How Many Students Appeared for NID Entrance Exam 2026?

NID DAT 2026 (Mains) exam for the B. Des programme will be held in the last week of April 2026. The timings for the DAT Mains exam will be mentioned in the NID DAT 2026 admit card. Candidates need to reach the DAT Mains exam centre as per the timings given in the admit card. 

The NID DAT 2026 Studio Test and Interview for the M.Des program will be conducted from in the first week of March 2026. Candidates will be shortlisted for DAT Mains on the basis of their performance in DAT Prelims.

The Studio Test and Interview will be conducted programme-wise from. Candidates who have qualified DAT prelims are eligible to appear in DAT Mains, which comprise a Studio Test and Interview for the M.Des programme. The Studio Test is usually conducted from 9 am - 12 noon. The Interview will be conducted after the completion of the studio test.

The National Institute of Design will release schedule for NID DAT 2026 counseling on its admission portal soon after DAT Mains results are declared.

Eligible candidates seeking admission to the B.Des program has to submit campus preferences.

The 1st round of seat allotment for B.Des program will be announed around the last week of May 2026. 

NID DAT Mains exam for M.Des was conducted on March 08, 2026. Personal Interview was from March 21, 2026 to April 01, 2026. NID Admit card for M.Des Mains was out on February 24, 2026.

NID DAT Mains 2026 exam for the M.Des programme was conducted from March 21, 2026 to April 01, 2026. Meanwhile, DAT Mains for the B. Des program was conducted on April 26, 2026.

Candidates who get shortlisted based on their DAT Prelims scores for the M.Des programme has to next appear in DAT Mains, which comprises a Studio Test and Interview. The Personal Interview is conducted after the Studio Test and carries a weightage of 30%. The interview will be conducted by a panel, which may include experts from industries/academics. The purpose of the interview is to assess the general awareness, extracurricular activities, academics, and the field of interest of the candidate. It is mandatory for candidates to appear in the Personal Interview or else the candidate will not be included in the final merit list.

The National Institute of Design (NID) has released the schedule for NID DAT 2024 (Mains).

The NID DAT 2026 counseling process for the B.Des process will START in the third week of May 2026. Candidates who are allotted seats have to pay the seat-confirmation fees and upload documents.

Seats that are left vacant after completion of the 1st round of allotment will be allocated in Round 2. Allotments will be made to the candidate next in the order of merit.

Also, the candidate will be notified about seat allotted in a Round via their registered email IDs.  So, it is recommended that the candidate keeps checking their mail IDs frequently.

Candidate will be provisionally allowed to appear for NID DAT Prelims, if shortlisted, based on the information given by candidate in NID DAT application form. It is the responsibility of candidate to provide/upload valid information and certificates at the time of submitting application form. 

Details entered by candidate will be verified during NID counseling. On verification, if the information given by candidate is found to be incorrect or invalid, he can be disqualified. Decision of NID will be final and binding in this case. 

The National Institute of Design (NID) conducts the DAT Mains exam separately for the B. Des and M.Des programs.

NID DAT Mains Exam for B.Des was conducted on 

• Studio Sensitivity Test: April 19, 2026
• In-Person Sensitivity Test: May 11 to May 17, 2026

NID DAT Mains exam for M.Des was conducted on March 08, 2026. Personal Interview was from March 21, 2026 to April 01, 2026. 

No, National Institute of Design may not make any arrangements for a baggage counter. So, candidates must bear this in mind when packing for NID DAT Prelims exam.

It is recommended that candidate only pack bare essentials and not bring unnecessary stuff to exam centre. Also, expensive items like smartphones, jewellery, gadgets, etc., should be better left at home.

NID DAT Mains 2026 exam for the B. Des and M.Des programme will be conducted in 17 cities. NID DAT 2026 exam was conducted on December 21, 2025 and application was closed on December 01, 2025.

The NID DAT 2026 (Prelims) exam will be conducted in the first week of January 2026. The exam will be conducted in the following 22 cities - Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Dehradun, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Kurukshetra, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Patna, Raipur, Ranchi, Thiruvananthapuram, Vijayawada.

The candidate has to select their choice of exam city at the time of filling out the NID DAT 2026 Application form. Note that an exam city may have one or more test centres. The allotment of exam centres will be made considered available seats in respective centres and choice of the candidate.