NATA 2025: Top Architecture Colleges (NIRF Ranking 2024), Best Courses, Jobs, Benefits and Preparation Tips
National Aptitude Test in Architecture 2026 ( NATA )
NATA 2026 is an entrance exam conducted in India for admission to undergraduate architecture courses. NATA exam is administered by the Council of Architecture (COA). NATA Registration 2026 will begin in February 2026. NATA exam dates 2026 will be from March 1, 2026, to June 2026. Read more to know Top Architecture Colleges Based on NIRF Ranking, Best Courses, Benefits and Preparation Tips.
NATA Architecture
NATA 2026: NATA, is an entrance exam in India for undergraduate architecture courses, conducted by Council of Architecture. NATA exam will examine a candidate's skills in drawing, observation, sense of proportion, aesthetic sensitivity, critical thinking, and mathematics. NATA is a computer-based test held multiple times a year across various centres in India. NATA exam dates are announced on official website.
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Eligibility for NATA exam requires candidates to have completed their Class 12 with at least 50% Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics marks. NATA application form is generally available from March. NATA is an important step for students aiming to pursue a career in architecture, as successful candidates can gain admission to top architecture colleges.
Creating a timetable is very important for preparation process of NATA. Students are advised to prepare a timetable that will allow them to complete syllabus well before the examination. While creating timetable, candidates should ensure that the entire syllabus is equally distributed. The subjects and topics should be divided well so that the candidates cover different units in a day and the studying process does not become monotonous. The daily study routine should also include revision and mock test. It is very important that the timetable is created considering the aptitude of the candidate.
CoA will prepare and release the list of NATA exam cities online at nata.in. From the list of exam cities released by the authorities, the candidates will be able to make their choice. The preferred three exam cities for NATA has to be selected in the order of preference while filling out the application form. The allotment of NATA exam centres will be done based on the candidate's preferences and availabilty of centres. The candidates will be able to check the details of their allotted exam centres through the NATA admit card.
- Benefits of NATA Exam
- Top 25 Architecture Colleges Based on NIRF Ranking 2024
- Top Architecture Colleges in India
- Jobs After an Architecture Course
Benefits of NATA Exam
Passing NATA exam qualifies candidates to apply for undergraduate architecture courses at various colleges across India. Based on NATA scores, candidates can apply to preferred colleges. After earning an undergraduate degree in architecture, candidates have option to pursue a Master's degree in the field or work as an architect in various firms, government organisations, or even start own practice.
Top 25 Architecture Colleges Based on NIRF Ranking 2024
The candidates can check table below for the names of the Top 25 Architecture Colleges in India based on the NIRF Ranking. The candidates can apply to the best architecture colleges by knowing the NIRF Ranking of the colleges.
| Architecture Colleges | NIRF Ranking |
|---|---|
| India Institute of Technology, Roorkee | 1 |
| India Institute of Technology, Kharagpur | 2 |
| National Institute of Technology, Calicut | 3 |
| Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur | 4 |
| School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi | 5 |
| Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology University | 6 |
| Jamia Millia Islamia | 7 |
| National Institute of Technology Tiruchirappalli | 8 |
| National Institute of Technology Rourkela | 9 |
| Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology Nagpur | 10 |
| S.R.M. Institute of Science and Technology | 11 |
| School of Planning and Architecture Bhopal | 12 |
| Chandigarh University | 13 |
| Aligarh Muslim University | 14 |
| Malaviya National Institute of Technology | 15 |
| School of Planning and Architecture Vijayawada | 16 |
| Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology | 17 |
| College of Engineering, Trivandrum | 18 |
| Nirma University | 19 |
| Birla Institute of Technology | 20 |
| M. S. Ramaiah Institute of Technology | 21 |
| Dr. M. G. R. Educational and Research Institute | 22 |
| BMS College of Architecture | 23 |
| Lovely Professional University | 24 |
| Amity University | 25 |
Best Architecture Courses
Explore more Architecture & Planning exams with upcoming dates
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It is to be noted that there are chances of cases arising where the candidates will not be allotted centres within their first preferred NATA exam city. The allotment of centres will depend on many factors including preferences, centre availability, total number of candidates for the particular test centre, etc. Hence, the authorities can add or remove centres as per the requirements. If the first preferred city is not available due to some particular reason, then the candidates will be allotted centres as per their second and third preference.
Candidates are advised to let parents/guardians safekeep their personal belongings during NATA. However, if candidate is unaccompanied, then they can request NATA authorities to deposit personal belongings during the entrance examination. However, authorities bear no responsibilities for the loss of belongings. Therefore, candidates are advised to not carry expensive and important belongings to examination centre.
- Bachelor of Architecture (BArch)
- Bachelor of Planning (BPlan)
- Diploma in Architecture (DArch)
- Master of Architecture (MArch)
- Master of Planning (MPlan)
- Postgraduate Diploma in Urban Planning and Management (PGDUPM)
- Integrated (MArch)
Top Architecture Colleges in India
- Sir Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy College of Architecture, Mumbai
- IIT Roorkee
- Chandigarh College of Architecture
- NIT Tiruchirappalli
- NIT Calicut
Jobs After an Architecture Course
- Architect
- Interior Designer
- Urban Planner
- Landscape Architect
- Set Designer
- Construction Manager
Dhanya writes content on Engineering and Architecture exams. She has completed MSc Physics. She has 8+ years of work experience in the education industry. She likes painting and travelling.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 4 days ago
ndus University NATA cutoff 2024 was released for admission to the BArch course for various categories under both the All India and Home State quota. For the General HS quota, the last round cutoff was 11431. On the other hand, for the General AI quota, the cutoff was 21182 in the last round.
To know
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
VNSGU Surat accepts the NATA cutoff results for admission to the BArch course. The cutoff was released in the form of opening and closing ranks for various categories under both the All India and Home State quotas.
According to the VNSGU Surat NATA cutoff 2024, the last round cutoff for the General
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Sasi Creative Colleges accepts NATA scores for admission to BArch programme. Candidates must also pass Class 12 with at least 50% aggregate to apply for BArch. The seats are allotted to candidates based on their NATA scores via TNEA Counselling. Candidates can also get admission in BArch programme b
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered 2 weeks ago
If you want to get admission into M.Arch colleges in India than you can consider the following exams other than NATA:
- MAH MArch CET
- GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering),
- CEED (Common Entrance Exam for Design)
- Karnataka PGCET
- CEETA
- KCET
- CUET-PG
Some colleges also require their own aptitude tests and
S
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 3 weeks ago
The HNGU NATA Cutoff 2024 was released for admission to the BArch course for both the AI and HS quota. As per the HNGU Cutoff 2024 for the General AI category, the cutoff in the last round was 31049.
On the other hand for the General HS category, the last round cutoff was 11429 for the same course. C
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 weeks ago
No, you can't get admission in Dev Bhoomi School of Architecture, Planning and Design BArch course without NATA. The university accepts students for the other courses on a merit basis. But, if you want to enrol in the BArch course, NATA is mandatory.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
Yes, NATA or JEE Main Paper 2 is compulsory for Architecture, and is generally mandatory for admission to most recognised B.Arch) programs in India, as per Council of Architecture (CoA) regulations, to assess aptitude for the course. While NATA covers a broad range of colleges, prestigious instituti
T
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
The MSU Baroda NATA Cutoff was released for admission to the BArch course. The NATA Cutoff 2024 was 31005 for the General category candidates under the All India quota. For the Gender candidates in the Home State quota, the BArch cutoff 2024 was 11076.
For the OBC AI candidates, students faced a las
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
The Anant National University accepts the NATA cutoff ranks for admission to the BArch courses. The Anant National University NATA cutoff 2024 for the General AI category ranged from 21013 in the first round closing ranks and remained unchanged in the last round closing ranks. On the other hand, th
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
Nirma University NATA cutoff 2024 has been released for admissions to BArch programme. In the first round NATA Cutoff 2024 was 11086 for the General AI category, and the last round closing cutoff was also 11086. For the General HS quota, the closing cutoff was again 11086.
On the other hand, for the
N
Contributor-Level 10
NATA will be conducted by the authorities as an online i.e., computer-based and offline test. The MCQ section will be held as a computer-based test, while the drawing and composition test will be held as an offline test. CoA will conduct NATA at various centres. All registered candidates will have to report to their allotted centres and attempt the examination through the systems provided there. The detailed information regarding NATA exam pattern has been announced online.