NID DAT Exam 2026: Notification, Date, Registration, Admit Card, Pattern & Syllabus

NID Exam 2026: The National Institute of Design (NID) released the official notification regarding the NID session of 2026-27 on its official website. The examination body conducts the NID DAT (Design Aptitude Test) prelims and Mains exam for admission into Bachelor of Design (B.Des) and Master of Design (M.Des) programmes. The registration process for the B.Des and M.Des program has started from September 11, 2025 and the last date to register is December 1, 2025. NID will conduct Design Aptitute Test (DAT) Prelims on December 21, 2025.

The examination conducting body started the admission process for the NID DAT exam 2026 on September 11, and will be ending on December 1, 2026, (11:59 pm). The application edit window will open from December 02, 2025 to December 04, 2025. Candidates should fill out their applications by entering their details within the specified time from the official website - admissions.nid.edu. 

LATEST UPDATES

NID DAT 2026 exam is scheduled on December 21, 2025; Check here

Last Updated 13th October 2025

NID DAT 2026 registration process is ongoing; Last date to apply December 1, 2025; Apply at admissions.nid.edu.

Last Updated 13th October 2025

Respective officials releases the NID DAT admit card 2026 for prelims and mains exams on the official website. Candidates can download their hall tickets by entering the necessary login credentials.

Latest Updates: 

• NID DAT registration process started from September 11, 2025 and the last date to register is December 1, 2025.
• NID DAT prelims will be conducted on December 21, 2025.

NID DAT 2026 Exam Dates

Candidates can check the tentative schedule for the NID DAT exam in the table below -

NID DAT 2026 Application Form

The NID Design Aptitude Test 2026-2027 application form is now available on the official website - admissions.nid.edu. Candidates need to upload the necessary documents in the given format at the time of registration. 

NID DAT Exam 2026 - How to apply?

Candidates can follow the steps that are provided below to know how to fill out the NID DAT application form 2026 online. 

Step 1: Go to the official website - admissions.nid.edu

Step 2: Click on the direct link to register for the NID DAT exam 2026 available on the screen

Step 3: Register using the necessary details as asked

Step 4: Login using the newly created credentials and complete the application form by entering the personal and professional details

Step 5: Upload the documents and make the payment of the application fee 

Step 6: Print out the application confirmation page for future use 

NID DAT Admit Card 2026

The examination conducting body will release the NID DAT admit cards 2026 for prelims and mains exams on its official website. Once released, candidates who registered for the NID DAT entrance exam will be able to download their hall tickets by entering their necessary login details. 

NID DAT Eligibility Criteria 2026

Candidates who are interested in applying for the B.Des and M.Des must fulfil the eligibility criteria of both age and educational qualification available on the information bulletin for the NID DAT exam 2026. Check the NID DAT Eligibility Criteria 2026 in the given table below:

NID DAT Exam Pattern 2026

The Design Aptitude Test will be conducted in two stages mentioned below - 

Stage 1 - Design Aptitude Test (DAT) Prelims

The DAT Prelims exam is a paper-and-pencil/pen test conducted at the same time on the same day across all the test centres. The question paper will be in English language only. Shortlisted candidates will be eligible to appear for the DAT Mains exam on the specified date.  

Stage 2 - Design Aptitude Test (DAT) Mains

Candidates who qualified for the DAT prelims exam will be able to appear for the NID Design Aptitude Test (DAT) Mains exam. The exam will consist of tests in multiple formats such as in studio step-up. The questions paper for the NID DAT Mains exam 2026 will be in English language only.  

NID DAT Result 2026

Candidates are required to appear for the NID DAT prelims and mains exams in order to be considered for the merit list. The NID DAT result 2026 will be made on the basis of scores obtained by the candidates in DAT prelims. Qualified candidates in the prelims exams will get to appear for the DAT mains exam. The final common merit lists will be generated category wise and as per the merit, based on the sum total of the weighted scores secured by the candidate i.e., DAT Prelims, and DAT Mains.