NID Entrance Exam MDes Notification 2026: Exam Dates, Registration, Vacancy, Results

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. 

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 reporting time for NID DAT will be mentioned in the Admit card, along with gate closing time, and exam timings and date.

The candidate needs to report for the DAT Prelims exam at 8 am. The gates of the exam center will close at 9:30 AM (or 30 minutes before the commencement of the exam). After that no candidate will be allowed inside the exam hall.

NID DAT Exam timings:

• B.Des - 10 am - 1 pm
• M.Des - 10 am - 12.30 pm

Admission to the NIDs is conducted through the NID Entrance Examination. The NID exam has two stages - the candidate first appears in the DAT Prelims. Scores of the NID DAT Prelims are used to then shortlist candidates for DAT Mains. The final merit list for NID DAT 2026 will be prepared by giving weightage to Mains. 

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. 

No, NID application fee once paid is not refunded under any circumstances. So, before filling out the form, the candidate must be sure whether they want to appear in the exam or not. 

NID DAT Prelims exam will be conducted offline and will be of 3 hours duration.

• Test will be conducted in the English language and include a maximum of 26 questions.
• Question paper will include both subjective and objective-type questions.
• Paper will be for 100 marks.
• Candidates who qualify in DAT Prelims have to next appear in DAT Mains.

 

The NIDs offer a full-time B.Des programme of 4-year duration, and a full-time M.Des programme of two-and-half years duration. 

The institute, in addition, also offers a PhD program. The programme can be pursed full-time or part-time. 

Admission to the design courses at the NID is conducted through a Design Aptitude Test (DAT). The exam comprise DAT Prelims and DAT Mains.

The final result or merit list is prepared by giving weightage to DAT Prelims and DAT Mains.

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. 

Yes, under unforeseen circumstances, the National Institute of Design reserves the right to change the nature and structure of the NID exam. This means all tests can be conducted online or offline, or a combination of online and offline, depending on how the National Institute of Design deems it fit.

So, the candidate is urged to keep looking up this space for all the latest on the NID 2027 exam.