UCEED 2026 Exam: Admit Card, Syllabus & Key Dates

UCEED 2026 will take place on January 18th, 2026 and is the entrance exam for B.Des programs at IITs and IIITDM Jabalpur. UCEED admit cards will be available online starting on January 2nd from uceed.iitb.ac.in. IIT Bombay conducts UCEED each year, with approximately 15,000 candidates taking it nationally. Candidates receive UCEED merit-based shortlists and many other schools (result-sharing affiliates) accept UCEED scores as part of their admissions process. In 2026, B.Des programs will have openings from 7 schools. IIT Bombay will oversee the administration of UCEED (exam and enrollment) along with a common seat allocation.

UCEED 2026 is the national exam conducted by IIT Bombay for admission to BDes programs at  IITs and IIITDM Jabalpur. UCEED is conducted once in a year in both offline and online modes. Check the table below for UCEED 2026 highlights:

IIT Bombay will conduct the UCEED 2026 for candidates looking to apply for BDes programs at  IITs and IIITDM Jabalpur. Candidates are advised to check the table below for UCEED 2026 important dates:

UCEED 2026 Admit Card will be available on January 2, 2026, beginning at 1:00 PM for all candidates who have submitted their application successfully. To obtain your exam admit card, you will need to log in to the UCEED-IIT Bombay Official website.

The Admit Card contains important information about the Exam Date & Time, location address, reporting time, and test day instructions. All candidates must bring a valid photo identification along with their admit card to the exam. No candidate will be allowed to take the exam without an admit card. Check below the steps to download UCEED 2026 admit card:

• Visit the official UCEED 2026 candidate portal.

• Click on the Admit Card Download link.

• A login page will appear.

• Enter your registered email ID and password.

• The admit card will be displayed in PDF format.

• Download it and take a clear printout for the exam

UCEED 2026 exam is going to be held in 27 cities in India. When completing the application for the UCEED 2026 candidates will have to choose from one to three (3) choices for their preferred city. The exam center where candidates will have to take their exam is printed on the admit card that is sent to them after they register for the UCEED 2026 exam. It is also important to arrive at the testing location at the reporting time indicated on the admit card.

UCEED 2026 exam is divided into four sections. The updated format includes a total of two separate sections, i.e., Part A (a written test) and Part B (an open-book-style exam with two main questions). The two questions in Part B relate to drawing (which tests drawing skill) and design aptitude (which tests the candidate's ability to think creatively). In Part B of the UCEED exam, both questions can be completed within a 60 min time limit.

Part B questions will be displayed on the screen at the time of the examination. All responses to the Part B questions must be completed in the answer sheet provided by the exam center. Only those candidates who pass Part A of the UCEED will be permitted to complete Part B of the exam. Check the table below for UCEED 2026 exam pattern:

UCEED 2026 application process has closed. To be eligible to apply for B.Des., candidates must have submitted their application before the application submission deadline date.  The applicant will also incur a late fee of INR 500 for applications submitted after the submission deadline date. The regular fee is included with all applications. Below are the steps necessary to complete and submit the UCEED application form:

Online Registration:  Click on the registration link. Candidates will then be required to create an applicant account on this website using their email address and mobile phone number.

Form Filling: Enter the personal, academic, and contact information and choose the preferred exam cities.

Document Upload: The following documents must be uploaded according to the guidelines, i.e., photograph, signature, proof of date of birth, and qualifying examination certificate(s).

Fee Payment: Applicants may pay their application fee online. The fee is INR 4000 for general candidates and INR 2000 for candidates belonging to the reserved categories.

To apply for the B.Des program through UCEED 2026, candidates are required to fulfill the following requirements:

Who Is Not Eligible?

Candidates who appeared for their qualifying examination in 2024 or earlier are not eligible for UCEED 2026.

UCEED 2026 Reservation Criteria

Check the below table for UCEED 2026 reservation criteria:

The official UCEED 2026 syllabus has been released on the IIT Bombay website. There are two parts to the UCEED exam, and each part tests different types of design skills.

• Part A is a computer-based test divided into three question types: NAT, MSQ, and MCQ.

• Part B includes two questions, one drawing question and one Design Aptitude question. The question appears on the screen, but answers must be drawn/written in the answer booklet provided at the exam center.

• Duration: Part A – 120 minutes; Part B – 60 minutes.

Part A Topics

Visualization and Spatial Reasoning: It is defined as being able to visualize and manipulate both 2D and 3D forms while understanding how they relate to one another.

Practical and Scientific Knowledge: It is defined as the ability to identify basic scientific principles and to recognize everyday objects in your environment.

Observation and Design Sensitivity: It is defined as being able to notice the subtle differences between similar items, analyze the system you are presently working within, and utilize critical thinking.

Environment and Society: It is defined as obtaining a general awareness concerning the environment and the connection it has with society and culture.

Analytical and Logical Reasoning: It involves the ability to analyze and evaluate qualitative as well as quantitative data.

Language: It refers to the ability to read and comprehend the English language in alignment with accepted standards.

Creativity: Creativity is defined as the ability to express and interpret ideas through analogies, metaphors, and symbols. In Part B, you will address the following areas:

Part B Topics

Drawing: This section requires the ability to accurately represent objects, people, and scenes through proportioning, perspective, line quality, and shading.

Design Aptitude: Design aptitude requires both the ability to identify a problem and develop a creative solution and utilize both pragmatic and empathetic abilities to balance the desire for creativity with the probability of success.

7 participating institutes offer B.Des programmes through UCEED 2026. Admission to these participating institutions will be based solely on the UCEED 2026 merit list. Candidates are required to achieve a qualifying rank in the examination to be able to apply for admission. IIT Bombay has also established a Joint Seat Allocation (Counselling) for all successful candidates who have been considered for admission. Check the below table for UCEED 2026 participating institutes and seat matrix:

Apart from the institutes that will participate in UCEED 2026, other institutes will accept the UCEED 2026 score to admit students into their B.Des programs. These other institutes may also utilize their own examinations to fill any unoccupied seats, but they will not take part in the Joint Seat Allocation done by IIT Bombay. Check below the table for list of UCEED 2026 result sharing institutes:

The admission process for the Bachelor of Design programs through the Undergraduate Common Entrance Exam for Design (UCEED) offered at IIT Bombay, Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Indore, and Roorkee, as well as IIITDM Jabalpur, has started.

All participating institutions will accept all applications on one common application form. The UCEED Office at IIT Bombay will process all applications and perform joint seat allocation, and the application will be available through the IIT Bombay Admissions Portal. Applicants will be required to pay a counselling fee of ₹4,000 (for all categories and genders), which is non-refundable and non-transferable.

UCEED 2026 Admission Process

• Fill out the application form and obtain the UCEED admit card through the candidate portal once it has been issued.

• Participate in the UCEED Exam on the scheduled date and follow the Exam-Day Guidelines.

• Find the UCEED score & all-India rank through the UCEED Admission Portal.

• Participate in UCEED Counselling to get your B.Des seat allocated from IIT Bombay.

• After confirming your seat in UCEED, check the Final UCEED Admission List to find your seat allotment and follow any required admission steps.

UCEED 2026 counseling process should begin (at the earliest) during the 3rd week of April 2026. The Round 1 Seat Allotment for B. Des admissions will be published (at the latest) during the 4th week of April 2026, and on the same day as the Round 1 seat allotment results are published. Candidates can pay their seat acceptance fees. Candidates wishing to exit or withdraw from this allocation process can do so between the last week of April 2026 and the 2nd week of May 2026 at 6:00 PM.

Admission Schedule for UCEED 2026

Check the below table for admission schedule for UCEED 2026:

IIT Bombay will publish the provisional UCEED 2026 answer key on January 20, 2026, along with the official question paper. Check the below important details about UCEED 2026 answer key:

• Comprising the correct responses to all questions in the Examination, the provisional answer key

• Candidates have the ability to use the answer key to calculate potential scores.

• Candidates will be given the opportunity to submit objections with respect to particular answers via an objection window. Objections must specifically state the number of the question that the candidate is objecting to, along with valid evidence for the objection.

• Candidates should refer to the UCEED 2026 Question Paper, since the order of questions may be different for every test taker.

• Candidates may download the responses to Part A until the declaration of UCEED 2026 Results.

• Final Answer Key is expected on Friday, January 28, 2026, at 5:00 PM, and will be published on the Admissions Portal.

IIT Bombay will likely publish the results of UCEED 2026 on March 06, 2026, at the official UCEED admissions website, accessible via user login using your registered email address and password. Candidates will also have the opportunity to download their UCEED scorecards beginning on March 10, 2026, and continuing through July 31, 2026.

Candidates who achieve a qualified score on the UCEED 2026 will be given a Common Merit Rank (All India Rank). However, this rank does not equal automatic admission to the B Des programme based solely on the rank obtained through UCEED 2026 results.

Check the below steps to check UCEED 2026 result:

1. Visit the UCEED 2026 admission portal and click on the result link.

2. A login page will appear.

3. Enter your registered email ID and password.

4. After logging in, your UCEED 2026 result will be displayed on the screen.

5. Download and print the result for future reference.

These same steps apply for downloading the scorecard. The UCEED 2026 scorecard will remain valid for one year from the date of issue.

Details Mentioned on the UCEED 2026 Scorecard

• Part A marks

• Category-wise qualifying marks

• Candidate’s personal details (name, roll number, photograph, signature)

UCEED cut-off marks for Part A will be made available to candidates on February 5th, 2026, through an announcement made by IIT Bombay. According to the announcement, the UCEED cut-off will include both the mean and standard deviation information. Candidates who achieve the specified cut-off scores will then be eligible for admission to any B.Des. programs at the UCEED 2026 participating institutes. Seat allotment will be based on merit rank, and Part B answer booklets will be evaluated only for those who qualify for Part A.

Important points related to the UCEED 2026 Cut-off for Part A

• The Part A cut-off will be released category-wise.

• Part B evaluation will take place only if the candidate clears the Part A cut-off.

• All candidates meeting the cut-off will be shortlisted for ranking.

• Cut-off marks are determined using a specific formula defined by IIT Bombay.

• All shortlisted candidates will receive a merit rank.

• If a candidate fails to qualify in Part B, they will not be shortlisted and will not be assigned a rank.