Register for Design Programs & College Counseling

How to choose the right design program for you:

1. Do not choose a program just because it is in vogue at the moment. Choose the program that you feel passionate about.
2. Study about the programs on the internet, talk to current design students and browse through design school websites.
3. Most design schools allow students to choose a program after completing their foundation year, so the student has an option to choose later!
4. Reflect on Who you are vs Design Program-

There are 150+ design colleges in India. We have identified these 7 criteria you can apply to choose the best design college for you.

1. Design Programs: Check if the design college offers the program you are interested in. Universities that also offer other programs like management and technology provide opportunities to select these subjects as electives. This is perfect for cross-disciplinary learning.

2. Academic Certification: Check if the college offers a degree or diploma certificate. While getting a diploma does not make much difference to your ability to get a job, it may affect your eligibility to do a masters program or getting a visa to work abroad.

3. Infrastructure & Facilities: Design requires learning by doing. So, every design college must invest in facilities like computer labs; wood-metal-print-laser cutting workshops; audio-visual equipment; new technologies like 3D printers, AR-VR labs, Robotics labs. Check if your chosen college has all these facilities.

4. Faculty Group & Academic Process: The faculty group is the most important factor that affects quality of education. Check the list of faculties, the faculty to student ratio, ratio of permanent to visiting faculties while making your choice. Also, check the structure and rigor of the academic process.

5. Industry Interaction, Internships & Placements: Design students must be industry ready at graduation. Check if your chosen college organizes interactions with industry experts, invites practicing designers as visiting faculties, acquires industry projects, implements mandatory internships and has a respectable placement record.

6. Fees, Loans & Scholarships: Design education is expensive. But there are colleges which offer quality education at affordable fees. Most design schools offer a variety of scholarships. Loans are available from public sector banks like SBI, UBI, BOI. Do research to find the best financial fit for you.

7. Connect with the College: Visit the design college campus, attend Masterclasses by their faculties, ask questions to their admission team, connect with current students from the college. At SILICA, we organize this as part of Design Quest events for all our students and parents.

Finally, whichever the college, the student has to take responsibility to perform to the best of their ability. The student will not succeed only because they get into a good college. Design education is learner led, so the student’s own initiative matters most.