NID Entrance Exam

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

Yes, candidates who have passed their H.S.C. vocational examination may apply for admission to the B.Des program.

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.  

If you missed appearing for the NID National Institute of Design entrance exam you can appear for it again next year as the exam is typically held once a year there is no limit to the number of times you can attempt the NID DAT as long as you meet eligbility criteria each time

A rank of 390 in the NID OBC category suggest you did not make the cutoff for the main exam since an NID DAT is only held once here you should focus on alternative options considered pursuing related degree programme building a strong portfolio exploring other designs schools while preparing for the next NID exam

• revaluate your an NID strategy
• Explore other design schools
• Consider deleted degree programs
• Build a strong portfolio

With a score of 63 in the NID DAT, you have a realistic chance in some NID campuses (especially newer or less competitive ones), depending on your category. Ahmedabad campus usually needs a much higher score but check last year's campus cutoffs for a better estimate.

For the NID Prelims, a score of 19 is on the lower side for the OBC category. In previous years, OBC candidates who qualified for the next round had scores above 40–55 out of 100. So, with 19, sadly, it's not likely you'll make it past the prelims—but don't lose hope, as each exam is a learning experience for the next.