NID Admissions 2026: Colleges Accepting NID Entrance Exam Scores for BDes & MDes Courses
National Institute of Design Entrance Exam 2026 ( NID Entrance Exam )
Registration - 11 Sep '25 - 1 Dec '25
The National Institute of Design conducts the NID DAT exam to offer admission to B.Des and M.Des courses offered by participating colleges. But do you know about other colleges that accept NID DAT scores? If you don't, this article is for you.
The National Institute of Design (NID) conducts the NID Design Aptitude Test. The entrance exam is conducted every year to shortlist candidates for admission to the various design courses offered by NID DAT participating colleges, including the B.Des courses and the M.Des course.
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The National Institute of Design is expected to conduct the NID DAT 2026 (Prelims) exam in the first week of January, 2026. The NID DAT 2026 application form for the entrance exam is expected to be available from the first week of September 2025. NID DAT 2025 Admit card will be available for download from the last week of December 2025.
The NID offers the BDes program at the five NID campuses. Meanwhile, the M.Des program is available at three NID institutes. Currently, there are 425 seats for the B.Des program, while there are 347 seats available for the M.Des program. Admission to the B.Des and M.Des programs will be based on NID DAT 2026 merit ranks.
- NID Admission Process 2026
- NID DAT 2026 Counselling and Seat Allotment
- NID Admission 2026 - Document Checklist
- NID DAT Admission Schedule 2026
- NID DAT Eligibility Criteria 2026
- NID DAT 2026 Participating Institute - Seat Intake for B.Des program
- Important FAQs on Colleges Accepting NID Scores 2025
NID Admission Process 2026
The NIDs offer B.Des and M.Des courses. Admission to these courses is conducted through the NID Design Aptitude Test (DAT). The DAT has two parts:
- DAT Prelims
- DAT Mains
The NID DAT 2026 Final result will be prepared by giving weightage to DAT Prelims and DAT Mains. The merit rank will be used to shortlist candidates for NID DAT 2026 counselling and seat allotment.
As part of the NID counselling process, eligible candidates must fill in their academic choices (campus + specialization). The NID DAT 2026 seat allotment will be based on:
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.
The National Institute of Design (NID) will conduct the DAT Prelims exam on December 21, 2025.
The B.Des exam will be held around 10 am - 1 pm; meanwhile, the M.Des exam will be held around 10 am - 12.30 am. The candidate needs to report for the exam at 8 am. Gates' closing time is 9.30 am.
The DAT Prelims for the B.Des programme will be conducted in a paper-and-pencil/pen mode. The question paper may include both textual and visual questions. Other details like duration of the exam, marking scheme, etc., will be published in the DAT Prelims admit card.
- Merit rank of the candidate in the NID DAT 2026 exam
- Choices opted
- Available seats
NID DAT 2026 Counselling and Seat Allotment
The National Institute of Design (NID) will conduct the counseling-cum-seat allotment process for NID DAT 2026 in May 2026. B.Des candidates need to select campuses for NID counseling; however, M.Des candidates aren't required to select campuses. The seat allotment for the B.Des program will be declared on May 27, 2025. Allotment for the M.Des program will be announced on May 6, 2025. Candidates who are allotted seats will have to pay the seat-acceptance fee and confirm their seats. The Provisional Offer Letter for the B.Des program will be released on June 10; the letter for the M.Des program can be downloaded from May 20 (onward).
NID Admission 2026 - Document Checklist
The candidate will need the following documents during the NID Admission 2026
- Mark Sheet of Class 10
- Mark Sheet of Class 12
- Marksheet of Graduation (in case of M.Des Admission)
- Graduation Mark Sheet and Certificates
- Birth Certificate
- Category Certificate (if applicable)
- PwD Certificate (if applicable)
- Passport (for overseas candidates)
- A Bonafide Certificate from the Principal of the college last attended (to be submitted by candidates awaiting their results)
Note that the candidate will be considered for admission only upon verification of the above documents.
NID DAT Admission Schedule 2026
The expected dates for NID DAT Admission 2026 are:
| Event | B.Des Dates (Tentative) | M.Des Dates (Tentative) |
|---|---|---|
| Declaration of Prelims Result | First week of April 2025 | Third week of February 2025 |
| Apply for Recheck of DAT Prelims Result | First week of April 2025 | Third week of February 2025 |
| Issue of Admit Card for DAT Mains | Second week of April 2025 | Last week of February 2025 |
| DAT Mains Exam Date | Last week of April to First week of May 2025 | First week of March to First week of April 2025 |
| DAT Mains Result | Third week of May 2025 | First week of May 2025 |
| Recheck DAT Mains Result | Third week of May 2025 | First week of May 2025 |
| Seat Allotment, Payment of Token Fees, and Uploading of Documents | Last week of May 2025 | First week of May 2025 |
| Provisional Offer Letter | Second week of June 2025 | Third week of May 2025 |
| Payment of the Remaining Semester Fee | Second week of June 2025 | Third to Fourth week of May 2025 |
NID DAT Eligibility Criteria 2026
Candidates seeking admission to the B.Des and M.Des programs at the NIDs must meet the following eligibility criteria.
| Parameters | B.Des | M.Des |
|---|---|---|
| Age Limit | The candidate must be born on or after July 1, 2004.
|
The candidate must be born on or after July 1, 1993.
|
| Educational Qualification | 10+2 in any discipline |
Bachelor's degree of minimum four years duration OR its equivalent.
|
NID DAT 2026 Participating Institute - Seat Intake for B.Des program
The B.Des program is offered at five institutes. Seat allotment will be merit-based.
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| S. No |
NID 2025 Participating Institute |
Seat Intake 2026 (Expected) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
125 |
|
| 2 |
75 |
|
| 3 |
75 |
|
| 4 |
75 |
|
| 5 |
75 |
|
| Total |
425 |
NID DAT 2026 - Institute-wise Reservation of seats for B.Des
The expected NID DAT 2026 institute-wise reservation for B.Des is:
| Institute |
Total seats (expected) |
GEN-EWS (10% |
OBC-NCL (27%) |
Scheduled Caste (15%) |
Scheduled Tribe (7.5%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NID Ahmedabad |
125 |
13 |
34 |
19 |
9 |
| NID Andhra Pradesh |
75 |
8 |
20 |
11 |
6 |
| NID Haryana |
75 |
8 |
20 |
11 |
6 |
| NID Madhya Pradesh |
75 |
8 |
20 |
11 |
6 |
| NID Assam |
75 |
8 |
20 |
11 |
6 |
| Total (Expected Seats) |
425 |
45 |
114 |
63 |
33 |
Bachelor of Design (B.Des.) at NID Ahmedabad
The faculty-wise seat intake expected at NID participating colleges is also given below.
Faculty of Communication Design
The expected seat intake is:
| Discipline | Seat Intake (expected) |
|---|---|
| Animation Film Design | 19 |
| Exhibition Design | 13 |
| Film & Video Communication | 13 |
| Graphic Design | 19 |
Faculty of Industrial Design
The expected seat intake is:
| Discipline | Seat Intake (expected) |
|---|---|
| Ceramic & Glass Design | 13 |
| Furniture & Interior Design | 13 |
| Product Design | 19 |
Faculty of Textile, Apparel, Lifestyle, and Accessory Design
The expected seat intake is:
| Discipline | Seat Intake (expected) |
|---|---|
| Textile Design | 19 |
Bachelor of Design (B.Des.) at NID Andhra Pradesh, NID Haryana, NID Madhya Pradesh, NID Assam
The expected seat intake is:
| Discipline | Seat Intake in each NID (expected) |
|---|---|
| Communication Design | 25 |
| Industrial Design | 25 |
| Textile and Apparel Design | 25 |
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. Note that the seat allotment for the M.Des program will be announced in April 2026.
The counseling process will be conducted online and include one or more seat allotment rounds.
NID counseling notification will include information like the mode of the counseling, application process, fees, etc. The candidate needs to carefully go through the notification to learn about the process. The NID counseling will be conducted for admission to the B. Des and M.Des courses. For the current session, there ate 425 B. Des seats, and 247 M.Des seats.
NID Gandhinagar admissions are based on entrance exam scores. The institute conducts NID DAT-Prelims and Mains for admission to the MDes programme. Besides, the selection for PhD course is based on a Research test conducted by the institute. Candidates selected for PhD admissions have to further pass the personal interview round. Once the final selection is done, aspirants need to pay the course fee for seat confirmation.
Note:
- The number of seats reserved for Indian nationals is 125.
- Candidates selected for admission at NID Ahmedabad must attend a mandatory Design Foundation studies for 2 semesters.
Also Read:
The National Institute of Design (NID) offers a two-and-a-half-year years’ Master of Design (M.Des.) program at the following campuses:
- NID Ahmedabad
- NID Bengaluru
- NID Gandhinagar
NID DAT 2026- Institute-wise seat intake for M.Des
The expected seats at the NID for M.Des 2026 are:
| S.No |
NID Campus |
Seat Intake (Expected) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
NID Ahmedabad |
126 |
| 2 |
NID Gandhinagar |
126 |
| 3 |
NID Bengaluru |
95 |
| Total Intake |
347 |
NID DAT 2026 - M.Des programs, Program-wise Seat Intake
The National Institute of Design has five faculties:
- The Faculty of Communication Design
- The Faculty of Industrial Design
- Faculty of Information Technology-Integrated Programmes
- Faculty of Interdisciplinary Design Studies
- Faculty of Textile, Apparel, and Lifestyle Accessory Design
The various disciplines and the institute-wise seat intake can be checked from the tables below.
Faculty of Communication Design
The expected seats at the Faculty of Communication Design are:
| Discipline |
NID Campus |
Seat Intake |
|---|---|---|
| Animation Film Design |
Ahmedabad |
19 |
| Film & Video Communication |
Ahmedabad |
19 |
| Graphic Design |
Ahmedabad |
19 |
| Photography Design |
Gandhinagar |
19 |
Faculty of Industrial Design
The expected seats at the Faculty of Industrial Design
| Discipline |
NID Campus |
Seat Intake |
|---|---|---|
| Ceramic & Glass Design |
Ahmedabad |
12 |
| Furniture & Interior Design |
Ahmedabad |
19 |
| Product Design |
Ahmedabad |
19 |
| Toy & Game Design |
Gandhinagar |
12 |
| Transportation & Automobile Design |
Gandhinagar |
19 |
| Universal Design |
Bengaluru |
19 |
Faculty of Information Technology-Integrated Programmes
The expected seats at the Faculty of Information Technology-Integrated Programmes are:
| Discipline |
NID Campus |
Seat Intake |
|---|---|---|
| Digital Game Design |
Bengaluru |
19 |
| Information Design |
Bengaluru |
19 |
| Interaction Design |
Bengaluru |
19 |
| New Media Design |
Gandhinagar |
19 |
Faculty of Interdisciplinary Design Studies
The expected seats at the Faculty of Interdisciplinary Design Studies are:
| Discipline |
NID Campus |
Seat Intake |
|---|---|---|
| Design for Retail Experience |
Bengaluru |
19 |
| Strategic Design Management |
Gandhinagar |
19 |
Faculty of Textile, Apparel, and Lifestyle Accessory Design
The expected seats at the Faculty of Textile, Apparel, and Lifestyle Accessory Design are:
| Discipline |
NID Campus |
Seat Intake |
|---|---|---|
| Apparel Design |
Gandhinagar |
19 |
| Lifestyle Accessory Design |
Gandhinagar |
19 |
| Textile Design |
Ahmedabad |
19 |
Important FAQs on Colleges Accepting NID Scores 2025
Q. How many seats are there in NID?
A. Total 425 seats are on offer at NID for BDes course and 347 seats are on offer for MDes course.
Q. What is the selection process of NID DAT 2025?
A. NID DAT is conducted in two phases - Prelims and Mains. The NID DAT 2025 exam (Prelims) will be conducted on January 5, 2025. The results of M.Des DAT Prelims will be released on Fenruary 17, 2025.
Shortlisted candidates have to appear in M.Des DAT Mains exam.
Q. Does any college other than NID also accept NID DAT scores?
A. Yes, many different private colleges accept NID scores for admission in BDes and MDes courses offered by them.
Q. How many seats are available for BDes admission at NID Ahmedabad?
A. Total 125 seats are available for BDes admission at NID Ahmedabad.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 4 days ago
The result for NID DAT Prelims 2026 will be announced on April 07, 2026 around 4 PM.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
The details that cannot be modified in NID DAT 2026 Application window are programs applied, name of the candidate, date of birth, registered mobile number and registered email address.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
NID DAT 2026 Application edit window will open from December 02, 2025 to December 04, 2025.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
The last date to fill the application form for NID DAT 2026 for B.Des and M.Des programme is December 01, 2025.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
The NID DAT 2026 notification will provide information about eligibility, application process, fees, exam dates, exam pattern, and selection process. The notification provides details of seat capacity at each NID campus for both B.Des and M.Des.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
NID DAT 2026 notifications will be available on the official website of NID at admissions.nid.edu. Official notification of the NID entrance exam is all set to be out by the first week of September 2025. The notifications will be out for UG and PG programmes.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
National Institute of Design released the NID DAT 2026 Applications on September 11, 2025 for B.Des and M.Des programmes. The registration for NID DAT 2026 will be on the official website of NID. Candidates can fill out the application form by registering, filling in information, submitting document
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
One can follow these tips for NID 2026 preparations:
- Know your NID Syllabus.
- Understand the exam pattern of NID DAT.
- Make the NID DAT 2026 preparation plan.
- Books to refer.
- Practice till you are perfect using mock tests and previous year's papers.
- NID DAT Exam Day Strategy.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
Yes, there are placements in NID campuses. NID has separate Placement cells for the placement process. Placement in NID completely depends on the performance of the student during the selection interview. Some of the top recruiters of NID are:
- Malabar Gold & Diamonds
- J.P.Morgan
- Tcs
- The Asian Heritage F
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
NID Ahmedabad has a good record of placements. NID Ahmedabad consistently leads in placement outcomes among NID campuses. In 2025, the average package was around ?21.3 LPA and the highest package was around ?30 LPA. The Total offers made were 620.
S
Contributor-Level 10
The NID DAT 2025 (Mains) exam for the B. Des programme will be held from April 26 - May 4, 2024. The timings for the dat Mains exam will be mentioned in the NID DAT 2025 admit card, along with the reporting time. The candidate needs to reach the DAT Mains exam centre as per the timings given in the admit card. Note that you may not be allowed entry inside the exam venue once the exam commences. So, it is advisable to reach the exam venue with time in hand.