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FDDI Chennai offers admissions for the 2026-27 Academic Year into a range of creative and management programs such as B.Des and M.Des programs with fees ranging from INR 5 Lakhs to 9 Lakhs. Admission is based on the AIST 2026 entrance exam or national scores like UCEED, with a centralized counseling process for seat allotment.
Undergraduate Programs
- Courses: B.Des (Footwear Design & Production, Fashion Design, Leather Lifestyle & Product Design).
- Admission: Based on the FDDI AIST (All India Selection Test), which evaluates Analytical Ability, Verbal Ability, General Awareness, and Design/Business Aptitude. Candidates with valid UCEED scores can apply for a written exam waiver for B.Des.
- Total Duration: 4 Years.
- Fee Range (Total Course):
- B.Des: Approx. INR 9.45 Lakhs.
Postgraduate Programs
- Courses: M.Des (Retail & Fashion Merchandise).
- Admission: Based on the FDDI AIST followed by a centralized counseling process.
- Total Duration: 2 Years.
- Fee Range (Total Course):
- M.Des: Approx. INR 5.86 Lakhs.
Table of Contents
FDDI Chennai Admission Dates 2026
Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI) Chennai follows the centralized admission timeline managed by the Noida headquarters. The Chennai campus adheres to a single national schedule for all B.Des and M.Des programs for the 2026-27 session.
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Application Window | 24th Dec 2025 – 20th April 2026 |
| Late Registration Deadline | 30th April 2026 |
| Application Editing Window | 21st – 22nd April 2026 |
| Admit Card Release | 1st May 2026 |
| AIST Entrance Exam | 10th May 2026 |
| Merit List | TBA on Official Website |
| Counselling | June 2026 |
| Fees Payment Deadline | 15th July 2026 |
| Commencement of Classes | TBA on Official Website |
FDDI Chennai B.Des Admissions 2026
FDDI Chennai offers industry-integrated undergraduate programs under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It provides specialized technical education designed to create global professionals in footwear, fashion, leather lifestyle, and retail management.
The details of the programs and selection process are provided below:
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Form | Bachelor of Design (B.Des) |
| Course Level | Undergraduate (UG) |
| Total Duration | 4 Years (8 Semesters) |
| Entrance Exam | FDDI AIST (All India Selection Test) |
| Eligibility Criteria | 10+2 Pass in any stream (Science, Commerce, or Humanities). Max age: 25 years as of July 1, 2026. |
| Admission Process | Based on AIST score (Aptitude + Design), followed by centralized counseling. |
| Total Fees | ~INR 9.45 Lakhs (Total program inclusive of tuition and other fees). |
| Core Curriculum | Hands-on workshop training, CAD/CAM labs, specialized leather tanning studies, and industry internships. |
| Career Path | Footwear Designer, Product Developer, Fashion Consultant, Merchandiser, or Leather Goods Specialist. |
| Placement | ~82% – 85% placement rate with recruiters like Adidas, Bata, Sabyasachi, and Reliance Retail. |
Specialization and Seat Intake
| Course | Key Specializations | Seat Intake | Core Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| B.Des Footwear | Footwear Design & Production | 80 | High-end technical manufacturing, 3D footwear design, and material science. |
| B.Des Fashion | Fashion Design | 60 | Garment construction, textile innovation, and trend forecasting for global markets. |
FDDI Chennai B.Des Admission FAQs
Ques. Is a portfolio required for the B.Des admission?
Ans. Unlike NID or NIFT, FDDI’s regular B.Des admission through AIST does not mandatory require a creative portfolio. Selection is 100% based on your entrance exam performance and subsequent counseling.
Ques. Is there an age limit for the B.Des program?
Ans. Yes, the maximum age limit is 25 years as of July 1, 2026.
Ques. Can I apply for the Chennai campus if I have a valid UCEED score?
Ans. Yes. Candidates with a valid UCEED 2026 score are exempted from the AIST written test. However, you must still register on the FDDI admission portal and pay the application fee to be included in the merit-based counseling.
FDDI Chennai M.Des Admissions 2026
FDDI Chennai offers a specialized M.Des program designed by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to bridge the gap between creative design and commercial management.
The details of the programs and selection process are provided below:
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Form | M.Des |
| Course Level | Postgraduate (PG) |
| Total Duration | 2 Years (4 Semesters) |
| Entrance Exam | FDDI AIST (All India Selection Test) |
| Eligibility Criteria | Bachelor's Degree in any discipline from a recognized University. No upper age limit for PG programs. |
| Admission Process | Based on AIST score (Aptitude + Management), followed by centralized counseling. |
| Total Fees | ~INR 5.86 Lakhs (Total program inclusive of tuition and other fees). |
| Core Curriculum | Brand Management, Retail Analytics, Visual Merchandising, Supply Chain, and Consumer Behavior. |
| Career Path | Retail Manager, Category Head, Visual Merchandiser, Supply Chain Planner, or Fashion Buyer. |
| Placement | ~82% - 84% placement rate with recruiters like Reliance Retail, Shoppers Stop, Aditya Birla Fashion, and Landmark Group. |
Specialization and Seat Intake
| Course | Key Specializations | Seat Intake | Core Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| M.Des | Retail & Fashion Merchandise | 30 | Store operations, e-commerce management, and global luxury brand strategies. |
FDDI Chennai M.Des Admission FAQs
Ques. Is there a hostel facility at the Chennai campus for M.Des students?
Ans. Yes, the campus offers secure separate hostels for boys and girls. The hostel fee is approximately INR 24,000 per semester (excluding mess charges). A one-time refundable security deposit of INR 5,000 is required.
Ques. What is the weightage breakdown for the M.Des entrance exam?
Ans. The AIST for M.Des evaluates candidates on four pillars:
- Analytical Ability: 50 Marks
- English Comprehension & Grammar: 50 Marks
- General Knowledge & Current Affairs: 50 Marks
- Management & Design Aptitude: 50 Marks
FDDI AIST Entrance Exam Details 2026
The FDDI All India Selection Test (AIST) is a centralized national-level assessment conducted by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Unlike private institutes, FDDI evaluates candidates through a comprehensive single-stage written examination (Paper-Based Test) that tests both technical aptitude and creative skills.
| Component | Focus Areas | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Analytical Ability | Basic mathematics (Class 10-12), Logical Reasoning, and Data Interpretation. | ~45 Minutes |
| Verbal Ability | English Grammar, Reading Comprehension, and Vocabulary Usage. | ~45 Minutes |
| General Awareness | Current Affairs, History, Sports, and Fashion/Design-related GK. | ~30 Minutes |
| Design / Business Aptitude | B.Des: Sketching, Visualisation, and Color. | ~60 Minutes |
Selection Workflow
- Written Phase (The AIST): Candidates appear for the offline pen-and-paper test. The exam for B.Des/BBA typically consists of 126–150 questions with a total of 200 marks.
- Merit Listing: Scores from the AIST are used to generate a Common Merit Rank (CMR). There is usually no negative marking in the FDDI AIST.
- Exemption Route: Applicants with valid national scores (like UCEED for UG or CAT/MAT for PG) can skip the written test and are positioned in the merit list based on their equated percentile.
- Centralized Counseling: Unlike a personal interview stage, admission is finalized through Online Counseling. Seats are allotted based on your Rank, Category, and Campus preference.
FDDI Chennai Admission FAQs
Ques. Is there a medical fitness requirement for admission?
Ans. Yes. At the time of physical reporting/counseling, you must submit a Medical Fitness Certificate issued by a Registered Medical Practitioner. This ensures you are physically capable of handling laboratory and workshop-intensive tasks, which are core to the B.Des curriculum.
Ques. Can I change my campus from Chennai to Noida or Hyderabad later?
Ans. Upgradation or campus transfer is only possible during the Counselling rounds based on your AIST rank and seat availability. Once the session begins, transfers between campuses are extremely rare and only considered under exceptional circumstances with administrative approval.
Ques. What is the reservation policy for seat allotment in 2026?
Ans. As an Institute of National Importance, FDDI follows the Government of India's reservation norms:
- OBC (Non-Creamy Layer): 27%
- Scheduled Caste (SC): 15%
- Scheduled Tribe (ST): 7.5%
- Economically Weaker Section (EWS): 10%
- Persons with Disability (PwD): 3% (Horizontal reservation across categories)
Ques. How does the seat allotment work for UCEED/CUET applicants?
Ans. Candidates with valid national-level scores are exempted from the AIST. Their percentile is equated with the AIST merit list. During counseling, these candidates are positioned in the merit list based on their equated scores and allotted seats accordingly.
FDDI Kanchipuram B.Des. Admission 2025
It offers a Full-Time Bachelor in Designing (B.Des.) course in various specializations as shown below.
| Duration | 4 Years |
| Type | Full-Time |
| Specialization | Footwear Design & Production, Leather Goods & Accessories (LGAD), and Fashion Design (FD) |
| Basic specialization criteria | Pass in 10+2 with any recognized board |
| Basic Admission criteria | Entrance-based (UCEED/AIST) |
Eligibility
A candidate who has qualified in any one of the following is eligible for this Bachelor program:
- Intermediate, in any stream, from any recognized Board.
- Any School/ Board / University examination in India or in a foreign country is recognized by the Association of Indian Universities as similar to the 10+2 system.
- Any School Examination having a minimum of five subjects conducted by the National Open School.
- 3-Years full-time Diploma approved by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) after Class X offered by the Board of Technical Education of any state or Union territory.
- The Age limit for this course shall be 25 years as on the 1st July 2024.
Selection Criteria
- Candidates are going to be selected on the basis of the UCEED/All India Selection Test (AIST) exam followed by Counselling.
- After counselling, Candidates who got allotted a seat will be required to pay an amount of INR 25,000 at the time of counselling/ admission to reserve their seat. This amount includes registration Fee of INR 10,000 (Non-Refundable) + INR 15,000 as Advance Fee to be adjusted against the balance fee. The Counselling Charges shall not be refunded in case of withdrawal of admission in any circumstances.
FDDI Kanchipuram M.Des. Admission 2025
It offers a Full-Time Master in Designing (M.Des.) course in only one specialization as shown below.
| Duration | M.Des. - 2 Years |
| Type | Full-Time |
| Specialization | Footwear Design & Production (FDP) |
| Basic specialization criteria | Bachelor degree in Footwear Design |
| Basic Admission criteria | Entrance-based (AIST) |
Eligibility
Candidates must have a Bachelor’s Degree in Footwear/Leather Goods/Design/ Fashion/Fine arts/ Architecture/ Engineering/ Production / Technology to apply for this course. There is no Age limit regulation for Master’s Degree programmes (M.Des.).
Selection Criteria
Candidates opting for PG admission too will be selected on the basis of the All India Selection Test (AIST) exam followed by Counselling same as the UG Program.
Note: A Paper-Based Test (PBT) towards the admission to all UG and PG Programmes will be conducted at 31 cities. The candidate may select any one city of his/her choice for the examination.
How to Apply for FDDI Kanchipuram?
Application Proceedings are similar for all courses which are listed below.
Step 1: Candidates are required to apply online through the website: https://www.fddiindia.com/admissions-announcement-2023
Step 2: They can access this website also through the Admission Tab on the homepage of the official website of the institution (https://www.fddiindia.com).
Step 3: New Candidate to visit the website: https://fddiadmissions.qualcampus.com/ and click: Fresh Candidate to create a login (New Log In)
Step 4: Fill all required details to register for any programme. A valid email ID is needed for applying online.
Step 5: Kindly note your Email-ID and DOB as filled by you, since it will be used for logging to the website to fill the online application form.
Step 6: Press the button “Submit”. Once the information is filled here, you can’t change.
Step 7: Once the registration is completed, a confirmation mail will also be sent on your registered email ID.
FAQs
Ques. What is the age limit to apply for UG admission at FDDI Kanchipuram?
Ques. Is there a cut off score for AIST for FDDI Kanchipuram?
Ques. What is the syllabus for the AIST at FDDI Kanchipuram?
Ques. Does FDDI Kanchipuram provide accommodation facilities?
Ques. How is placement at FDDI Kanchipuram?
Ques. When are the dates for AIST scheduled towards the admission at FDDI Kanchipuram?
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