BITS Design School Opens Admissions for 2026

Mumbai: BITS Design School (BITSDES), a constituent of BITS Pilani, has announced the commencement of admissions for its four-year, fully residential Bachelor of Design (Honours) programme. Applications for the class of 2026-30 are now open and will close on 1 February 2026.

A total of 180 students will be admitted to the batch. Applicants can qualify through any of the following exams: NID Design Aptitude Test (DAT) Prelims, UCEED, or the BITS Design Aptitude Test (BITSDAT). Those wishing to apply with NID-DAT or UCEED scores are also required to complete and submit their applications by 1 February 2026 with their NID-DAT / UCEED roll numbers. The BITSDAT, a one hour long online test can be taken between 31 March to 5 April 2026.

Only students who have submitted their applications by 1 February 2026 will be able to upload their scores when the application portal is opened between 8 April and 12 April 2026. Fresh applications will not be accepted during the score upload window.

Shortlisted candidates will be announced on 16 April 2026, followed by portfolio uploads from 16 April to 20 April 2026, and online interviews between 2 May and 12 May 2026. Final results will be declared on 18 May 2026. All dates are subject to change at the discretion of BITS Design School.

The previous cohorts represent a wide spectrum of academic backgrounds, including students from Science, Arts, Commerce streams from CBSE, ISC, State Boards, IB, and IGCSE.

Nandita Abraham, Dean, BITS Design School, said, “Design is rapidly becoming integral to how businesses compete, policies are shaped, and societies progress. Our curriculum is designed to create the next generation of design leaders who can translate ideas into impact, across boardrooms, communities, and industries. Our approach integrates design with technology, business, and public policy, ensuring graduates are not only creative thinkers but also future-ready professionals who can drive innovation, sustainability, and growth in the real world.”

BITS Design School offers five pathways within its B Des (Hons) programme — Physical Product Design, Digital Product Design (UI/UX), Design Research & Insights, Experience Design, and Visual Design. Each pathway is aligned with emerging fields that will define the future of design.

The first three semesters of the programme are structured for students to explore design across these five domains. In the fourth semester (second year), they choose from among the pathways. Physical Product Design - to create functional, well-engineered objects and consumer products, Digital Product Design - to build intuitive digital interfaces across apps, immersive web, and interactive systems. Those inclined toward inquiry and strategy can pursue Design Research & Insights, learning to decode people, contexts, and systems to inform decisions for government, consulting, and large-scale social initiatives. Experience Design expands the scope to journeys and services that influence how people interact with brands, environments, daily life, retail, mobility, healthcare, entertainment, and more. Visual Design strengthens the ability to build distinctive identities and communicate ideas through print, graphics, motion, and advanced visualisation.

In keeping with the institute’s vision to bring international perspectives, academic rigour, and real-world exposure to its students, BITS Design School has collaborations with Aalto University, Arizona State University, and the Cumulus Association of Design Universities. These partnerships encompass curriculum development, student and faculty exchange, joint research, and collaborative projects.

BITS Design School is deeply connected with industry and real-world stakeholders. Its Board of Advisors with global design leaders - Don Norman, Sandy Speicher, John Thackara, and Biju Dominic, actively shape the school’s direction through annual reviews of the curriculum, and direct interactions with faculty and students.

The school’s flagship annual conference, Care | Value | Place (CVP), held in October brought together global voices to explore how design can tackle complex societal challenges. A partnership with DesignUp in November further enhanced students’ exposure to contemporary design practice through curated sessions and engagement with design thought leaders. A workshop – Reimagining Future of Work – in association with Stanford d.school, also in November will bring together professionals across industry, government, development sector and academia.

Through annual live projects, students collaborate with organizations and government bodies to apply design principles in real contexts. One such project, conducted with district administrations, NITI Aayog, and Zomato’s Feed India initiative, enabled students to design impactful, real-world solutions with measurable outcomes.

For detailed information on admissions, please visit www.bitsdesign.edu.in

About BITS Design School (BITSDES)

BITS Design School is an initiative of the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani (BITS Pilani), one of India’s leading higher education institutions recognized as an 'Institute of Eminence' by the Government of India. BITSDES is dedicated to fostering a collaborative environment where design students and educators from around the world come together to address global challenges through design and innovation.