Know this. The Prelims mark is thrown away after shortlisting; the Mains studio and in-person tests decide the seat, so hands-on making and sketching practice matters more than solving past written papers.
- Run by
- National Institute of Design (NID) Ahmedabad, common for all NIDs
- Admits you to
- B.Des (four years) at NID Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh, and the 5.5-year Professional Education Master of Design (Integrated Pathway) at NID Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Bengaluru. A separate DAT round admits to M.Des programmes.
- Who can sit
- Class 12 (or equivalent) in any stream (science, arts, commerce, humanities), passed or appearing in the admission cycle; those still appearing must pass at the first attempt. Age limit by date of birth: for 2027-28 entry, born on or after 1 July 2006 (general/EWS), 1 July 2003 (OBC-NCL, SC, ST), 1 July 2001 (PwD).
- Pattern
- Two stages. DAT Prelims: a design aptitude test at centres across India, used only to shortlist (its score does not carry forward). DAT Mains for those shortlisted: a Studio Sensitivity Test (hands-on) and an In-Person Sensitivity Test. Admission is on the Mains score; test duration is announced on the admit card and NID may run tests online, offline or mixed.
- When
- Applications usually close around late November/early December; Prelims in December or January; Prelims results around March; Mains around April–May.
- Limits
- No attempt limit is stated; the age cut-off (about 20–21 at entry for general category) is the real limit.
Courses it leads to
- B.DesA B.Des trains you to design things people use — products, graphics and brands, apps and websites, clothes and textiles, furniture, interiors,…4 years
- M.DesA two-year master's in design — interaction and UX design, product/industrial design, communication and visual design, animation, textile, fashion,…2 years
Sources, checked 2026-09-28: admissions.nid.edu · admissions.nid.edu