Candidates who apply for B.Des. / Integrated (M.Des.) after 10+2 (or Equivalent) can not apply for Independent 2.5 year Specialised M.Des Programmes.
Candidates cannot apply for both options because the entrance examinations for these programmes are scheduled to be conducted simultaneously on the same day.

• Design Aptitude Test
  The first stage of the admission process is the submission of the online application for the Design Aptitude Test (DAT). Candidates are required to complete and submit a single application form for both the DAT Prelims and the DAT Mains within the prescribed timeline (Refer Section 3 of the Admissions Handbook). Only those candidates who successfully submit the application and satisfy the prescribed eligibility criteria will be considered for the DAT Prelims. Shortlisting for the DAT Mains will be based on the candidate's performance in the DAT Prelims, in accordance with the admission criteria specified by the Institute.
  
  Stage 1: Design Aptitude Test (DAT) Prelims
  Design Aptitude Test (DAT) Prelims will be conducted at various test centres across India (Refer Section 8.3 of the Admissions Handbook). Candidates should note that appearing for the DAT Prelims or being shortlisted for the second stage of the admission process does NOT guarantee automatic entitlement to admission.
  
  The DAT Prelims exam will be common for all NIDs. The DAT Prelims exam score will be used only for shortlisting candidates for DAT Mains Exam and Prelims Score will not be carried forward as any weightage to the DAT Mains stage.
  
  Stage 2: Design Aptitude Test (DAT) Mains
  Candidates shortlisted based on their DAT Prelims score will be invited to appear for the Stage 2 DAT Mains examination. Exact details of the Test Centre will be announced later in the DAT Mains Admit Card.
  
  Based on merit in the DAT Prelims (and subject to the tie-break policy), NID will invite candidates to the DAT Mains Exam. For each category, the number of shortlisted candidates will equal 2.5 times the available seats. The DAT Mains will consist of two parts: a Studio Sensitivity Test and an In-Person Sensitivity Test.
  
  NIDs will use the score of the DAT Mains for admission to their respective institution. If seats remain vacant, independent NIDs may conduct additional DAT Mains Exam for admission to vacant seats in their respective campuses.
  
  Note:
  • Candidates are fully and solely responsible to provide correct information during the application process. If it is found that any information provided by the candidate at the time of filling / submitting the application form is not true, NID has the right to cancel the application or admission, at any stage, in accordance with its rules and regulations. Any direct or indirect attempt to influence the management and employees of the Institute will lead to automatic disqualification of the candidate.
  • The Institute has the sole prerogative to determine the procedure for each cycle of admission in accordance with internal institutional mechanisms and processes. In case of any matter not covered in this handbook, NID’s decisions shall be considered final and binding to all the parties concerned.
• For Admission
  The second phase of the admission procedure entails the submission of an online application by eligible candidates for admission to the various NIDs. Candidates seeking admission to the National Institute of Design (NIDs) following the declaration of the DAT Mains results must submit the online application form within the prescribed timeline (refer to Section 3 of the Admissions Handbook). The submission of this application is mandatory to participate in the seat allotment process. Failure to submit the application form within the designated deadline will render the candidate ineligible for seat allotment and admission across all NIDs.

(All mentioned times are in IST) Note:
The candidates can modify the details filled in the application form (except the Programme Applied in, Name of the Candidate, Date of Birth, Registered Mobile Number & Registered Email ID) at the time when ‘Window to Edit Application Form’ opens. In case, the candidate changes his/her applied category during the “Window to Edit Application Form” period, the applicable additional application form fees will have to be paid by the candidate. However, no refund of excess fees will be made in the case of any category change.

*NID reserves the right to modify/change this schedule due to unforeseen emergent circumstances.

** Admit Cards will be available for download on the NID website (https://admissions.nid.edu ) as per the schedule. Separate admit card (digital or hard copy) will NOT be provided to the candidates.
It is the responsibility of the candidates to download and print their own Admit Cards. Reporting time will be mentioned in the Admit Card. The Admit Card cannot be used by any person/institution without the prior permission of the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad.

In emergent unforeseen circumstances, the schedules as well as the nature & structure of the exams can change, and all tests may be conducted entirely online or entirely offline or in a combination of offline & online modes, at the discretion of the Institute.

The Design Aptitude Test will be conducted in two stages:
Stage 1: Design Aptitude Test (DAT) Prelims
Stage 2: Design Aptitude Test (DAT) Mains

• Important Date:
  DAT (Prelims) will be conducted on Sunday, 20 December, 2026.
• About DAT Prelims:
  The DAT Prelims paper is a paper-and-pencil/pen test, conducted at the same time on the same day across all test centres. The questions asked may involve text and visuals. The duration of the test will be announced in the admit card.
  
  The question paper will be in English language ONLY.
  
  Based on the DAT Prelims scores, separate merit lists shall be prepared for each category (GENERAL, GENERAL-EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, ST & PwD) as applied for by the candidate. Only shortlisted candidates, as per merit, will be eligible to appear for the DAT Mains exam as per the schedule announced.
  
  A separate merit list will be prepared for Overseas candidates.
  
  In emergent unforeseen circumstances, the schedules as well as the nature & structure of the exams can change, and all tests may be conducted entirely online or entirely offline or in a combination of offline & online modes, at the discretion of the Institute.
• Test Centres for DAT Prelims:
  The DAT Prelims will be conducted in the following cities across India: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Dehradun, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jorhat, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi and Patna.
  
  A city may have more than one test centre. NID reserves the right to add or remove any test centre and allot a test centre that may not be of the candidate’s choice. A city may have more than one test centre. The chosen test centre can be changed only during the ‘Window to Edit Application Form’. Any request for change of test centre will not be entertained, once the ‘Window to Edit Application Form’ closes.
  
  NID will not provide accommodation for candidates appearing for the DAT Prelims; candidates must arrange travel/accommodation on their own.
• About DAT Mains:
  Based on merit in the DAT Prelims (and subject to the tie-break policy), NID will invite candidates to the DAT Mains Exam. For each category, the number of shortlisted candidates will equal 2.5 times the available seats. The DAT Mains will consist of two parts: a Studio Sensitivity Test and an In-Person Sensitivity Test.
  
  NIDs will use the score of the DAT Mains for admission to their respective institution. If seats remain vacant, independent NIDs may conduct additional DAT Mains Exam for admission to vacant seats in their respective campuses.
  
  Admit Cards for shortlisted candidates will be available for download only on the official NID admissions website (https://admissions.nid.edu ).
  
  The question paper will be in English language ONLY.
  
  The details regarding DAT Mains will be announced later.
  
  NID will not provide accommodation for candidates appearing for the DAT Mains; candidates must arrange travel/accommodation on their own.
  
  In emergent unforeseen circumstances, the schedules as well as the nature & structure of the exams can change, and all tests may be conducted entirely online or entirely offline or in a combination of offline & online modes, at the discretion of the Institute.
• Weightages for Final Result:
  The final marks of the candidate appearing for the National Institute of Design, will be calculated based on the weightages of the marks obtained in the DAT Mains, which will be announced later.
  
  Note: Only those candidates who have appeared for Studio Sensitivity Test & In-Person Sensitivity Test will be considered eligible for the Merit List.

Candidates who apply for Master of Design (M.Des.) can not apply for UG Programmes. Candidates cannot apply for both options because the entrance examinations for these programmes are scheduled to be conducted simultaneously on the same day.

The first stage of the admission process is the submission of the online application for the Design Aptitude Test (DAT). Candidates are required to complete and submit a single application form for both the DAT Prelims and the DAT Mains within the prescribed timeline (Refer Section 3 of the Admissions Handbook). Only those candidates who successfully submit the application and satisfy the prescribed eligibility criteria will be considered for the DAT Prelims. Shortlisting for the DAT Mains will be based on the candidate's performance in the DAT Prelims, in accordance with the admission criteria specified by the Institute.

Candidates will have to make a separate application for M. Des programmes at NID MP & NID Haryana through a separate link.

• Stage 1: Design Aptitude Test (DAT) Prelims
  Design Aptitude Test (DAT) Prelims will be conducted at various test centres across India (Refer Section 8.3 of this Admissions Handbook). Candidates should note that appearing for the DAT Prelims or being shortlisted for the second stage of the admission process does NOT guarantee automatic entitlement to admission.
  
  The DAT Prelims exam will be common for all NIDs. The DAT Prelims exam score will be used only for shortlisting candidates for DAT Mains Exam and Prelims Score will not be carried forward as any weightage to the DAT Mains stage.
• Stage 2: Design Aptitude Test (DAT) Mains
  Candidates shortlisted based on their DAT Prelims scores will be invited to appear for the Stage 2 DAT Mains examination. The DAT Mains will be conducted separately by the respective NIDs for the disciplines offered at each Institute. Details regarding the schedule, venue and other related information for the DAT Mains will be published on the respective NID’s official website or admissions website. Candidates are advised to regularly check the respective NID’s website or admissions website for updates.

Note:

• Candidates are fully and solely responsible to provide correct information during the application process. If it is found that any information provided by the candidate at the time of filling / submitting the application form is not true, NID has the right to cancel the application or admission, at any stage, in accordance with its rules and regulations. Any direct or indirect attempt to influence the management and employees of the Institute will lead to automatic disqualification of the candidate.
• The Institute has the sole prerogative to determine the procedure for each cycle of admission in accordance with internal institutional mechanisms and processes. In case of any matter not covered in this handbook, NID’s decisions shall be considered final and binding to all the parties concerned.

(All mentioned times are in IST) Note:
The candidates can modify the details filled in the application form (except the Programme Applied in, Name of the Candidate, Date of Birth, Registered Mobile Number & Registered Email ID) at the time when ‘Window to Edit Application Form’ opens. In case, the candidate changes his/her applied category during the ‘Window to Edit Application Form’ period, the applicable additional application form fees will have to be paid by the candidate. However, no refund of excess fees will be made in the case of any category change.

*NID reserves the right to modify/change this schedule due to unforeseen emergent circumstances.

** Admit Cards will be available for download on the NID website (https://admissions.nid.edu ) as per the schedule. Separate admit card (digital or hard copy) will NOT be provided to the candidates. It is the responsibility of the candidates to download and print their own Admit Cards. Reporting time will be mentioned in the Admit Card. NID’s DAT Prelims and DAT Mains Admit Card cannot be used by any person/institution without the prior permission of the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad.

In emergent unforeseen circumstances, the schedules as well as the nature & structure of the exams can change, and all tests may be conducted entirely online or entirely offline or in a combination of offline & online modes, at the discretion of the Institute.

The Design Aptitude Test will be conducted in two stages:
Stage 1: Design Aptitude Test (DAT) Prelims
Stage 2: Design Aptitude Test (DAT) Mains

• Important Date:
  DAT (Prelims) for Master of Design will be conducted on Sunday, 20 December, 2026.
• About DAT Prelims:
  The DAT Prelims paper is a paper-and-pencil/pen test, conducted at the same time on the same day across all test centres. The question asked may involve text and visuals. The duration of the test will be announced in the admit card.
  
  There will be a single common test paper for the DAT Prelims exam for the M.Des. programme. The DAT Prelims exam score will be used only for shortlisting to the DAT Mains Exam and the weightage of DAT Prelims exam score will not be carried forward to the DAT Mains Exam.
  
  The question paper will be in English language ONLY.
  
  Based on the DAT Prelims scores, separate merit lists shall be prepared for each category (GENERAL, GENERAL-EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, ST & PWD) as applied for by the candidate for each discipline. Only shortlisted candidates as per merit will be eligible to appear for the DAT Mains exam as per the schedule announced. Separate merit list will be prepared for Overseas candidates.
  
  In emergent unforeseen circumstances, the schedules as well as the nature & structure of the exams can change, and all tests may be conducted entirely online or entirely offline or in a combination of offline & online modes, at the discretion of the Institute.
• Test Centres for DAT Prelims:
  The DAT Prelims will be conducted in the following cities across India: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Dehradun, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jorhat, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi and Patna.
  
  A city may have more than one test centre. NID reserves the right to add or remove any test centre and allot to a candidate a test centre that may not be of the candidate’s choice. The chosen test centre can be changed only during the ‘Window to Edit Application Form’. Any request for change of test centre will not be entertained, once the ‘Window to Edit Application Form’ closes.
  
  NID will not provide accommodation for candidates appearing for the DAT Prelims; candidates must arrange travel/accommodation on their own.
• About DAT Mains for M.Des.:
  Candidates shortlisted based on their DAT Prelims scores will be invited to appear for the Stage 2 DAT Mains examination. The DAT Mains will be conducted separately by the respective NID for the disciplines offered by respective institutes.
  
  Candidates who have opted for disciplines offered at NID Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Gandhinagar will appear for the DAT Mains conducted by NID Ahmedabad. The Studio Test will be conducted group-wise, except for Group X, for which the Studio Test will be conducted discipline-wise. Separate Interviews will be conducted for each discipline, the details of which will be announced later.
  
  Candidates who have opted for disciplines offered at NID MP & NID Haryana will be required to appear for the DAT Mains separately. The schedule, venue, examination format, and other relevant details pertaining to DAT Mains at each NID will be communicated separately and made available on the respective Institute's official website or admissions website. Candidates are advised to regularly check the respective NID website & admissions website for updates and further information regarding the DAT Mains.
  
  The weightage of DAT Prelims exam score will not be carried forward to the DAT Mains Exam.
  
  NID will not provide accommodation for candidates appearing for the DAT Mains (Studio Test and Interview). Candidates must arrange travel/accommodation on their own.
  
  In emergent unforeseen circumstances, the schedules as well as the nature & structure of the exams can change, and all tests may be conducted entirely online or entirely offline or in a combination of offline & online modes, at the discretion n of the Institute.
• Weightages for Final Result:
  The final marks of the candidate appearing for the M.Des. programme of the National Institute of Design, will be calculated based on the weightages of the marks obtained in the DAT Mains, which will be announced later.
  
  Note: Only those candidates who have appeared for Studio Test & Interview will be considered eligible for the Final Merit List.