When will the application forms for NID 2026 be released?

NID application form 2026 opened on September 11, 2025. The application form is open online at the NID admission portal -admissions.nid.edu. Candidates who meet the program-specific eligibility criteria may apply before the last date. The NID application form is for admission to the B. Des and M.Des courses offered by participating colleges. The last date to apply for NID DAT 2026 was December 01, 2025.

Is the NID DAT exam very difficult to crack?

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 correct strategy, then the NID DAT exam can be cracked. Among the first things the candidate needs to do is prepare a efficient study timetable, get familiar with the syllabus and pattern, and use good books as reference material.

What is the cutoff for NID admissions?

A. NID cutoffs vary from course to course as well as the reservation category to which candidates belong. In 2019, NID cutoff for B. Des course for general category candidates at NID Ahmedabad was 96.84 whereas the cutoff for M.Des course vary depending on the discipline for which candidates had applied for admissions. Aspirants can view detailed NID DAT cutoffs for past years' exam here. The cut-off depends on a multitude of factors, including the category of the candidate, the seat intake, total applicants, performance of candidate in the NID DAT exam, etc. If any of these parameters change, the cut-off would also change.

How many seats are there for NID admissions?

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.

Who sets NID DAT question paper?

Questions in NID DAT are drafted by an exam committee formulated by the National Institute of Design. The NID DAT exam is considering one of the toughest in the land, along with other popular entrance exams like NIFT and UCEED. On particular reason why NID DAT is so competitive is there are only 425 seats available for the B. Des programme, while candidates from all over the country can apply. The NID DAT exam comprises two stages. The candidate first appears in DAT Mains, which is a Design Aptitude Test. Those who qualify in that Prelims have to next appear in the that Mains. Note that the final results will be prepared by giving weightage to both that Prelims and that Mains.

What is NID DAT Prelims exam pattern?

NID DAT Prelims for the B. Des programme is a paper-and-pencil/pen exam. The question paper may include both textual and visual questions. The language of the test will be English. Note that the test duration and other details related to the exam will be notified to the candidate through the NID DAT admit card. The candidate must follow previous years ' Prelims question papers to get better insights into the exam pattern, including types of questions asked, marking scheme, and difficulty level.

Can I ask for recheck of DAT Prelims result?

Requests for rechecking the answer booklet of the that Prelims has to be submitted online at admissions. Nid. Edu. Rechecking is restricted to whether all the answers have been marked, and whether there has been any mistake in the totaling of marks for each question in Part II of answer booklet and transferring the marks correctly onto the first cover page of the answer booklet. No other re-evaluation of the answer script or other work done by the candidate as a part of the examination will be carried out. To recheck window will open soon after the that Prelims results are announced. Note that the candidate will have to pay a certain fee to submit a request.

Is the NID DAT exam very difficult to crack?

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 correct strategy, then the NID DAT exam can be cracked. Among the first things the candidate needs to do is prepare a efficient study timetable, get familiar with the syllabus and pattern, and use good books as reference material.

How to secure admission at NID?

Admission to the NIDs is conducted through the NID Entrance Examination. The NID exam has two stages - the candidate first appears in the that Prelims. Scores of the that Prelims are used to then shortlist candidates for that Mains. The final merit list for NID DAT 2026 will be prepared by giving weightage to that Prelims and that Mains. Note that the National Institute of Design hasn't yet released the weightage for the that Prelims and that Mains. The NID DAT 2026 (Prelims) exam will be on December 21, 2025. Meanwhile, the DAT exams for the M.Des programme will be conducted tentatively in March, whereas DAT Mains for the B. Des programme will be conducted in April 2026.

What was the difficulty level of NID DAT 2023 (Prelims)?

As per inputs given by candidates, difficulty level of Part A was moderate and Part B was moderate. Overall, the paper was easy compared to the previous edition. Part A of the question paper includes a number of questions from GK. As for some students, the paper was lengthy. The question paper included one question on perspective drawing, one question on the storyboard, and one question on problem-solving. Considering that the paper was easy compared to the previous year, the cut-off could go higher. Note that if the cut-off goes higher, the candidates will get need better marks to have a good chance of admission.

What aspects will be covered by NID DAT exam analysis?

NID DAT exam analysis will cover Sectional difficulty Overall difficulty Weightage of questions Good attempts Expected cut-off

When will NID DAT cutoff be released?

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 the B.Des programme will be released separately. The cut-off will be released by considering factors like the number of applicants, seat intake, and category. Candidates who meet the cut-off for their category in their chosen programme will get admission.

When will the NID DAT 2026 Prelims exam be conducted?

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.

What is the difficulty level of NID DAT?

The NID Entrance Exam is considered to be one of the toughest design entrance exam conducted in the country. In NID DAT, more weightage is given to subjective, drawing related questions. Thus, candidates need to be extremely creative and have a clear understanding of their concepts when appearing for the NID exam. For preparing the final results for the B. Des program, the DAT Prelims will be allocated 40% weightage, while DAT Mains will be given 60%. During the DAT Mains, which comprises a Studio Test, the candidate is tested hands-on and have to show their drawing abilities, creativity, innovativeness, and material-handling ability.

What is the eligibility criteria for NIFT 2026?

Candidates applying for B. Des course need to have passed 10+2 exam from a recognised institute and should be less than 24 years as of August 1, 2026. Relaxation of 5 years in the upper age limit applies for candidates belonging to SC, ST and PwD categories.

When will the NID DAT exam analysis be released?

The exam analysis for NID DAT 2026 exam will be released soon after the exam is over. The exam analysis will be available immediately after the exam. Shiksha. Com sends their own representatives to cover the exam, who interact with exam takers and gather inputs. The exam analysis will cover all the details of the exam, including the types of questions asked, sectional and overall difficulty level, topics covered, and what questions were asked, etc.

NID Exam Analysis 2026 (OUT): DAT Prelims Overall & Sectional Difficulty, Student REACTION & Reviews

526 Students Q&A

Result - 17 Feb '26

This exam is conducted for courses given below:

BDes, GDPD MDes

Updated on Dec 21, 2025 14:48 IST

By Sayeba Naushad, Assistant Manager

NID DAT Exam Analysis 2026: NID DAT 2026 (Prelims) exam conducted on December 21, 2025 for B.Des and M.Des. Candidates who appeared in the exam can follow the NID DAT 2026 analysis. The exam analysis is available for the M.Des and B.Des courses.

Our representatives visited the NID DAT exam center 2026 and brought the DAT Prelims exam analysis. The exam analysis provides insight into the NID DAT 2026 question paper, including the section-wise and overall difficulty level, weightage, good attempts, and expected cutoff.

Latest Update:

NID DAT 2026 Exam: Reporting Time and Things to Carry at Exam Centre

The difficulty level of the B.Des exam was moderate to difficult. Some students found the paper to be a bit lengthy. Also, NID test takers believed that it is not required to take up coaching to do well in the NID DAT entrance Test.

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