NID DAT Participating Institutes 2026: B.Des/M.Des Category-wise Seat Matrix, Reservation, Admission

Five participating institutes of NID DAT exam offer B.Des program. These include NID Ahmedabad, NID Andhra Pradesh, NID Haryana, NID Madhya Pradesh and NID Assam.

Seat intake for the B. Des stands at 425. NID Ahmedabad has an intake of 125 seats, while the rest of the NIDs each have an intake of 75 seats. Note that seats are reserved for categories like General-EWS, OBC, SC, and ST categories.

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.

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.

Yes, the National Institute of Design has reserved seats for OBC, SC, ST, PwD and EWS categories. For the OBC-NCL category, the combined intake capacity is 114 seats. Candidates who belong to the OBC-NCL category need to select their admission category at the time of filling out the NID that application form. Note that only genuine candidate needs to apply under the category, because every information furnished by the candidate will be checked at the time of NID counseling. Also, the candidate will have to furnish the relevant category Certificate to be considered for admission under that category. During seat allotment, OBC-NCL candidates will also be considered for admission under the general category.

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.

Minimum qualifying criteria for NID DAT are the minimum marks candidate needs to secure for admission. The category-wise cut-off would be released at the time of counseling and seat allotment. Cut-off would be prepared by considering factors like total number of applicants, merit ranks of applicants in NID DAT, seat intake of applied programme, etc. 

If you want to get a good rank in NID DAT, sketching is very important. Practice live sketching daily. Sketch daily objects. Sketch from the previous year question paper.

The admission to the NIDs is conducted through a Design Aptitude Test (DAT). The DAT is a two-stage exam.

The candidate has to first appear in DAT Prelims and then, if shortlisted, have to appear in DAT Mains. The final merit list for admission will be prepared by giving weightage to both DAT Prelims and DAT Mains. If a candidate appear in DAT Prelims, but doesn’t appear in DAT Mains, he or she will not be considered for admission. 

The are currently 347 seats earmarked for the B. Des programme at the five participating institutes of NID 2025. Of these, around 170 seats are available for general category candidates. Note that candidates belonging to reserved categories will also be considered for admission under the general category. However, candidates from general categories can't apply for admission under reserved categories. The candidate has to select their admission category at the time of filling out the NID that application form. Also, the candidate has to produce supporting documents at the time of admission. If the candidate fails to produce their category Certificate then he or she will be considered for admission under the general category.

A. The M.Des specialisations in which candidates can secure admission basis their performance in NID that are listed below: Animation Film Design Ceramic and Glass Design Furniture & Interior Design Film & Video Communication Graphic Design Product Design Textile Design Apparel Design Lifestyle Accessory Design Strategic Design Management New Media Design Photography Design Toy & Game Design Transportation & Automobile Design for Retail Experience Digital Game Design Information Design Interaction Design Universal Design There are a total of 347 seats available for the M.Des programme. The programme is offered at NID Ahmedabad, NID Bengaluru, and NID Gandhinagar campuses. Admission to the programme will be based on NID that 2023 merit rank.

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 National Institute of Design (NID) conducted the DAT Prelims exam on December 21, 2025.

The B.Des exam was held around 10 am - 1 pm; meanwhile, the M.Des exam was 10 am - 12.30 am. The candidates were required to report for the exam at 8 am. Gates' closing time was 9.30 am. 

DAT Prelims for the B.Des programme was conducted in a paper-and-pencil/pen mode.