NID DAT Eligibility Criteria 2026 (B.Des & M.Des): Category-wise Age limit & Qualification
National Institute of Design Entrance Exam 2026 ( NID Entrance Exam )
Exam On - 21 Dec '25
The application form for the NID DAT 2026 exam is closed now. If you are planning to apply for admission to the NIDs, you must not only crack the NIFT 2026 exam but also meet the program-specific NID DAT 2026 eligibility criteria. Note that if you don't meet the eligibility conditions, you may be disqualified at any stage of the admission process.
The National Institute of Design (NID) will conduct the NID 2026 (Prelims) on December 21, 2026 for B.Des and M.Des Programmes. The application form for NID DAT 2026 is closed. The NID DAT exam is conducted for admission to B.Des and M.Des courses. Candidates must meet the NID DAT 2026 eligibility criteria for the program they are applying to. Or else, their applications will be rejected.
The eligibility criteria will cover academic requirements, percentage of marks, and age limit. Also, any candidate trying to forge their eligibility may be disqualified if caught at any stage of the admission process. Criminal charges may also be imposed on such candidates. NID officials will verify all documents at the time of NID DAT 2026 counseling. Keep reading to learn the full details about NID DAT 2026 eligibility criteria and much more.
- NID Entrance Exam Eligibility Criteria for UG Admissions 2026
- NID DAT Eligibility Criteria for PG Admissions 2026
- NID Eligibility Criteria 2026 for Overseas Category
NID Entrance Exam Eligibility Criteria for UG Admissions 2026
B.Des course offered by NID campuses is of a four-year duration. Admission to the program is open to candidates who not only qualify for the NID DAT 2026 entrance exam but also meet the eligibility criteria prescribed by the institute.
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NID B. Des Admissions 2026: Qualifying exams
- The candidate must have passed the 10+2 exam
- Those appearing in the 10+2 exam in the academic year 2025-2026 may also appear.
- Students from any stream (Science, Arts, Commerce, Humanities, etc.) may apply.
Accepted Education boards: CBSE, IB, ICSE, or equivalent.
Examinations considered equivalent are given below:
- 10+2 system under a central or state board recognized by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU).
- Intermediate or two-year pre-university examination under a board or university recognized by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU).
- Final examination of the two-year course of the Joint Services Wing of the National Defence Academy.
- Senior secondary school examination under the National Institute of Open Schooling, with a minimum of five subjects.
- Any public school, board, or university examination completed in India or from any foreign country recognized as equivalent to the 10+2 system by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU)
- HSC vocational examination.
- General Certificate Education (GCE) examination at the Advanced (A) level taken in London, Cambridge, or Sri Lanka.
- High School Certificate Examination from Cambridge University or an International Baccalaureate diploma from the International Baccalaureate Office, Geneva.
- AICTE approved three-year full-time Diploma after Class X offered by Board of Technical Education of any state in India or Union Territories as mentioned on http://www.aicte-india.org/statisticbote.php.
- Candidates who have completed final examinations for Class XII (or equivalent) outside India or from a board not specified above should produce a certificate from the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) confirming that the examination they have passed is equivalent to the Class XII examination conducted in India.
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| UCEED vs NID - Which is Better? | NID vs NIFT - Differences, Participating colleges, Admission Process, Placement |
NID Eligibility Criteria 2026 - Age Limit for B.Des Admission
Candidates can go through the upper age limit criteria that they need to meet to be eligible to be considered for admission to the B.Des program offered by the NIDs.
Candidates seekling admission to the M.Des programme must have complete their 3-year or 4-year Bachelor Degree programme in any discipline.
Candidates who have done full-time Diploma of minimum 4-year duration in Design/Fine Arts/Applied Arts/ Architecture, after 12th standard or equivalent to 12th standard, from any university or institute recognised by law in India, may also apply.
Applications for NID DAT 2026 will open in September 2025 (tentatively). Candidates who have passed or will appear for higher secondary (10+2) qualifying examinations in the academic year 2025–26 in any stream (Science, Arts, Commerce, Humanities etc.) from any recognised board of education such as CBSE, IB, ICSE or equivalent could apply.
| Category |
NID DAT 2026 Age Limit for BDes |
|---|---|
| General or General-EWS Category |
The candidate must be: Born on or after July 1, 2005 |
| Reserved Category - OBC-NCL, SC, ST |
Born on or after July 1, 2002 |
| PwD Category |
Born on or after July 1, 2000 |
| Foreign Nationals - Overseas (Supernumerary) Category |
Born on or after July 1, 2005 |
NID DAT Eligibility Criteria for PG Admissions 2026
Candidates seeking admission to the M.Des program must meet age and educational criteria.
NID DAT eligibility criteria 2026 (M.Des) - Qualifying Exam
Candidates must meet the following criteria:
- Bachelor’s degree of a minimum four-year duration in any discipline from a recognized university or college, or
- Bachelor’s degree of minimum three-year duration in any discipline from a recognized university or college, or
- Full-time diploma of minimum four-year duration in Design/ Fine Arts/ Applied Arts/ Architecture passed from a recognized university or college after clearing Class 12. However, candidates must have passed/ have appeared for/ be appearing for the diploma exams at the time of document verification, tentatively scheduled in May 2026.
NID DAT Eligibility Criteria 2026 (M.Des) - Age Limit
The NID DAT Eligibility for M.Des is:
| Category |
NID DAT 2026 Age Limit for MDes |
|---|---|
| General Category |
The candidate must be born on or after July 1, 1994. |
| Reserved Category - OBC-NCL, SC & ST |
The candidate must be born on or after July 1, 1991. |
| PwD Category |
The candidate must be born on or after July 1, 1989. |
NID DAT 2026 Eligibility Criteria M.Des - Overseas Category
To apply under the overseas (Supernumerary) category, the candidate must meet the following conditions:
- Age Limit: The candidate must be born on or after July 1, 1994.
- Qualifying exam: The candidate must have passed:
-
Bachelor’s degree of minimum four-year duration in any discipline from a recognized university or college, or
-
Bachelor’s degree of minimum three-year duration in any discipline from a recognized university or college, or
-
Full-time diploma of minimum four-year duration in Design/ Fine Arts/ Applied Arts/ Architecture passed from a recognized university or college after clearing Class 12. However, candidates must have passed/ have appeared for/ be appearing for the diploma exams at the time of document verification, tentatively scheduled in May 2026.
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NID Eligibility Criteria 2026 for Overseas Category
Foreign citizens (candidates holding citizenship of any country other than India) can apply for the NID entrance exam 2026 only under the overseas (Supernumerary) category, provided they fulfill all the eligibility criteria. 15% supernumerary seats are available for Overseas candidates.
NID DAT 2026 Eligibility Criteria B.Des - Overseas Category
Overseas candidates seeking admission to B.Des need to meet the following eligibility criteria:
- The candidate must be born on or after July 1, 2004.
- The candidate must have passed the 10+2 exam (any stream) equivalent to CBSE, IB, or ISC.
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Indian Nationals belonging to General Category and General EWS Category need to be born on or after 1 July 2005 to apply for admission. Relaxation of 3-year and 5-year applies to candidates belonging to OBC-NCL.ST/SC and PwD candidates respectively.
Yes, candidates who have passed their H.S.C. vocational examination may apply for admission to the B.Des program.
The results of the DAT Prelims will include the qualifying status of the candidate. If the candidate fails to qualify in DAT Prelims, he or she will not be eligible to appear in DAT Mains.
Note that the Desing Aptitude Test (DAT) conducted by the National Institute of Design (NID) has two sub-exams: DAT Prelims and DAT Mains.
Both the exams are mandatory.
Also, the final merit list is prepared by giving weighatage to DAT Prelims and DAT Mains. So, if a can candidate fails to qualify DAT Prelims or doesn’t appear in DAT Mains, the candidate will be disqualified from the admission process.
Sayeba Naushad is a commerce postgraduate from Banaras Hindu University. She has over five years of experience in content writing and editing. She has a nose for current events in design field. At Shiksha.com, she s
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 2 weeks ago
NID 2026 Application correction Window for B.Des and M.Des will open on December 02, 2025 till December 04, 2025.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
The result for NID DAT Prelims 2026 will be announced on April 07, 2026 around 4 PM.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month 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 a month ago
NID DAT 2026 Application edit window will open from December 02, 2025 to December 04, 2025.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month 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
The National Institute of Design (NID) will release the eligibility criteria for the NID DAT for the B.Des and M.Des courses through the respective admission handbooks. The eligibility criteria outlines requirements like academic qualification, minimum marks, age limit, number of attempts, etc.