Architecture Entrance Exam

Given below are the top Architecture colleges in India that accept NATA and are ranked on top as per NIRF 2025:

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from the Architecture and Planning section of the official NIRF website.

There are around 20+ top Architecture colleges in India that accept NATA, out of which 16 colleges are government-owned and 10 colleges are owned by private entities. 

No, appearing for the NATA exam is not necessary for admission to TSAP - Thakur School of Architecture and Planning BArch course. The institute accepts two exams for BArch admissions: JEE Main Paper 2 and NATA. Thus, students aspiring to take admission but haven't appeared for NATA can apply via JEE Main Paper 2 scores. Moreover, students with a valid accepted exam score must participate in the MHT CET CAP counselling process.

Yes, NATA is compulsory. NATA is required for all the candidates appearing for admission to the B.Arch course in the Siddaganga Institute of Technology. Regardless of category, students must secure a minimum of 40% in NATA. This apart from meeting the academic criteria of 50% in class 12 PCM or 10+3 Diploma with Mathematics.

The National Aptitude Test in Architecture (NATA) is usually conducted by the Council of Architecture (CoA) in three sessions between April and July. For 2025, the first session is expected in April, the second in June, and the third in July. The official notification, with exam dates and registration details, will be released on nata.in. Students can register online, upload required documents, and pay the fee of approximately two thousand rupees. NATA scores are accepted by architecture colleges across India for B.Arch admissions, making it one of the most important exams for architecture aspirants.

Trying to get into NITs or IITs for B.Arch with NATA? Hate to break it to you—but NATA scores don't work there. NITs only accept JEE Main Paper 2, and IITs want you to clear JEE Advanced + the AAT (Architecture Aptitude Test). Save your NATA scores for private architecture schools or other institutes that actually accept it. For NIT/IIT, it's JEE route only—no shortcuts.

No, there is no single or centralised counselling date for NATA-qualified candidates. The Council of Architecture (CoA) does not conduct any common counselling for NATA. Once you receive your score, it's up to individual institutes or state-level admission authorities to manage their own counselling schedules. Each college or university determines when and how they'll conduct counselling, this includes application deadlines, seat allotment, document verification, and fee payment .

The Council of Architecture (CoA) will officially release the NATA 2026 results in May 2026.  Additionally, CoA adheres to the following schedule for every exam session. Results are typically declared within 7 days of each test date. So, if you appeared in a later session (e.g., in June, July, or August), you can expect your result roughly one week after your exam.

There isn't a fixed numeric NATA cutoff published for MIDAS, but here's what you need to know:

MIDAS requires an "adequate" NATA score along with at least 50% in 10+2 and typically 75% total marks in Physics, Chemistry & Maths. In simpler terms, just aim for a solid performance in NATA—usually around the school's average or above—to get through the admission rounds.