cover up to 100% of tuition fees for qualifying applicants. In practice, a strong aptitude-test performance and a standout portfolio are what move the needle on a scholarship award.

A few points to keep in mind, since scholarships are assessed individually:

• Awards are merit-linked and assessed case by case, so rely on TDV's admissions team rather than third-party sites for scholarship figures.
• A TDV scholarship is decided largely on your TDV Acceptance Challenge performance and portfolio, which means your preparation directly affects how much you pay.
• Ask admissions specifically whether a scholarship applies for all four years or only Year 1, and what you must maintain (CGPA/attendance) to keep it. This is the single most common scholarship question students forget to ask.

Mentor Tip: Because the scholarship is tied to your entrance performance, the smartest way to make TDV affordable is to prepare well for the aptitude test and build a sharp portfolio. A better score can be worth several lakh in waived tuition.

How Are Placements at The Design Village? (Average & Highest Package)

The figures below come from TDV and from its IIRF 2026 ranking profile. As at any design school, outcomes vary by specialization and by the strength of each student's portfolio, so use them as a guide to what is achievable.

The Design Village placements

Metric	Figure	Source / caveat
Placement rate	96% (Class of 2025), 98% (Class of 2024)	TDV Industry Report, Class of 2025
Highest package	₹14.2 LPA	IIRF 2026 profile
Average - Communication & Interaction	₹9.60 LPA	IIRF 2026 profile
Average - Product & Industrial	₹7.20 LPA	IIRF 2026 profile
Average - Interior & Space	₹5.65 LPA	IIRF 2026 profile
Average - Fashion & Textile	₹4.88 LPA	IIRF 2026 profile

Average packages range from about ₹4.9 LPA to ₹9.6 LPA depending on specialization, with Communication & Interaction graduates at the top end and the highest package at ₹14.2 LPA. TDV reports that over 165 recruiters from India, Europe and the Middle East took part in its Class of 2025 placement drive.

Where do TDV graduates work?

TDV's recruiter and alumni network spans design consultancies, technology, retail, fashion and manufacturing. Graduates and recruiters include Apple, Deloitte, Reliance Industries, Accenture, Chanel, Vogue, Tata Elxsi, Dassault Systèmes, Nestlé, Superdry, Hindustan Times, Continental, Decathlon, Noise, Wildcraft, Jaipur Rugs, HomeLane, Péro, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Hero Cycles, Livspace and Jio. 

Examples from the school's own alumni pages:

• A Product & Industrial Design graduate (Batch 2022) now at Hero Cycles.
• A Space & Interior Design graduate (Batch 2022) now at Livspace.
• A Communication & Interaction graduate (Batch 2017) who went on to work in the design team at Jio.

What this means for applicants?

TDV supports placements through a dedicated placement cell, live industry projects and an in-house incubator. As in any design career, graduates who build a strong portfolio and actively use these networks tend to land the best roles. If you are willing to invest in your craft, the network is there to be used. 

NOTE for Parents: In design, earnings grow with experience and the strength of your portfolio, so it helps to view TDV's fee as a long-term career investment. We break down how to think about this in the ROI section further below.

Beginner's Preparation Tips for Design Entrances 2027

What Is The Design Village Ranking in India?

Here is how TDV's ranking works.

TDV's national ranking comes from IIRF (the Indian Institutional Ranking Framework). NIRF, the government framework, does not currently publish a separate design ranking. For 2026, TDV was ranked #1 by IIRF in the "Best Design Institutes (Affiliated)" category - a sub-list of design schools that award degrees through an affiliating or partner university (in TDV's case, O.P. Jindal Global University).

In broader IIRF rankings, TDV has also been placed around Rank 3 among private design colleges (2025-26), up sharply from Rank 39 in 2024, and it received an IIRF Education Impact Award 2026.

TDV's ranking at a glance:

Ranking body	Position	What it means
IIRF 2026	#1 - Best Design Institutes (Affiliated)	Top of IIRF's category for partner-degree design schools
IIRF 2025-26	Rank 3 (private design colleges)	Among the top private design colleges in India
IIRF 2024	Not in Top 40	-

From not in top 40 to Rank 3 in 2025 shows fast rising trajectory.

TDV's IIRF results show a school that is well regarded and rising fast. As with any college, rankings work best as one input. For a design career, the quality of your portfolio and your fit with the course matter more than a single badge. For a design career, the quality of your portfolio and your fit with the course matter more than a single badge.

Smart-applicant move: Compare TDV's ranking alongside the institutes you'd reach through:

• NID
• UCEED/IITs
• NIFT

Each serves a different design goal - ranking is only useful once you know which path fits you.

How Do You Get Admission into The Design Village?

TDV runs its own admission process - the TDV Acceptance Challenge. However, it also admits students through national-level exams such as UCEED, NID-DAT, NIFT Entrance Examination, and NATA. Here is how it works for the 2027/2028 intake.

Eligibility Criteria:

• B.Des - Class 12 pass (appearing students can apply) from any stream, typically a minimum 50% aggregate.
• M.Des - A bachelor's degree in any discipline (final-year students may apply).

The admission process (step-by-step):

1. Register & apply online at apply.thedesignvillage.org (email + mobile).

2. Upload documents + a design portfolio of your creative work (showcasing at least 5 examples of their work).

3. Stage 1 - TDV Acceptance Challenge (online aptitude test): tests creative aptitude, observation, visual thinking and comprehension - not rote knowledge.

4. Stage 2 - Interview / interaction: a conversation about your ideas, your portfolio and your fit with TDV's design philosophy.

5. Offer + scholarship decision, then fee payment to confirm your seat.

Important dates for 2027 admission:

The key dates for the 2027 intake are:

Event	Date
Application deadline	20 November 2026
Entrance exam (TDV Acceptance Challenge)	22 November 2026

Additional rounds typically follow. Confirm the live 2027/2028 dates on apply.thedesignvillage.org. 

Apply for TDV 2027 Now!

Examiner's-eye view: The Acceptance Challenge is looking for how you think, not whether you can draw a perfect face. Observation, idea generation and the story behind your work carry more weight than polish. A rough sketch with a sharp idea beats a pretty drawing with no thought behind it.

Common admission mistakes to avoid:

• A generic portfolio. Curate 8-12 of your strongest, most personal pieces with a line of context each, not everything you've ever made.
• Treating it like a board exam. There is no syllabus to mug up; practice visual thinking and sketching from observation instead.
• Ignoring the "why design" story. The interview rewards genuine curiosity. Be ready to explain what pulls you to design.
• Applying late and missing scholarship consideration. Early, complete applications get the most attention.

How to Prepare for The Design Village Acceptance Challenge (2027/2028 Roadmap)

The good news for a Class 11 or 12 student - the skills that get you into TDV are the same core skills that get you into NID, UCEED and NIFT - observation, visual thinking, sketching and idea generation. So preparing for a design career, not just one test, is the smartest strategy. Here is a realistic roadmap:

Month-wise preparation plan:

Timeline	Focus	What to do
6–9 months out	Foundations	Daily observational sketching; study design basics (colour, form, composition); start a visual diary. See what to study for design entrance exams.
4–6 months out	Aptitude + creativity	Practice visual aptitude, mental rotation, pattern and lateral-thinking problems. Learn how to prepare for a Design Aptitude Test.
2–4 months out	Portfolio build	Create and curate 8–12 strong pieces across mediums. Use a structured portfolio preparation approach.
1–2 months out	Mocks + interview	Take timed mock tests; rehearse talking about your work; refine weak areas.
Final weeks	Polish	Finalize the portfolio narrative; prep your "why design" story; keep sketching daily.

The five skills TDV (and every design school) is testing:

1. Observation - seeing detail others miss.
2. Visualization & sketching - getting ideas onto paper fast, not perfectly.
3. Creativity & idea generation - many solutions, not one "right" answer.
4. Design thinking - understanding users and problems before jumping to solutions.
5. Communication - explaining the why behind your work.

NOTE: you do not need to be a "born artist" to get in. TDV, like NID, selects candidates for thinking and potential, not finished technical skill. If you cannot draw beautifully yet, that is trainable. What matters is curiosity and effort.

New to this? Start with our design entrance prep guide for beginners.

Download Free Study Materials for Design Exams 2027 by CreativeEdge

What Do Students Say About the Design Village?

Here is a summary of what current students and recent graduates highlight most often across review platforms.

What students praise:

• Faculty are practicing designers and real mentors who give honest critique
• Project- and portfolio-based learning, not rote exams
• Live industry projects, exhibitions, international workshops
• Good studios, Fab Lab, Mac lab, Adobe access
• Strong design culture and community

For a fuller picture, read reviews across several platforms and speak to current students or alumni at an open day.

How Does The Design Village Compare to NID, NIFT, & Other Private Colleges?

No single college is "best" - the right one depends on your goal, budget and the entrance route you're prepared for. Here is how TDV sits against the schools applicants most often weigh it against.

Institute	Type	Indicative fee (UG, total)	Entrance	Best for
The Design Village (TDV)	Private (JGU degree)	₹26.9L (India) / ₹46.9L (dual)	TDV Acceptance Challenge	Studio-first learning + international exposure
NID (Ahmedabad etc.)	Government autonomous	~₹13-16L	NID DAT	Long-established national design institute
NIFT	Government (Statutory)	~₹12-16L	NIFT entrance	Fashion, textiles, fashion communication
IITs (IDC/UCEED)	Government	~₹8-12L	UCEED	Research-driven, engineering-adjacent design
Other private design colleges	Private	~₹10-22L	Own entrance test / UCEED / NID DAT	Industry-linked private design education (varies by school)

Fees are indicative and change yearly - always verify on official sites.

How to choose:

• If a lower-fee government institute is your priority, NID, NIFT and UCEED are worth preparing for (read NID vs NIFT).
• If you want a practitioner-led, studio-intensive, globally connected private school, TDV is a strong choice.
• The ideal strategy for 2027/2028 is to prepare once for the shared core skills and apply to several - keeping TDV, NID, NIFT and UCEED options open.

Is The Design Village Worth the Fees? Understanding the ROI

At ₹26.9 lakh for the India B.Des, TDV is a significant investment, so it is worth looking at what the fee buys and how the value builds over time. 

What the fee buys you:

• Practitioner faculty and studio learning - you're mentored by working designers, not just lectured to.
• Built-in international exposure - a two-month creative residency at TDV's Europe Campus in Italy is included in the B.Des fee, plus an optional India-France dual-degree route.
• Industry-grade facilities - a Fab Lab, a licensed Adobe Mac Lab, maker studios and an in-house design incubator.
• A real industry network - live projects and recruiters spanning Apple, Chanel, Deloitte, Tata Elxsi, Jio, Livspace, and more.
• A JGU-conferred, UGC-recognized degree that opens Master's and global study options later.

How the value is built:

Design is a career where skill and reputation grow fast. A design graduate who uses the program fully - building a standout portfolio, taking the international exposure, and networking through live projects - positions themselves for senior design roles, where pay grows significantly with experience. 

The fee is best viewed as an investment that pays back across a design career, not in a single year.

How to maximize your ROI at TDV:

1. Chase a scholarship. A strong aptitude-test score and portfolio can waive a large share of tuition - the single biggest lever on your cost.
2. Use every live project and internship to build a portfolio that speaks for itself.
3. Take the international residency and exchange network seriously - it's a differentiator most Indian graduates don't have.
4. Pick your specialization deliberately, aligned to the design career you actually want.

The People Behind TDV: Faculty, Founders & Global Network

For a design school, the faculty are the product - and this is one of TDV's real strengths. The school is led by practicing designers and academics, including Academic Dean Mudita Pasari (Rhode Island School of Design), deans and faculty from NID, RISD, Domus Academy, TU Delft, Istituto Europeo di Design and more.

Its advisory board includes names like Paul Hekkert (program head, Europe), Pradyumna Vyas (President, World Design Organization), and senior design-educators from CEPT and Politecnico di Milano.

TDV also runs a 45+ institution international academic network - TU Delft, Politecnico di Milano, Royal Academy of Art The Hague, National University of Singapore, RCA's Helen Hamlyn Centre, Domus Academy, Sheffield Hallam, University of Westminster and the Cumulus Association among them - which powers its exchanges, residencies and the France/Italy routes.

Student work has won the Public Medal for the India Pavilion at the London Design Biennale, Outstanding Digital Submission 2024 at the Biodesign Challenge (New York), Good Intervention 2024 from Parsons School of Design (New York) and the Cumulus Green Award, and has been exhibited at Salone del Mobile, Milan. TDV itself has received the Don Norman Design Award in recognition of its curriculum and teaching frameworks. 

This network and faculty depth is a big part of why TDV punches above its age - and it says more about the school than a ranking alone can. 

Attend a FREE Demo Class for Design Exams Prep 2027 by Experts

Final Verdict: Who Should Apply to The Design Village

Apply to TDV if you want a hands-on, studio-first design education, value international exposure (Italy residency, France dual degree), want to learn best from practicing-designer mentors, and see your design education as a long-term career investment. 

However, the biggest winning move for a 2027/2028 aspirant is the same - build the core design skills and a strong portfolio. Those open the door to TDV and every other top design school - so your preparation is never wasted.

Ready to start your design journey? Creative Edge mentors design aspirants for TDV, NID, UCEED, NIFT and more - from aptitude and sketching to portfolio and interviews. Explore Creative Edge design courses →