NID DAT 2027 admission — apply by 30 November
National Institute of Design
- Location
- Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Bengaluru, and other NID campuses
- Last date
- 30 Nov 2026
- Qualification
- M.Des: bachelor’s in any discipline. B.Des and integrated pathway: Class 12 route on the B.Des handbook. Age bands differ by category.
- Age limit
- M.Des General and EWS: born on or after 1 July 1995. OBC-NCL/SC/ST: 1 July 1992. PwD: 1 July 1990. Design Education has older bands.
- Vacancies
- M.Des disciplines mostly 19, 12 or 13 seats. Reservation cells are printed in the handbook.
- Pay / stipend
- Not a stipend. Application fee is not the tuition fee.
- Experience
- Not required for M.Des. Design Education wants a design master’s, or a design bachelor’s plus any master’s.
- Application fee
- M.Des at Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Gandhinagar: Rs 3,000 General/EWS/OBC-NCL; Rs 2,000 women except SC/ST/PwD; Rs 1,500 SC/ST; Rs 500 PwD and third gender; overseas US$125. Not refundable.
- Selection
- DAT Prelims on 20 December 2026. Prelims shortlists. Mains date was not printed in the handbook extract.
Official Details
NID DAT 2027 admission is open only at admissions.nid.edu. Last date for the online form is 11:59 pm on 30 November 2026. DAT Prelims is on Sunday, 20 December 2026. M.Des handbook: M.Des Admissions Handbook 2027-28. NID says any “NID” site on .org or .org.in is fake. The only official institute site is nid.edu.
What NID actually does
National Institute of Design is the design school under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade. Campuses include Ahmedabad, with extension campuses at Gandhinagar and Bengaluru, plus NID Madhya Pradesh, NID Haryana, and the newer institutes named on the B.Des route. This form is the Design Aptitude Test. It is not UCEED and not CEED. Those are IIT exams. A UCEED score does not fill this form.
Prelims is a shortlist test. The handbook says the mains date will be announced later. Paying the application fee is not a seat.
What kind of seat this is
Two families. Class 12 students look at the 5.5-year professional education Master of Design integrated pathway, or the 4-year B.Des, at the campuses named on the B.Des handbook. Graduates look at M.Des. The homepage lists M.Des at NID Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Bengaluru, and M.Des at NID Madhya Pradesh and NID Haryana. You cannot treat the B.Des form and the M.Des form as the same exam sitting if the handbook says they run together.
Who should apply — and who should skip
Apply for M.Des if you have a bachelor’s in any discipline from a recognised university, and you meet the age band. General and EWS: born on or after 1 July 1995. OBC-NCL, SC and ST: born on or after 1 July 1992. PwD: born on or after 1 July 1990. Overseas supernumerary: born on or after 1 July 1995. Final-year students can apply if they appear for the qualifying exam by 28 June 2027, pass in the first attempt, and submit final marksheets by 31 July 2027.
Skip if you are over the age band for your category. Skip M.Des Design Education unless you have a master’s in design, or a bachelor’s in design plus a master’s in any discipline. That discipline has older age bands: General and EWS born on or after 1 July 1992; reserved category 1 July 1989; PwD 1 July 1987; overseas 1 July 1992. Skip any link that is not admissions.nid.edu.
Dates and fee
| Item | On the official handbook |
|---|---|
| Last date | 30 November 2026, 11:59 pm |
| DAT Prelims | 20 December 2026 |
| M.Des fee, Ahmedabad / Bengaluru / Gandhinagar | Rs 3,000 General, Gen-EWS, OBC-NCL; Rs 2,000 women except SC/ST/PwD; Rs 1,500 SC and ST; Rs 500 PwD; Rs 500 third gender |
| Overseas | US$125, rounded up to the next Rs 100 in rupees |
| Refund | Neither refundable nor transferable. Bank charges extra. |
Available positions
1. M.Des — NID Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Bengaluru 19 or 12 seats
Eligibility criteria
Bachelor’s degree in any discipline, or equivalent recognised by the Ministry of Education. Foreign degrees need an AIU or Ministry of Education equivalence. Age as in the dates section. Design Education needs a master’s in design, or a design bachelor’s plus any master’s. Disciplines with 19 seats include Animation Film Design, Film and Video Communication, Graphic Design, Photography Design, Apparel Design, Lifestyle Accessory Design, Textile Design, Design for Retail Experience, Exhibition Design, Furniture and Interior Design, Product Design, Transportation and Automobile Design, Digital Game Design, Information Design, Interaction Design, New Media Design, Design Trends and Futures, Design Education, Strategic Design Management and Universal Design. Ceramic and Glass Design and Toy and Game Design are listed at 12 seats. You may apply for one, two or three disciplines under the group rules in the handbook. Each discipline multiplies the fee. An applicant to M.Des at a given NID selects one discipline or specialisation on that form, as the handbook also prints.
Category breakdown for disciplines with 19 seats: GEN-EWS 2, OBC-NCL 5, SC 3, ST 1. For 12-seat disciplines: GEN-EWS 1, OBC-NCL 3, SC 2, ST 1. PwD is 5% horizontal across Open, GEN-EWS, OBC-NCL, SC and ST. Supernumerary overseas seats: 3 on a 19-seat discipline and 2 on a 12-seat discipline.
2. M.Des — NID Haryana and NID Madhya Pradesh 13 or 12 seats
Eligibility criteria
Same bachelor’s rule as other M.Des programmes. NID Haryana: Digital Design Futures 13, Creative Leadership 13. NID Madhya Pradesh: Experience Design 12, Design For Care 12, Textile Design 12. Haryana 13-seat reservation cells: GEN-EWS 1, OBC-NCL 4, SC 2, ST 1. Madhya Pradesh 12-seat cells: GEN-EWS 1, OBC-NCL 3, SC 2, ST 1.
3. B.Des and integrated pathway Campus-wise
Eligibility criteria
Class 12 route. Seat numbers and the fee table sit in the B.Des handbook on admissions.nid.edu, not in the M.Des fee table above. Do not pay the M.Des slab for a B.Des form.
No category-wise vacancy split for B.Des is copied here, because that table is in the B.Des handbook.
Educational qualifications
| Programme | Degree / marks | Extras |
|---|---|---|
| M.Des | Bachelor’s in any discipline | Age band; final year allowed with 28 June 2027 rule |
| M.Des Design Education | Master’s in design, or design bachelor’s plus any master’s | Older age band |
| B.Des / integrated | Class 12 route in the B.Des handbook | Separate form and fee |
Selection
- Online form and fee on admissions.nid.edu.
- DAT Prelims on 20 December 2026. Prelims shortlists. It is not the final score.
- DAT Mains. Date was not printed in the handbook extract used here.
How to prepare (free, official)
How to apply without getting played
- Type admissions.nid.edu yourself. Reject .org and .org.in copies.
- Pay the slab for your category. Fee is not refundable. Three M.Des disciplines means three fees.
- Name, programme, date of birth, email and mobile cannot be changed after sign-up. Check them before OTP.
FAQs
What is the last date?
30 November 2026, 11:59 pm.
Who can apply?
M.Des: a bachelor’s in any discipline, inside the age band. B.Des: the Class 12 rule in that handbook.
How many seats?
Most Ahmedabad-group M.Des disciplines have 19 seats. Ceramic and Glass, and Toy and Game, have 12. Haryana disciplines have 13. Madhya Pradesh disciplines have 12.
Where do I apply?
admissions.nid.edu.
What is the fee?
For M.Des at Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Gandhinagar: Rs 3,000, Rs 2,000 for women except SC/ST/PwD, Rs 1,500 for SC/ST, Rs 500 for PwD and third gender, US$125 overseas. Not refundable.
Can final-year students apply?
Yes for M.Des, if the qualifying exam is done by 28 June 2027 in the first attempt and marksheets reach NID by 31 July 2027.
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Applicant Safety
Always verify notices on the official institutional website. Campus Reality only lists public notifications.
- Double-check deadlines.
- Never pay fees through unverified third-party links.
- Read the official PDF carefully before applying.