Best Design Colleges in India - Courses, Fees, Admission 2026

Private Design colleges offer diverse specialisations like fashion, graphic, product, and UI/UX design, etc. Listed below are the top private colleges with tuition fees-

Source: Official site and may vary.

About 2,400+ best Design colleges are there in India. 1,400 are private colleges, 300+ are government colleges and semi-government owned 100+ colleges. Some of the top 10 Design colleges in India include NIFT Delhi, Amity University University Noida, NIFT Bangalore, NIFT Mumbai, NIFT Chennai, NIFT Hyderabad, NIFT Gandhinagar, Pearl Academy Mumbai, and many others.

Students can secure admission after passing Class 12 boards or through entrance exams like CUET, UCEED, NIFT Entrance Exam, NID Entrance Exam, NID Entrance Exam, etc.

Joining the top Design colleges in India are inexpensive. Given below are some of the top affordable Design colleges in India with tuition fees of less than INR 1 lakh:

Source: Official site and may vary.

Yes, you can surely go for Designing without appearing for any entrance exams in India. You can refer below for the best Designing colleges in India that offer Designing courses to students without any entrance exams:

Hope this answered your question!

No, Unitedworld Institute of Design admissions are not merit-based. The college offers seats only through DAT test followed by other selection rounds. Students must clear the DAT + Situation Test + Portfolio Evaluation + PI rounds to get a seat in the college. 

Yes, there are about 1000+ best Design colleges in India offer certificate courses. Some of them are mentioned below along with their tuition fees:

Source: Official site and may vary.

No, it can be observed that pursuing Designing in India can be quite inexpensive as most of the colleges have an average tuition fee of less than INR 1 lakh. You can refer to the table below for the best Designing colleges in India that offer quality education with minimal cost:

Hope this helps!

Yes, there are about 900+ Design colleges in India offer Diploma courses in Design. Some of them are mentioned below along with their tuition fees:

Source: Official site and may vary.

Of course, here are some top online college options for BDes in India:

Note: The information is taken from the official/counselling body of the institute/exam.

Yes, internships, live projects, and industry assignments are an integral part of the NIF Global curriculum. It helps students gain practical exposure and build professional networks.

There are about 500+ best BDes in Design colleges in India. Some of them are mentioned below along with their tuition fees:

Source: Official site and may vary.

Joining the top Design colleges in India 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:

Source: Official site and may vary.

Amity University Mumbai offered the highest placement package in between INR 6.2 LPA - INR 7.2 LPA. The table below shows the top Design colleges in India along with their placement packages and top recruiters:

Source: Official site and may vary.

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.

School of Design, MIT WPU Pune the highest package for 2025 is INR 20 LPA. The institute has decent placements and invites companies from different sectors to conduct the placement process at the Campus premises. 

Bachelor of Design (BDes) is the most popular type of UG Design courses. BDes is offered in many different specializations, that provides foundational knowledge of specific Design fields. It is a 4-year degree that is offered across thousands of Design colleges in India.

Design courses are offered in the undergraduate, postgraduate or Diploma courses. They are also offered through certificate courses. Candidates can pursue BDes, BFTech (Apparel Production), Diploma in Fashion Designing, Diploma in Apparel Merchandising,  BSc in Fashion Design, BA (Hons) Fashion Design, BA (Hons) Product Design, BA (Hons) Jewellery Design, BA (Hons) Communication Design, BA (Hons) Fashion Styling & Image Design, Bachelors in Textile Design etc. Here are some popular types of Designing courses can be pursued in specialisations listed below:

• Fashion Design
• Graphic Design
• Interior Design
• Web Design
• User Experience Design
• Knitwear Design 

Design is basically a plan or a specification that is used to construct an object or an activity that leads to making a prototype, product, or even a process flow. In other words, design is anything that is used to ensure that an idea becomes more presentable and understandable to the consumers.

Design courses can be pursued in a number of specialisations. They expand the growth prospects of the candidate and enable them to increase their pay scale. These courses are offered at Undergraduate, Postgraduate and Doctorate levels. In addition to this, there are numerous Diploma courses and online certificates in India to train students in specific skills they need. Moreover, due to the evergrowing demand of this industry, multiple specialisations are offered across various colleges. Candidates can pursue short-term or long-term courses in this field and establish career in Designing. Read Design Specialisations.

The BDes course is an interesting combination of both creativity, aestheticism, and a technical skill set. Creativity surely takes the lead where you have to put your innovative aptitude, conceptual thinking, and storytelling skills to use and come up with creative designs, be it fashion, graphics, industrial, or product designs.

Alongside, you also learn about new tools and technologies like AutoCAD, Adobe Creative Suite, etc., to be able to bring those abstract ideas to life.

Hope this helps!!!

Ellen College of Design provides various undergraduate, postgraduate, and UG Diploma programmes. The courses include MSc, BVoc, UG Diploma, and BDes. For admission, the aspirants must meet the eligiblity and selection requirements. 

Yes Amity University in Mumbai offers direct admission. Students who have earned marks of more than 80% in class XII from CBSE, ISC, or State Board are eligible for direct admission. Student must complete Amity application and send in application money in order to apply for direct admission.

Admission criteria to ARCH College of Design and Business is both, merit and entrance based and is different for all UG and PG programmes. To get into UG programmes, the eligibility criteria is the minimum aggregate in Class 12 or equivalent, along with entrance exams. Similarly, the eligibility criteria to get into PG programmes is graduation in any discipline, along with entrance exams for a few courses.

United World Institute of Design, GD Goenka University provides good placements to its students. Top recruiters such as Deloitte, Wipro and Accenture visited the campus and made PPOs during the placement drive 2025.

Some of the top recruiters for Amity University Kolkata placements are listed below:

IIFT offers an elite MFM programme featuring Paris Fashion Week internships, a 100% placement network, and a Limca Record-breaking runway platform (Fashionite). Students receive one-on-one industry mentorship from veteran faculty, leading to dominant academic success with 9 out of 10 university gold medals.

Atharva School of Fashion and Arts is a premier institute established in 2004,  . The institute offers undergraduate programme across Fashion Designing stream. This course is offered in a full-time mode. The course offered at this institute is affiliated with Mumbai University. Admission to this course is based on merit.

Yes, students can get direct admission in Artemisia College of Art and Design for some courses. Any student getting selected based on the portfolio is eligible for early admission and can skip the entrance test. For merit-based admissions, prefernce will be given to such students. But even through the direct admissions, students still have to meet the basic eligibility. 

Yes, MIT-WPU, Pune offers various scholarships to its meritorious students. The scholarships are awarded on a First Come First Serve basis. At MIT-WPU, the scholarships are available under the following categories:

• Dr. Vishwanath Karad Merit Scholarship
• MIT-WPU Merit Scholarships
• Scholarships to Elite Sportspersons
• Scholarships awarded to the wards of MIT-WPU/ MAEER's staff members and alumni

To avail of the scholarships, students have to meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Students must have got minimum 8.5 CGPA across all semesters
• The minimum attendance should be 80% 
• Students must maintain good conduct, behaviour, and discipline as per the Code of Conduct of the university

UPES (Admission Office) accepts various entrance exam scores for admission to different courses. For B.Tech. admissions, the university accepts UPESEAT, JEE, Board Merit, SAT, and CUET scores. For MBA admissions, the university accepts CAT, MAT, XAT, CMAT, NMAT, and UPESMET scores. Admission to M.Des. and B.Des. courses is based on the valid score of CEED or UPES DAT followed by a presentation and interview. BBA admission is done through UPESMET-UG and through National Level Tests. Admission for LLB courses is based on the score of ULSAT or CLAT/LSAT scores. The eligibility criteria and minimum marks required for different courses can be found on the UPES website

Though currently Akash Group of Institutions is only a growing college in Bangalore it is not the best among all. It has a good academic stream, especially in Engineering and Management it has not reached the stature or placement records like RV College of Engineering or BMS College of Engineering which has average placements of around INR 8-12 LPA. Currently, Akash Group has a relatively strong building foundation but it does not have the same stronghold in terms of industry networks and alumni connections.

Unitedworld Institute of Design, GD Goenka University appoints experienced and trained faculty members. Unitedworld Institute of Design faculty are passionate and committed to helping the students in their career pathways. They engage the students with the latest activities and innovate teaching and quality research. 

Yes, students can get admission in Auro University without entrance exam for some programmes. The university offers admissions on both merit and entrance basis. For admission to BBA, BDes, etc., admissions are possible without entrance test. 

SAM Global University is approved by UGC (University Grants Commission) and Madhya Pradesh Niji Vishwavidhyalaya (Sthapana Avam Sanchalan) Adhiniyam 2007. Some of the constituent colleges under this university are approved by PCI (Pharmacy Council of India), AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education), Madhya Pradesh Private University Regulatory Commission, NCTE, CCIM, INC, AIPC, and Madhya Pradesh Government. 

Pearl Academy Bangalore offers PG and undergraduate programmes to students. These programmes are given across the Design, Management, and various other streams. At the PG (postgraduate) level, the college offers MDes, a 2-year MBA, and other programmes to students. Pearl Academy courses also include certificate & Diploma programmes. At the UG (undergraduate) level, the college offers BDes & other programmes to students.