National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad

No, it is generally not mandatory to have prior work experience to apply for an M.Des in UI/UX or Communication Design at IITs or NIDs

Applications for NID DAT 2026 will open in September 2025 (tentatively). Candidates who have passed or will appear for higher secondary (10+2) qualifying examinations in the academic year 2025–26 in any stream (Science, Arts, Commerce, Humanities etc.) from any recognised board of education such as CBSE, IB, ICSE or equivalent could apply.

Candidates seekling admission to the M.Des programme must have complete their 3-year or 4-year Bachelor Degree programme in any discipline.

Candidates who have done full-time Diploma of minimum 4-year duration in Design/Fine Arts/Applied Arts/ Architecture, after 12th standard or equivalent to 12th standard, from any university or institute recognised by law in India, may also apply. 

The National Institute of Design (NID) will release the eligibility criteria for the NID DAT for the B.Des and M.Des courses through the respective admission handbooks. The eligibility criteria outlines requirements like academic qualification, minimum marks, age limit, number of attempts, etc.  

Sad news NID admissions for B.Des are strictly through the entrance test (NID DAT). There usually isn't any “backdoor” or alternate route for admissions unless you qualify under rare reserved/foreign or supernumerary categories. Always verify with the official NID notifications for exceptions.

MDes programme NID Ahmedabad has 19 specialisations in the 3 campuses. These are Animation, Graphic Design, Product Design, Furniture and Interior Design and so on. These are separated into four faculty members such as Industrial Design and IT Integrated Design. Learners will find it possible to select on the basis of their own interest, and portfolio.