Top Design Colleges in Kolkata 2025

Design courses are quite popular in Kolkata and the city of joy has a total of 43 colleges offering design courses. Some of the popular design courses offered at these colleges in Kolkata are BDes, BSc in Design, BFA, MFA, MDes, MSc in Design, PhD in Design, etc. Applicants interested in getting admission to these top design colleges in Kolkata must appear in entrance exams like UCEED, CEED, CUET, NIFT Entrance Exam, FDDI AIST, etc. Some of the top design government colleges in Kolkata are NIFT Kolkata and FDDI Kolkata. The popular private design colleges in Kolkata are Techno India University, ESEDS School of Design, GFI Kolkata, Heritage Institute of Technology, NSHM Knowledge Campus, etc. These colleges offer design courses at a reasonable rate and also offer campus placements. You can learn more about the design colleges in Kolkata like fees, admission process, their ROI, and more by reading below. 

Top Design Colleges in Kolkata Highlights

Top Design Colleges in Kolkata With Fees

With so many design colleges to choose from, students may get overwhelmed. That is why we have provided the fees for the top design colleges in Kolkata. The fees provided is for the session 2025-26. Students can choose one of the best colleges/universities offering design courses based on the fees. Check the table below for the best government and private design colleges with fees in Kolkata.

Government Design Colleges in Kolkata 2025

Top 5 Private Design Colleges in Kolkata 2025

How Affordable Are Design Colleges in Kolkata

Interested applicants can apply for admission to design colleges in Kolkata with fees as low as less than one lakh and as high as more than five lakhs per annum. The fees for design courses vary from one college to another. Also the fees will depend on the course you choose. For example, a UG course in design in Kolkata will cost you more than a diploma course. 

Specialisation Offered in Design Colleges in Kolkata

Design colleges in Kolkata offer courses like BDes, MDes, BSc in Design, etc. Such courses are offered in multiple specialisations e.g. graphic design, footwear design, textile design, etc.  Depending on the requirement, a candidate can choose a design college in Kolkata that offers the specialisation they are looking for. Below we have mentioned the top specialisations available for applicants of design courses in Kolkata. 

1. Footwear Design
2. Graphic Design
3. Jewellery Design
4. Visual Communication
5. Leather Design
6. Textile Design
7. Knitwear Design
8. UI/UX Design
9. Apparel Design
10. Automotive Design
11. Game Design
12. Lifestyle Accessory Design
13. Fashion Design

Top Design Colleges in Kolkata 2025: Placement Wise

The best design colleges in Calcutta all have a dedicated placement cell. The major role of the placement cell is to identify the candidates suited for placements, train them and introduce them to good companies. The training and placement cell of the top design colleges in Kolkata offer placement in companies like Nike, Benetton, Senco, Park Avenue, etc. Applicants interested in the average package offered to design students in top colleges of Kolkata can check the table below. 

Top Recruiters At Design Colleges in Kolkata 2025

Top Design Colleges in Kolkata Admission 2025

Students must pass the required qualifying exam for admission to the top design colleges in Kolkata. For example, BDes is a UG course and for admission, students must have completed the class 12 exam from a recognised college. Similarly, for PG courses like MDes, MFA, etc candidates need to provide a graduation marksheet. Along with the previous qualifying exam mark sheets, the top design colleges in Kolkata also require candidates to provide the mark sheet of a valid entrance exam. The colleges in Kolkata offering design courses accept entrance exams like UCEED, CUET, NIFT Entrance Exam, etc. It is important to note that some design colleges in Kolkata also grant admission based on merit in the qualifying exam marks. Also, direct admission to courses are also offered in some colleges. Check the top design colleges in Kolkata admission process below. 

Design Colleges in Kolkata Admission Process 2025

Follow the steps below to complete the admission process of the best design colleges in Kolkata. 

1. Apply for one of the entrance exams for design courses and obtain a valid score card.
2. Choose one of the top design colleges in Kolkata from here and visit their site to apply for admission.
3. Fill out the application form and attach all the required documents including the entrance exam scorecard.
4. Now pay the design course application fee fees and submit the application.
5. Appear in the interview round and the document verification process.
6. The college will evaluate your application based on the marks obtained in class 12, graduation and the entrance exam (as per the selected course).
7. If selected, the admission confirmation letter will be sent to you. 
8. When you accept the offer, you must pay the admission fee for the course to confirm your admission.

Entrance Exams Accepted at Top Design Colleges in Kolkata

UCEED - Admission to UG design courses like BDes in Kolkata can be made through UCEED scores. A majority of colleges in Kolkata accept UCEED scores for admission to various UG courses in design. If you want to apply for admission to UG design courses then fill out the exam form for UCEED in the month of October and then attend the exam in January next year. 

CEED - One of the top national-level entrance exams for admission to PG and PhD courses offered by design colleges in Kolkata is CEED. It is conducted every year by IIT Bombay. CEED exam scores are required for admission to popular PG design courses like MDes. The application for CEED starts in October and the exam is conducted in January next year similar to UCEED. 

CUET - For UG and PG design courses offered by various universities and colleges in Kolkata, CUET scores are accepted for admission. It is a national-level entrance exam for various UG and PG design courses conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). Registration for the CUET exam starts in February every year and the exam is held in May.

NIFT Entrance Exam - For admission to NIFT Kolkata students need to appear in the NIFT Entrance Examination conducted centrally for all NIFT campuses. The NIFT Entrance Exam consists of three parts, CAT, GAT and the situation test. As for the weightage of these parts, CAT has 50%, GAT has 30%, while the situation test has 20% weightage in the entrance exam. The exam is conducted in the month of February every year. 

FDDI All India Selection Test (FDDI AIST) - FDDI Kolkata offers courses like B.Des (Footwear Design & Production), B.Des (Fashion Design), and B.Des (Leather Goods & Lifestyle Products). For admission to these courses, candidates need to appear in the FDDI AIST entrance exam which is an all-India level examination conducted every year. 

Top Design Colleges in Kolkata Entrance Exam Dates 2025

The entrance exams accepted at design colleges in Kolkata are UCEED, CEED, CUET, NIFT Entrance Exam, etc. The exam dates for various entrance exams for design courses have been released for 2025. For example, CEED and UCEED exams in 2025 will be held on January 19, 2025. As for CUET, it is expected that the exam for UG and PG course admission will be held in May 2025. Students can check the exam dates for various entrance exams accepted at top design colleges in Kolkata below. 

Best Design Colleges in Kolkata Cutoff

Design colleges in Kolkata cutoffs are now out for admission to various courses. Keep in mind that the cutoffs are released based on the marks obtained in the accepted entrance exams. Some colleges conduct their own counselling rounds and then release the design courses cutoffs in Kolkata while some have a set minimum score required for admission. The best design colleges in Kolkata cutoffs have been added in the table below. 

ROI Of Best Design Colleges in Kolkata 2025

When choosing a design college one of the most important things to look at is the ROI or Return on Investment calculation. It tells you how long it will take you to recover the fees for the design course in Kolkata after you get a job. This calculation can be made by using the average yearly fees of the design course and the average salary package offered to students of this college. You can use the following formula to calculate: ROI Percentage = { (Average Salary Package) / (Average Annual Fees) } x 100%. We have provided the ROI percentage of top design colleges in Kolkata in the table below for your reference.