Sayeba
Sayeba Naushad
Assistant Manager
Updated on Aug 19, 2025 17:29 IST

While admission to the National Institute of Design 2026 participating institutes is based on NID scores, do you know what a good score is to get admission to your dream institute? If not, then this article is for you, as we bring category-wise scores required for admission to NID-participating colleges.

The National Institute of Design conducts the NID DAT entrance exam for admission to the B.Des and M.Des courses offered by participating colleges. To get admission, especially to one of the top NIDs, one needs to secure a good NID DAT 2026 score or merit rank.

But the TRICKY question is what is a good score (or rank)? 

It is because what we call a good rank may vary depending on the category of the candidate, as well as the institute applied for admission. So, to cut the confusion, here we bring you the category-wise minimum marks you need to secure to have a chance of admission at each of the NID DAT 2026 participating institutes.

The application form for NID DAT 2026 is expected to be available from the first week of September. The NID DAT 2026 (Prelims) exam is expected to be conducted in the first week of January 2026. The scores of the DAT Prelims will be used to shortlist candidates for the DAT Mains. The FINAL results of NID DAT 2026 will be prepared by giving weightage to DAT Prelims and DAT Mains.

Q:   Is the NID exam difficult?
Q:   Is the NID DAT exam very difficult to crack?
Q:   Is it possible to crack NID DAT without coaching?

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Table of content
  • NID DAT 2026 Qualifying Marks
  • What is the NID DAT 2026 Score?
  • NID DAT 2026 - Good Score
  • NID DAT Cut-off 2026

NID DAT 2026 Qualifying Marks

The qualifying marks are the minimum marks a candidate needs to secure in their respective category to qualify for the exam. In other words, only such candidates who qualify in the exam will be considered for the NID DAT 2026 seat allotment.

The following are the Qualifying marks for NID DAT 2025, NID 2026 aspirants can have an idea about the 2026 NID DAT Qualifying Marks.

Category

Open

OBC-NCL

SC/ST

PwD

EWS

Minimum Marks

50

45

40

40

50

What is the NID DAT 2026 Score?

The NID DAT 2026 scorecard will contain the total score, which will be prepared by giving weightage to the DAT Prelims and DAT Mains. The total score will be used to prepare the merit rank, which will be the basis of the NID DAT 2026 seat allotment.

NID DAT 2026 - Good Score

Listed below are the scores a candidate is expected to secure in order to have a good chance of admission to the B.Des program in one of the top NIDs.

Category

Good Score

Open

90+

Gen-EWS

60+

OBC-NCL

70+

SC

65+

ST

50+

PwD

50+

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NID DAT Cut-off 2026

The cut-off is the minimum mark a candidate needs to secure in their category to get admission to a participating institute (NID institutes). The cut-off for a participating institute will be prepared by considering a host of parameters, including the following:

  1. The NID DAT 2026 merit rank of the candidate
  2. The seat intake in the participating institute
  3. The category under which admission is sought
  4. The number of applications received by the participating institute
  5. Previous years’ cut-off trends.
Q:   What is the difficulty level of NID DAT?
Q:   How to crack NID DAT 2025 without coaching?
Q:   Do we need to join coaching to prepare for NIFT entrance exam?

NID B.Des 2026 Rank and Score

The NID B.Des Admissions 2025-26: Rank and Score of the Last Candidate Allotted a Seat (as on 12 June 2025) are:

1. NID B.Des 2025 Rank and Score for Open Rank

Campus Open Rank Score
NID Ahmedabad 48 59.60
NID Andhra Pradesh 200 54.10
NID Assam 247 53.00
NID Madhya Pradesh 166 55.00
NID Haryana 193 54.30

2. NID B.Des 2025 Rank and Score for GEN-EWS Rank

Campus GEN-EWS Rank Score
NID Ahmedabad 16 50.90
NID Andhra Pradesh 20 50.40
NID Assam NE NE
NID Madhya Pradesh 17 50.80
NID Haryana 21 50.30

3. NID B.Des 2025 Rank and Score for OBC-NCL Rank are

Campus OBC-NCL Rank Score
NID Ahmedabad 40 53.70
NID Andhra Pradesh 119 48.50
NID Assam 130 47.90
NID Madhya Pradesh 102 49.30
NID Haryana 100 49.40

4. NID B.Des 2025 Rank and Score for SC Rank are:

Campus SC Rank Score
NID Ahmedabad 24 51.70
NID Andhra Pradesh 66 45.60
NID Assam 74 44.80
NID Madhya Pradesh 44 48.20
NID Haryana 56 46.60

5. NID B.Des 2025 Rank and Score for ST Rank are:

Campus ST Rank Score
NID Ahmedabad 11 47.80
NID Andhra Pradesh 27 42.50
NID Assam 39 40.20
NID Madhya Pradesh 22 43.50
NID Haryana 29 42.20

6. NID B.Des 2025 Rank and Score for PwD Rank are:

Campus PwD Rank Score
NID Ahmedabad 7 40.60
NID Andhra Pradesh NE NE
NID Assam NE NE
NID Madhya Pradesh NE NE
NID Haryana 9 40.00

7. NID B.Des 2025 Rank and Score for Overseas Rank are:

Campus Overseas Rank Score
NID Ahmedabad 10 52.50
NID Andhra Pradesh NE NE
NID Assam NE NE
NID Madhya Pradesh NE NE
NID Haryana NE NE

NID M.Des 2025 Rank and Score

The NID M.Des 2025 Rank and Score of the Last Candidate Allotted a Seat as on 18 June 2025 (Round 03) are as follows:

Discipline Open Rank Score GEN-EWS Rank Score OBC-NCL Rank Score
Animation Film Design 12 55.10 NE NE 6 46.65
Ceramic & Glass Design 6 58.10 NA NA 6 49.95
Furniture & Interior Design 10 55.90 2 50.25 7 47.45
Film & Video Communication 10 67.35 2 54.20 7 62.65
Graphic Design 8 62.25 NE NE 9 53.90
Product Design 10 59.30 NE NE 14 49.60
Textile Design 8 59.25 NE NE 5 47.20
Apparel Design 9 54.15 NE NE 6 47.95
Lifestyle Accessory Design 10 59.30 NE NE 9 48.60
New Media Design 8 57.70 NE NE 8 46.55
Photography Design 16 50.15 NE NE 1 46.50
Strategic Design Management 11 61.40 1 50.50 5 47.35
Transportation & Automobile 10 55.60 NE NE 5 47.25
Toy & Game Design 6 72.95 NA NA 6 48.70
Digital Game Design 7 66.65 2 60.00 6 54.85
Design for Retail Experience 7 59.30 NE NE 8 47.60
Information Design 8 67.70 3 52.10 8 49.95
Interaction Design 11 57.50 NE NE 7 50.35
Universal Design 14 60.55 2 57.00 11 48.80
Discipline SC Rank Score ST Rank Score PwD Rank Score Overseas Rank Score
Animation Film Design 5 46.30 1 52.15 NA NA NA NA
Ceramic & Glass Design 3 50.50 NE NE NA NA 1 57.80
Furniture & Interior Design 4 44.85 2 50.40 NA NA NA NA
Film & Video Communication 6 56.35 1 63.45 NA NA 1 66.00
Graphic Design 4 55.65 1 59.80 1 51.20 NE NE
Product Design 3 50.70 1 46.05 NA NA NA NA
Textile Design 6 40.20 1 48.40 NA NA NE NE
Apparel Design 3 40.65 1 43.35 NA NA NA NA
Lifestyle Accessory Design 7 43.95 2 46.25 NA NA NA NA
New Media Design 4 43.00 1 52.50 NA NA NA NA
Photography Design 5 43.50 NA NA NA NA NA NA
Strategic Design Management 4 43.90 2 55.25 NA NA NA NA
Transportation & Automobile 4 45.35 NE NE NA NA NA NA
Toy & Game Design 2 45.40 NE NE NA NA NA NA
Digital Game Design 4 54.45 1 53.15 1 42.15 NA NA
Design for Retail Experience 3 55.10 NA NA 1 44.95 NA NA
Information Design 3 53.45 NE NE NA NA NA NA
Interaction Design 5 52.80 1 41.80 NE NE NE NE
Universal Design 5 51.25 NA NA NA NA NA NA

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About the Author
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Sayeba Naushad
Assistant Manager
Sayeba is an editorial professional with over 5 years of experience in content creation, editing and proofreading. She holds a master's degree in commerce, which has helped her develop a strong attention to detail a Read Full Bio
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Answered a month ago

Candidates will be able to apply online by registering on the official portal, filling out the form, uploading documents, and paying the application fee. The registration process will start after the release of the NID DAT 2026 official notification. National Institute of Design is expected to relea

...Read more

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month 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

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month 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

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month ago

National Institute of Design is expected to release the NID DAT 2026 Applications by the first week of September 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 info

...Read more

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month ago

NID notification for 2026 is expected to be out by the first week of September 2025. The official notification will be out on the official website of the NID and will contain details about the NID entrance examination. 

The NID notifications will include: 

  • General Information

  • Important Dates

  • Intake Capa

...Read more

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month ago

One can follow these tips for NID 2026 preparations:

  1. Know your NID Syllabus.
  2. Understand the exam pattern of NID DAT.
  3. Make the NID DAT 2026 preparation plan.
  4. Books to refer.
  5. Practice till you are perfect using mock tests and previous year's papers.
  6. NID DAT Exam Day Strategy.

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month ago

In general, the average salary after passing from NID is between 8-12 lakhs. It can also range between 17 and 50 lakhs, depending on the recruiter and the performance of the student.

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month 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

...Read more

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month ago

NID students can get job opportunities in graphic designing, UX designing, animation, fashion communication, furniture designer, fashion consultant, Textile designer, web designer, product designer, film and video communication and much more.

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month 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

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10