Top 10 Design Colleges in India 2025: Ranking, Courses, Fees, Admission, Placements
In the last few years, India has witnessed a sudden improvement in the demand for quality design education, as industries worldwide increasingly value innovation, creativity, and aesthetic sensibility. With a rich tradition of art and craftsmanship, India has now emerged as a hub for design talent, offering a wide range of specialized courses in various fields of design, from fashion to graphic to industrial design. Some popular Design colleges in India include NIFT, Amity University, Pearl Academy, Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design And Technology, World University of Design, and MIT Institute of Design. As far as rankings are concerned, the NIFTs continue to dominate. For instance, in the India Today rankings, eight of the top ten positions are occupied by NIFTs.
Design is a diverse field that covers numerous elements including Fashion, Textile, Graphics, Apparel, Web, Games, UI/UX, Jewellery, and so on. With the rising popularity and introduction of new concepts related to aesthetics, the yearly turnover of the Design industry has surpassed every other sector.
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Here’s a general overview of the minimum eligibility requirements every candidate must fulfil to get admission to a Design course in India’s colleges:
| Course Level |
Eligibility Criteria |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate/UG Diploma |
|
| Postgraduate/PG Diploma/PGDM |
|
| Doctorate |
|
| After 10th Diploma/Certification |
|
Note: The Design courses eligibility criteria mentioned above may vary depending on the college policies.
Q: What are the participating institutes of NID for the B. Des programme?
Q: What are NIFT Score accepting colleges other than participating colleges?
Note that there are 18 NIFTs that will accept NIFT 2025 scores for admission purposes. These institutes are known as participating colleges.
However, in addition to the participating colleges, there are other private colleges that will also consider NIFT 2025 scores for admission to their UG and PG design courses.
The candidate is urged to go through the list of result-sharing institutes.
Q: How many seats are there for NID admissions?
Total seats offered in B. Des courses at all the NID campuses is 425 seats. For M.Des course, NID seats on offer for admission are 347. The B. Des programme is offered at five institutes - NID Ahmedabad, NID Andhra Pradesh, NID Haryana, NID Madhya Pradesh, and NID Assam. The various faculty members under which the programme is available include Faculty of Communication Design, Faculty of Industrial Design, and Faculty of Textile, Apparel, Lifestyle, and Accessory Design. Meanwhile, the M.Des course is available at NID Ahmedabad, NID Bengaluru, and NID Gandhinagar. Admission to both the B. Des and M.Des courses will be through the NID DAT entrance exam.
Links useful for Design Courses:
Top 10 Design Colleges in India
Here is a list of top 10 Design colleges in India along with their details of admission, tuition fees, courses, placements, etc.
- National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Delhi:
The National Institute of Fashion Technology in Delhi is ranked 1 for Fashion Design by The Week 2023 and Business Today 2023. NIFT Delhi courses include BDes, BFTech (Bachelor of Fashion Technology), MDes, and MFM (Master of Fashion Management), among others. NIFT Delhi fees range from INR 64,900 to INR 12.34 lakh. Many top recruiters such as Myntra, Nike, Aditya Birla Group, Fab India, and others, participate in the NIFT Delhi placements.
Explore more Design exams with upcoming dates
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21 Apr '25 - 30 Apr '25
21 Apr '25 - 2 May '25
3 May '25
25 May '25
- National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Bangalore:
The NIFT Bangalore has been ranked 2 for Fashion Design by The Week 2020 and India Today 2020 rankings. NIFT offers BDes, MFM, MFT and MDes in various specialisations. The total tuition fee for all the courses offered here ranges between INR 60,000 - INR 1,234,000.
- National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Mumbai:
NIFT Mumbai College is ranked 2 and 3 by India Today 2023 and The Week 2023, respectively under the Fashion Design category. NIFT Mumbai offers UG, PG, Continuing Education programme, and diploma courses to students. These courses are provided across the Fashion and Apparel streams. NIFT Mumbai is famous for its flagship courses such as BDes and MDes. Admission to NIFT Mumbai is through the NIFT Entrance Exam. Some of the top recruiters that have visited the NIFT Mumbai campus for placements include Bata India Limited, H&M and Monte Carlo, among others.
Q: Can Diploma candidates apply for admission to the M.Des programme through NID DAT 2025?
Diploma candidates need to meet the following conditions for admission:
Done full-time Diploma of 4-year duration after 10+2
Diploma in the following subjects is accepted - Design/ Fine Arts/ Applied Arts/ Architecture.
The Diploma must be done from a university or institute recognised by law in India.
Additionally, the candidate must have appeared in all the subjects and backlogs (if any) by June 30, 2025.
Q: What is the age limit for admission to B.Des programme at the NIDs?
The candidate needs to be born on or after July 1, 2004 for admission to the B. Des programme through NID DAT 2025 entrance exam.
Note that relaxation of 3-years applies to candidates from following categories - Other Backward Class-Non Creamy Layer (OBC-NCL), Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST). Meanwhile, for candidates belong to the PwD category, the relaxation in the upper age limit is 5 years. The candidate before filling out the NID application form need to ensure that they meet the prescribed eligibility criteria. Note that if the candidate is found to be faking their age, he or she may be disqualified.
Q: What are the B.Des programs offered through NIFT 2025 exam?
The NIFTs currently offers the following specializations at the B.Des level - Fashion Design,
Leather Design, Accessory Design, Textile Design, Knitwear Design, and Fashion Communication.
Admission to the above courses will be on the basis of NIFT 2025 scores. Currently, there are 18 participating institutes that offer a combined intake of 5,289 seats (including domestic and NRI/Foreign national seats). Note that NRI/Foreign national don’t need to appear in the NIFT entrance exam.
The program-wise total seat intake for the B.Des programme is given below:
Program | Seat Intake |
Fashion Design | 742 |
Leather Design | 172 |
Accessory Design | 654 |
Textile Design | 743 |
Knitwear Design | 346 |
Fashion Communication | 742 |
Total | 3,399 |
Q: Do I need to select campuses as part of NID DAT counseling 2024 for B.Des program?
Yes, all B.Des candidates who were shortlisted for NID DAT 2024 counseling had to summit their campus preferences. The window to submit campus preferences was open from May 21 (4 pm) to May 23 (4 pm).
The preferences had to be entered in the order of priority.
Note that the allotment of seats to the B.Des programme will be based on the campus option selected and merit rank of the candidate in NID DAT 2024. So, one must bear caution when entering their preferences.
Q: Can overseas candidates apply for admission to GEN-EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, and ST seats through NID DAT?
As per information given in the NID admission handbooks, overseas candidates cannot apply for admission to GEN-EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, and ST seats. Such candidates can't also apply for age-relaxation, scribe, etc.
Also, the fee structure for overseas category is different.
- National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Chennai:
The National Institute of Fashion Technology Chennai offers UG, PG, and diploma courses to students across Design, Management, Technology, and other streams. NIFT College Chennai is ranked 2nd by The Week 2024 for Fashion Design. The total tuition fee charged for the various courses ranges between INR 59,000 - INR 1,234,000. NIFT Chennai famous for its flagship courses such as B.Des, MFM, B.FTech, and many others.
- National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad:
This Institute of Design in Ahmedabad is declared as an Institution of National Importance by the Act of Parliament. National Institute of Design Paldi Ahmedabad is known for its MDes and BDes courses.
- Pearl Academy, New Delhi:
Pearl Academy Rajouri Garden is one of the top Fashion institutes in India. Pearl Academy of Fashion Delhi offers UG, PG, and other courses to students. These courses are provided across the Fashion Design, Interior Design, and various other streams. Pearl Academy Delhi provides BDes and MDes as flagship courses.
- World University of Design:
With a total of 39 courses offered at WUD, the college offers education in the field of Arts ( Fine / Visual / Performing ), Design, and Business & Management Studies, among other streams to the students. WUD provides undergraduate, postgraduate, and diploma programmes. The courses include B.Des, M.Des, and many others.
- Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology:
Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design And Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education offers UG and PG courses, including B.Des, B.Voc, BFA, M.Des, M.Plan, MFA and PG Diploma.
- MIT Institute of Design, MIT-ADT University:
MIT Institute of Design (MITID) is a private institution which is a part of MIT ADT University. The institute offer various courses include B.Des, M.Des, and many othes.
- Symbiosis Institute of Design (SID), Pune:
SID offers high-quality design education with a focus on creative and practical learning in fields such as product design, graphic design, and animation. Symbiosis Design is ranked as the second-best Private Fashion Design College by the India Today & Outlook I-Care Rankings for 2022. The institute offer various courses like B.Des and M.Des.
Top Fashion Design Colleges in India 2024 - India Today Rankings
| Name of the Institute |
India Today 2022 Ranking |
India Today 2023 Ranking |
India Today 2024 Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
1 |
1 |
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| 2 |
2 |
2 |
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| 3 |
3 |
3 |
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| 4 |
4 |
5 |
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6 |
6 |
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| 6 |
7 |
8 |
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| 7 |
5 |
4 |
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| 8 |
8 |
7 |
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| 9 |
9 |
9 |
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| 10 |
11 |
12 |
Best Private Design Colleges in India
The table below shows the top private Design colleges in India along with their tuition fees and their accepted entrance exams:
| Private Colleges |
Tuition Fee |
Entrance Exams |
|---|---|---|
| INR 2 lakh – INR 30 lakh |
Pearl Academy Entrance Exam, MAT, XAT, etc. |
|
| INR 2 lakh – INR 11 lakh |
CUET |
|
| INR 1 lakh – INR 16 lakh |
NIFT Entrance Exam, NID Entrance Exam, UCEED, etc. |
|
| INR 35,000 – INR 5 lakh |
JDIFT GAT |
|
| INR 3 lakh – INR 17 lakh |
CUET |
|
| INR 17 lakh |
NIFT Entrance Exam, NID Entrance Exam, UCEED, etc. |
Best Govt. Design Colleges in India
The table below shows the top government Design colleges in India along with their tuition fees and their accepted entrance exams:
| Public/Govt. Colleges |
Total Tuition fee |
Eligibility/Exams |
|---|---|---|
| INR 10.68 lakh – INR 14.68 lakh |
DAT |
|
| INR 70,800 – INR 12.34 lakh |
NIFT Entrance Exam and Merit-Based |
|
| INR 1.3 lakh – INR 11.74 lakh |
NIFT Entrance Exam and Merit-Based |
|
| INR 9.97 lakh |
DAT |
|
| INR 9.97 lakh |
NID Entrance Exam |
Best Designing Institutes in India: Courses, Fees, Eligibility
Please refer to the table below for some of the top Design schools in India with their courses offered and tuition fees:
| College Names |
Courses Offered |
Tuition Fee/ Eligibility |
|---|---|---|
| Amity University Noida |
BDes in Fashion Design, Bachelor of Interior Design, Bachelor in User Experience Design, etc. |
Fee: INR 2.88 lakh - INR 12.54 lakh CUET, Merit-Based, etc. |
| NID Ahmedabad |
BDes in Animation Film Design, BDes in Graphic Design, MDes in Film and Video Communication, etc. |
Fee: INR 11.43 lakh - INR 15.72 lakh Design Aptitude Test |
| NIFT Delhi |
MDes, BDes in Fashion Design, MFM, etc. |
Fee: INR 70,800 - INR 12.34 lakh NIFT Entrance Exam, CEED, etc. |
| MIT-ADT University |
MDes in User Experience Design, BDes in Product Design, BDes in Animation Design, etc. |
Fee: INR 4.9 lakh - INR 12.65 lakh MITID DAT |
| NIFT Mumbai |
MDes, BDes in Fashion Communication, BFTech in Apparel Production, etc. |
Fee: INR 1.64 lakh - INR 12.34 lakh NIFT Entrance Exam, CEED, etc. |
Top Design Colleges in India: Exam Schedule 2025
Given below are Popular Design entrance exams through which candidates can secure admission to Design courses:
| Entrance Exams |
Exam Dates |
Exam Schedule |
|---|---|---|
| NIFT Entrance Exam |
Apr '25 (Tentative) |
|
| UCEED |
Jan '25 (Tentative) |
|
| CUET |
May'25 |
|
| CUET-PG |
March'25 |
|
| GATE |
Feb 1 - 16, 2025 |
Note: The Design entrance exam dates and schedules mentioned above may vary depending on the latest updates.
Click here to learn every detail related to the NIFT Entrance Exam:
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There are five participating institutes of NID DAT exam that offer the B.Des program.
These include: NID Ahmedabad NID Andhra Pradesh NID Haryana NID Madhya Pradesh NID Assam.
The seat intake for the B. Des stands at 425. Among the participating institutes, NID Ahmedabad has an intake of 125 seats, while the rest of the NIDs each has an intake of 75 seats. Note that seats are reserved for categories like General-EWS, OBC, SC, and ST categories.
Admission to these seats will be on the basis of NID DAT scores.
Note that the next edition of the NID DAT exam, or NID DAT 2025, will be conducted tentatively in December 2024.
The application form is expected to commence in September 2024.