What is NID - Full Form, How to get Admission, NID Flagship Programmes and NID Colleges
National Institute of Design Entrance Exam 2026 ( NID Entrance Exam )
Exam On - 8 Mar '26
NID DAT is one of the most important design entrance exams in India. Here we discuss what NID is, what it does, how to get admission in the NIDs, and much more. Read on.
NID DAT 2026
NID is one of the topmost institutions for design in India. It is known for offering undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs in various design disciplines. It was established under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. NID is recognised as an Institute of National Importance.
NID Admit card for M.Des Mains is out now for all the shortlisted candidates. NID DAT 2026 Exam was conducted on December 21, 2025, for B.Des and M.Des. The exam was conducted from 10 AM to 1 PM.
Latest Update:
- What is the full form of NID?
- What are NID DAT Flagship Programmes?
- NID Institutions/ Colleges
- What is the NID Entrance Exam 2026?
- What is the purpose of the NID entrance exam?
- Why study in the NIDs?
- How to get admission to the NIDs?
- NID Eligibility Criteria 2026
- Courses and Specializations Offered at NID
- Fee Structure at the NIDs
What is the full form of NID?
NID stands for the National Institute of Design. The institute is responsible for conducting the NID DAT entrance exam. The full form of DAT is the Design Aptitude Test. The NID DAT entrance exam is conducted in two stages - DAT Prelims and DAT Mains. The candidate first appears in DAT Prelims, and, if shortlisted, must appear in DAT Mains. The final score or merit list of NID DAT will be prepared by giving weightage to DAT Prelims and DAT Mains.
NID offers B.Des and M.Des courses. Candidates who have passed the 10+2 exam can seek admission to the B.Des program, whereas graduate students can apply for M.Des admission.
Key Aspects of NID DAT Exam 2026
Some of the key points of NID DAT 2026 Exam are:
- Exam Name: NID Design Aptitude Test (DAT)
- Conducting Body: It is conducted by the National Institute of Design
- Programmes: NID offers Undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. The UG and PG programmes include B.Des and M.Des.
- Stages: NID DAT is conducted in two stages: NID DAT Prelims and NID DAT Mains for B.Des and M.Des. Mains include Studio Test and Personal Interview.
- Eligibility: The eligibility varies for B.Des and M.Des. For B.Des, candidates must have completed 10+ 2 and for M.Des, they must have a bachelor's degree.
- Exam Focus: NID DAT is conducted to check knowledge, skill, and creativity in the field of design.
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Exam Levels: The exam is conducted in two stages:
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DAT Prelims: A written exam evaluating design aptitude.
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DAT Mains: A studio test and personal interview for shortlisted candidates.
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The NIDs have a combined intake of 425 seats for the B. Des programme. Of these, 45 seats are earmarked for the Industrial Design programme. The candidate can select from specializations like Ceramic and Glass Design, Furniture & Interior Design, and Product Design. The candidate will be able to select the programme of specialisation at the time of counselling.
What are NID DAT Flagship Programmes?
- B.Des (Bachelor of Design)
- M.Des (Master of Design)
- Ph.D in Design
NID Institutions/ Colleges
The NID Institutes for Bachelor of Design (B.Des.) are
- National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad
- National Institute of Design, Andhra Pradesh
- National Institute of Design, Haryana
- National Institute of Design, Madhya Pradesh
- National Institute of Design, Assam
The NID Institutes for Master of Design (M.Des.) are:
- National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad (Main Campus)
- National Institute of Design, Bengaluru (Extension Campus)
- National Institute of Design, Gandhinagar (Extension Campus)
The Interior Design programme is offered both for the BDes and MDes courses. At the BDes level, the Interior Design programme is offered under the faculty of Industrial Design, with a specialisation in Furniture and Interior Design. There are currently 13 seats for the programme. At the master's level, MDes in Furniture & Interior Design course is offered at the NID Ahmedabad campus. The intake capacity for the MDes programme is currently 19 seats. Admission to the Interior Design programme (both Bachelor's and master's) at the NIDs will be through the NID DAT exam.
The candidate needs to be born on or after July 1, 2004 for admission to the B. Des programme through NID DAT 2025 entrance exam.
Note that relaxation of 3-years applies to candidates from following categories - Other Backward Class-Non Creamy Layer (OBC-NCL), Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST). Meanwhile, for candidates belong to the PwD category, the relaxation in the upper age limit is 5 years. The candidate before filling out the NID application form need to ensure that they meet the prescribed eligibility criteria. Note that if the candidate is found to be faking their age, he or she may be disqualified.
The National Institutes of Design (NIDs) currently offer the BDes and MDes courses. Admission to these courses will be based on the merit rank of the candidate in the NID DAT exam, which will be prepared by considering the performance of the candidate in DAT Prelims and DAT Mains. The weightage carried by the two exams is notified by the National Institute of Design at the time of declaration of final results. Note that in NID DAT 2025, the DAT Prelims will carry 40% weightage, while DAT Mains will carry 60% weightage.
The candidate has to first appear in DAT Prelims, and if shortlisted has to next appear in DAT Mains. The DAT Mains exam for the BDes comprises a Studio Test, but also an interview for the MDes programme.
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What is the NID Entrance Exam 2026?
The National Institute of Design conducts an entrance exam, NID DAT, to shortlist candidates for admission to the B.Des and M.Des courses.
The NID DAT entrance exam has two parts:
- DAT Prelims
- DAT Mains
Candidates will be shortlisted for the DAT Mains based on their DAT Prelims scores. The FINAL result of NID DAT will be prepared by giving weightage to DAT Prelims and DAT Mains.
What is the purpose of the NID entrance exam?
As discussed above, the NID entrance exam is conducted to shortlist candidates for admission to the B.Des and M.Des courses. The NIDs are among the top design institutes in the country. For instance, NID Ahmedabad has been bestowed with the Institute of National Importance recognition by the Government of India. So, students who study in the NIDs can learn the key concepts and get practical exposure to become skillful designers and contribute to the country’s growth. The NIDs have among the best infrastructure, faculty, and industry connections, meaning students get a holistic education.
Why study in the NIDs?
Students who complete their B.Des and B.Des courses from the NIDs go on to make successful careers in design and allied sectors. The NIDs have many prominent alumni, one of the many reasons why students want to study a degree course in the NIDs. Some of the famous NID Alumni are Rahul Mishra, Harun Robert, Aditya Vikram Sengupta, etc. NID Placements are also very good. Passouts from the NIDs get good placements. Considering financial security is a major criterion for selecting an educational institute, it is easy to see why there is a beeline to get admission to the NIDs.
How to get admission to the NIDs?
The candidate has to sit in the NID DAT entrance exam for admission to the NIDs. The candidate can select the program of study at the time of filling out the NID DAT application. The NID DAT application form usually opens in the first week of September and ends in the first week of December. The NID DAT 2026 (Prelims) exam is usually conducted in the first week of January.
If the candidate qualifies in the DAT Prelims exam, he or she will have to take the DAT Prelims, which includes a Studio Test. In the case of M.Des candidates, they are also required to appear in a Personal Interview.
NID Eligibility Criteria 2026
It is recommended that the candidate carefully go through the NID DAT eligibility criteria before applying for their chosen program. This is because if the candidate doesn’t meet the eligibility criteria, he or she could be disqualified. Also, note that all documents will be verified at the time of NID DAT counseling and seat allotment. So, if the candidate fakes their identity, they may get caught. The NID DAT eligibility criteria are program-specific. The detailed eligibility criteria are outlined in the respective Admission Handbooks for the B.Des and M.Des courses.
Courses and Specializations Offered at NID
The NIDs offer a four-year B.Des and a two-and-a-half-year M.Des course.
The B. Des course has the following specializations:
- Film and Video Communication
- Exhibition Design
- Animation Film Design
- Graphic Design
- Ceramic and Glass Design
- Furniture and Interior Design
- Product Design
- Textile Design
Meanwhile, the M.Des program offers the following specializations:
- Graphic Design
- Film and Video Communication
- Animation Film Design
- Photography Design
- Ceramic and Glass Design
- Furniture and Interior Design
- Product Design
- Textile Design
- Apparel Design
- Lifestyle Accessory Design
- New Media Design
- Information Design
- Digital Game Design
- Strategic Design Management
- Design for Retail Experience
- Universal Design
- Transportation and Automobile Design
- Toy and Game Design
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Fee Structure at the NIDs
When you are choosing an educational institute, one of the key elements to check is the fee structure of that institute. The fee structure for the NIDs is available on the NID admission portal - admissions.nid.edu. The NID tuition fee for the B.Des program is INR 1,83,000. Other fee components include student activity funds, hostel charges, mess charges, etc. Meanwhile, the tuition fee for the M.Des program is INR 2,13,500.
NID B.Des 2026 Fee Structure
The fee structure for NID B.Des 2026 will be updated once it is released. Meanwhile, candidates can have a rough idea by going through the fee structure of 2026-26:
| NID Programme and Campus 2025 | Fee Structure |
|---|---|
| NID B.Des : NID Ahmedabad | Click Here |
| NID B.Des: NID Andhra Pradesh | Click Here |
| NID B.Des: NID Haryana | To be Announced |
| NID B.Des : NID Madhya Pradesh | Click Here |
| NID B.Des : NID Assam | To be Announced |
NID M.Des 2026 Fee Structure
The fee structure for NID M.Des 2026 will be updated once it is released. Meanwhile, candidates can have a rough idea by going through the fee structure of 2026-26:
| Programme | Fee Structure |
|---|---|
| NID M.Des 2025 | Click Here |
Major Recruiters of NID
NID has a separate placement cell for the placement of its candidates. It organizes placement drives every year for its students. Students are encouraged to pursue opportunities in areas such as social communication, service sectors, technology-enhanced learning, Craft Design, Green Design, Universal Design, and Experiential Design. Some of the top recruiters of NID are:
- Adidas Group India
- Adobe
- Ddecor Exports
- Deloitte Consulting India Pvt Ltd.
- Design Factory India
- House Of Anita Dongre Limited
- Info Edge (India) Ltd.
- Infosys Technologies Ltd.
- J.P.Morgan
- Jaanch Ur Style
- Label Sailesh Singhani
- Ritika Private Limited (Ritu Kumar)
- Robert Bosch Engineering And Business Solutions Limited
- Samsung Design Delhi
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 4 days ago
If there is any clash of the interview dates with the college/ university exam, then candidates can inform the NID before February 23, 2026. Candidates need to attach a copy of the timetable attested by the principal and a letter from the principal confirming that the examination dates clash with t
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
NID will not release any Answer Key for B.Des or M.Des programme. It opens a rechecking window with the result.
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
Yes, NID has a rechecking Window for the NID Result. This window will check whether all answers are checked or not, and whether the total is correct.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
NID will release the result for B.Des on April 07, 2026. The result be released on the website of NID.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
NID Studio Test for M.Des carries 40% of wieghtage and Interview carries 60% wieghtage. More emphasis is given on the interview by NID.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
No, there is no negative marking in the NID Studio Test. Candidates will be evaluated based on their thinking and creative skills. Studio Test will carry 40% of the total Marks for the NID Mains Exam.
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
Yes, NID Studio Exam is a bit tough because it will check your creativity and imagination. You can learn some formulas here and apply them to get the answer. The main objective is to evaluate technical skills and critical thinking skills. So, it is said to be a bit tough.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
It is not at all necessary to take coaching to get a good rank in NID Entrance Exam. It is because the entrance exam will test creative, drawing, and innovative skills of the candidate. Now, a coaching institute can't teach you to be creative or become innovative. But you can take coaching classes f
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
National Institute of Design (NID) will release the NID DAT 2026 admission cut-off for the B.Des and M.Des programmes at the time of seat allotment, around May-June 2026. The cut-off will be released as the rank and score of the last candidate admitted to the M.Des program.
NID DAT cut-off for B.Des
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
NID DAT, along with NIFT and UCEED are among the most competitive national-level entrance exams in the country. The fact that there are only 425 seats for the B. Des and 347 seats for the M.Des programme makes it very competitive. But that being said, if the candidate prepares well and with the corr
S
Contributor-Level 10
Total seats offered in B. Des courses at all the NID campuses is 425 seats. For M.Des course, NID seats on offer for admission are 347. The B. Des programme is offered at five institutes - NID Ahmedabad, NID Andhra Pradesh, NID Haryana, NID Madhya Pradesh, and NID Assam. The various faculty members under which the programme is available include Faculty of Communication Design, Faculty of Industrial Design, and Faculty of Textile, Apparel, Lifestyle, and Accessory Design. Meanwhile, the M.Des course is available at NID Ahmedabad, NID Bengaluru, and NID Gandhinagar. Admission to both the B. Des and M.Des courses will be through the NID DAT entrance exam.