NID Entrance Exam

The National Institite of Design (NID) released admit cards for DAT Prelims exam on December 12, 2023.

The admit card will be issued online at admissions.nid.edu. To download the admit card, click on the admit card link and login by entering your email id and date of birth.

Hard copies of the admit card will not be sent to the candidate.

On exam day, you must bring a photo ID proof in original along with a printout of the admit card. Note that digital copies of the admit card will not be accepted.

The NID DAT 2024 exam will be conducted on December 24, 2023.

NID DAT Prelims exam will take place in 17 cities in India. Each of these exam cities may have one or more test centres. Candidate will have to select their choice of exam centres for the DAT Prelims exam when filling out the NID DAT Application form. Candidates must be careful when selecting the exam city, because they will not be allowed to change it after the Application edit window closes.

NID DAT Mains exam for the B. Des and M.Des programme will be conducted in 17 cities. 

The results of DAT Prelims for B.Des will be tentatively declared on April 02, 2027, while results for the M.Des programme are expected to be declared on February 12, 2027.

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

The candidate mustn't under any circumstances wait for the dying hours to download the admit card for NID DAT 2026. It is because in the last few hours, there may a server crash or website slowdown issues due to heavy traffic.

If that happens, you may face difficulty in downloading the admit card.

Also, if there is any discrepancy in the admit card, you won't have much time to get it fixed if you don't download it soon after it is released.

Yes, you may be disqualified from the NID Admission Process if you do not follow the NID DAT guidelines during the exam.

The guidelines include

• Candidate must not indulge in cheating

• Canddiates must not disturb other candidates

• Carry barred items

• Do not leave the exam hall until the exam is over

No, National Institute of Design may not make any arrangements for a baggage counter. So, candidates must bear this in mind when packing for NID DAT Prelims exam.

It is recommended that candidate only pack bare essentials and not bring unnecessary stuff to exam centre. Also, expensive items like smartphones, jewellery, gadgets, etc., should be better left at home.

The National Institute of Design (NID)  released admit cards for DAT Prelims on December 11, 2025. Meanwhile, the DAT Prelims exam was conducted on December 21, 2025.

Admit cards for the DAT Mains will be released later.

The candidate must carefully preserve the admit cards for the DAT Prelims and DAT Mains. It is because the admit cards will be required at the time of seat allotment and admission.

Also, note that the window to download the admit card will only be open for a limited period of time.

The National Institute of Design (NID) conducts the DAT Mains exam separately for the B. Des and M.Des programs.

NID DAT Mains Exam for B.Des will be conducted on 

• Studio Sensitivity Test: April 19, 2027
• In-Person Sensitivity Test: May 11 to May 17, 2027

NID DAT Mains exam for M.Des is expected to be conducted on March 08, 2027. Personal Interview can be conducted from March 21, 2027 to April 01, 2027.