By DQ Labs | Design Exam Coaching, Bangalore
Read this first. The NID Admissions Handbook 2027–28 has not been published yet. It is expected around September 2026 at admissions.nid.edu. Everything on this page is built from the official NID B.Des and M.Des Admissions Handbooks 2026–27 and the verified 2026 admission cycle. Dates and figures for 2027 are projections and are marked as tentative. Always confirm against the official 2027–28 handbook once it is released.
What is the NID Entrance Exam?
The NID Design Aptitude Test (NID DAT) is the national-level entrance exam conducted by the National Institute of Design for admission to its B.Des and M.Des programmes.
Bachelor of Design (B.Des – 4 years) is offered at: NID Ahmedabad · NID Andhra Pradesh (Vijayawada) · NID Haryana (Kurukshetra) · NID Madhya Pradesh (Bhopal) · NID Assam (Jorhat)
Master of Design (M.Des – 2.5 years) is offered at: NID Ahmedabad (main campus) · NID Gandhinagar (extension campus) · NID Bengaluru (extension campus)
NID Ahmedabad and its Gandhinagar and Bengaluru extension campuses are an Institute of National Importance under the NID Act 2014, functioning autonomously under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India. NID Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Assam are also autonomous Institutes of National Importance under DPIIT – none of them are state-run institutions.
Admission is decided across two stages – DAT Prelims and DAT Mains – which together assess, in NID’s own words, the knowledge, skills and behavioural abilities of candidates.
Official admissions website: https://admissions.nid.edu NID institutional website: https://nid.edu
NID’s own warning: Applications are invited online only at https://admissions.nid.edu. Any website referring to NID with a “.org” or “.org.in” domain is fake. Verify the URL before submitting anything.
NID 2027 Exam Overview
| Particulars | Details |
| Exam name | NID Design Aptitude Test (NID DAT) |
| Conducting body | National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad |
| Exam level | National |
| Frequency | Once a year |
| Stages | DAT Prelims (qualifying only) + DAT Mains (decides the merit list) |
| Programmes | B.Des (4 yrs), M.Des (2.5 yrs) |
| Mode | Offline, pen-and-paper |
| Medium | English only – application, question papers and instruction |
| Prelims duration | 3 hours in the 2026 cycle (10 AM–1 PM). NID announces the confirmed duration in the Admit Card, not in the handbook |
| Negative marking | None |
| Expected NID 2027 Prelims date | December 2026 (tentative) |
| Official website | https://admissions.nid.edu |
The single most important structural fact: since the 2026 cycle, DAT Prelims carries 0% weightage in the final result. NID’s handbook states plainly that the Prelims score is used only to shortlist candidates for Mains and is not carried forward. Your rank is decided entirely by DAT Mains. Verify that this continues for 2027 once the official handbook is released.
NID 2027 Exam Dates (Tentative)
All dates below are projected from the confirmed 2026 cycle. NID will publish the confirmed schedule in the Admissions Handbook 2027–28, expected around September 2026.
B.Des – NID 2027 Important Dates
| Event | NID 2027 (Tentative) | 2026 actual, for reference |
| Notification & handbook release | September 2026 | 11 September 2025 |
| Registration begins | September 2026 | 11 September 2025 |
| Last date to submit the application | Late Nov / early Dec 2026 | 01 December 2025 |
| Window to edit the application form | Opens the day after the deadline, open ~3 days (December 2026) | 02–04 December 2025 |
| Prelims Admit Card release | December 2026 | 11 December 2025 |
| DAT Prelims exam | December 2026 / January 2027 | 21 December 2025 |
| Prelims result | April 2027 | April 2026 |
| Mains Admit Card release | March–April 2027 | ~April 2026 |
| DAT Mains (Studio Sensitivity + In-Person Sensitivity) | April–May 2027 | Studio Sensitivity Test 19 April 2026 |
| Final result | May 2027 | 26 May 2026 |
| Document upload / campus preference lock | May–June 2027 | 31 May 2026 |
| Round 1 seat allotment & token fee | June 2027 | 09–11 June 2026 |
| Provisional offer letters | June 2027 | 16–18 June 2026 |
M.Des – NID 2027 Important Dates
| Event | NID 2027 (Tentative) | 2026 actual, for reference |
| Notification & handbook release | September 2026 | 11 September 2025 |
| Registration begins | September 2026 | 11 September 2025 |
| Last date to submit the application | Late Nov / early Dec 2026 | 01 December 2025 |
| Window to edit the application form | December 2026 | 02–04 December 2025 |
| DAT Prelims exam | December 2026 / January 2027 | 21 December 2025 |
| Prelims result | February 2027 | February 2026 |
| DAT Mains (Studio Test + Interview) | March–April 2027 | March–April 2026 |
| Final result | April 2027 | 23 April 2026 |
| Seat allotment, token fee & documents | May 2027 | 05–07 May 2026 |
| Provisional offer letter | May 2027 | 26 May 2026 |
NID conducts the entrance exam once a year. Prelims and Mains are two stages of a single admission cycle, not two separate attempts.
NID 2027 Eligibility Criteria
Your candidature is cancelled if you do not satisfy every criterion. Age limits below are rolled forward one year from the official 2026–27 handbook and are tentative until the 2027–28 handbook is published.
Age Limit
| Category | B.Des (born on or after) | M.Des (born on or after) |
| General / GEN-EWS | 1 July 2006 | 1 July 1995 |
| OBC-NCL / SC / ST | 1 July 2003 | 1 July 1992 |
| PwD | 1 July 2001 | 1 July 1990 |
| Overseas (Supernumerary) | 1 July 2006 | 1 July 1995 |
Note: Overseas category candidates cannot avail age relaxation, scribe facility or other reservation benefits.
Educational Qualification – B.Des
Open to candidates who have passed, or will appear for, the higher secondary (10+2) qualifying examination in the current academic year (2026–27 cycle: AY 2026–27), in any stream – Science, Commerce, Arts or Humanities – from any recognised board (CBSE, ICSE, IB, State Boards or equivalent).
Candidates appearing for Class 12 in 2027 must pass in the first attempt and submit the qualifying marksheet on or before 15 July 2027. Any backlog, compartment or supplementary paper, or failure to submit the result by that date, results in the admission being cancelled and the entire fee forfeited.
Repeaters and drop-year candidates are governed by the age limit above – the handbook ties the qualifying examination to the current academic year, so confirm your specific situation against the 2027–28 handbook before applying.
Accepted equivalent qualifications
- Final examination of the 10+2 system under a Central or State Board recognised by the AIU
- Intermediate or two-year Pre-University examination under a Board or University recognised by the AIU
- Final examination of the two-year course of the Joint Services Wing of the National Defence Academy
- Senior Secondary examination under NIOS, with a minimum of five subjects
- Any public school, Board or University examination in India or abroad recognised as equivalent to 10+2 by the AIU
- H.S.C. Vocational examination
- GCE A-Level taken in London, Cambridge or Sri Lanka
- AICTE-approved 3-year full-time Diploma after Class X, from a State/UT Board of Technical Education
Educational Qualification – M.Des
This changed in the 2026–27 cycle. Older guides still carry the outdated version.
A Bachelor’s degree, or its equivalent, in any discipline, awarded by a University or institution incorporated by an Act of Parliament or a State legislature, or deemed a University under Section 3 of the UGC Act 1956, or an equivalent qualification recognised by the Ministry of Education, Government of India.
There is no minimum-duration rule (3-year vs 4-year) and no separate diploma pathway in the current handbook.
Final-year candidates (appearing in the academic year 2026–27) are eligible, provided they:
- Pass the final qualifying examination in the first attempt and submit the final result/marksheet by 31 July 2027
- Have appeared for all subjects and cleared any backlogs on or before 28 June 2027, supported by a self-undertaking signed by the candidate and parents plus an undertaking from the college/university
- Submit an additional college/university certificate at physical document verification if still appearing after provisional admission
Common to both programmes
| Criterion | Details |
| Foreign board / university | Equivalence certificate from AIU, New Delhi / Ministry of Education, Govt. of India required at document upload |
| Nationality | Open to Indian nationals and foreign nationals (Overseas Supernumerary category) |
| OCI / PIO holders | Must apply only under the Overseas category |
| NRIs on an Indian passport | Apply as Indian nationals, not Overseas |
| Medium of instruction | English |
| Number of attempts | No officially published cap – governed by age limit and qualification window |
NID 2027 Application Fee
Based on the confirmed 2026–27 fee structure. Exact 2027 fees will be published in the official notification.
Indian Nationals
| Applicant | B.Des | M.Des (1 discipline) | M.Des (2 disciplines, same faculty stream) |
| General / GEN-EWS / OBC-NCL | ₹3,000 | ₹3,000 | ₹6,000 |
| Female candidates (except SC/ST/PwD) | ₹2,000 | ₹2,000 | ₹4,000 |
| SC & ST | ₹1,500 | ₹1,500 | ₹3,000 |
| PwD | ₹500 | ₹500 | ₹1,000 |
| Third Gender | ₹500 | ₹500 | ₹1,000 |
Overseas (Supernumerary) Candidates
| Applicant | B.Des | M.Des (1 discipline) | M.Des (2 disciplines) |
| Overseas | US$ 125 | US$ 125 | US$ 250 |
Converted to the rupee equivalent, rounded up to the nearest ₹100 at the time of the announcement.
Notes:
- The application fee is neither refundable nor transferable
- Bank transaction / convenience charges are not included and are borne by the candidate
- Third Gender candidates must upload a Certificate of Identity issued by the District Magistrate under the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act 2019, and/or an identity card from transgender.dosje.gov.in, to avail the fee relaxation
- If you change your category during the edit window, you pay the difference; no refund is issued if the new category has a lower fee
How to Apply for NID 2027
The entire process is online only. Registration is expected to open in September 2026.
Step 0 – Read the handbook
Download and read the Admissions Handbook 2027–28 for your programme before you start. You will be asked to confirm you have read it.
Step 1 – Sign up
Register at https://admissions.nid.edu – this is the only valid portal. Select your Programme of Study, Nationality and Category, then provide a valid email ID and active mobile number. Both receive an OTP for validation.
Locked forever after signup: Name of Candidate, Programme Applied In, Date of Birth, Registered Email ID, Registered Mobile Number. These cannot be changed at any stage – not even in the correction window.
Keep that email and mobile active until 31 August 2027. All NID communication comes from [email protected] or [email protected] – check spam folders.
Step 2 – Fill the application form
Complete personal and educational details.
- B.Des candidates additionally submit their Institute Campus preference at this stage
- M.Des candidates choose one faculty stream – Industrial Design (ID), Communication Design (CD), Textile/Apparel & Lifestyle Accessory Design (TAAD), IT-Integrated Design (ITID) or Interdisciplinary Design Studies (IDDS) – and up to two disciplines within that stream only. Applications are tied to the chosen discipline and are not transferable at any stage.
Step 3 – Upload documents
| Item | Format | Size |
| Recent passport-size colour photograph (professional studio; selfies rejected) | JPG/JPEG | 50 KB – 200 KB |
| Scanned signature | JPG/JPEG | 50 KB – 200 KB |
| Category certificate (EWS / OBC-NCL / SC / ST / PwD), if applicable | Max 1 MB | |
| Passport first & last page + OCI/PIO card (Overseas only) | JPG/JPEG | – |
| Third Gender certificate / identity card, if applicable | Max 1 MB |
Certificate validity dates (2026–27 reference): GEN-EWS and OBC-NCL certificates had to be issued on or after 01 April 2025, based on FY 2024–25 gross annual income, in the prescribed Central Government format. Expect the equivalent one-year-forward dates for 2027. Certificates not in English or Hindi need a notarised translation attached.
Step 4 – Pay the application fee
B.Des accepts debit card, credit card and net banking. M.Des accepts debit and credit card. Your application is complete only once you can view, download or print the auto-generated application form.
Step 5 – Submit and save the confirmation
Download and print the confirmation page.
Step 6 – Use the correction window if needed
A ~3-day edit window opens shortly after the application deadline. Everything except Programme Applied In, Name, Date of Birth, Registered Mobile and Registered Email can be edited – including your test centre, which cannot be changed once the window closes. If you edit anything, complete all steps to the end and reprint the form to confirm the change was saved.
NID 2027 Exam Pattern
NID DAT runs in two stages. Both must be cleared in sequence.
Stage 1 – DAT Prelims
| Particulars | Details |
| Mode | Offline, pen-and-paper |
| Duration | 3 hours in the 2026 cycle (10 AM–1 PM). NID announces the confirmed duration in the Admit Card |
| Total marks | Reported as 100 in the 2026 cycle. NID does not publish a mark scheme in the handbook |
| Paper structure | NID publishes no official section split. Questions may involve both text and visuals |
| Negative marking | None |
| Weightage in final result | 0% – qualifying stage only |
What actually happened in the 2026 paper (21 December 2025): for both B.Des and M.Des, candidates and exam-centre reports recorded no General Aptitude / objective section at all. The paper was entirely creative and subjective – drawing, visualisation, scene-building and design thinking.
But note: NID’s handbook still retains a clause about OMR sheets for objective questions in the PwD scribe section, which means NID has not permanently removed the option of an objective part. Treat the CAT-only format as the current reality, not a guarantee.
Other Prelims facts:
- The paper is common across all NID campuses and conducted simultaneously at every centre
- For M.Des, there is a single common test paper for all faculty streams
- Separate category-wise merit lists are prepared (GENERAL, GEN-EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, ST, PwD), with a separate list for Overseas candidates
- Prelims marks are not carried forward – the stage exists purely to shortlist
Shortlisting ratios differ sharply by programme:
| Programme | Candidates shortlisted for Mains |
| B.Des | 1.5× the seats available in each category |
| M.Des | 4.5× the seats available in each category, per discipline |
This is a meaningful difference. B.Des Prelims is a genuinely tight filter; M.Des Prelims is a far wider net.
Stage 2 – DAT Mains
B.Des Mains:
| Component | Format | Weightage |
| Studio Sensitivity Test | Hands-on creative and design tasks – sketching, model-making, material handling, design problem-solving | 60% |
| In-Person Sensitivity Test | Face-to-face evaluation of design sensibility, observation and how you articulate your design decisions | 40% |
M.Des Mains:
| Component | Format | Weightage |
| Studio Test | Faculty-stream-specific – one common Studio Test for all disciplines within your chosen stream | 40% |
| Personal Interview | Discipline-wise – assesses portfolio, design thinking and fit for the specific discipline | 60% |
Example from NID’s handbook: all candidates across the Communication Design faculty stream sit one common Studio Test, but are interviewed separately according to their discipline choice within that stream.
Key points about Mains:
- DAT Mains carries 100% of the final result for both programmes, since Prelims carries 0%
- You must appear for both Mains components to be eligible for the merit list
- Mains is conducted in English only
- A separate Admit Card is issued for Prelims and for Mains
- Mains test centre details are announced in the Mains Admit Card – NID does not publish them in advance
- NID does not provide accommodation for either stage; arrange your own travel and stay
The In-Person Sensitivity Test – what we know
The In-Person Sensitivity Test was introduced in the 2026 cycle as a new B.Des Mains component at 40% weightage. It is understood to involve an in-person, interview-style interaction centred on the tasks you completed in the Studio Sensitivity Test – assessing how you think about and explain your design decisions rather than just what you produced.
Because it is new, detailed evaluation criteria have not been published. Watch admissions.nid.edu for official guidance in the 2027–28 handbook.
Test Centres for DAT Prelims
The 2026 Prelims was held across 17 cities:
Ahmedabad · Bengaluru · Bhopal · Bhubaneswar · Chandigarh · Chennai · Dehradun · Hyderabad · Jaipur · Jorhat · Kochi · Kolkata · Lucknow · Mumbai · Nagpur · New Delhi · Patna
A city may have more than one centre. NID reserves the right to add or remove centres and to allot you a centre that is not your first choice. Your chosen centre can only be changed during the application edit window.
NID 2027 Preparation Checklist (Indicative)
NID does not publish an official syllabus. Neither the B.Des nor the M.Des handbook contains one. The terms “CAT” (Creative Ability Test) and “GAT” (General Aptitude Test) are coaching-industry shorthand, not NID’s own terminology. The checklist below is compiled from past papers and observed exam patterns, and should be treated as a preparation guide, not an official document.
Design thinking and visual aptitude
| Topic | What to focus on |
| Visualisation & imagination | Converting concepts into visual form; drawing from memory and imagination |
| Mental visualisation | Perceiving and manipulating 3D forms from 2D representations |
| Design thinking | Problem identification, user empathy, proposing creative solutions |
| Lateral thinking | Unexpected angles; unconventional idea generation |
| Colour theory | Colour relationships, mood, temperature, application in design contexts |
| Scene creation & storytelling | Narrative compositions with multiple figures and objects |
| Memory drawing | Reproducing observed objects and scenes accurately |
| Form & function | How an object’s shape relates to its purpose |
| Pattern & texture | Repeating motifs, surface qualities, visual rhythm |
| Ornaments & motifs | Indian and global decorative vocabulary; craft and cultural design |
| Picture analysis | Reading and interpreting visual information |
| Expression & emotion | Conveying feeling through line, form and composition |
| Lettering & graphics | Hand lettering, pictograms, graphic communication |
| Imagination & doodling | Free-form visual thinking; developing ideas through spontaneous drawing |
General aptitude – how much does it still matter?
The General Aptitude component did not appear in the 2026 paper for either B.Des or M.Des. Both papers were entirely creative and subjective.
Because NID revises its pattern from cycle to cycle and its handbook still leaves room for an objective section, keep light readiness only – do not build your preparation around it:
| Quantitative (foundational) | Reasoning & logic | Verbal & general awareness |
| Ratio & proportion, percentage | Direction sense | Reading comprehension |
| Profit & loss, simple interest | Series completion | Error detection |
| Averages; speed, time & distance | Seating arrangement | Statement & conclusion |
| Mixture & allegation; work & time | Arithmetic reasoning | Para jumbles |
| Number system | Clocks & calendars | Cloze test |
| Area, volume & surface area | Blood relations | Synonyms / antonyms |
| Basic statistics (mean, median, mode) | Venn diagrams | Painters & paintings |
| Data interpretation (tables & graphs) | Paper folding, grouping of images | Indian textiles & crafts |
| Simplification & approximation | Analogy, mirror images, pattern completion, paper cutting | Current affairs |
| Basic geometry & mensuration | Dot situation, cube & dice | World heritage sites; Indian geography |
| – | Figure matrix, character puzzle | Musicians & instruments |
Realistic advice: prioritise creative and visual-thinking practice. Treat general aptitude as low-cost insurance – a few hours a week, not a parallel syllabus. Confirm the confirmed pattern at admissions.nid.edu once the 2027–28 handbook is out.
DAT Mains preparation – B.Des
Mains is 100% of your rank, so this is where the effort belongs.
| Area | What to focus on |
| Drawing & sketching | Freehand drawing, scene composition, product sketching, figure drawing with proportion |
| Model making | Building 3D forms from paper, card, wire, clay or found objects under time pressure |
| Material manipulation | Working creatively with raw materials to express a concept or solve a problem |
| Doodling & ideation | Expressing ideas quickly through loose, exploratory drawing |
| Evolving ideas | Demonstrating a visible design process from initial concept to refined outcome |
| Audio-visual exercises | Responding to sound, music or visual stimuli through drawing |
| Articulation | Explaining why you made each design decision – this is the core of the In-Person Sensitivity Test |
| Observation & body language | How posture, gesture and expression communicate meaning; design empathy |
On portfolios for B.Des: NID’s handbook does not codify a portfolio requirement. However, in the 2026 B.Des Mains cycle, candidates were required to submit a Theme Poster and a Portfolio PDF online as part of the Mains process. Build and maintain one regardless – process work, not just polished finals.
DAT Mains preparation – M.Des
| Area | What to focus on |
| Model making | 3D construction from given materials within time constraints |
| Material manipulation | Expressing a concept or solving a problem through raw materials |
| Doodling & ideation | Rapid visual thinking |
| Evolving ideas | A visible design thinking process, concept through refinement |
| Audio-visual exercises | Creative response to sound, music or visual stimuli |
| Creative thinking | Original, lateral, user-centred solutions to design problems |
| Portfolio | The highest-leverage item |
For the M.Des Personal Interview: the panel evaluates your portfolio, your design thinking process and your fit for the chosen discipline. At 60% of your final score, the interview is the single heaviest component in the entire NID M.Des process. A portfolio that documents your process – not just finished outputs – is essential. Be ready to discuss your work, your influences, and specifically why you chose that discipline.
Final Merit Weightage – Both Programmes
B.Des
| Stage | Component | Weightage |
| DAT Prelims | Written test | 0% |
| DAT Mains | Studio Sensitivity Test | 60% |
| DAT Mains | In-Person Sensitivity Test | 40% |
| Total | 100% |
M.Des
| Stage | Component | Weightage |
| DAT Prelims | Written test | 0% |
| DAT Mains | Studio Test | 40% |
| DAT Mains | Personal Interview | 60% |
| Total | 100% |
Minimum qualifying criteria (M.Des, 2026–27): Open 45% · GEN-EWS 45% · OBC-NCL 40% · SC 35% · ST 35% · PwD 35% · Overseas 45%. Meeting the merit list is not enough – you must also clear this floor.
Tie-breaks: NID announced its M.Des and B.Des tie-break policy for the 2026 final result on 10 April 2026 via the Amendment Section of the respective handbooks. Check the Amendment Section for the 2027 policy.
NID Campuses You Can Enter Through NID DAT 2027
The NID DAT score is used only for admission within the NID system. No external college accepts it.
| Campus | Programmes | Approx. seats (2026–27) |
| NID Ahmedabad | B.Des, M.Des – flagship campus, widest range of disciplines | B.Des 128 |
| NID Gandhinagar | M.Des | – |
| NID Bengaluru | M.Des | – |
| NID Andhra Pradesh (Vijayawada) | B.Des | 75 |
| NID Haryana (Kurukshetra) | B.Des | 75 |
| NID Madhya Pradesh (Bhopal) | B.Des | 75 (86 total incl. overseas) |
| NID Assam (Jorhat) | B.Des | 75 |
2026–27 totals: approximately 425 B.Des seats across five campuses and 347 M.Des seats across three campuses. An additional 15% supernumerary seats are available across all NIDs for Overseas category candidates.
Foundation programme structure – often missed:
- NID Ahmedabad: two mandatory semesters of Design Foundation. Your discipline is allotted after Foundation, based on merit and preference – you do not choose it upfront.
- NID Andhra Pradesh: one-year Foundation. Discipline allotted based on Foundation performance.
- NID Haryana: two-semester Foundation, followed by six semesters of specialisation.
B.Des campus preference: you submit your Institute Campus preference in the application form. Candidates shortlisted for Mains are then allowed to modify that preference after the final rank is announced and before seat allotment. After that point it is locked permanently. Plan this carefully.
NID 2027 Preparation Tips
1. Understand the format shift before you start. The exam that existed up to 2025 is not the exam you are sitting. GAT is gone from the 2026 paper, Prelims carries zero weightage, and B.Des Mains now has a 40% in-person component. Work through past papers with that filter on.
2. Build daily sketching discipline. Mains carries 100% of your rank and is heavily hands-on. Prioritise perspective (1-point and 2-point), human figures and proportion, product sketching with shading and texture, and multi-element scene composition.
3. Practise model-making and material handling under time pressure. Mains includes 3D and material-based tasks. Work with paper, card, wire, clay and found materials against a clock – comfort under constraint is what is being tested.
4. Practise articulating your decisions out loud. The B.Des In-Person Sensitivity Test (40%) and the M.Des Interview (60%) both reward candidates who can explain why. Talk through your own work with someone regularly.
5. Strengthen observation daily. Carry a sketchbook. Notice shapes, proportions, materials and how everyday things are designed.
6. Treat Prelims as a gate, not the goal – but respect the gate. For B.Des, only 1.5× the seats are called for Mains. That is a tight filter. Score comfortably above the bar, then shift decisively to Mains-style practice.
7. Read widely. NID values awareness of Indian crafts, sustainability, materials and design in everyday life. Follow design publications, read a newspaper, stay current on innovation and technology.
8. Build and maintain a portfolio from day one. Essential for M.Des, where the interview evaluates it directly at 60% weightage – and required in the 2026 B.Des Mains cycle. Document process, not just finished pieces.
9. Take timed full-length mocks. Three-hour sessions build the stamina, pacing and composure that decide outcomes on the day.
Frequently Asked Questions – NID 2027
Q: What is the NID 2027 exam date?
A: DAT Prelims is expected in December 2026 / January 2027, with Mains around April–May 2027 for B.Des and M
arch–April 2027 for M.Des. Confirmed dates will appear in the official notification, expected September 2026.
Q: When does NID 2027 registration start?
A: Expected September 2026 at admissions.nid.edu.
Q: Where do I apply?
A: Only at https://admissions.nid.edu. NID warns explicitly that any NID site using a “.org” or “.org.in” domain is fake.
Q: Does the Prelims score count towards the final result?
A: No. Since the 2026 cycle, DAT Prelims carries 0% weightage and is used only to shortlist for Mains. The Mains score alone decides the merit list for both programmes.
Q: How many candidates get shortlisted for Mains?
A: 1.5× the available seats per category for B.Des, and 4.5× the available seats per category per discipline for M.Des.
Q: Is NID DAT conducted twice a year?
A: No. Once a year, in two stages that are part of a single admission cycle – not two separate attempts.
Q: Can a Commerce or Arts student apply for B.Des?
A: Yes. B.Des eligibility is stream-agnostic – Science, Commerce, Arts and Humanities candidates are all eligible.
Q: What qualification do I need for M.Des?
A: A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in any discipline from a recognised University. The older 3-year/4-year duration distinction and the separate design-diploma route no longer appear in the current handbook.
Q: Is there negative marking?
A: No.
Q: How many disciplines can I apply to?
A: For M.Des, up to two disciplines within a single faculty stream. Applications are not transferable across streams or disciplines at any stage. B.Des candidates submit campus preferences instead of discipline choices.
Q: What is the exam pattern for DAT Prelims?
A: An offline pen-and-paper test, 3 hours in the 2026 cycle, reported at 100 marks, with no negative marking. NID does not publish an official section breakdown. The 2026 paper contained no general aptitude section for either programme.
Q: What does DAT Mains involve?
A: For B.Des, a Studio Sensitivity Test (60%) plus an In-Person Sensitivity Test (40%). For M.Des, a faculty-stream Studio Test (40%) plus a discipline-wise Personal Interview (60%).
Q: Can I get my paper rechecked?
A: Yes, online only, within the announced window. Rechecking is limited to verifying that all answers were marked and that marks were totalled and transferred correctly – it is not a re-evaluation. The fee was ₹2,000 per paper in 2026–27. A copy of your answer sheet can be requested after the admission process concludes, for ₹1,000 per exam.
Q: Are accommodations available for PwD candidates?
A: Yes. Compensatory time of 20 minutes per hour and scribe services are available with a valid Disability Certificate from the District CMO and/or a UDID. Note that the scribe applies only to objective questions – subjective sections and Mains must be attempted unassisted, by the nature of the tasks.
Q: Where can I find the official NID 2027 brochure?
A: The Admissions Handbook 2027–28 will be published at admissions.nid.edu when registration opens, expected around September 2026.
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Book a free demo class → https://dqlabs.in/nid-coaching/
Sources: NID B.Des Admissions Handbook 2026–27 and NID M.Des Admissions Handbook 2026–27, published 11 September 2025 by the NID Admissions Cell, Ahmedabad; amendments published at admissions.nid.edu (27 Oct 2025, 11 Feb 2026, 01 Apr 2026, 10 Apr 2026); verified 2026-cycle exam and result dates.
The Admissions Handbook 2027–28 has not been released as of this update. All 2027 dates, fees and age limits above are projections from the 2026–27 cycle and are subject to official confirmation. Always verify at https://admissions.nid.edu before applying.
Last updated: July 2026
