NID Entrance Exam

The qualifying status of the candidate was disclosed in the DAT Prelim findings. The candidate was ineligible to participate in the DAT Mains if they had not qualified in the DAT Prelims. It should be noted that there are two sub-exams for the National Institute of Design's (NID) Desing Aptitude Test (DAT): DAT Prelims and DAT Mains. It is required to take both tests. Additionally, the DAT Prelims and DAT Mains are weighed in order to generate the final merit list. Therefore, an applicant will be eliminated from consideration for admission if they do not pass DAT Prelims or do not show up for DAT Mains.

Diploma candidates need to meet the following conditions for admission:

• Done full-time Diploma of 4-year duration after 10+2
• Diploma in the following subjects is accepted - Design/ Fine Arts/ Applied Arts/ Architecture.
• The Diploma must be done from a university or institute recognised by law in India.

The application edit window for NID DAT 2026 is expected to open on December 02, 2025 to December 04, 2025 for UG and PG programmes.

Using the application edit window, the candidate will be able to edit details like their address, applied category, exam centre, etc.

However, the candidate can't change the Programme Applied for, Name of the Candidate, Date of Birth, Registered Mobile Number, and Registered Email ID.

Also, if the candidate changes their applied category, the applicable application fees have to be paid by the candidate. Further, no refund of fees will be made in case of any category change. 

The GATE closing time for both the B.Des and M.Des courses is 9.30 am (30 minutes before the commencement of the exam), after which no candidate will be allowed inside the exam centre. 

So, make sure that you reach the exam centre at 8 am (the official reporting time).

Note that you may have to go through security checks and registration. If you are late, then you may face a lot of trouble, which is not a good thing to experience on exam day.

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 candidate will be allowed to apply for re-check of their results soon after the results are declared. The recheck window will be available on the NID admission portal - admissions.nid.edu.

Recheck window for the B.Des program will be open from May 16-17, wheres re-check window for M.Des will be open from May 6-7.

To apply for recheck, you need to log into the portal using your candidate credentials, pay the relevant fees and complete any othe formalities. 

The results of the DAT Mains exam for the B.Des exam will be declared on May 16, 2025. Meanwhile, DAT Mains results for M.Des will be announced on May 6, 2025.

NID DAT Prelims is the 1st step of the two-step NID admissions process. DAT Prelims comprises a written exam that candidates need to clear in order to be eligible for DAT Mains. The National Institute of Design will conduct DAT Prelims exam 2026 on December 21, 2025. The DAT Mains for the B. Des programme will include a Studio Test, whereas the DAT Mains for the M.Des programme will comprise a Studio Test and Interview. The Studio Test and Interiew for the M.Des programme will be conducted in April 2026. The DAT Mains for the B.Des programme will be conducted in April 2026.