CEED Cutoff 2026: Category-wise Previous Years & Expected Cut-off

Q: What are the cut-off marks for Part A of CEED 2023?

IIT Bombay released the qualifying marks for CEED 2023 - Part A on February 9, 2023. The qualifying cut-off was released in the form of Standard and Mean Deviations. Type of Deviation for Part A Deviations Mean Deviation 22.59 Standard Deviation 11.82 Note that the cut-off marks for Part A are the minimum marks the candidate needs to secure in the paper to get shortlisted. Further, Part B answer booklets of only shortlisted candidates will be evaluated. To be included in the CEED 2024 merit list, the candidate also must qualify Part A.

Q: When will the admission cut-off of CEED be released?

IIT Bombay only releases the qualifying cut-off of CEED Part A. It will, however, not release any admission cut-off. The qualifying cut-off for Part A will be released on February 6, 2025. The cut-off will be released in the form of Mean Deviation and Standard Deviation. The mean and standard deviation for Part-A (CEED 2024) were 41.90 and 16.72, respectively. Part B answer booklets will be evaluated only if the candidate meets the Part A cut-off. Meanwhile, the admission cut-off would be released by individual participating institutes at the time of seat allotment. The admission cut-off is the minimum score one needs to get admission.

Q: How will the CEED 2025 qualifying cut-off be calculated?

The qualifying cut-off for CEED 2025 will be calculated category-wise. The following formula will be used to calculate the cut-off: Category Calculation for CEED Cutoff Open μ + (σ⁄2) = δ OBC-NCL 0.9δ SC/ ST/ PwD 0.5δ δ is the cutoff marks for shortlisted candidates in the General Category μ and σ are the average marks and standard deviation of the distribution of marks obtained by ALL the candidates in Part-A of CEED 2025.

Q: Can I get admission in M.Des programme if I do not meet Part A cut-off?

IIT Bombay will release the qualifying cut-off for Part A in the first week of February 2026. Cut-off is released in the form of mean and standard deviation. The mean and standard deviation for Part-A (CEED 2025) are 45.48 and 16.98, respectively and for Part A (CEED 2024) were 41.90 and 16.72, respectively. The qualifying cut-off is the minimum marks a candidate needs to score in the paper to get shortlisted. Part B answer booklets will only be evaluated if the candidate gets shortlisted. So, if you don’t meet Part A cut-off marks, you will not get shortlisted and you Part B answer booklets will not be evaluated. Also, note that only shortlisted candidates will be assigned a merit rank in CEED 2026.

Q: I belong to OBC category. I do not meet the cut-off in open category, but meet the cut-off in my category. Will I get admission?

Note that candidates belonging to reserved categories will be considered for admission under both open and reserved category. So, if you are not included in the merit list for open category, you needn’t worry. You will be considered for admission under your reserved category. That being said the candidate needs to note that the seat alloted in the open category and reserved category may not match, just in case you meet cut-off for both categories. In that case you need to decide which seat to accept and which seat to decline.

Q: Is the CEED exam tough?

The difficulty level of CEED exam has been maintained by authorities over the years. However, most design aspirants share that if difficulty level of all design entrance exams conducted for PG level courses is compared then CEED is slightly easier than NID Entrance Exam. This is primarily because the drawing questions asked in NID that are considered to be tougher than those put forth in CEED exam. Note that CEED exam is for admission to the M.Des courses offered by the eight participating colleges. Meanwhile, the NID that for the M.Des programme has three participating colleges.

Q: When will the CEED 2026 exam be conducted?

IIT Bombay will conduct the CEED 2026 exam on January 18, 2026 (9 am - 12 noon). The exam will include two sections - Part A and Part B. Part A of the exam will be administered in a computer-based mode, whereas Part B will be held offline. It is mandatory for candidates to qualify for Part A. If the candidate fails to qualify for Part A, his or her Part B answers booklet will not be evaluated. The final score cum merit list of CEED 2026 will be calculated by giving weightage to both Part A and Part B.

Q: When will the application form for CEED 2026 open?

The CEED 2026 applications are open now, from October 1, 2025. The application has to be filled online at ceed.iitb.ac.in. The candidate can apply with both regular and late fees. All the details pertaining to the CEED 2026 application form have been updated on the admission portals, including the information brochure. The candidate needs to carefully go through the brochure to check their eligibility. Note that information entered by the candidate at the time of submitting their application form will be verified at the time of counseling. Any candidate who doesn’t meet the criteria will be disqualified.

Q: What is the validity of the CEED 2025 scorecard?

The scorecard of CEED 2025 will be released on March 10, 2025; the last date to download the scorecard is June 11, 2025. The validity of the scorecard will be one year from the date of its issue. Using the scorecard, the candidate can apply for admission to both CEED 2025 participating and result-sharing institutes. The scorecard will carry details like the Qualifying status and Part A marks. Open & category-wise Merit rank, and Part B & Total marks will be issued only if the candidate has qualified Part A.

367 Students Q&A

Registration - 1 Oct '25 - 31 Oct '25

Updated on Sep 18, 2025 15:48 IST

By Sayeba Naushad, Assistant Manager

CEED Cut-off 2026 - IIT Bombay is expected to release the cut-off marks of CEED 2026 Part A in the first week of February 2026 for the examination conducted on January 18, 2026. The cut-offs will be released in the form of mean and standard deviations.

The mean and standard deviation for Part-A (CEED 2025) are 45.48 and 16.98, respectively. The mean and standard deviation for Part A (CEED 2024) were 41.90 and 16.72, respectively.

The Part A cut-off or qualifying marks are the minimum score one needs to get shortlisted. Part B answer sheet will only be evaluated if the candidate meets the Part A cut-off. Also, all shortlisted candidates are assigned a CEED merit rank.

Note: The Part A cut-off is not the admission cut-off. The admission cut-off is the minimum mark or rank required to get admission to the M.Des program.

Table of content

CEED 2026 Cut-off - Admission Cut-off Vs Part A Cut-off
CEED 2026 Exam Dates & Schedule
CEED 2026 Cut-off Highlights - Things you need to know
CEED 2026 Part A Cut-off Marks
CEED 2026 Shortlisting Criteria
Factors that Determine CEED 2026 Cutoff
How to Calculate CEED Cutoff 2026?
How to Calculate CEED 2026 Final Score?
Previous Years' CEED Cutoffs
CEED Result 2026
CEED Cut-off 2026 - FAQs

CEED 2026 Cut-off - Admission Cut-off Vs Part A Cut-off

CEED 2026 exam qualifying marks are expected to be released by IIT Bombay in the first week of February 2026. The CEED 2026 Part A cut-off is for all candidates. The candidate can check the cut-off for the category they belong to using the link that will be updated here. The candidate must meet the cut-off for the category they have selected when filling out the CEED application form. If not, the candidate will be out of the admission process.

The Part B answer booklets will be evaluated only for shortlisted candidates. The admission cut-off for CEED 2026 will be released during the seat allotment process. Candidates who meet this cut-off will be allocated seats in the CEED 2026 Counselling rounds in the CEED Result sharing and participating colleges. To confirm their seats, the candidates will have to pay the seat-acceptance fee before the given deadline.

Commonly asked questions

Q: Can I get admission in M.Des programme if I do not meet Part A cut-off?

Q: How will CEED 2025 cut-off used to shortlist candidates and what is the formula?

Q: I belong to OBC category. I do not meet the cut-off in open category, but meet the cut-off in my category. Will I get admission?

CEED 2026 Exam Dates & Schedule

Take a look at the table below for the complete schedule of CEED 2026 exam

Dates	Upcoming Exam Dates
20 Jan ' 26	CEED 2026 Release of DRAFT Answer Key
22 Jan ' 26	CEED 2026 File Challenges Against DRAFT Answer Key
28 Jan ' 26	CEED 2026 Release of FINAL Answer Key
04 Mar ' 26	CEED 2026 Result DATE
10 Mar ' 26 - 31 Jul ' 26	CEED Scorecard 2026

CEED 2026 Cut-off Highlights - Things you need to know

Here are a few aspects of the CEED 2026 cut-off you need to know:

CEED 2026 Part A cut-off is expected to be out by IIT Bombay in the first week of February 2026.
CEED 2026 Part B answer booklets will be evaluated only if the candidate meets the Part A cut-off.
If the candidate meets the Part A cut-off, the candidate will be shortlisted and allocated a merit rank.
Shortlisted candidates will be assigned a merit rank and will be eligible to participate in CEED 2026 counseling.
CEED 2026 counseling will be conducted by the individual participating colleges. IIT Bombay will not conduct any Joint Admission Process. Consequently, IIT Bombay will also not release the admission cut-offs.
The Part A cut-off and admission cut-off are not the same.

CEED 2026 Part A Cut-off Marks

The cut-offs were released category-wise and in the form of mean and standard deviations. Part B answer booklets of only such candidates who meet the Part A cut-off criteria will be evaluated.

Cut-off marks for Part A - CEED 2024

Type of Deviation for Part A	Deviations
Mean Deviation	41.90
Standard Deviation	16.72

Cut-off marks for Part A - CEED 2023

Type of Deviation for Part A	Deviations
Mean Deviation	22.59
Standard Deviation	11.82

CEED 2022 - Category-wise Part A Cut-off Marks

The category-wise Part A cut-off marks for UCEED 2023 are given in the table below for reference.

Category	Part A Cut-off Marks
Open	24.58
EWS	22.12
OBC	22.12
PwD	12.29
SC	12.29
ST	12.29

Commonly asked questions

Q: What are the cut-off marks for Part A of CEED 2023?

Q: When will the admission cut-off of CEED be released?

Q: How will the CEED 2025 qualifying cut-off be calculated?

CEED 2026 Shortlisting Criteria

The formula to determine CEED shortlisting criteria is as follows: µ + (σ 2) = δ, where µ and σ are the average marks and standard deviation of the distribution of marks obtained by all the candidates in Part-A of CEED 2026. The µ and σ will be rounded off after the first decimal place. The candidates belonging to the reserved categories shall have to fulfill a relaxed cut-off mark, which will be:

0.9 for OBC-NCL
0.9 for EWS
0.5 for SC/ST
0.5 for PwD

Commonly asked questions

Q: Can I get admission in M.Des programme if I do not meet Part A cut-off?

Q: What factors are considered to determine the admission via CEED 2025 cut-off?

Q: What happens if I do not meet the CEED 2025 qualifying cut-off?

Ongoing

Registration

Exam Date

Results

Cutoff

Counselling

Factors that Determine CEED 2026 Cutoff

The cutoff for CEED 2026 will be based on the following factors:

Cut off trends of past years' papers
Difficulty level of CEED question paper
Candidate's performance in the exam
Total number of aspirants who take the CEED exam
Total number of seats sanctioned for each course.

Commonly asked questions

Q: What is the difference between the admission and qualifying cut-off of CEED 2025?

Q: Do I need to refer to previous years CEED cut-off?

Q: When will the CEED 2026 result be declared?

How to Calculate CEED Cutoff 2026?

The cutoff for the Part A exam is determined using a specific formula. Candidates can view the formula used to determine the CEED 2026 cutoff for candidates belonging to different reservation categories below.

Category	Calculation for CEED Cutoff
Open	μ + (σ⁄2) = δ
OBC-NCL	0.9δ
SC/ ST/ PwD	0.5δ
δ is the cutoff marks for shortlisted candidates in the General Category μ and σ are the average marks and standard deviation of the distribution of marks obtained by ALL the candidates in Part-A of CEED 2026

Commonly asked questions

Q: How can I access CEED 2025 result?

Q: What details will be mentioned in CEED 2025 result?

How to Calculate CEED 2026 Final Score?

The final CEED score is determined by giving 25% weightage to a candidate’s score in Part A and 75% weightage to an aspirant’s CEED Part B score.

Part	Weightage
CEED Part A	25%
CEED Part B	75%
Total	100%

Commonly asked questions

Q: What is the validity of the CEED 2025 scorecard?

Previous Years' CEED Cutoffs

The cut-off marks for CEED 2026 will be released at the time of seat allotment and admission. Check the CEED cut-off for previous years below.

CEED Cutoff 2021: Minimum Qualifying Marks

Check out the category-wise minimum qualifying marks released by IIT Bombay last year below:

Categories	CEED Minimum Qualifying Marks	Minimum percentage required in Part A for shortlisting
Open	27.30	10%
OBC-NCL/EWS	24.57	9%
SC/ST	13.65	5%
PwD	13.65	5%

CEED 2020 Cutoff

For reference, candidates can go through CEED 2020 qualifying marks of Part A of the exam as well as CEED scores in the table below:

Category	CEED 2020 Part A Qualifying Marks	CEED Qualifying Score 2020
Open	38	30
OBC-NCL	34.2	27
SC	19	15
ST	19	15
PwD	19	15

CEED Answer Key

CEED News

CEED Result 2026

IIT Bombay will tentatively declare the CEED result in the first week of March 2026. The results will be declared online at the CEED 2026 admission portal. To check the results, log in to the portal using your email ID and password. The CEED 2026 Score Card will be out in the second week of March 2026 from the Candidate portal. It is valid for a period of one year from the date of declaration of the result.

CEED Cut-off 2026 - FAQs

Go through the important Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) related to the CEED 2026 cut-off below:

Commonly asked questions

Q: Is the CEED exam tough?

Q: When will the CEED 2026 exam be conducted?

Q: When will the application form for CEED 2026 open?

CEED Exam

Student Forum

Anything you would want to ask experts?

Write here...

When will the admission notification be released for the CEED 2026 exam?

Answered 2 months ago

IIT Bombay will release the admission notification for CEED 2026 exam by October 1, 2025. The admission portal for CEED 2026 will be launched soon- ceed.iitb.ac.in.

The portal contain the updates about the CEED exam. It also contain useful recourses like previous years' question papers, answer keys

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Which are the best books for CEED 2026 preparation?

Answered 2 months ago

The best books for CEED 2026 preparation are:

Cracking CEED & UCEED (2022 Edition) by Ashok Goel and Arjun Kamal
CEED+NID (M.DES) [Paperback] Academy of Fashion & Art Preparation Kit
CEED Common Entrance Exam for Design Pattern & Scheme Preparation Book 2022 [Paperback] Examinspect
CEED ENTRANCE by Acad

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Can I apply for CEED if I am from a non-design background?

Answered 2 months ago

Yes, candidates from engineering, architecture, arts, science, or commerce backgrounds can apply. Candidates must have completed a graduate degree/diploma/postgraduate degree program of a minimum of THREE years (after 10+2 level).

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

When will the CEED 2026 application start?

Answered 2 months ago

CEED 2026 application is expected to start in the first week of October 2025. The official notification will be out by October 1, 2025.

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

When will CEED Examination 2026 be held?

Answered 2 months ago

CEED Entrance Examination 2026 will be conduced on January 18, 2026. The exam timing will be 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10