CEED — M.Des eligibility, paper pattern, cut-offs & fees
The Common Entrance Exam for Design is the qualifying test for M.Des programmes at IISc Bangalore, eight IITs and two IIITDMs, and for design Ph.D.s at several institutes. CEED 2027 is on Sunday, 17 January 2027; each institute then runs its own admission.
A qualifying test — the M.Des seat comes from each institute
CEED is conducted by IIT Bombay under the UCEED-CEED Implementation Committee (UCIC 2027). It tests visual perception, drawing, logical reasoning, creativity, communication and problem solving. [1]
A CEED score alone does not give admission: institutes announce their own M.Des admissions and may hold further tests or interviews, and they verify eligibility and category documents. The score is valid for one year from the result. [1]
CEED 2027 calendar [1]
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Online registration (regular fee) | 1 October 2026 (1 PM) – 31 October 2026 |
| Late registration (₹500 extra) | Up to 6 November 2026, 5 PM |
| Admit card | From 1 January 2027, 1 PM |
| Exam | Sunday, 17 January 2027, 9 AM – 12 noon |
| Draft answer key (Part-A) · comments | 19 January 2027 · till 21 January, 5 PM |
| Part-A cut-off announced | 4 February 2027 |
| Result | 3 March 2027 |
| Score card download | 10 March – 31 July 2027 |
Any three-year degree or diploma — no age limit, no attempt cap
- A graduate degree, diploma or postgraduate degree of at least three years after Class 12 — completed, or with the final exam by July 2027. The brochure does not restrict the discipline.
- Or the 5-year Government Diploma in Art (G.D. Art) after Class 10, passed by July 2027.
- No age limit, and you may take CEED any number of times. [1]
Admitting institutes can set stricter eligibility for their M.Des (for example a particular degree or marks). Check each programme's rules before you register. [1]
Part-A: 1 hour on computer. Part-B: 2 hours on paper
Part-A (computer-based, 9–10 AM, 150 marks) [1]
| Section | Questions | Correct | Wrong | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAT — numerical answer | 8 | +4 | 0 (no negative) | 32 |
| MSQ — one or more correct | 10 | +4 (partial +3 / +2 / +1) | −1 | 40 |
| MCQ — one correct | 26 | +3 | −0.5 | 78 |
| Total | 44 | 150 |
Part-B (answer booklet, 10 AM–12 noon, 100 marks) [1]
| Question | Marks |
|---|---|
| Sketching | 20 |
| Creativity | 20 |
| Form Sensitivity | 20 |
| Visual Sensitivity | 20 |
| Problem Identification | 20 |
- Part-B is marked (with partial marks, no negatives) only for candidates who clear the Part-A cut-off, which is worked out from the mean and standard deviation of all Part-A marks. OBC-NCL / EWS need 0.9 times and SC / ST / PwD 0.5 times the general cut-off.
- Final score = 0.25 × Part-A + 0.75 × Part-B. All shortlisted candidates get a rank. There is no re-evaluation.
- Bring your own pens, pencils, sketch pens, colours and a clean drawing board; water colours are not allowed. [1]
Relaxed cut-offs in CEED; seat quotas at each institute
CEED itself has no seat matrix. The brochure gives reserved categories a relaxed Part-A cut-off (0.9× for OBC-NCL / EWS, 0.5× for SC / ST / PwD) and requires EWS / OBC-NCL certificates issued on or after 1 April 2026, in the Central formats in its appendices. [1]
- PwD candidates need a UDID card or a medical certificate showing at least 40% disability; severe, permanent dyslexia also counts with a college certificate.
- PwD candidates may get 20 minutes per hour extra, and a scribe for Part-A only — Part-B must be drawn by the candidate.
- The merit list is drawn up by the category you register in, so upload the right certificate. [1]
The SC, ST, OBC-NCL and EWS seat shares are applied by each admitting IIT / IISc / IIITDM in its own M.Des admission notice, not by the CEED office. [1]
Register on ceed.iitb.ac.in by 31 October 2026
- Upload a recent colour photo and signature (.jpg) and your degree / diploma certificate — or the final-year mark list, provisional certificate or a Principal / HoD certificate (Appendix 1) if you are still studying.
- Add category and PwD certificates as PDFs; a gazette notification, marriage certificate or passport if your name differs from the degree.
- Choose three exam cities in order — the city cannot be changed later. [1]
CEED 2027 registration fee (non-refundable) [1]
| Candidate | Fee |
|---|---|
| All women candidates | ₹2,000 |
| SC / ST / PwD | ₹2,000 |
| All others | ₹4,000 |
| Late fee (1–6 November 2026) | + ₹500 |
UPI, credit card, debit card and net banking are accepted; bank charges are extra. [1]
M.Des at IISc, eight IITs and two IIITDMs
M.Des programmes that use CEED (2027 brochure) [1]
| Institute | M.Des specialisations |
|---|---|
| IISc Bangalore (Design & Manufacturing) | Product Design, Development & Management |
| IIT Bombay (IDC School of Design) | Animation, Communication, Industrial, Interaction, Mobility & Vehicle Design; M.Des by Research |
| IIT Delhi | Industrial Design |
| IIT Gandhinagar | Integrated Design & Technology |
| IIT Guwahati | Design |
| IIT Hyderabad | Visual, Product, Interaction Design; Photography, Film and Animation |
| IIT Jodhpur | XR Design, Smart Product Design |
| IIT Kanpur | Master of Design |
| IIT Roorkee | Industrial Design |
| IIITDM Jabalpur | Design |
| IIITDM Kancheepuram | Integrated Product Design |
Most of these departments also take CEED-qualified candidates for a Ph.D. in Design. The UCEED-CEED office does not handle M.Des admission or scholarships — contact the department. [1]
Where these facts come from
Every fact on this page is taken from the official files below, read on 15 October 2026. Exam bodies change rules, fees and dates every cycle — open the current bulletin before you apply.
- IIT Bombay — CEED 2027 Information Brochure (v1.0, 1 Oct 2026) (opens in a new tab) About CEED, paper structure, marking, shortlisting, final score, dates, cities, programmes, eligibility, fees, uploads, PwD provisions · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
Spotted something out of date? Email margdarshan07support10@gmail.com with the official link and we will update it.
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