Compare NID Ahmedabad vs Institute of Design, Nirma University, Ahmedabad

Admission to all of the design courses is on the basis of the candidates’ performance in the two-stages of Design Aptitude Test. The objective of these exams is to assess the knowledge, skills and behavioral abilities of candidates.

Stage 1: Design Aptitude Test (DAT) Prelims

Stage 2: Design Aptitude Test (DAT) Mains

The selection process of admission to the Bachelor of Design programme consists of the following stages:

STEP 1: Entrance examination:
A. UCEED 2026: Undergraduate Common Entrance Examination for Design conducted by IIT Bombay.

Admissions to the Bachelor of Design (BDes) programmes at Institute of Design, Nirma University is done through the shared results of the Undergraduate Common Entrance Examination for Design (UCEED) score conducted by IIT Bombay, the organising institute of the UCEED exam.

Students who passed Class XII (or equivalent) in 2025 or appearing in 2026, in  ANY STREAM (Science, Commerce or Arts and Humanities) are eligible to appear for UCEED 2026. 

STEP 2 : Situation test & Personal Interview

The applicants shortlisted by the Admissions Committee, on the basis of performance in the UCEED / NU-DET will be invited for an Situation test and Personal Interview.

Situation test and Personal Interview of candidates will evaluate general awareness, aptitude and interests, quality of responses to social and cultural issues and candidates ability to articulate their thoughts through creative work done by them.

(This could include drawings, paintings, photographs, films/videos made by the student, craft work, project work, models, written work such as articles, stories, essays, poems, etc. This may be presented to the interview panel. Students should limit the portfolio to a maximum of 10 of their works in total.)

* Additionally, the applicant shall present the necessary original documents for verification. (Two sets of photocopies of original documents to be presented.)

** Personal interviews of UCEED Candidates will be conducted offline.

Age Limit: 

● For Indian Nationals in General Category and General EWS Category: Only those candidates born on or after 1 July 2003 are eligible to apply for admission. 

● For Indian Nationals in Reserved Category (Other Backward Class-Non Creamy Layer (OBC-NCL), Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST): Only those candidates born on or after 1 July 2000 are eligible to apply for admission. 

● For Indian Nationals in PwD Reserved Category: Only those candidates born on or after 1 July 1998 are eligible to apply for admission. 

● For Foreign Nationals in Overseas (Supernumerary) Category: Only those candidates born on or after 1 July 2003 are eligible to apply for admission.

Educational Qualification: 

Examinations considered equivalent to these are as follows: 

● Final examination of the 10+2 system under a Central or State Board recognized by the Association of Indian Universities

● Intermediate or two-year pre-University examination under a Board or University recognized by the Association of Indian Universities. 

● Final examination of the two-year course of the Joint Services Wing of the National Defence Academy. 

● Senior Secondary School examination under the National Institute of Open Schooling, with a minimum of five subjects. 

● Any public school, Board or University examination completed in India or in any foreign country recognized as equivalent to the 10+2 system by the Association of Indian Universities. 

● H.S.C. vocational examination. 

● General Certificate Education (GCE) examination at the Advanced (A) level taken in London, Cambridge or Sri Lanka. 

● AICTE-approved three-year Full time Diploma after Class X offered by Board of Technical Education of any state in India or Union Territories as mentioned on 

● Candidates who have completed final examinations for class XII (or equivalent) outside India or from a Board not specified above should produce an equivalence certificate from the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) confirming that the examination they have passed is equivalent to the Class XII examination conducted in India. This certificate is required to be submitted at the time of document verification. Visit http://www.aiu.ac.in for more details about how to obtain an equivalence certificate.

The candidates seeking admission in the first year of the degree program leading to Bachelor of Design (BDes) shall have passed the HSC examination (10+2) or any other recognized examination considered equivalent by Nirma University with a minimum 50% aggregate mark.

OR

The candidates holding a 10+3 diploma approved by the State Board of Technical Education or any other board/university considered equivalent by Nirma University with a minimum of 50% aggregate marks will also be eligible.