UCEED 2026: Notification (Oct 1), Exam Date (January 18), Registration, Eligibility, Pattern

UCEED 2026: The UCEED 2026 Entrance Exam is scheduled to take place on January 18, 2026 (Sunday), and the exam timing will be from 9 AM to 12 PM. The UCEED 2026 official notification is going to be released on October 1, 2025. This year, IIT Bombay will be conducting the UCEED exam for B.Des Program admission at IITs. Moreover, the UCEED entrance exam 2026 will be conducted in online mode for a duration of three hours in English language only. During the registration of UCEED exam, candidates must pay the fees of INR 3,800 (general) and INR 1,900 (reserved & female) via online mode. The UCEED 2026 Syllabus includes key topics like Visualisation and Spatial Reasoning, Practical and Scientific Knowledge, and Observation and Design Sensitivity. UCEED 2026 Participating IITs include IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Guwahati, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Indore, IIT Roorkee, and IIITDM Jabalpur. Read further to know more about the UCEED 2026 Eligibility, Registration, Exam Dates, Pattern, Syllabus, and more in detail.

Check UCEED 2026 College Predictor Here

UCEED 2026 Highlights

The Undergraduate Common Entrance Examination for Design, or UCEED 2026, is a national-level design entrance exam. The exam is conducted by IIT Bombay for B.Des admission at seven IITs. The UCEED entrance exam is conducted once every year in online mode. Last year, over 15,00 students registered for the exam while 13,500 students appeared for the exam. Candidates can get admission in the B.Des programme at the IITs based on their UCEED 2026 scores. Check out the following table for the major highlights of the UCEED 2026 exam.

UCEED 2026 Exam Dates (Tentative)

The UCEED 2026 exam date is January 18, 2026. The notification is going to be released on October 1, 2025. The UCEED Result 2026 may be announced by March 2026. Check out the following table for tentative UCEED 2026 Exam Dates.

UCEED 2026 Eligibility Criteria

To appear for UCEED 2026, candidates must meet specific eligibility requirements related to age, academic qualifications, and examination attempts. The candidate should have passed their Class 12 or equivalent exam in 2025 or 2026 from any stream like Science, Commerce, or Arts. Candidates who first appeared for the qualifying exam in 2024 or earlier are not eligible. Reservation is provided to candidates belonging to EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, ST, and PwD categories as per the Government of India norms. A 5-year age relaxation is given to SC, ST, and PwD candidates. Check out the table below for UCEED 2026 Eligibility.

UCEED 2026 Registration

The UCEED 2026 application form is expected to be available from the first week of October 2025 to the third week of November 2025. Candidates meeting the eligibility criteria must complete their registration online before the last date. A late registration window will be available with an additional fee of INR 500. The UCEED 2026 application fee will be around INR 3,800 for the General category and INR 1,900 for the Reserved category. Check UCEED 2026 Registration Here

How to Fill UCEED 2026 Application Form?

Follow the steps given below to fill out the UCEED 2026 application form. The steps are as follows-

1. Visit the official website and click on the registration link.
2. Create an account using a valid email ID and mobile number.
3. Enter personal, academic, and contact details.
4. Choose preferred exam cities in the order of priority.
5. Upload scanned copies of the photograph, signature, date of birth proof, and Class 12 certificate in the prescribed format.
6. Pay the UCEED 2026 fees via online mode.

UCEED 2026 Exam Pattern

The UCEED 2026 exam will consist of two parts namely, Part A (Computer-Based) and Part B (Offline). Part A will include Numerical Answer Type (NAT), Multiple Select Questions (MSQ), and Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ). Part B will have 2 subjective questions: one on Drawing and another on Design Aptitude. Only those who qualify Part A will have their Part B evaluated. The total duration of the exam will be 3 hours (180 minutes). Check out the following table for the exam pattern of UCEED 2026.

UCEED 2026 Syllabus

The UCEED 2026 Syllabus includes a variety of topics to test design aptitude, creativity, logical reasoning, and drawing skills. Part A will assess spatial reasoning, practical knowledge, observation, logical reasoning, and language skills, while Part B will test a candidate's drawing and design aptitude. Check out the following table for UCEED 2026 Syllabus.

UCEED 2026 Admit Card

The UCEED 2026 Admit Card will be released tentatively in the first week of January 2026 by IIT Bombay on the official UCEED admission portal. It will be issued only to candidates who have successfully completed the application process. The UCEED 2026 Admit Card will include important details such as the exam date and time, exam centre name and address, reporting time, candidate’s details, and exam-day guidelines. Candidates must carry a printed copy of the admit card along with a valid photo ID on the exam day. Without the admit card, candidates will not be allowed to appear for the UCEED 2026 exam. In case of any discrepancy, candidates must contact the exam authority and get it corrected before the deadline.

How to Download UCEED 2026 Admit Card?

Candidates can follow the steps given below to download the UCEED Admit Card 2026 online. The steps are as follows-

1. Go to the official UCEED 2026 candidate portal.
2. Click on the UCEED 2026 admit card download link.
3. A login page will open, and enter the registered email ID and password.
4. After logging in, the UCEED 2026 admit card will be displayed in PDF format.
5. Download and take a printout of the admit card for future reference.

UCEED 2026 Answer Key

The UCEED 2026 Draft Answer Key will be released in the last week of January 2026 along with the question paper. The answer key contains the official answers to the questions asked in the exam. Candidates can use the answer key to calculate their probable scores before the UCEED 2026 Result is declared. They will also be allowed to submit objections against the draft answer key within a specified time, with proper justification and proof. The UCEED Final Answer Key 2026 will be released after considering all valid objections.

How to Download UCEED 2026 Answer Key?

Candidates can follow the steps given below to download the answer key of UCEED 2026. The steps are as follows-

1. Visit the UCEED 2026 admission portal.
2. Click on the link for the draft or final answer key.
3. The answer key will open in PDF format.
4. Download and save the answer key for reference.
5. Use it along with the question paper to verify the responses.

UCEED 2026 Results

The UCEED 2026 results are expected to be declared in the first week of March 2026 on the official admission portal. Candidates will need to log in using their registered email ID and password to check their results. The UCEED Result 2026 will include Part A marks, category-wise qualifying marks, and the candidate’s details. Shortlisted candidates will be given a Common Merit Rank (All India Rank). However, obtaining a rank does not guarantee admission; it depends on counselling and seat allotment. The UCEED 2026 Scorecard will be available from the second week of March 2026. The UCEED scorecard will be valid for one year from the date of issue.

How to Check the UCEED 2026 Result?

Candidates may follow the steps below to check their UCEED 2026 Result online. The steps are as given below-

1. Go to the UCEED 2026 admission portal.
2. Click on the result link.
3. A login page will open. Enter the registered email ID and password.
4. The UCEED 2026 result will appear on the screen.
5. Download and print the result for future use.

UCEED 2026 Cutoff

IIT Bombay will release the UCEED 2026 Part A cutoff marks in category-wise and will be based on the mean and standard deviation. Only candidates who meet the Part A cutoff will have their Part B answer booklets evaluated. Shortlisted candidates will be ranked, and those with higher ranks will have better chances during seat allotment. If a candidate fails in Part B, they will not be shortlisted or assigned a rank. The evaluation of Part B is manual, and IIT Bombay does not provide evaluated answer booklets to candidates.

Factors Affecting UCEED 2026 Cutoff

The factors affecting the UCEED 2026 Cutoff are as given below-

• Number of candidates appearing for the exam
• Difficulty level of the paper
• Number of seats available in participating institutes
• Reservation category of the candidate
• Previous years’ cutoff trends

UCEED 2026 Counselling

The UCEED 2026 Counselling Process will be conducted by IIT Bombay for admission to the B.Des program at participatingIITs and IIITDM Jabalpur. The counselling will include five rounds of seat allotment, starting tentatively in the last week of April 2026. Candidates who qualify in UCEED 2026 and meet the eligibility criteria can apply through the common counselling application form. Seat allotment will be based on the UCEED 2026 merit rank, category, and preferences filled by the candidates. After each allotment, candidates must accept the seat and pay the seat acceptance fee to confirm their admission. If any seats remain vacant after the central counselling rounds, IIITDM Jabalpur may conduct a spot admission round at the institutional level. There will be no spot admissions at IITs after the completion of the counselling process.

UCEED 2026 Counselling Procedure

The steps involved in UCEED Counselling 2026 are as given below-

1. Candidates must fill out the B.Des admission application form online through the UCEED 2026 counselling portal by providing personal, academic, and exam details along with their preferred institutes.
2. Based on UCEED 2026 rank, category, and preferences, seats will be allotted. Candidates must accept the allotted seat and pay the seat acceptance fee within the given deadline.
3. After accepting a seat, candidates may choose to freeze (confirm the seat and stop further rounds), float (accept the seat but remain eligible for higher preferences in later rounds), or withdraw (opt-out of the admission process).
4. Finally, candidates must report to the allotted institute on the specified date with all required documents for verification and completion of the admission process.

UCEED 2026 FAQs