Symbiosis Entrance Exam for Design(SEED)

About the exam

About SEED

Symbiosis Institute of Design (SID) uses its Symbiosis Entrance Exam for Design, SEED, as the first of four admission levels for the Bachelor of Design, and qualifying in it only opens the other three. A portfolio, a task sent out shortly before the interview and the interaction itself all go into the cumulative merit list. For Admissions 2026 the same test served SID Nagpur, formerly the Symbiosis School of Planning Architecture and Design, while SID's Master of Design held a separately scheduled entrance exam that its pages never call SEED.

SEED stands for Symbiosis Entrance Exam for Design. The SID B.Des Admission Process page requires every Indian applicant to take the online SEED, states that "No candidate is entitled to seek admission to SID without a valid SEED score", and limits the validity of a SEED score to one year.

It is not the Symbiosis Entrance Test (SET) under another name. The caution notice on SID's homepage lists SEED and SET separately among the entrance tests Symbiosis International (Deemed University) conducts, and the SIU UG Prospectus 2026-27 places the Bachelor of Design at SID Pune and at SID Nagpur among the programmes "for which SET/SITEEE Test is not mandatory".

The process page bases final selection on "the cumulative performance of the candidate in Symbiosis Entrance Exam for Design (SEED), Portfolio Review, PRPI Task and Personal Interaction", together with what the candidate wrote in the application form and the specialisation chosen.

SID's M.Des Admission Schedule names the Master of Design test only as the "Entrance Exam". International students are a separate case: SID's international admissions page says their admissions are handled only through the Symbiosis Centre for International Education (SCIE).

At a glance

SEED highlights

Calendar

Important dates

For Admissions 2026, SID scheduled SEED in a Round 1 and a Round 2, and from slot booking onwards its schedule gives a single set of dates for candidates from either round.

Round 2 registration opened on 12 January 2026. SID's own pages disagree on when Round 1 registration opened: the admission process page gives 1 August 2025, while the admission schedule gives 6 August 2025.

The SID Nagpur Admissions Schedule for B.Des 2026 carries the same registration deadlines, SEED dates, result dates and PRPI shortlist dates for both rounds, but ran its own Portfolio Review and Personal Interaction from 12 to 16 April 2026.

The M.Des calendar ran separately. SID's M.Des Admission Schedule opened registration on 5 January 2026 and closed it on 25 April 2026, held the Entrance Exam on 3 May 2026, announced the result and the shortlist for the Studio Test and Personal Interaction (STPI) on 7 May 2026, held the STPI on 9 and 10 May 2026, and declared the first merit list on 15 May 2026. The M.Des FAQs describe that exam as held on the first Sunday of May.

SID's B.Des FAQs say the admission process and registration for the next year start in August or September of the current year. As of September 2026, SID's admission schedule still showed the Admissions 2026 dates above, and SID Nagpur's homepage carried a "B.Des. Registration 2027" button whose notice reads "Online Registration for B.Des. Admission 2027 Opening Soon", with no dates attached.

Who can apply

Eligibility criteria

SID's B.Des eligibility page accepts a candidate on any of these routes:

• Passed Class 12 (10+2) in any stream, such as science, commerce or arts, or an equivalent examination, with at least 50% aggregate marks in the final examination, or 45% for SC and ST candidates, per the SID B.Des eligibility page.
• Passed a 10+3 diploma approved by a State Board of Technical Education, with the same 50% aggregate, or 45% for SC and ST candidates.
• Appearing for the final examination of 10+2 or the 10+3 diploma, provided the result is declared by June of the admission year.

The same page lists creative aptitude as desirable and says candidates with a relevant portfolio would be preferred. SID's B.Des FAQs add that there is no age limit, that a candidate from any stream can apply for any specialisation, Industrial Design included, and that an elementary drawing exam certificate is not mandatory. SID Nagpur's admission overview sets the same 50% aggregate, the same diploma route and the same June condition for appearing candidates for its B.Des.

The M.Des, which SID fills through its own entrance exam rather than SEED, sets a different bar. SID's M.Des eligibility page asks for a bachelor's degree of at least four years in any specialisation after Class 12, or a full-time diploma of at least four years in Design, Fine Arts, Applied Arts or Architecture after Class 12, from an institution recognised by law in India, with at least 50% marks or an equivalent grade, or 45% for SC and ST candidates.

SID's M.Des FAQs rule out a three-year bachelor's degree and say work experience is not currently considered for admission.

Step by step

Application process and fee

Registration for SEED and SID is online only. SID's B.Des FAQs, whose entrance-test answer is written for Admissions 2026, put the registration fee at Rs 3,250, made up of Rs 2,250 for SEED and Rs 1,000 for SID, and say it is paid by online transaction after registering.

SID Nagpur's admission overview quotes the same split for its own B.Des, Rs 2,250 for SEED and Rs 1,000 for SID Nagpur, next to a test date of 11 January 2026.

The SID B.Des Admission Process page says payment of the SEED fee and printing of the admit card can both be done online, and that shortlisting for admission "will be based only by specialization selected during online registration". A candidate who typed a wrong email address while registering is told by the B.Des FAQs to write to admissions@sid.edu.in with the correct one.

For the M.Des, SID's M.Des admission process page lists the stages as registration, entrance exam, shortlisting, studio test and portfolio review, personal interaction and merit list. SID's M.Des admission pages do not state a registration fee.

Before the exam

Admit card and exam day

SID's B.Des FAQs say the admit card will be available on SID's website and tell candidates to download it and keep a hard copy or soft copy ready, adding: "It is compulsory to display your admit card as a proof of identity."

The test lasts one hour and is taken online under proctoring on a PC or laptop, within a window of 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on the test day, according to the SID B.Des Admission Process page.

The PRPI gets a separate admit card on SID's admission schedule, and its own practical demands. SID's B.Des FAQs say joining details arrive by email at the address given during registration, that a candidate can be asked to draw or sketch and should keep pen, paper and pencils at hand, and that a handmade portfolio has to be photographed, compiled into a PPT and uploaded as a PDF, because it cannot be shown during the interaction itself.

Structure

Exam pattern

SEED is the first of the levels on the SID B.Des Admission Process page, and each later level adds material SID assesses:

1. Level 1 is the online SEED. Its result goes up on SID's website, and a candidate who qualifies becomes eligible for the PRPI.
2. Level 2 is uploading the portfolio on the portal a day before the PRPI.
3. Level 3 is the PRPI Task, shared 3 days before the chosen PRPI date and uploaded a day before the PRPI.
4. Level 4 is the online Portfolio Review and Personal Interaction.

SID's process page describes the final selection as cumulative across SEED, the portfolio review, the PRPI Task and the interaction, and neither it nor the B.Des FAQs publish a weightage for any part. SID Nagpur's admission overview describes the SEED paper and Levels 1 to 4 in the same terms for its own applicants, and says of the paper: "There will be no negative marking for wrong answers." Its portfolio guidelines ask for a PowerPoint of no more than 15 slides converted to a PDF of up to 5 MB, and warn: "Remember, you will lose out on 60% marks if you fail to upload your portfolio".

The M.Des entrance exam leads to a studio round rather than a PRPI. SID's M.Des FAQs describe an online Entrance Exam, a digital portfolio, an online Studio Test or Situation Test and an online Personal Interaction, with final selection cumulative across all four.

What to study

Syllabus

The SEED Details document on SID's sample-papers page names what the test looks for: creative aptitude, observation, visualisation, subject-related knowledge and critical thinking. It then defines the syllabus areas:

• Visualisation: understanding simple and complex 2D and 3D geometric shapes, how they are manipulated and how they relate in space.
• Observational, perceptual and reasoning abilities: seeing beyond obvious details, making connections and comparisons, and presenting a point of view in a structured way.
• Creative and problem-solving abilities: visualising and relating the images in everyday surroundings, and identifying a problem and attempting solutions.
• Basic science and mathematics: spotting principles learnt up to Class 10 in everyday activities and objects.
• Art, craft, culture, design and environment: general awareness in Indian and global contexts, covering people, materials, tools, techniques, periods and contemporary trends.

Its topic list runs from the principles of design (unity, proportion, emphasis, rhythm, balance, Gestalt, golden ratios) and the elements of design (point, line, shape, form, colour, texture, space, basic geometry, optical illusion) to semantics and semiotics, silhouettes from sports and the performing arts, brainstorming and synectics, sensitivity to cultures and social issues, the history of art and design, knowledge of craft materials and technology awareness.

How to prepare

Preparation and books

SID's SEED sample papers page offers the SEED Details document and papers labelled SEED Sample Paper 01 to 05. Each opens after the visitor fills in a short download form.

The papers show the syllabus as questions. SEED Sample Paper 01 includes fill-in-the-blank items on rhythm, proportion, colour and texture, and asks candidates to complete a figure, find a mirror image, count the animals, triangles or birds in a picture and choose a typeface for a birthday card aimed at children. SEED Sample Paper 02 mixes in general knowledge, such as identifying a World Heritage Site, and arithmetic on striking clocks and boats moving with a stream.

SID names no preparation books on its B.Des admission pages. Its B.Des eligibility page says it does not recommend or endorse any coaching classes, and its FAQs say SID neither promotes nor knows of any coaching or preparatory classes for its admission process.

Where it is held

Exam centres

SID's admission pages publish no list of SEED test centres. The SID B.Des Admission Process page gives the mode as "Online Proctored (PC/Laptop based exam)", and the Portfolio Review and Personal Interaction that follow are also online. For the M.Des, SID's M.Des FAQs describe the Entrance Exam, the Studio Test and Portfolio Review round and the Personal Interaction as online.

After the exam

Answer key

SID's B.Des admission pages and FAQs publish no answer key for a live SEED paper and describe no way to challenge one. On those pages, keyed options appear only in its sample papers: the papers labelled 01, 02, 04 and 05 mark the keyed option with an asterisk, while the paper labelled 03 leaves nearly all of its questions unmarked.

Scores

Result and scorecard

The SID B.Des Admission Process page says the SEED result is put up on SID's website as per the schedule, and that a candidate who qualifies becomes eligible for the PRPI. SID Nagpur's Admissions Schedule for B.Des 2026 labels the same stage "Declaration of SEED Result (Score Card)".

The SEED result is not the admission result. SID's B.Des FAQs say the first merit list, which follows the PRPI, is displayed on the website.

Scores you need

Cutoff

The SID B.Des Admission Process page speaks of a candidate who "qualifies SEED" without saying what score qualifies, and SID's B.Des admission pages, FAQs and schedule list no closing marks for any specialisation.

Getting a seat

Counselling and seat allotment

SID's schedule runs straight from the PRPI to its own first merit list and a fee-payment window, and lists no separate counselling round. For Admissions 2026, candidates on the first merit list had from 21 to 30 April 2026 to pay fees and register for the programme, and candidates on the waiting list are considered for provisional admission in order of merit, depending on vacancies, according to SID's admission schedule.

Seats are allotted on merit within a reservation structure. SID's B.Des student-intake page reserves 15% of the sanctioned intake for SC, 7.5% for ST and 3% for differently abled candidates, and provides 2 seats for Kashmiri migrants and 25% for international students over and above it. The same page says seats are offered "strictly on the basis of Merit and Reservations" and that SID is not obliged to fill every available seat.

SID Nagpur adds a local quota. Its admission overview reserves 25% of B.Des seats for candidates domiciled in Nagpur, meaning candidates domiciled there for five years as on the date the academic year begins who also hold a Class 12 from the Maharashtra State Board or an equivalent, or a degree certificate, or are appearing for Nagpur University's qualifying examination.

Where it is accepted

Participating institutes

SEED fed the Bachelor of Design at Symbiosis Institute of Design in Pune and in Nagpur for Admissions 2026.

At SID Pune, the B.Des programme page describes a four-year, 160-credit degree awarded by Symbiosis International (Deemed University), with a foundation year followed by one of seven specialisations. SID's student-intake page lists 210 seats for Indian students across Graphic Design, User Experience Design, Animation and Film Design, Product Design, Interior Space Design, Fashion Communication and Fashion Design, and notes that intake is subject to approval from SIU.

The university's prospectus gives different figures. The SIU UG Prospectus 2026-27 puts SID Pune's B.Des intake at 180 and lists eight specialisations, Video Film Design among them, and SID's own B.Des FAQs also describe the programme as "four disciplines and eight specializations", so the seat count is one to confirm with SID's admissions office.

SID Pune's M.Des in User Experience Design has 20 seats, per its M.Des student-intake page, and admits through the Entrance Exam on SID's M.Des schedule rather than a test SID calls SEED.

SID Nagpur is the institute its homepage says was renamed from the Symbiosis School of Planning Architecture and Design. Its B.Des overview lists Graphic Design, User Experience Design, Animation Film Design and Game Design under Communication Design, Product Design and Interior Space Design under Industrial Design, and Fashion Design. Its admission overview totals the B.Des intake at 105, with 60 seats in Communication Design, 30 in Industrial Design and 15 in Fashion Design, the same total the SIU UG Prospectus 2026-27 prints, although the summary list above that table reads "Bachelor of design (90 seats)".

Get help

Contact

SID Pune's admissions contact page lists the new-admissions lines +91-020-26557229, +91-020-26557231 and +91-020-26557203, the mobiles +91-7219611695, +91-7219611696 and +91-7219611699, and admissions@sid.edu.in, at S.No. 231/3A-4, Viman Nagar, Pune 411014.

SID Nagpur's contact details page lists 0712-619-2320, 0712-619-2321 and 0712-619-2322, the mobiles 7722086598, 9730471986 and 9730471988, and admissions@sidnagpur.edu.in, at Mouza Wathoda, Nagpur 440008.

International applicants are directed to SCIE, at intadmissions@symbiosis.ac.in or +91 20 25671905, by SID's international admissions page.

Source

Official links

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Disclaimer

Disclaimer

Exact exam dates, deadlines, fees, merit-list/result dates, answer keys, cutoffs and seat intake change every cycle. Anything per-cycle here is stated for the cycle it names and is taken from the conducting body's own notification; confirm it on the official website before acting on it. Expertie does not conduct any exam, process applications or charge fees.

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