CEED 2027: Regular Fee Window Closes 31 October

The gateway exam for MDes and PhD in design

CEED — the Common Entrance Examination for Design — is run by IIT Bombay and is the qualifying test for Master of Design (MDes) and PhD programmes at participating institutes: in recent cycles the IISc Bengaluru and several IITs (Bombay, Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kanpur, Roorkee) and other design schools. Two things candidates get wrong every year: a CEED score does not get you a seat — it only makes you eligible to apply to each institute separately, where portfolio reviews, aptitude tests and interviews still decide — and CEED has no age limit and no attempt limit.

The 2027 dates you need

• Registration opened: 1 October 2026, on www.ceed.iitb.ac.in
• Regular-fee registration closes: 31 October 2026, 11:59 pm
• Registration with late fee closes: 6 November 2026, 5:00 pm
• Admit card: 1 January 2027
• CEED 2027 examination: 17 January 2027 (Sunday), 9:00 am – 12:00 noon
• Result: 3 March 2027 (widely reported; confirm on the portal)
• Scorecard download: from 10 March 2027; the score is valid for one year from the result date

If you are reading this on publication day, the regular-fee window is still open but closing fast — 31 October is the date that matters, and the late window adds a fee for just six extra days.

Who can apply

CEED is unusually open:

• You must have completed a degree, diploma, or postgraduate degree programme of at least three years' duration after Class 12 (10+2) — in any stream: engineering, architecture, fine arts, science, commerce, humanities. All backgrounds are eligible.
• Final-year students can apply, as long as you complete the qualifying programme by July 2027 and meet the institute's joining conditions.
• Candidates who have completed (or will complete by July 2027) the five-year GD Art diploma after Class 10 are also eligible.
• No age limit. No limit on number of attempts. No minimum percentage is required to sit CEED itself. Read that last one carefully, though: individual institutes commonly demand around 55% in the qualifying degree (50% for SC/ST/PwD) at the admission stage, even though the exam does not.

Fees

The reported application fee for Indian candidates is ₹2,000 for women and for SC/ST/PwD candidates, and ₹4,000 for all other candidates, with a ₹500 late fee in the 1–6 November window (₹2,500 / ₹4,500 totals). Fee errors are not refunded and not corrected.

What the exam tests

CEED runs for three hours in two parts. Part A is computer-based and objective/numeric — aptitude for design: visualisation and spatial ability, environmental and social awareness, analytical and logical reasoning, language and creativity, design thinking and problem-solving, and observation and design sensitivity. Part B is the drawing/design component, assessed for drawing skill, creativity, communication, and problem identification. Part A acts as a screening; Part B is evaluated only for candidates who clear the Part A cut-off, and the final merit uses the prescribed Part B weighting. It is, deliberately, an aptitude test — it is not testing whether you already know design software.

How to apply, step by step

• Go to www.ceed.iitb.ac.in and register with a valid email ID and mobile number — all communication (admit card, result) flows through these.
• Fill the application form: personal details, qualifying-degree details, exam city choices, category.
• Upload the photograph, signature, degree/final-year certificate or bonafide, and category/PwBD certificate where applicable, strictly to the specified formats and sizes.
• Pay the fee online and submit before 31 October 2026 for the regular fee, or by 6 November 2026, 5:00 pm with the late fee.
• Download and verify your admit card in early January — check your name, category, and exam city, and contact the CEED office immediately if anything is wrong.

After the result

Download your scorecard from 10 March 2027 and then apply separately to each institute and programme you want — each has its own form, deadline, portfolio requirement, and selection round. Missing an institute's own deadline while celebrating a CEED rank is the classic CEED tragedy. Keep a calendar of institute applications from the day results are out; your scorecard stays valid for one admission cycle only.

Related guides on StudyDesk