NID DAT Notification 2026 (OUT): Download Official Notification PDF for B.Des & M.des

National Institute of Design Entrance Exam 2026 ( NID Entrance Exam )

DeskCalelnderExam On - 8 Mar '26

This exam is conducted for courses given below:
Sayeba Naushad
Updated on Feb 12, 2026 16:27 IST

By Sayeba Naushad, Assistant Manager

NID DAT 2026 official notification is released on the official website of NID. Candidates willing to appear for the NID 2026 exam should be aware of any latest updates on dates, pattern, and syllabus. The National Institute of Design released the NID DAT notification 2026 on September 11, 2025. NID DAT Entrance Exam was conducted on December 21, 2025 for B.Des and M.Des. 

National Institute of Design has released NID DAT Prelims result 2026 for M.Des today at admission.nid.edu.

NID DAT notification 2026 details NID Programmes, dates, exam pattern, eligibility, reservation, application form, exam centres, and results. Candidates willing to appear for NID Entrance Exam 2026 must stay updated with the NID DAT dates and latest notifications. 

NID DAT is one of the largest Design entrance examinations for admission to NIDs offering UG and PG programmes.

Table of contents
  • NID Notification 2026 Overview
  • NID Entrance Exam 2026 Exam Dates & Schedule
  • Download Official NID 2026 Notification PDF
  • FAQs on NID DAT Notification 2026
NID Entrance Exam Logo

NID Notification 2026 Overview

Refer the table below to know the important highlights of NID 2026 exam:

Particulars

Details

Exam Name

NID Entrance Exam 2026

Full Form

National Institute of Design Entrance Exam

Conducting Body

National Institute of Design (NID)

Exam Level

Undergraduate (B.Des) & Postgraduate (M.Des)

Exam Frequency

Once a year

Courses Offered

B.Des, M.Des, GDPD

NID 2026 Registration Start Date

September 11, 2025

Last Date to Apply

December 01, 2025 

Application Form Fee

Around INR 3000 (General/OBC), INR 1500 (SC/ST/PWD)

Admit Card Release Date

December 11, 2025

Exam Mode

DAT Prelims: Pen-and-Paper, DAT Mains: Studio Test/Interview

Exam Duration

3 Hours

Exam Centers

Across major cities in India

Counseling Process Start Date

June 2026

Expected Seat Intake

425 seats for B.Des and 347 seats for M.Des (Varies by course and campus)

Official Website

www.nid.edu

 

 

 

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   Will unfilled SC/ST seats be de-reserved for NID DAT admission?
A: 

No, unfilled seats in SC/ ST category will not be de-reserved. Meaning, such seats will not be transferred to the open category. The same applies to GEN-EWS category seats. 

So, even if there are vacant seats left in SC, ST, and GEN-EWS category, such seats will lapse. 

Q:   Which M.Des specialisations are offered through NID entrance exam?
A: 
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.

NID Entrance Exam 2026 Exam Dates & Schedule

Take a look at the table below for the complete schedule of NID Entrance Exam 2026 exam

DatesUpcoming Exam Dates
Mar ' 26

NID DAT 2026 (Mains) Studio Test and Interview

TENTATIVE
08 Mar ' 26

NID Mains Exam: M.Des Studio Test

21 Mar ' 26 - 01 Apr ' 26

NID Mains Exam: M.Des Interview

07 Apr ' 26

NID DAT 2026 (Prelims) - Results for B.Des

07 Apr ' 26 - 08 Apr ' 26

NID DAT 2026 (Prelims) - Results Recheck for B.Des

Apr ' 26

NID DAT 2026 (Mains) - Issue of Admit Cards for B.Des

TENTATIVE
May ' 26

B.Des DAT Mains Studio Test

TENTATIVE
DatesPast Exam Dates
24 Feb ' 26

NID Mains Exam: M.Des Admit card

12 Feb ' 26

NID DAT 2026 (Prelims) - Results for M.Des

12 Feb ' 26 - 14 Feb ' 26

NID DAT 2026 (Prelims) - Results Recheck for M.Des

NID Entrance Exam Logo

Download Official NID 2026 Notification PDF

NID will release the NID DAT 2026 notification PDF on the official website. The link to download the PDF will be updated as soon as the authorities release it.

NID DAT Year B.Des M.Des
NID DAT 2025 BDes_Admissions Handbook 2025-26 MDes_Admissions Handbook 2025-26
NID DAT 2024 BDes_Admissions Handbook 2023-24 MDes_Admissions Handbook 2023-24
Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   How to secure admission at NID?
A: 

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.

Q:   When will NID DAT (Prelims) admit card be released?
A: 

The National Institute of Design (NID) released the NID DAT 2026 admit card for DAT Prelims on December 11, 2025. Admit cards were issued only to successfully registered candidates.

To download the admit card, Candidates were required to log in to the portal using their email ID and date of birth. 

NID Entrance Exam Logo

FAQs on NID DAT Notification 2026

Check out frequently asked questions on the NID Entrance Exam 2026:

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   When will NID notifications for 2026 be released?
A: 

NID notification for 2026 has been released now. The official notification and applications are 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 Capacity at Individual NIDs

  • Eligibility Criteria

  • Reservation of Seats

  • How to Apply

  • Design Aptitude Tests (DAT)

  • Announcement of Results

  • Other Information

 

Q:   When will the NID 2026 application be released?
A: 

National Institute of Design released the NID DAT 2026 Applications on September 11, 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 information, submitting documents, and paying the registration fees.

Q:   Where can I find the NID DAT 2026 notification?
A: 

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.

Q:   What details will the NID DAT notification 2026 include?
A: 

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. 

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NID Entrance Exam Exam

Student Forum

chatAnything you would want to ask experts?
Write here...

Answered a week ago

If there were any clashes of the interview dates with the college/ university exam, then candidates could inform the NID before February 23, 2026. Candidates needed to attach a copy of the timetable attested by the principal and a letter from the principal confirming that the examination dates clash

...Read more

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a week ago

NID will not release any Answer Key for B.Des or M.Des programme. It opens a rechecking window with the result. 

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a week 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

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a week ago

NID will release the result for B.Des on April 07, 2026. The result be released on the website of NID.

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a week 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

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a week 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.

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a week 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

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a week 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

...Read more

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a week 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

...Read more

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a week 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

...Read more

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

36 Institutes accepting NID Entrance Exam

      • 4 years
      • |
      • Full Time

      DOT School of Design

      Ambattur OT, Chennai Private

      DOT School
      • 18.00 Lakh
      • 4 years
      • |
      • Full Time

      National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad

      Paldi, Ahmedabad Public

      National I
      • 18.04 Lakh
      • 4 years
      • |
      • Full Time

      Woxsen University

      Hyderabad Private

      Woxsen Uni
        • 13.45 Lakh
        • 4 years
        • |
        • Full Time

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