Non-design students from various fields are ditching the conventional courses are opting for the UCEED Entrance Test, which is conducted by IIT Bombay for B.Des programmes. Read on to find the reason.
UCEED 2026
Now, not every student aspires to become a doctor or an engineer. Gone are the days when students only want to go for B.Tech or MBBS or MBA. With the help of IIT Bombay, non-design students have an option to get admission to IITs.
Non-design students are shifting towards IIT UCEED for the following reasons.
- Students from any stream can apply for IIT UCEED. This is one of the biggest reasons for Non-design students shifting towards UCEED.
- Competition is relatively less compared to admission in other courses offered by IITs like B.Tech, M.Tech.
- The option of shifting to a dual degree programme is available to the students at the end of their 3rd year in B.Des programme under IITs.
- Students have a choice of a large number of elective courses that provide an opportunity to specialise in the various areas of design. This course will help them face real-life problems.
- There is a series of design projects in each semester, which is covered through field trips and real-world experiences, enabling students to engage with design issues and develop an understanding of design methodology.
- IITs have excellent facilities, technical expertise and academic diversity. They are involved with impactful design and research projects of national importance.
- Design industry offers many opportunities and paths.
Names of IITs Participating in UCEED Exam
The list of institutes at IITs through UCEED 2026 is:
| Sr No. |
Institute |
Design Department |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
IIT Bombay |
IDC School of Design |
| 2 |
IIT Delhi |
Department of Design |
| 3 |
IIT Guwahati |
Department of Design |
| 4 |
IIT Hyderabad |
Department of Design |
| 5 |
IIT Roorkee |
Department of Design |
| 6 |
IIITDM Jabalpur |
Design Discipline |
| 7 |
IIT Indore |
School of Innovation |
Eligibility Criteria for UCEED Admission 2026?
To appear in UCEED 2026 exam, candidate needs to meet the following UCEED eligibility criteria 2026.
- Criterion 1 Age limit: The candidate should be born on or after October 1, 2001. If the candidate belongs to the SC, ST, or PwD category, then they need to be born on or after October 1, 1996. This may change with the release of the notification and guidelines.
- Criterion 2 Number of attempts: A candidate can attempt UCEED a maximum of TWO times, and that too in consecutive years. The score of UCEED is valid for one year and only for admissions in the same corresponding academic year.
- Criterion 3 Qualifying examination: The candidate should have passed all subjects in the 10+2 exam in 2025, or should be appearing for the qualifying examination for the first time in 2026, to be eligible for attempting UCEED 2026. Students from all streams (Science, Commerce, and Arts & Humanities) are eligible. Those who appeared for the first time in their qualifying examination (Class XII) in 2024 or earlier are NOT eligible to appear in UCEED 2026.
If you are appearing in the qualifying examination (Class XII or equivalent) in 2026 you must ensure the following:
- (a) all parts of their final examination are completed by the date of application for admission, and
- (b) submit proof of having passed the qualifying examination with required eligibility by September 30, 2026 to the admitting institute.
Eligibility criteria to participate in UCEED counselling are given below.
Candidate must be born on or after October 1, 2001.
Candidate must have qualifed in UCEED 2026 exam.
Candidate must have passed all five subjects in 10+ 2 or an equivalent exam in 2025 or 2026. Candidates appearing in the qualifying exam for the first time in 2024 or earlier are NOT eligible.
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Sayeba Naushad is a commerce postgraduate from Banaras Hindu University. She has over five years of experience in content writing and editing. She has a nose for current events in design field. At Shiksha.com, she s
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Note that the Part B answer booklet will be evaluated only if the candidate qualifies Part A. Further, only such candidates who have qualified Part A will be shortlisted and allocated a merit rank.
This means if the candidates fails to qualify Part A of UCEED 2026, they will not be issued any merit ranks. The scorecards of such candidates will merely includes Part A scores. In contrast, the screcards of shortlisted will include a merit rank, total and sectional scores. Further, all shortlisted candidates will be eligible to participate in UCEED 2026 and seat allotment.