CUET is a national-level entrance examination for admission into various UG and PG courses. It was introduced in 2022 by the National Testing Agency (NTA) as a single window for admission into numerous institutes, reducing the burden of appearing for various entrance exams and the potential differences created due to different boards
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29 April 2025
Initially, CUET was named CUCET, which was a common entrance examination for 7 newly established central universities. Now, CUET is a mandatory examination for all 47 central universities and some government universities, particularly in Delhi. Many private and deemed universities that did not have the resources to conduct their own entrance examinations also adopted CUET, and now there are a total of 219 participating institutes.
There are very few institutes that accept CUET scores for admission into design courses like B.Des and BFA. Some of the top central universities that offer design courses include Jamia Millia Islamia, Banaras Hindu University, Delhi University, and GGSIPU. The course fees for B.Des is around INR 4 – 10 Lakhs in total and for BFA is INR 1.4K – 4K per semester.
So in this article, we’ll specifically look at some of the top government institutes that are available for admission through CUET scores.
What is CUET?
CUET refers to the Central University Entrance Test, conducted by NTA for admission into different UG and PG courses offered by all the Central Universities and participating institutes. The CUET-UG is usually conducted from May to June, and CUET-PG from March to April, to open up admission opportunities in 47 central universities, 29 state universities, 23 deemed universities, 113 private universities, and 7 other government institutes
CUET-UG Highlights
Some of the details about CUET-UG are as follows:
- CUET is a computer-based test that will include 50 questions in each paper and the time duration will be 60 minutes for each paper.
- It is conducted in 13 Indian languages, including Assamese, Bengali, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Odia, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.
- There are a total of 37 subjects and the applicants can choose a maximum of 5 subjects including the Languages, General Aptitute Test and domain-specific subjects.
- There will be negative marking for each incorrect answer. 1 mark will be deducted for each wrong answer and 5 marks will be added for every correct answer.
CUET Eligibility for Design Courses
The eligibility criteria for design courses (B.Des or BFA) for the institutes participating in CUET-UG are as follows:
- Passed or appearing for 10+2 or equivalent examination with a minimum aggregate marks of 50% (45% for ST/ SC/ OBC/ PWD/ EWS.
- There is no age limit for appearing for CUET-UG, but for BFA courses, the age should not be above 22 years for some institutes.
How to Apply for CUET?
The candidates interested in appearing for the CUET exam should go through the following steps to complete their registration:
- Visit the NTA’s official website for CUET i.e., www.cuet.nta.nic.in and find the link for online application.
- The new candidates will have to register themselves and will receive and system-generated application number and password to log in to their account.
- Now, the registered candidates can log in to their account and start filling out the application form, which will include personal details, educational qualifications, university/ program selection, test paper details, exam cities, and uploading of images and documents.
- Then pay the application fees and confirm your submission. Download a copy of the confirmation page of the application form for future reference.
Top Government Design Colleges Accepting CUET Scores
CUET is not the most preferred exam for design courses and admission to design colleges. Most of the institutes prefer exams like NATA, UCEED, or conduct their own entrance examination. But it is mandatory for all the central universities to accept admissions based on CUET. So here is the list of central universities that offer design courses based on CUET scores.
The tables below include the list of top NIRF-ranked government colleges accepting CUET that offer design courses.
| NIRF Ranking 2024 | Institute Name | Design Courses Offered | Total Course Fees |
| 3 | Jamia Millia Islamia | B.Des | INR 4,17,560 |
| 5 | Banaras Hindu University | BFA | INR 2,407 |
| 6 | University of Delhi | BFA | INR 4,200 |
| 80 | Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University | B.Des | INR 10,40,995 |
| 99 | Central University of Tamil Nadu | BSc in Textile & Apparel Design | – |
Some of the top IIRF-ranked government institutes that offer design courses are as follows:
| IIRF Ranking 2025 | Institute Name | Courses Offered | Total Course Fees |
| 15 | Footwear Design and Development Institute | B.Des | INR 9,42,600 |
| 17 | Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University | B.Des | INR 10,40,995 |
Some of the other central universities that offer design courses are as follows:
| Institute Name | Courses Offered | Tuition Fees |
| Central University of Himachal Pradesh | BFA | INR 1,480 per semester |
| Dr. Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya | BFA | INR 3,350 per semester |
| Rajiv Gandhi University | BFA | INR 4,140 per semester |
| University of Allahabad | BFA | – |
| Visva-Bharati University | BFA | INR 2,080 per annum |
The top-tier government design institutes like NID conduct their own entrance examination, and other top institutes accept NATA or UCEED for design admissions. CUET opens the doors for admission into the design programs offered in the public universities, which are often underrated but are worth considering. So, those looking to pursue design at an affordable price should surely apply for CUET.
