Top Animation Entrance Exams in India: Courses, Eligibility, Application Fee and Admission Process

Top Animation Entrance Exams in India: Courses, Eligibility, Application Fee and Admission Process

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Damini
Damini Aggarwal
Assistant Manager - Content
Updated on Jul 16, 2025 16:27 IST

Are you interested in pursuing a career in animation? If yes, we have listed top animation entrance exams in India for you to consider. We hope the information help you secure admission to the best animation colleges in India. All the details about these exams have been provided in this article.

Top Animation Entrance Exams in India

Top Animation Entrance Exams in India

Animation is one of the most desirable professional fields among young Indians because it provides them with the freedom to express their imagination and creativity through animated storytelling. Consequently, the inclination of the younger population to pursue a course in animation courses is increasing. However, many of these young individuals are unsure of how to gain admission to a top-rated animation course. To address this issue, we have listed the top animation entrance exams in India in this article. These exams serve as a gateway to the best design and animation colleges in the country. In this article, we will explore the details of the animation course admission process, covering animation entrance exams, their eligibility criteria, application fees, and the courses they offer.

Table of content
  • Animation Course Admission Process
  • Top Animation Entrance Exams in India
  • What after the Design Entrance Exam?

Animation Course Admission Process

If you want to take an entrance exam for admission to an animation course, it is important to follow the correct admission process. Make sure to fill out the application form for the specific entrance exam if you meet the eligibility criteria. If you are eligible, you can follow the steps mentioned below for the admission process:

  1. Fill out the exam application form and pay the application fee.
  2. Download the admit card.
  3. Appear for the entrance test.
  4. Check or download the result and merit list.
  5. If you are selected in the merit list, fill out the counseling registration form.
  6. Participate in the counseling process.
  7. Pay the college admission fee to secure your admission.

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Top Animation Entrance Exams in India

The top entrance exams for animation in India, include NID DAT, UCEED, CEED, JMI Entrance Exam and NIFT Entrance Exam. The eligibility criteria for these exam along with the courses offered and their application fee have been mentioned as follows:

National Institute of Design - Design Apttitude Test (NID DAT)

NID Design Aptitude Test (NID DAT) is a national-level entrance exam conducted for admission to Bachelor of Design (BDes) and Master of Design (MDes) courses for admission to NIDs. The design courses offered by the exam are related to film and video design, exhibition design, graphic design and animation design. The exam is conducted in two phases: NID DAT Prelims and NID DAT Mains.

1. NID DAT Eligibility Criteria

If you want to apply for NID DAT, the eligibility criteria of the exam are provided here: 

BDes Eligibility Criteria MDes Eligibility Criteria
  • The candidate should be Class (10+2) pass.
  • The applicant must be born on or after 1 July 2005.
  • In the context of Other Backward Class-Non Creamy Layer (OBCNCL), Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), the candidate must be born on or after 1 July 2001.
  • PwD candidates must be born on or after 1 July 1999.
  • The candidate should be a garduate.
  • The applicant must be born on or after 1 July 1993.
  • In the context of Other Backward Class-Non Creamy Layer (OBCNCL), Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), the candidate must be born on or after 1 July 1990.
  • PwD candidates must be born on or after 1 July 1998.

The names of animation courses offered through NID DAT exam and application fees for these courses are mentioned below: 

NID DAT Animation Courses and Exam Application Fee
Courses Offered
Application Fee
  • BDes Application Fee: INR 3,000
  • MDes Application Fee: INR 3,000 (for one discipline) and INR 6,000 (for two disciplines)

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2. UCEED 

The full form of UCEED is Undergraduate Common Entrance Examination for Design. It is conducted for admission to design courses offered by IIT BombayIIT DelhiIIT GuwahatiIIT Hyderabad, and IIITDM Jabalpur. Aspirants need to note that only "Industrial Design Centre (IDC), IIT Bombay" offers admission to animation courses through the UCEED exam.

UCEED Eligibility Criteria

If you are planning to take the UCEED exam, you need to know the exam eligibility criteria mentioned below: 

Age Limit
  • Applicants must not be born on or before October 1, 2000.
  • There is a relaxation of upper age limit for candidates belonging to SC, ST and PwD categories.
Qualification
  • Candidates should have passed Class (10+2). 
  • They must not have failed in any subject of Class (10+2).

The animation course name offered through UCEED and entrance test application fee are listed as follows:

UCEED Animation Courses and Exanm Application Fee
Courses Offered
  • BDes in Animation Design
Application Fee
  • Application Fee: INR 3,000 (for general category) and INR 1,900 (for reserved categories)

Also Read: 

3. CEED

IIT Bombay conducts Common Entrance Exam for Design or CEED for admission to postgraduate and PhD courses offered by IISc Bangalore, IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Guwahati, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Kanpur, IIT Roorkee, and IIT Jodhpur.

CEED Eligibility Criteria

Candidates can check the CEED eligibility criteria for MDes in Animation mentioned as follows: 

Age Limit
  • There is no upper age limit to apply for CEED.
Qualification
  • Candidates should have completed a degree, diploma, or postgraduate programme of a minimum of 3 years after Class (10+2).

Or,

  • They must not have completed GD Arts diploma (10+5) level by July 2025. 
  • Candidates appearing in the final exam of the courses mentioned above can also apply for CEED.

The animation course provided through along with the exam application fee is mentioned below:

CEED Animation Courses and Exam Application Fee
Courses Offered
Application Fee
  • Application Fee: INR 3,000 (for general category) and INR 1,900 (for reserved categories)

4. JMI Entrance Exam

Jamia Millia Islamia conducts JMI Entrance Exam for admission to UG, PG, PG Diploma, Advanced Diploma, Diploma, MPhil, Ph.D., and certificate courses under various faculties/ departments/ centres, including EngineeringArchitecture & PlanningHospitality & TravelAnimationMass CommunicationHumanities & Social SciencesLanguagesCommerce, Natural Sciences, DentistryLawFine ArtsManagement Studies as well as Teaching & Education

The animation course at the Jamia Millia Islamia is offered by AJK Mass Communication Research Centre.

Also Read: 

Animation Courses Animation Syllabus Animation Career Animation Admission Process

JMI Entrance Exam Eligibility Criteria

The important points related to the JMI Entrance Exam eligibility criteria are listed below: 

Undergraduate Courses
  • Candidates must have completed their 10+2 or equivalent examination from a recognized board with the required percentage of marks. Specific courses may have additional subject requirements.
Postgraduate Courses
  • Candidates must hold a bachelor's degree in the relevant field from a recognized university. The minimum percentage required may vary depending on the course.
Age Limit
  • For most undergraduate courses, the candidate should be at least 17 years old.
  • For postgraduate courses, the candidate should meet the age criteria as specified by the particular course.
Minimum Marks
  • The minimum percentage required in the qualifying examination varies by course. Generally, a minimum of 50-60% aggregate marks is required, though some courses may have higher or lower requirements.

The offered animation course at AJK Mass Communication Research Centre and exam application fee are mentioned below:

JMI Entrance Exam Animation Course and Application Fee
Courses Offered
Application Fee
  • Application Fee: INR 700

5. NIFT Entrance Exam

The NIFT Entrance Exam is a national-level examination conducted by the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) for admission to various undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in fashion design, technology, and management. NIFT is one of the premier institutions in India for fashion education, and the entrance exam is a gateway for aspiring students to gain admission to its prestigious campuses across the country. They are a total of 18 NIFTs in India.

NIFTs do not offer admission to animation courses. However, many private institutions accpet NIFT scores for admission to animation programmes. Some of these institutes are listed below:

Animation Colleges Accepting NIFT Entrance Exam Scores
Colleges Courses
World University of Design, Sonepat BDes in Animation and Game Design
School of Design, MIT WPU, Pune BDes in Animation and VFX Design
Pimpri Chinchwad University, Pune BDes in Animation and Game Design
Avantika University, Ujjain BDes in Animation Design

What after the Design Entrance Exam?

Candidates who sit for the entrance exam to get admission to the animation courses at the top colleges will then have to participate in the counselling process conducted at the institute level. During the counselling process, students will be required to carry the necessary documents for scrutiny and verification purposes. The candidates who qualify for the NIFT, UCEED, CEED, and NID DAT entrance exams will be able to participate in the counselling process.

Read More: 

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Damini Aggarwal
Assistant Manager - Content
Damini Aggarwal expertise in management, research and analysis. She specializes in law and work proactively to cater to reader's needs. Apart from this, she has a passion to travel, read and write fictional novels, Read Full Bio