Introduction: NID 2026 (DAT) exam has been announced for students interested in admission in the National Institute of Design located in various parts of India. NID exam 2026 is a national level entrance examination conducted as the selection process for admission into various programs like undergraduate and postgraduate and doctorate level programs offered by the institute.
The exams are held as prelims and mains and only selected candidates are invited to join the National Institute of Design located in Bangalore, Krukshetra, Ahemdabad, Vijaywada and Gujarat.
Candidates are required to undergo and successfully clear both the Design Aptitude Test (DAT) Prelims and DAT Mains to be considered for admission. The culmination of these two stages results in the formulation of a comprehensive merit list by the competent authorities. Notably, the National Institute of Design (NID) operates across three campuses located in Bengaluru, Gandhinagar, and Ahmedabad.
This article will help the students in learning all the information regarding NID exam 2026 like registration, Exam dates, Eligibility criteria, Admit Card, Syllabus etc.
Important dates for NID 2026 exam
| NID DAT Events | NID DAT B.Des Dates (tentative) | NID DAT M.Des Dates (tentative) |
| NID DAT 2026 application form date | Sep-25 | Sep-25 |
| NID 2026 registration for DAT by paying the late fees | Dec-25 | Dec-25 |
| Correction of NID DAT 2026 application form | Dec-25 | Dec-25 |
| NID DAT admit card 2026 | Dec-25 | Dec-25 |
| NID DAT 2026 (prelims) exam date | Jan-26 | Jan-26 |
| NID DAT 2026 prelims result | Apr-26 | Feb-26 |
| Rechecking request for DAT prelims | Apr-26 | Feb-26 |
| Download admit card for NID DAT mains | Apr-26 | Feb-26 |
| NID DAT 2026 exam date mains | Apr-26 | Mar-26 |
| NID DAT 2026 mains result | May-26 | May-26 |
| Rechecking request for DAT mains 2026 | May-26 | May-26 |
NID 2026 exam registration procedure will start soon for which the applicants are requested to follow the steps mentioned below.
- The NID 2026 Registration procedure will begin in the month of September.
- The last date for registration will be until the second week of December month.
- Go through all the details prior to you fill the application form.
- The application process includes registration, filling of the application form, upload of the documents and paying the application fee.
- If there are some mistakes in filling the application then make desirable changes or corrections in the month of December. (go through the official website for seeking the correct date)
- Submit the application form and take a print out for further reference.
- Candidate can make payment via Demand Draft which they need to send the print out of the application form along with Demand Draft in favor of ‘All India Management Association’ which is payable at New Delhi at the address:
The Project Manager – CMS,
All India Management Association,
Management House, 14, Institutional Area,
Lodhi Road, New Delhi – 110 003, India.
NID 2026 exam application fee charges and modes of payment
The application fee can be conveniently submitted online using various methods, including credit cards, debit cards, and Demand Draft. It is crucial to adhere to the prescribed time limit for payment, as applications with delayed payments may face rejection.
Applicants should take note that the application fee varies for different categories, necessitating candidates to make payments accordingly. In the case of payment through Demand Draft, it must be drawn in favor of “All India Management Association.” Importantly, the application fees are non-refundable and non-transferable, emphasizing the significance of accurate and timely transactions.
For a clearer perspective, the following delineates the application fee structure corresponding to different courses. It is advisable to ensure a secure internet connection while processing the payment, enhancing the overall transaction safety and efficiency.
| Category | Application fee | Application fee + late fee |
| General/ General- EWS/ OBC-NCL | Rs 3000 | Rs 4500 |
| SC/ ST/ General-PwD/ General-EWS-PwD/ | Rs 1500 | Rs 2250 |
| Overseas (Supernumerary) | Rs 5000 | Rs 7500 |
NID 2026 exam Eligibility criteria and Age limit
| Programme | Educational Qualification | Age Limit |
| BDes | – The candidates who have completed or appeared for the 10+2 examination in any discipline (Science, Arts, Commerce, Humanities, etc.) from any recognised board such as CBSE, IB, ICSE, or its equivalent will be eligible for NID DAT 2026. | .For Indian Nationals in General Category and General EWS Category: Candidates born on or after 1 July 2005. For Indian Nationals in Reserved Category (Other Backward Class-Non Creamy Layer (OBC-NCL), Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST)): Candidates born on or after 1 July 2002. For Indian Nationals in PwD Reserved Category: Candidates born on or after 1 July 2000. For Foreign Nationals in Overseas (Supernumerary) Category: Candidates born on or after 1 July 2005. |
| MDes | Bachelor Degree of minimum 4-year duration in any specialisation, after 12th standard or equivalent to 12th standard from any university and/or institute recognised by the law in India. OR Full-time Diploma of minimum 4-year duration in Design/Fine Arts/Applied Arts/Architecture, after 12th standard or equivalent to 12th standard. OR Bachelor Degree of minimum 3-year duration in any specialisation, after 12th standard or equivalent to 12th standard. | – For Indian Nationals in General Category & General EWS Category: Candidates born on or after 1 July 1994. | For Indian Nationals in Reserved Category (Other Backward Class-Non Creamy Layer (OBC-NCL), Scheduled Caste (SC) & Scheduled Tribe (ST)): Candidates born on or after 1 July 1991. For Indian Nationals in Person with Disabilities (PwD) Reserved Category: Candidates born on or after 1 July 1989.For Foreign Nationals in Overseas (Supernumerary) Category: Candidates born on or after 1 July 1994. |
NID 2026 Exam Pattern
Candidates interested in appearing for the examination should follow the below exam pattern for DAT Prelims & DAT Mains for detailed information please visit the official website.
| Exam Pattern for DAT Prelims
· Paper will consist of 100 marks. · The exam will be conducted in the English language only. · The exam will be commenced in offline mode. · Questions will be objective and subjective type both. · The candidate needs to complete the paper in 3 hours. · There will be no negative marking.
|
| Exam Pattern for DAT Mains
The exam will be taken in two parts · Studio Test: DAT Mains Test will commence in various formats in English. This test will be for 100 marks and time duration will be 3 hours.
· The interview will commence for various disciplines after the studio test.
|
NID 2026 Exam Syllabus
- Studio test syllabus will consist of topics like Body Language, Observation Test, 3D Modeling, Portfolio making, Creative thinking,
- Syllabus for written test will consist of so many questions from different topics such as Knowledge and Visualization, Creativity, Comprehension, Memory Drawing, Drawing Skills, General Mental Ability, etc.
Exam Centers for the entrance exam
DAT prelims shall be conducted in the following available centers across India which are as follows Kurukshetra, Lucknow, Mumbai, Dehradun, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Nagpur, New Delhi, Patna, Raipur, Ranchi, Thiruvananthapuram and Vijayawada.
NID 2026 Exam Admit Card
Students can download the admit card for the hall entry of the entrance examination from the official website of the National Institute of Design.
It should be noted that without the admit card entry will not be permitted for the entrance examination details like name, date & time of DAT main will be provided on the admit card.
NID 2026 Exam Result
Only the successful appearance in both the examination i.e DAT Prelims and the DAT Mains shall be considered in the merit list.
The result shall be declared through online mode and no separate hard copy or score cards will be provided to the appearing students.
NID 2026 Exam Merit List
The merit list for the successful candidate will be those who have successfully cleared the DAT prelims examination. Post exam a list will be announced for students who will now appear for the DAT mains exam.
An online merit list shall be published for the said NID entrance exam by the official of controller exam NID.
NID 2026 Exam Admission
Admission shall be based on the performance of the entrance exam and scores obtained in the two stages of Design Aptitude Test.
Successful candidates will be invited for counseling and after which the candidates will be awarded admission letter. Students will submit original certificates and will report to the allotted campus for final admission.
Link to official website: http://www.nid.edu/
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