Stop guessing which design college is right for you. Ask them.
Admissions teams from Srishti Manipal, MIT Institute of Design, Strate School of Design and six more come to Kochi Marriott for a single day. Portfolios, cut-offs, fees, placements, answered by the people who actually decide.
Only 80 of 300 seats left
Registration closes in
What you can explore
What the day looks like
Four hours that save you
four months of guesswork
Most students pick a college from a website and a fee structure. This is your chance to pick one from a conversation.
Interact
With admissions teams from the finest design and architecture institutes, face to face.
Gain insights
Attend exam strategy sessions and panel discussions led by faculty and industry voices.
Learn
About careers and programmes across fashion, product, communication and architecture design.
Talk to admissions teams directly
Eligibility, seat matrix, hostel, fees, scholarships, placement records. Bring the questions a brochure never answers.
Get your portfolio reviewed, free
Bring work in progress, sketchbook, digital folder, printed sheets. You'll get a direct read on where it stands and what's missing.
Sit in on exam strategy sessions
Short, practical talks on NIFT, NID, UCEED, NATA and JEE Paper 2, what each test rewards and how preparation differs.
Bring your parents into the room
A session on what a design career actually looks like in India today: roles, salaries, and the path from entrance exam to first job.
Who's attending
Institutions at the fair
Design, architecture and allied programmes from across the country, national institutes and studio-led private schools in the same hall.
Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design & Technology
Bengaluru
MIT Institute of Design
Pune
Strate School of Design
Bengaluru · France
Footwear Design & Development Institute
Multiple campuses, India
Parul University
Vadodara
FLAME University
Pune
Vidyashilp University
Bengaluru
Atlas SkillTech University
Mumbai
Unitedworld Institute of Design
Ahmedabad
Are you a design college looking to participate?
Exhibitor info →More institutions confirming. Registered attendees get the final list by email before the fair.
Hands-on
Student workshops
Drop into any session through the day, no separate sign-up needed once you're registered for the fair.
Pixel to Prompt
A hands-on look at AI tools entering the design workflow, and where a designer's judgement still leads.
Storytelling through Art & Design
How visual narrative is built, the thinking behind image, sequence and composition.
Handbag & Footwear Preparation
A material-first session on construction and prototyping in accessory design.
Evolution of Logos
Tracing how iconic marks were designed and redesigned, and what that reveals about good identity work.
On the stage
Panel discussions
Faculty, alumni and industry voices from the participating institutes, in conversation on the stage at the centre of the hall.
21st Century Design Careers
Best practices and opportunities in a field that looks very different from ten years ago.
Demystifying the Creative Mind
What top design schools actually look for in an applicant, straight from the people who read the portfolios.
Designing for 2030
Navigating the intersection of AI, technology and traditional design practice.
Fashion vs. Product vs. UX vs. Communication
Finding your right design fit among the disciplines on offer at the fair.
Schedule
14 November, hour by hour
Doors open
Collect your booth map and session card at the entry desk.
Opening address
How design admissions in India work this cycle, exams, timelines and what changed.
Booths open · portfolio review desk opens
Walk the floor at your own pace. Review desk runs first-come.
Exam strategy sessions
NIFT and NID situation test, UCEED, NATA and JEE Paper 2, back-to-back short talks.
Session for parents
Careers, costs and outcomes, with time for questions.
Close
Booths wind down. Admissions contacts shared with all attendees.
Who it's for
Come if you're anywhere on the path
Class 11 & 12 students
Early enough to shape your preparation around the colleges you actually want.
Parents
Get the career and cost picture first-hand instead of second-hand.
Repeaters & gap-year students
Find out where the last attempt fell short and which colleges are still in reach.
Schools & counsellors
Bring a group, write to us and we'll set aside seats and a briefing slot.
Registration
Book your free seat
Four fields. No payment, no obligation, no catch.
- Entry pass sent to your WhatsApp within minutes
- Final college list emailed a week before the fair
- Priority slot at the portfolio review desk
- Your booth map, so you don't waste the day wandering
Closing in 00d 00h 00m
Getting there
Venue & entry
- Venue
- Kochi Marriott Hotel
Lulu International Shopping Mall, 34/1111, N. H. 47, Edappally, Kochi, Ernakulam, Kerala 682024 - Date & time
- Saturday, 14 November 2026
[[10:00 AM – 3:30 PM]] - Entry
- Free, with prior registration
- Questions
- 9895484652 · [email protected]
One Saturday.
Or another year of guessing.
The colleges you're applying to will be in one room on 14 November. Registration is free and takes under a minute.
Before you come
Questions people ask
Is there any entry fee?
No. Entry is free for students and parents. We ask you to register only so we can plan seating and send you the final college list in advance.
Do I need to be an AFD India student to attend?
No. The fair is open to any student considering design or architecture, whether or not you study with us.
What should I bring?
Your portfolio if you have one, a sketchbook, printed sheets or work on a laptop or phone all work. Bring a notebook for admissions details, and your parents if they want the careers session.
Can my parents come with me?
Yes, and we'd encourage it. There's a session built specifically for parents on careers, costs and outcomes in design.
I'm in Class 11. Is it too early for me?
It's the best time. Knowing your target colleges in Class 11 lets you shape your portfolio and preparation around them instead of catching up later.
Can our school bring a group?
Yes. Write to [email protected] with the number of students and we'll reserve seats and arrange a briefing slot for your group.
