Top Graphic Design Schools in India 2026: Courses, Fees, and Eligibility

The National Institute of Design (NID), IDC of IIT Bombay, and Indian Institute of Creative Technologies are easily the top graphic design schools in India. All these give you good choices to go for B.Des, M.Des, or various professional certificate courses to gain hands-on mastery over animation, communication design, video game, VFX, and post-production.  

Here, we list some of the best options out of the 400+ graphic design colleges in India.  We have based this list on QS World University Rankings for Art and Design (2026), as well as those that are great for sector-wise skill development that merge Industry 5.0 with the latest digital toolkits, have dedicated labs, national and international mentorships, and higher placements in UI/UX, fashion, gaming, advertising, and other sectors. 

NID Ahmedabad and IIT Bombay’s IDC School of Design remain top choices for the traditional B.Des and M.Des programmes in Design with graphic design and industrial design subjects. NIFT Delhi has a 1-year certificate course for graphic design.  But there are some emerging ones, such as IICT Mumbai, which is a National Centre of Excellence and offers 24-month UG diplomas. Symbiosis Institute of Design, UPES School of Design, and World University of Design are some other top choices.  

Top Graphic Design Schools in India: Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility for graphic design courses differs among national government-owned institutes and private schools. There are different entrance exams held at the institute level. 

Entrance Exam Schedules for Top Graphic Design Schools in India

After appearing in any of these entrances, there are different graphic design admission procedures to follow, and they are at the college level.   

Top 10 Graphic Design Schools in India

Go through the top 10 graphic design schools in India in 2026, and we base them on their QS World Rankings, industry and academic reputation, and fine outcomes in learning and career. 

1. NID Ahmedabad

The National Institute of Design in Gandhinagar has the 81st rank in the QS World University Rankings for Arts and Design, among 300 universities globally. It’s also the most competitive among all the ones listed here, with 19 seats for the B.Des in Graphic Design course. It also has a Master’s programme on the same. This specialisation from NID has been known for cultivating deep expertise in typography, illustration, print, and digital media. 

2. IDC School of Design, IIT Bombay 

One of the top IITs, IITB, has been ranked in the 101-150 tier in QS World University Rankings for Arts and Design 2026. It strictly does not have a graphic design course but a broader and integrated 5-year M.Des course (B.Des + M.Des). Also, this programme from IIT Bombay offers students to choose specialisations in Industrial Design, Visual Communication, Animation Design, and a few others in the third year. 

3. IICT, Mumbai

The Indian Institute of Creative Technologies only offers 12- to 24-month UG diploma programmes that are highly industry-aligned with globally recognised certifications. It’s also the youngest institution in this list that deserves the spot among the top 5 graphic design schools in India. The focus is on Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR), and it has partnerships with NVIDIA, Adobe, and others. It is an initiative of the Government of India, FICCI, and CII. 

4. IIT Delhi

Listed in the 201-300 rank band of QS World University Rankings for Art and Design, the Department of Design of IIT Delhi has had only one batch of B.Des in Graphic Design passouts in 2026, while it has been offering M. Des programmes since 1994 across various specialisations. Also, in QS WUR listings, it scores much higher in the Employability parameter than NID Ahmedabad and IIT Bombay. Recruiters such as Adobe, Gartner, and IBM are among the major ones. 

5. NIFT Delhi

NIFT Delhi offers two good options for graphic design, which other NIFTs may not offer currently. The first one that any graduate can go for is the 1-year certificate course, specific to graphic design. While the other one is the 4-year course in B. Des in Fashion Communication. And it includes subjects like augmented reality, omnichannel experience, motion graphics, and UI/UX design, quite advanced and unique to B.Des in Fashion syllabus that other good colleges offer. 

6. Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore

VIT has the same ranking tier of 201-300 in the QS World Rankings for Arts and Design rankings in 2026. The institute has a dedicated department, the School of Design, also known as V-SIGN, with cutting-edge labs such as PROTICS Studio. It has begun offering B.Des programmes from 2026, with a modern curriculum focused heavily on Industry 5.0. But overall, its focus is on Industrial Design, touching upon graphic design basics. 

7. Symbiosis Institute of Design, Pune

SID Pune is a constituent of Symbiosis International Deemed to Be University, with both B.Des and M.Des degrees in graphic design. It has a broader B.Des in Communication Design course, covering four specialisations - Graphic Design, Video Film Design, Animation Film Design, and User Experience Design. Though its B. Des programme is quite vast, it integrates AI, AR and VR. Infrastructure-wise, this is a great option, especially due to its Industry Interaction Cell. Also, the placements are 100% with packages between INR 5 LPA and 14 LPA. 

8. Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Bengaluru

Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design & Technology offers experimental B.Des programmes in affiliation with MAHE that focus on social impact, creative output, and strategic branding, while keeping the pedagogy entirely transdisciplinary. The curricula of its B.Des courses blend ‘art, design, and technology’, so outcomes on learning and even career remain more holistic. 

9. UPES School of Design, Dehradun

UPES School of Design is one of the best private colleges for graphic design in India, which covers the latest software used in the industry with AI. Also, there are two Cintiq Studios and one iMac Studio Lab, where hands-on learning is made convenient and up to today’s industry standards. Placement-wise, it is similar to or a little higher than SID Pune, with average packages crossing INR 6+ LPA. 

10. World University of Design (WUD), Sonepat

World University of Design specialises in crossover four-year B.Des programmes, bringing together technology, performing arts, and more. It offers options to complete a BSc if the student wishes to end the BDes courses in graphic design in three years. A member of AIU, it also boasts to be ‘India’s first AI-integrated Design University’.   

Top and Best Private Colleges in India for B.Des in Graphic Design

Besides the above, we have included a few more notable options for professional graphic design courses from top-tier private universities/colleges across India. SID Pune, UPES School of Design, O.P. Jindal University, and Pearl Academy can be expensive, with total tuition fees above INR 20 Lakh. But their courses are most industry-facing, offering good international exposure and broader networking opportunities. 

Note: All info. is from official sites and can change. 

Top Government Colleges for Graphic Design in India

NID, NIFT, and some of the IITs may be the best government institutes that offer good graphic design courses. IICT is a public-private partnership and it offers mainly UG courses, and similarly, NIFT Delhi offers one. And if you compare the fees of these government institutions, they are similar to or more than those of some of the private universities. 

Note: All info. is from official sites and can change.  

Why Choose a Top Graphic Design School in India

For those interested in the design field, especially aspiring and serious graphic designers who blend both creativity and technical/digital know-how, that’s good news. This career path will continue to be in demand.  As per pib.gov, the media and entertainment sector of India will be growing from INR 2,502 billion in 2024 to INR 3,067 billion in 2027. Now that marks a strong and long-term career choice for graphic designers. 

But market intelligence services such as NMSC also highlight how competitive the design industry has been in the country while simultaneously lacking professional training. There’s a clear skill gap and a requirement for specialised professionals in AR/VR, gamified content, and similar innovative solutions in the broad field of communication design who can meet the needs of the fast-adopting digital transformation in India.
The top graphic design schools in India can deliver that professional differentiation through their graphic design courses. They offer multiple educational pathways, and not just degree programmes.