BITS Design School (BITSDES), Mumbai, has opened applications for its 2027 intake to the four-year Bachelor of Design (Honours) programme.
The 2027 intake has 210 places
BITS Design School (BITSDES), Mumbai, has opened applications for its 2027 intake to the four-year Bachelor of Design (Honours) programme. The school plans to admit two hundred and ten students to the incoming cohort. Applications close on January 31, 2027, giving applicants a fixed deadline before the assessment and score-submission stages of the admissions process.¹
Applicants qualify based on scores in the BITS Design Aptitude Test (BITSDAT), UCEED or NID DAT Prelims. BITSDAT is also mandatory, so applicants must take it even when they qualify using scores from UCEED or NID DAT Prelims. The test is online and lasts one hour. Applicants can use the available test slots during the scheduled testing window, which falls after applications close.¹
After the third semester, students can select one of five pathways: Physical Product Design, Digital Product Design (UI/UX), Design Research and Insights, Experience Design, and Visual Design.
Score uploads precede the admission decisions
Applicants must upload their preliminary examination scores to the application portal between April 6 and April 10, 2027. The shortlist is based on the highest relative score among the scores submitted and is announced on April 14. Final admission results are announced on May 20, 2027. The process therefore has separate stages for uploading scores, shortlisting candidates and announcing final results.¹
After the third semester, students can select one of five pathways: Physical Product Design, Digital Product Design (UI/UX), Design Research and Insights, Experience Design, and Visual Design. The choices cover physical and digital products, research and insights, experience, and visual design. The school places this selection point after the third semester, rather than at the start of the programme.¹
Second-year students completed internships across 12 sectors
Education & University InsightsUGC Opens Applications for Distance Learning Programs for 2027 Session
Institutions can apply between September 1 and September 15 for the January-February 2027 session, with documents due by September 25.
Read More →The second-year batch completed Practice School-I this summer, with 138 students undertaking internships at 85 organisations across 12 industry sectors. The placements included aerospace, polar research, financial innovation and consumer industries. The school described the internships as exposing students to design challenges in real-world professional contexts, spanning work across the listed sectors and organisations.¹
New Venture Creation is a three-credit course run by BITS Pilani alumni across all campuses and included in the Bachelor of Design curriculum. The course aims to develop entrepreneurial capabilities. In its first instance, six venture ideas developed by BITS Design School students were selected and are under consideration for funding by investors. The selection is for funding consideration; the stated status is not a funding award.¹
The school lists global collaborators and several scholarships
The school collaborates with Aalto University, RMIT University, Stanford d.school, Arizona State University and Nottingham Trent University. The stated purpose of the collaborations includes opportunities for students to learn beyond their immediate context, exchange ideas and understand how design is practised globally. Nandita Abraham, Dean of BITS Design School, said, “Big problems don’t respect boundaries, neither does design at BITS Design School.”¹
The Chancellor’s Scholarship is offered to selected high-potential students and provides a 100% tuition fee waiver. It also includes an international exposure opportunity in the second year and an internship arranged by the Chancellor’s Office in the third year. Separately, the school offers merit-based and merit-and-means scholarships to a significant proportion of the student intake for the full duration of the course.¹
In its first instance, six venture ideas developed by BITS Design School students were selected and are under consideration for funding by investors.
Weigh Test, Timing, and Pathway Fit
If you are applying to a design programme, note that a mandatory aptitude test applies even when you hold another qualifying score such as UCEED or NID DAT Prelims. Plan your preparation around the one-hour online BITSDAT window from March 29 to April 5, 2027, and remember that applications close on January 31, 2027. Missing these fixed dates closes the door regardless of your portfolio or prior scores.¹
Your choice of specialization does not happen at entry. You select from five pathways only after semester three, so your first-year courses and internships shape that decision. The second-year batch already completed internships across 12 sectors, including aerospace and financial innovation, which shows how early exposure broadens your options. Also factor in the Chancellor's Scholarship's full fee waiver and arranged internship when comparing costs and outcomes.¹
Sources
Education & University InsightsUGC Opens ODL and Online Programme Applications for 2027 Session
Institutions must file through the DEB portal and deliver the original affidavit and annexures to the UGC’s New Delhi address.
Read More →Written by Career Ahead AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify key facts. Report errors to support@careeraheadonline.com
