UCEED 2027 exam on January 17: IIT Bombay releases admit card details

IIT Bombay is set to conduct the Undergraduate Common Entrance Examination for Design (UCEED) 2027 on January 17, 2027. The national-level entrance exam, scheduled from 9 AM to 12 noon, supports admissions to design programs at institutions including IIT Bombay, IIT Guwahati, and IIITDM Jabalpur.

UCEED evaluates candidates on their design aptitude, creativity, and logical reasoning, testing skills such as visualisation, spatial reasoning, observation, and design sensitivity. The examination structure for 2027 maintains a two-part format, similar to previous years, with specific time allocations for each section.

UCEED 2027 Examination Structure and Marking

The UCEED 2027 paper is divided into two compulsory parts, each with distinct time limits and marking schemes. Part A, carrying 200 marks, consists of computer-based questions. It includes 14 Numerical Answer Type (NAT) questions, 15 Multiple Select Questions (MSQ), and 28 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ). NAT questions require a numerical input, MSQ questions can have multiple correct options, and MCQs have one correct option with negative marking for incorrect responses.

Part B, allocated 100 marks, assesses sketching and design aptitude. This section features one sketching question and one design aptitude question, for which candidates write or draw answers in an answer booklet provided by the invigilator 30 minutes before the examination. Part A has a maximum duration of two hours, while Part B is allotted one hour.

For context, the UCEED 2023 question paper had 57 objective-type questions in Part A and two questions in Part B. The marking scheme for UCEED 2023 included +4 for correct NAT answers with no negative marking, partial marking for MSQ, and +3 for correct MCQ answers with -0.71 for incorrect responses. The drawing question in Part B carried 60 marks, contributing to a total of 300 marks for the exam.

IIT Bombay is scheduled to release the admit cards for UCEED 2027 on January 1, 2027. Candidates are advised to check their admit cards thoroughly upon release.

Any discrepancies identified in the admit card must be reported to the authorities by January 8, 2027, at 5 PM. This deadline is critical for ensuring that all details are correct before the examination on January 17, 2027.

Preparation Resources and Key Skills

UCEED tests a range of abilities including visualisation, spatial reasoning, observation, design sensitivity, analytical reasoning, numerical reasoning, language skills, practical knowledge, and design-related thinking. For Part B, drawing practice should cover proportion, composition, perspective, object representation, human figures, visual storytelling, and clear communication.

IIT Bombay provides previous UCEED papers from 2015 to 2026 on its official downloads page, which can serve as a resource for preparation. While IIT Bombay does not publish an official UCEED book list, past toppers have highlighted the importance of daily sketching practice and solving previous year’s question papers, including those for CEED, due to similarities in logical reasoning sections.

Previous Year’s Admission Timeline

For reference, the UCEED 2026 admission cycle began with registration in October 2025, with the last date to apply in November 2025. The entrance exam for 2026 was conducted in January 2026, and results were announced in February 2026.

Eligibility for UCEED 2024 required candidates to have passed Class XII or equivalent in 2023 or be appearing in 2024. The UCEED 2024 exam was conducted on January 21, 2024.

Further reading

• UCEED 2027: Download your scorecard from March 10 to July 31
• UCEED 2027 Part B cutoff released by IIT Bombay: check category-wise scores
• UCEED cutoff: previous closing ranks and marks Next step
• Design college entrance exams 2026: NIFT, UCEED, CEED registration to open October–December
• JEE Main 2027 session 1 registration expected late October; exam in January
• IICD Jaipur: Apply for 2027 B.Design & M.Design admissions now Applications open

Written by Nishit Kumar

Nishit Kumar is a senior EdTech industry leader with over a decade of experience in building and scaling education platforms, shaping their product, content, and growth strategy. At FindMyCollege, Nishit oversees content and editorial strategy, guiding topic selection and content frameworks to ensure accuracy, relevance, and student-first value across the website.

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