Design Colleges in Chennai - Courses, Fees, Admissions 2026, Cutoff, Placements

There are about 70+ best Design colleges in Chennai. Of these, 36 colleges are privately owned, 9 colleges are owned by public/government organisations, and 2 colleges are owned by public-private entities. Students can secure admission after passing Class 12 boards or through entrance exams like CEED, CETA, NIFT Entrance Exam, UCEED, etc. Some of the top Design colleges in Chennai include NIFT Chennai, Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science, Arena Animation, Amity University Online, Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, Tamil Nadu Open University, ICAT Design and Media College, Chennai, and many others.

Joining the top Design colleges in Chennai can be worthwhile for you. For that, you need to check its ROI. Listed below are some colleges along with their tuition fees and average placement package:

College Names	Total Tuition Fee	Average Salary Package
Vellore Institute of Technology	INR 1 lakh- INR 2 lakh	INR 4 LPA
SRM IST	INR 2 lakh- INR 5 lakh	INR 3 LPA- INR 4 LPA
Hindustan Institute of Technology and Sciences	INR 2 lakh- INR 6 lakh	INR 3 LPA- INR 4.5 LPA
School of Science and Humanities, SRM IST, Chennai	INR 2 lakh	INR 3 LPA

It is estimated that joining the top Design colleges in Chennai can be affordable as most colleges have tuition fees of less than INR 1 lakh. Listed below are some colleges along with their tuition fees:

Low-cost Colleges	Tuition Fee
Tamil Nadu Open University	INR 800 - INR 21,000
University of Madras	INR 3,000
Parsons School of Design, Online Executive Programs	INR 65,000
College of Engineering, Anna University	INR 50,000
Aptech Computer Education	INR 9,000 - INR 64,000

The table below shows the average placement package offered by top recruiters offered by the best Design colleges in Chennai:

College Names	Average Salary Package	Top Recruiters
Vellore Institute of Technology Placements	INR 4 LPA	Krypto, Texas, Microsoft, Adobe, etc.
SRM IST Placements	INR 3 LPA- INR 4 LPA	Morgan Stanley, Amazon, Adobe, Factwise, JP Morgan, etc.
Hindustan Institute of Technology and Sciences Placements	INR 3 LPA- INR 4.5 LPA	Eurofins, TCS, BNY Mellon, IBM,  Wipro, TCS, Infosys,  etc..

Yes, NIFT Chennai campus is safe for girls and boys. The college campus is located in Taramani, Chennai. It has a good connection with roads and public transports. CCTV cameras are installed in the campus to keep a check on students safety. 

Several top design colleges in India offer undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in various design disciplines. While the specific eligibility criteria may vary from college to college, here are the general eligibility requirements for admission to top Design colleges in Chennai:

• UG Level: Candidates must have completed Class 12 from a recognised board from any stream, that is,  Science,  Commerce, and Arts can apply for the course.
• PG Level: Candidates should have completed graduation from a recognised college/university. Most colleges prefer graduates with a Bachelor’s degree in Design stream only. However, candidates from other streams are also eligible to apply for the course based on the required skill set and aptitude.

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from official website and may vary.

• Go through UCEED syllabus 2026 completely.
• Understand UCEED exam pattern and marking scheme and prepare accordingly.
• Get all study material for UCEED, such as prep books and previous year's question papers.
• Create a monthly plan on how much syllabus to cover daily.
• Solve question papers, sample papers and mock tests.

The NIFT exam is among the competitive and is also considered among the toughest. So, it is recommended that the candidate starts their exam preparation early. NIFT exam has various components like written exam and Situation Test /Personal Interview. Candidates seeking admission to the B. Des and M.Des courses need to prepare for both the CAT and GAT. The CAT is a drawing-based exam. Now unless the candidate is already well-versed, the exam will be very difficult. So, start early. The same goes for the GAT.

Candidates, after a success finishing touch of the course can find exceptional placements in garment, leather-based and jewellery enterprise as merchandising executives, fashion designers, illustrators, style co-coordinators, and so forth. Export homes, fabric turbines, garment shop chains, boutiques, leather-based groups, jewellery homes, fashion display organizers also search for such applicants. Career Options in Fashion Industry: Fashion Designing, Textile Designing, Apparel Merchandising, Journalism & Presentation (Media). Fashion designers develop new styles and products for clothing apparel and accessories by creating original designs or by adapting fashions to suit local conditions, trends and buyers. They are the ones who approve final samples before they go into production. The designer begins the designing process only after thorough market research, I. e. , understanding the needs of the client/market in terms of changing trends, budget etc. Accessory Designers specialised in designing footwear, luggage, scarves, jewelry, ties, etc. Which entire the appearance of the garment.

Arena Animation Mumbai offers VFX courses to students. The institute offers VFX Prime, VFX Film Making and VFX Compositing & Editing courses to students. The total fee for the VFX Prime course is between INR 2 lakh and INR 3 lakh. The fee varies depending on the course and the centre location. The fee indicated here are exclusive of various applicable taxes.

The table below shows the top private Design colleges in Chennai along with their tuition fees:

Private Colleges	Total Tuition Fee
SRM IST Admission	INR 2 lakh- INR 5 lakh
DOT School of Design Admission	INR 6 Lacs - INR 16 lakh
Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute Admission	INR 1 lakh
ICAT Design and Media College, Chennai Admission	INR 2 Lacs - INR 5 lakh
Hindustan Institute of Technology and Sciences Admission	INR 2 lakh- INR 6 lakh
Vellore Institute of Technology - Chennai Campus Admission	INR 1 Lacs - INR 2 lakh

A design course includes subjects/topics that are taught to students in order to introduce them to the fundamentals of design. Some design courses focus on teaching students the history of design and architectural trends whereas others, emphasize photography, drawing, and modelling. Designing skills, writing skills, Graphic history and computer applications. The syllabus of design courses might vary according to the specialisation selected. The learning of this course, will help students in enhancing the valuable skills needed in the real working while being in any design profession.

The table below shows the top specialisations offered by various Design colleges in Chennai:

Top Specialisations	No. of Colleges
Fashion Design	21
Apparel Design	13
Game Design	9
Graphic Design	9
Web Design	9

The Bachelor of Design (BDes) programme is popular for various reasons. For starters, it gives a solid foundation in a variety of design disciplines, such as graphic design, industrial design, fashion design and others It allows you to explore and specialise in the areas of your interest. The practical and hands-on character of BDes programmes allows students like you to build demonstrable skills and a strong portfolio, both of which are required for entry into the competitive design business. Furthermore, the interdisciplinary approach encourages creativity and problem-solving, preparing graduates for a variety of employment choices. The growing demand for design experts in areas ranging from technology to marketing contributes to the appeal of BDes as a versatile and dynamic education that allows students to shape the visual and functional aspects of the environment around them. Check Popular Colleges for BDes.

No, IIT Madras is not hard to get for dedicated individuals. The mode of IIT Madras course admissions is online. IIT Madras admission to various programmes is done through national-level entrance examinations including JEE Main/ JEE Advanced,  IIT JAM and GATE, among others. For admission to the flagship BTech programmes, candidates are selected based on valid JEE-Advanced ranks followed by the JoSAA counselling process. 

Hi,

You can be one but formal education is a great way to discipline the mind. But if you really want to go ahead, there are tons of ways to do it:

• Learn from wherever and whoever you can. As much as you can.
• Get yourself talking to tailors, they are highly undervalued people with exceptional skills that will teach you a lot about garment construction.
• Try reading about history of fashion. Never forget that fashion is a cycle.
• Follow fashion blogs, maybe even start one.
• Know your fabrics inside out!
• Get subscribed to Fashion and Design Magazines.
• Don't be afraid to experiment, you should be the first person to try out your styles, wear what you create!

Source: External site and may vary.

Yes, listed below are the best Fashion Designing colleges in TamilNadu that offer certificate courses to students along with their tuition fees:

Top Colleges	Tuition Fee
Tamil Nadu Open University	INR 800
Parsons School of Design, Online Executive Programs	INR 65,000
Bharathidasan University	INR 1,500
Bharathidasan University, Khajamalai Campus	INR 1,500
Central Footwear Training Institute	INR 44,000

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from official website.

Yes, listed below are the best affordable Fashion Designing institutes in TamilNadu having tuition fees of less than INR 1 lakh:

Top Colleges	Tuition Fee
HICAS	INR 80,000
CSI Bishop Appasamy College of Arts and Science	INR 90,000
Bon Secours College For Women	INR 43,000 – INR 44,000
Alagappa University	INR 3,000 – INR 4,000
Bharathiar University, Coimbatore	INR 10,560

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from official website.

Here are some tips that may help you throughout your Fashion Design journey:

• First, it is a lot of work and not just drawing pretty pictures. You will be pushed to your limit to expand your creativity and also your technical skills. It is so not glamorous at all. 
• You will know pretty quickly if it's for you or not. You will be surprised at what you can create. You will get what you put into it. You must do internships at reputable companies while in school so you can have work experience to get a job when you graduate. You will spend more money than you thought buying materials for your projects.
• It's good to have your own sewing machine (a home machine is ok) so you can continue working on sewing projects while not at school.

Hope this helps!!!

According to the University of Madras NIRF report, 483 PG 2 year students were placed in 2024 with a median package of INR 4.2 LPA. In PG 3 year program, 7 students got placements with a median salary of INR 4.80 LPA.

SRM Institute of Science and Technology admissions are conducted on the basis of entrance tests. The admission for the flagship programs are held on the basis of SRMJEEE UG exam. Further, SRM MBA admissions are conducted on the basis of SRMJEEM test. The SRMJEEE PG test is conducted for the various SRMIST PG courses. The university also accepts scoring from nationally-held tests like CAT, TANCET, MAT, etc. for admissions.

B.E/BTech, B.Arch, BBA, MBA, and MBBS are among the popular courses offered by Chennai's Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute.
Diploma programs in mechanical, production, automobiles mechatronics, plastic molding, CSE, IT, ECE, civil engineering, and chemistry are also available at the institute. 
Additionally, the institute provides undergraduate degree programs in BDS, B.Sc., BPT, B.Com, BCA, B.Ed, and M.B.B.S.  
There are fifteen specializations available in the four-year B.Tech normal course. Six specializations are available in the B.Tech part-time and lateral entry programs. 11 specialties are available for the B.Sc. degree. 
The institute offers online and offline application options, an admission exam, and a flexible credit-based system.

ICAT Design And Media College has been rated 2.9 on Infrastructure parameter. Institute has a well supported campus with facilities such as A/C ClassroomsAuditorium, Cafeteria, Design Studio, Labs, Library. ICAT Design And Media College has also been rated 3.1 for Campuslife.

VIT Chennai highest package recorded during the 2025 placement season was INTR 1 Crore per annum. In 2024, the overall highest and average package of all VIT campuses stood at INR 88 LPA and INR 9.9 LPA, respectively. The table given below states the same:

Particulars	Placement Statistics (2024)	Placement Statistics (2025)
Highest Package	INR 88 LPA	INR 1 crore per Annum
Average Package	INR 9.9 LPA	N/A

Madras Institute of Fashion Technology - MIFT is a good institution for B.Sc, M.Sc, MBA/PGDM, Certificate, UG Diploma, After 10th Diploma courses, and these programs are delivered by highly experienced faculty. Major specialisation at Madras Institute of Fashion Technology - MIFT are Fashion Design, Retail, Graphic Design, Jewellery Design, Apparel Design.

Parsons School of Design, Online Executive Programs (Talentedge) has below criteria for taking admissions to it's various courses:

Courses	Eligibility
Certificate	Candidate must have passed 10+2 from a recognised board.

SRM Easwari Engineering college is one of the best private college of Engineering. Here, placement percentage is very good according to records. They offer many courses . Some courses offered by SRM Easwari Engineering college is B.E in IT, Computer science, Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical engineering, Bachelor of engineering in Electronics and communications, Bachelor of engineering in Mechanical engineering and many more. Yes, B.E in Civil engineering is offered at SRM Easwari Engineering college.

Bharath University has a dedicated faculty for each of its department. The faculty members are positioned based on designations such as associate professor, and assistant professor. Further, all the faculty members are highly qualifed and experts in their respective subjects. Most of the members are also PhD holders.

Hindustan university of Arts and technological know-how has finished numerous ratings by means of distinctive groups. here are some highlights:

 

India today ranked HCAS 98th out of 178 schools in India in 2021 for typical performance.

inside the Arts movement, HCAS become ranked 99th out of 173 in India in 2023 through India these days.

Outlook ranked HCAS 81st out of 110 faculties in India in 2021 for ordinary overall performance.

For the science circulate, HCAS Chennai changed into ranked 104th out of 197 in India in 2023 by India nowadays.

those ratings reflect the college's standing in various disciplines and general academic fine. For the most cutting-edge ratings, it's quality to consult the modern reports or the college's professional bulletins.

Saveetha College of Architecture and Design offers various full time courses at the UG and PG level courses. Candidates looking for course admission must meet the eligibility criteria set by the college. Students can check the table below to know detail eligibility and selection criteria:

Courses	Eligibility	Selection Criteria
BArch	Class 12 with Physics, Maths and Chemistry	NATA
MSc	Graduation	Merit-based
BDes	Class 12	Merit-based
BSc	Class 12	Merit-based
MArch	BArch with a 60% aggregate	PGETA/GATE
Diploma	Class 10 with a 60% aggregate	Merit-based

The fee structure in Indian Institute of Information Technology Design & Manufacturing Kancheepuram is different for each course. The tuition fee ranges between INR 2 L – INR 7.2 L. This is taken from the official website.

To gain entry into the M.Sc. degree programs offered at the School of Science and Humanities, SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST), the university mostly accepts a valid SRM Joint Entrance Examination (SRMJEEH) score. This examination takes place for a number of postgraduate programs including those under the Science and Humanities faculties. Moreover, some courses may have their own entrance components, like the SRM Future Skills Test for some specializations such as Applied Data Science.