NID DAT 2026: Exam Date, Application Form, Eligibility

National Institute of Design will conduct the NID 2026 prelims tentatively in December. Aspirants willing to get admission to design courses offered by NID have to appear for the Design Aptitude Test (DAT). NID DAT 2026 will be held in two stages- Prelims and Mains. Moreover, NID registration 2026 is expected to begin in the first week of September at admissions.nid.edu. In the meantime, you can refer to the previous year’s NID entrance exam question paper to understand the pattern of the DAT. Continue reading for more details on the NID 2026 entrance exam.

NID Entrance Exam 2026: DAT Overview

The institute will release the notification on NID DAT 2026 at the official website – admissions.nid.edu.

What is NID DAT 2026?

The full form of NID DAT is NID Design Aptitude Test. Commonly referred to as NID DAT, it is a two-tiered design entrance exam comprising preliminary and mains exams. Annually, the NID entrance exam is administered nationwide to select candidates for admission to NID campuses’ B.Des. and M.Des. programmes. The NID DAT evaluates candidates’ knowledge, skills, and behavioural talents. The results of candidates’ NID DAT determine their admission to campuses.

NID Exam is for What Purpose?

The purpose of the NID entrance exam is to select students for admission to design courses offered by the campuses. In addition to NID campuses, many other design colleges in India consider DAT scores.

The National Institute of Design administers the NID Design Aptitude Test (DAT). This is a national entrance exam for candidates who want admission in undergraduate and graduate design programmes. NID Ahmedabad, NID Andhra Pradesh, NID Haryana, NID Madhya Pradesh, and NID Assam all offer the Bachelor of Design (B.Des. – 4 Years) programme.

NID aims to provide the right candidate for admission in undergraduate design courses.

NID Exam Date 2026

The National Institute of Design will announce the NID 2026 exam date tentatively in September. The NID entrance exam 2026 is expected to be conducted in December. Once the exam date of NID exam is announced, the same will be updated on this page as well.

When will NID exam 2026 be conducted?

NID DAT Eligibility Criteria 2026

NID exam requires common eligibility as most of the undergraduate programmes. But there are few specific requirements for different courses. You can check the official website to learn more about the coursework details and their eligibility. Here are the eligibility criteria:

NID B.Des Eligibility

• ✅
  Minimum Qualification: Applicants must have completed 12th grade in any stream (Science, Humanities, or Commerce) from an approved board such as the CBSE, IB, ICSE, or a similar one. Applicants who plan to sit for the Class 12 examinations in 2024 are also welcome to apply.
• ✅
  NID Age Limit: It is to be noted that only those candidates who are born on or after July 1, 2005 (July 1, 2002 for SC/ST & July 1, 2000 for PwD) can apply.
• ✅
  NID M.Des Eligibility: Should hold a bachelor’s/diploma degree of minimum four years of duration from an accredited college or university. OR Should have obtained a Bachelor’s degree of a minimum three year duration in any specialisation after 12th from a university or an institute recognised by the law in India.
• ✅
  NID Exam Age Limit: It is to be noted that only those candidates who are born on or after July 1, 1994 (July 1, 1991 for SC/ST & July 1, 1989 for PwD) can apply.

NID 2026 Registration Process & Fee

The authorities are expected to begin NID registration 2026 in September at admissions.nid.edu. It is mandatory to submit the form before the NID entrance exam application form last date 2026.

To register for the NID exam, follow the below-mentioned steps:

• ✅
  Visit the official website of NID and click on the “Register” button
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  Fill in the requisite details and register yourself at the portal
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  After this, log in using your user ID and password
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  Fill out the detailed application form which consists of six sections, that is, personal details, academic details, work experience, programmes, test city, etc.
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  While filling out the form, you will be required to upload the photograph, signature and category certificate in the prescribed format
• ✅
  After this, you will have to pay the application fee and print the form

NID Application Fee

The application fee for the NID entrance exam is given below:

NID DAT Admit Card 2026

You can download the NID entrance exam admit card 2026 tentatively in December. The NID admit card 2026 download link will be activated at admissions.nid.edu. The admit card of NID entrance exam will include details such as name, application number, allotted exam centre, NID exam date and exam day instructions. Steps to download the NID exam admit card 2026 are mentioned below. 

• ✅
  Visit NID official website – admissions.nid.edu
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  Click on the link to download NID hall ticket
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  Login using the email id and date of birth
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  Upon successful login, the admit card will be displayed on the screen
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  Download and take a printout of the same

Note: It is advisable to check the details mentioned on the hall ticket and contact the authorities in case of any discrepancy. 

NID DAT Exam Centres 2026

The National Institute of Design entrance exam 2026 is expected to be conducted in approximately 22 centres. However, the detailed NID exam centres list 2026 will be released along with the official notification. Below are the NID entrance exam centres as per previous years. 

NID DAT Syllabus 2026

Although the authorities do not release the NID entrance exam syllabus, you can check the list of topics based on previous years’ papers. 

NID DAT Exam Pattern 2026

Understanding the NID exam pattern is a must if you prepare for the entrance exam. With the help of the exam pattern of NID entrance exam 2026, you can know details on the medium of the paper, duration, types of questions asked and much more. 

NID DAT Result 2026

Direct link to download NID result 2026 will be activated at admissions.nid.edu. You will be required to login to NID admission portal using email id and date of birth. Those who qualify NID prelims exam will be eligible to appear for the NID Mains. To download the NID scorecard, you need to follow the steps: 

• ✅
  Visit NID official website – admissions.nid.edu
• ✅
  Click on the link to download NID result
• ✅
  Login using the email id and date of birth
• ✅
  Upon successful login, the scorecard will be displayed on the screen
• ✅
  Download and take a printout of the same

NID Tie-Breaking Rule for Prelims Result

When two or more candidates obtain same marks in NID DAT, the following tie-breaking rule will be applied to award the ranks to the students:

Tie-Breaking Rule for NID DAT Prelims B.Des Result

• ✅
  The higher rank will be assigned to the candidate who has scored higher marks in part B of the DAT prelims exam.
• ✅
  If this doesn’t break the tie, a higher rank will be assigned to the candidate who has scored higher marks in part A of the DAT prelims exam.
• ✅
  If this doesn’t break the tie, both candidates will be given the same rank.

Tie-Breaking Rule for NID DAT Prelims MDes Result

• ✅
  The higher rank will be assigned to the candidate who has scored higher marks in DAT Prelims (Part I / Part III).
• ✅
  If this does not break the tie, the higher rank will be assigned to the candidate who has scored higher marks in DAT Prelims (part).
• ✅
  If this still doesn’t break the tie, both candidates will be assigned the same rank.

NID Tie-Breaking Rule for Mains Result

Similar to Prelims, the authorities have also released the tie-breaking rule for Mains NID result. 

Tie-Breaking Rule for NID DAT Mains B.Des Result

• ✅
  The higher rank will be assigned to the candidate with higher marks in the DAT Mains.
• ✅
  If this does not break the tie, a higher rank will be assigned to the candidate who scored higher in the Stage 1 Design Aptitude Test.
• ✅
  If this doesn’t break the tie, a higher rank will be assigned to the candidate who has scored higher marks in Stage 1 Design Aptitude Test Part B.
• ✅
  If this still does not break the tie, the highest rank will be assigned to the candidate who scored higher in Stage 1 Design Aptitude Test Part A.

Colleges Accepting NID Exam Score

The NID entrance exam is for students who want to pursue B.Des. and M.Des. Here are top universities that accept NID exam scores:

1. Pearl Academy
2. The National Institute of Design
3. IILM Gurgaon
4. Pearl Academy
5. World University of Design (WUD)
6. Shiv Nadar University
7. Srishti Manipal – Art, Design & Tech Institute
8. LPU
9. Indian Institute of Art and Design
10. UPES
11. Arch College of Design and Business
12. MIT WPU
13. KL University Guntur

NID Exam Cut-off 2026

The NID DAT 2026 cutoff, which includes the minimum score needed to pass the exam, will be announced by the National Institute of Design at admissions.nid.edu. NID DAT 2026 will have different opening and closing ranks for each category. The campus-specific NID DAT 2026 cutoff will also be made public by the authorities. Aspirants can check this page for the NID cutoff from prior years in the meantime. Depending on the discipline and candidate category, the final candidate admitted will have a different rank and score. Different disciplines and candidate categories share the NID slots.

NID Preparation Tips

• ✅
  The first step in getting ready for NID Entrance is to familiarise yourself with the exam format by going over the syllabus and past years’ question papers.
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  Make a schedule for yourself after you have a copy of the syllabus. Each segment should be divided into manageable goals, each with a deadline for completion.
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  Make it a habit to practise mock exams from the start. You get better the more you practise.
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  During the exam, do not panic. Ignore the questions you find hard to understand and return to them at a later time. This will help you avoid wasting time answering fictitious inquiries.
• ✅
  Never disregard your well-being. Exercise and partake in other physical pursuits.

NID Mock Tests

There are multiple websites that provide mock tests. You can check out these websites for a mock test:

1. SILICA
2. DQ Labs