NID Courses Fee Structure 2026 (BDes & MDes): College/Semester wise Fees & Seat Matrix

Yes, the National Institute of Design (NID) has released the fee structure for students joining design courses from 2026-2027. The fee structure has been released for both the B.Des and M.Des programs.

The combined tuition fees for the B.Des that candidates have to pay in eight semesters in the academic session 2026- 2027 is 2,25,000 per semester. For semester 1, the total fees without hostel is 2,26,900 and for semester 2 is 2,25,500.

The various components of the NID fee structure for the B.Des and M.Des programme inlcudes components like tuition fees, insurance fees, student activity fund, film club fees, and alumni fees. The tuition fees have the highest contribution to the overall fees.

The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) publishes the sample papers of NIFT for all the courses offered at its 20 participating colleges. However, these official sample papers don't contain any solutions. 

NIFT exam may have multiple question booklet series Booklet Series A, Booklet Series F, Booklet Series L, Booklet Series R, etc.

Candidate must download the answer keys corresponding to their own booklet series. booklet series contains the same questions, but the questions are arranged differently. So, unless the candidate downloads the answer keys corresponding to the relevant booklets series, the keys will not match. And if that happens, the candidate will not be able to accurately calculate the probable scores.

The exam analysis for NIFT 2026 written exam will be available soon after completion of CAT and GAT written exams. It will consist difficulty level, types of questions asked, marking scheme, and expected cut off. Also, the analysis will highlight any technical issues during NIFT. With analysis, candidates will be able to assess their performance and check what went right and what went wrong. Future aspirants also can go through the NIFT exam analysis to learn about the exam.

The candidate can find the exam analysis for NIFT over the last few years on this page. The NIFT exam analysis is available for both the CAT and GAT papers. The exam analysis for a specific year will cover the sectional and overall difficulty level of the paper, types of questions asked, and marking scheme. It will also cover the expected cut-off that candidates need to secure in their category to get shortlisted. The candidate by consulting the cut-off for previous years will learn about the emerging trends of the NIFT exam, like whether the difficulty level has increased or decreased, types of questions asked, etc.

Note that during COVID 19, the mock tests were used as a tool to help candidates get accustomed to the application and the process as the NIFT 2022 exam was held as a remote-based exam. Consequently, the mock tests were made mandatory, given candidates were appearing in the exam from their homes or a place of their picking. The mock tests in such circumstances helped to test internet strength, speed, reliability, check camera quality, for recording the test, etc. But in the last edition of the NIFT exam, the CAT and GAT written exams were conducted in a centre-based mode. Also, the National Institute of Fashion Technology didnt conduct any mock tests before the exam. So, we have to wait and watch to SEE if mock tests will be conducted at all for NIFT 2024 exam, and if they are conducted, whether they will be mandatory.

Mock tests will include representative questions or questions similar to ones asked in NIFTEE. So, by taking mock tests, candidate will get to know about types of questions asked, marking scheme, weightage, etc. Another important benefit the candidate can draw from solving a sample paper is understanding the question paper layout. For instance, the candidate will know which questions are placed where, the sequence of questions, whether the candidate needs to complete one section before moving to the next, etc.

The National Institute of Design (NID) in its admission handbook has clearly mentioned that it will not release any question papers nor answer keys for the NID DAT exam. The institute has mentioned in the handbook that the Prelims and Mains question papers are highly subjective, and so don't have any model answers. Note that the NID DAT exam is conducted for admission to the MDes and BDes courses. The candidate may however download unofficial question papers for the Prelims and the Mains exam released by coaching institutes. The only thing the candidate needs to remember in this case is since they are not official, the questions may not be exact replicas; typically the questions are picked from candidates who have appeared in the exam.

The NIFT sample papers are meant to be used as practice material only. So, they can only be a part of the NIFT study material. To learn the basic concepts and theoretical aspects of the subject, you will still need to refer to NIFT text books. In addition to the sample and question papers released by the National Institute of Fashion Technology, the candidate may also solve sample papers published by leading publishers like Arihant. The main purpose of sample papers is to improve ones problem-solving and time-management skills. So, the sample papers will work best if they are used after the candidate has done a thorough study of the theoretical aspects of the subject.

NTA releases the recorded responses for the NIFT exam. The recorded responses are a carbon copy of the candidate's answer sheet.

• Recorded responses bring transparency to the conduct of the NIFT entrance exam.
• Candidates can check their attempted and unattempted answers and calcultate probable score.
• It helps to raise objections against the Provisional Answer Key.

There is no fixed number of mock tests one should take before the NIFT Entrance Exam. A candidate should take at least one mock test daily for the NIFT Entrance Preparation. 10-15 mock tests will really help in preparing for the exam.

There is no negative marking in NID DAT 2026 exam. The candidate is recommended to go through the detailed exam pattern to get insights into the question paper structure, including types of questions asked, sections, etc. The DAT Prelims exam for the B. Des programme has two parts. Part I will include 22 objective-type questions, whereas Part II will include 4 subjective-type questions. Objective-type questions carry 1-2 marks, while subjective-type questions carry 15-20 marks. The total marks for the NID DAT Prelims will be 100 marks.

NID conducts the Studio test and Interview for NID DAT Mains exam in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Gandhinagar. Details of the centre will be mentioned in the NID Admit card.

NIFT Lateral Entry Admission (NLEA) provides an opportunity to candidates who have completed their Diploma in relevant or related fields of Design & Technology for direct admission to the third semester of UG programmes of NIFT. 

Eligible candidates have to appear in the NIFT 2026 entrance exam to get lateral admission. Admission under lateral entry scheme will be strictly on merit of NIFT 2026 exam, which will include written examination, studio test/ technology aptitude test, and a personal interview. 

Candidates selected through lateral entry will join the regular UG students of NIFT in their second year. 

The seat intake under this scheme will be displayed on the website prior to seat allocation.