UCEED 2026 – Exam Dates (18 Jan), Application Form, Syllabus

The UCEED 2026 examination will be conducted on 18 January 2026. Its details will be released by 01 October 2025. The Undergraduate Common Entrance Examination for Design (UCEED) is a National level Design entrance exam. The exam is held annually and tests a candidate’s knowledge of visual perception and observation, creativity, communication skills, and analytical abilities. It is open to candidates who have completed their 10+2 education or are appearing for their final examination in the current academic year.

UCEED 2026 will be held on 18 January 2026. Its details will be released by 01 October 2025. Scroll down to get more details.

UCEED 2026 – Exam Dates, Application Form, Syllabus

UCEED Quick Links:

• Syllabus
• Question Papers
• Application Form
• Admit Card
• Answer Key
• Result

UCEED 2026 Exam Date

Eligibility Criteria

A candidate, including a foreign national, must simultaneously fulfil each and every one of the following three criteria to appear in UCEED.

Criterion 1 – Age limit:
The candidate should have been born on or after October 1, 2000 if belonging to the OPEN/EWS/OBC-NCL category and born on or after October 1, 1995 if belonging to the SC, ST or PwD category.

Criterion 2 – Number of attempts:
A candidate can attempt UCEED for a maximum of two times and that too in consecutive years. Note that UCEED score is valid for one year, and only for admissions in the same corresponding academic year.

Criterion 3 – Qualifying examination:
The candidate should have passed in all subjects in the qualifying examination (Class XII or equivalent) in 2023, OR should be appearing for the qualifying examination for the first time in 2025 in order to be eligible for attempting UCEED 2025. Students from ALL STREAMS (Science, Commerce, and Arts & Humanities) are eligible.

Those who appeared for the first time in their qualifying examination (Class XII) in 2022 or earlier are NOT eligible to appear in UCEED 2025.

Reservation Criteria

Indian nationals belonging to certain categories are admitted under the seats reserved for them in accordance with the rules of the Government of India. The categories and the extent of reservation are as follows:
– Other Backward Classes belonging to the Non-Creamy Layer (OBC-NCL) – 27% of seats in the course. The backwards class should be in the central list of OBCs (http://www.ncbc.nic.in) as of June 1, 2014.
– Candidates belonging to the creamy layer of OBC are NOT entitled to reservation. Such candidates are treated as belonging to the general (GEN) (i.e., unreserved) category.
– Scheduled Caste (SC) – 15% of seats in the course.
– Scheduled Tribe (ST) – 7.5% of seats in the course.
– The benefit of reservation will be given only to those castes and tribes that are mentioned in the respective central list of corresponding states published by the Government of India.
– Persons with Disability (PwD) – 3% of seats from the parent category in the course.
– Candidates belonging to the OBC-NCL, SC, ST and PwD categories will be declared as qualified on the basis of a relaxed criterion
– The 3% reservation for PwD candidates.
– Foreign nationals are outside the ambit of reservation of seats under the OBCNCL, SC, ST and PwD categories as specified herein

• The following table shows the summary of seat distribution of admissions to academic year 2019

Application Process

• Candidates should register for appearing in UCEED 2026
• Registration can be done only through the online registration portal linked from www.uceed.iitb.ac.in. Candidates should simultaneously satisfy all the three eligibility criteria [refer eligibility criteria for appearing in UCEED 2026
• Registration will be cancelled if, at a later date, it is found that the candidate does not meet any of the three eligibility criteria.
• Registration fee is NEITHER refundable NOR transferable.

Registration Fees

Indian Nationals

• Female Candidates (all categories) – Rs.1800/-
• SC, ST, PwD Candidates – Rs.1800/-
• All Other Candidates – Rs.3600/-

Exam Pattern

• Exam date and time: 18 Jan 2026, 9.00 am – 12.00 noon.
• There will be ONE question paper of a total THREE hours duration.
• The question paper will be in English only.
• The question paper will carry a total of 300 marks.
• The question paper will consist of two parts: Part-A and Part-B. It is compulsory to attempt questions from both parts.
• Utmost care is taken to prepare an error-free question paper. However, if an error is detected in the question paper, the UCI Committee shall take an appropriate decision after the examination, which shall be final.
• Details of the two parts of the question paper are given below:
• Part-A (Total marks: 240; Maximum time: 2 hours 30 minutes)
• This part will be administered through a computer-based test.
• This part will consist of three sections.
• Section 1: NAT (Numerical Answer Type): 18 questions (4 marks each; no negative marks).
• For these questions, an answer is a number that needs to be entered using a virtual keyboard in the computer screen. No choices will be shown for these questions.
• Section 2: MSQ (Multiple Select Question): 18 questions. Each MSQ may have one or more than one correct choice(s) out of the four given. The following is the marking scheme:
• Section 3: MCQ (Multiple Choice Question): 32 questions (3 marks each for the correct answer; 0.71 negative marks for incorrect answers). Each MCQ will have four choices, out of which only one is the correct answer.
  
• Part-B (Total marks: 60; Maximum time: 30 minutes)
• Part-B consists of ONE question that is aimed at testing the candidate’s drawing skills, which will require subjective evaluation. The question in Part-B will be displayed on the computer screen and the answer has to be written/drawn in the answer book provided by the invigilator only. In case of PwD candidates availing the use of a scribe, assistance in attempting Part-B is not permitted, as the question is aimed to evaluate the candidate’s drawing skill.
• Part-B answer booklets will be collected at the end of the examination.
• Part-B question is mandatory.
• The entire paper (both Part-A and Part-B) must be finished within the time stipulated for each part.

Exam Centre

• UCEED 2026 will be held in the following 24 cities in India only:
• Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Dehradun, Delhi, Ernakulam, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, Panaji, Patna, Pune, Raipur, Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, and Visakhapatnam.

Accepting College

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay

Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing (IIITDM), Jabalpur

For more details and to apply online, please visit the official website

Why is UCEED Important?

UCEED is an important examination for those who wish to pursue a career in design. It is the only national-level entrance examination for undergraduate design programs in India and is accepted by some of the top design institutes in the country, including IIT Bombay, IIT Guwahati, and IIITDM Jabalpur.

Clearing UCEED can open many doors for a candidate and can lead to a fulfilling and rewarding career in the field of design. It is a great opportunity for candidates to showcase their design aptitude and skills, and to prove their mettle against other aspiring designers from across the country.

How to Prepare for UCEED

Preparing for UCEED can be a challenging task, as it requires a candidate to have a strong foundation in design, as well as a good grasp of visual perception and observation, creativity, communication skills, and analytical abilities. However, with the right approach and preparation, it is possible to clear the examination and secure a seat in one of the top design institutes in the country.

The first step in preparing for UCEED is to understand the examination pattern and the syllabus. Once you have a clear understanding of the examination, you can start preparing for it by studying relevant design concepts, practicing visual perception and observation exercises, and developing your creativity and communication skills.

Another important aspect of preparing for UCEED is to practice solving previous years’ question papers. This will give you an idea of the types of questions that are asked in the examination, and will also help you to improve your time management skills.

Finally, it is important to stay motivated and focused throughout your preparation. Clearing UCEED is not an easy task, but with the right approach and preparation, it is definitely achievable.

Contact Details

Address: Main Gate Rd, IIT Area, Powai, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400076

Phone: 022 2572 2545

UCEED – An Overview