NID DAT Exam Center 2026 – The National Institute of Design (NID) will conduct NID DAT 2026 (Prelims) exam on December 21, 2025.
DAT Prelims will be conducted in the following 17 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 one or more NID DAT 2026 test centers.
The candidate has to select their choice of NID 2026 exam center when filling out the NID DAT 2026 application form, which is currently open from September 11 to December 1, 2026.
The allotment of NID DAT 2026 exam center will be based on the preferences opted by the candidate and address. The name of the allotted exam center will be mentioned on the NID DAT 2025 admit card. The admit card will also contain other the exam timings, exam center reporting time, and exam-day guidelines.
Note that separate admit cards will be issued for the NID DAT 2026 (Mains) exam. Keep reading to learn the full details about the NID DAT exam center 2026.
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Table of Contents
NID DAT Exam Centers 2026 (Prelims) – City-wise List
The DAT Prelims exam was conducted in the following cities. The candidate had to select their choice of exam city at the time of filling out the NID DAT 2026 application form.
| Ahmedabad | Bengaluru | Bhopal |
| Bhubaneshwar | Chandigarh | Chennai |
| Dehradun | Hyderabad | Jaipur |
| Jorhat | Kochi | Kolkata |
| Lucknow | Mumbai | Nagpur |
| New Delhi | Patna |
NID DAT Exam Center 2026 – Test Cities Dropped/ Added
The following SIX exam cities have been dropped:
- Guwahati
- Kurukshetra
- Raipur
- Ranchi
- Thiruvananthapuram
- Vijayawada
Meanwhile, Jorhat exam city has been newly added.
NID DAT (Prelims) Test Timings
| Event | B.Des | M.Des |
| DAT Prelims date | December 21, 2025 | December 21, 2025 |
| Reporting Time | 8:00 am | 8:00 am |
| Gate closing time | 9.30 am | 9.30 am |
| Time of the exam | 10 am – 1 pm (Part I + Part II) | 10 am – 12.30 pm (Part I + Part II) |
NID DAT Exam Center 2026 – Change Chosen Test City
The candidate can change the chosen NID DAT 2026 exam city during the NID DAT 2026 application form correction window.
Any requests for change of test center will not be entertained after the correction window closes.
M.Des DAT Mains 2025 Exam Center List
Also Read:
- NID Study Material 2026 – Recommended Section-wise Books, Study Tips, Online Resources
- NID Studio Test – Schedule, Pattern, Sample Tasks, Material Used, Tips
- NID Personal Interview – Date, Common Questions Asked with Answers
NID DAT 2026 (Mains) Exam Centers
The National Institute of Design will conduct the B.Des DAT Mains exam in the following cities:
- Ahmedabad
- Bengaluru
- Bhopal
- Kolkata
- Kurukshetra
Candidates who have been shortlisted for the B.Des DAT Mains (Studio Test) must SELECT their choice of exam city in the order of preference. Note that B.Des DAT Mains exam centers will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
Meanwhile, M.Des DAT Mains exam is currently conducted at the following THREE campuses – NID Ahmedabad, NID Gandhinagar, and NID Bengaluru.
The B.Des DAT Mains seat intake in each city is given below.
B.Des DAT Mains 2025 Test Center – Seating Capacity
| Seating Capacity in Each Center | ||||||
| Test Center City | Ahmedabad | Bengaluru | Andhra Pradesh | Haryana | Madhya Pradesh | Jorhat |
| Seating Capacity | 533 | 300 | 300 | 450 | 400 | 120 |
NID DAT 2025 exam center for B.Des Studio Test – Official Notification
Will DAT Prelims & DAT Mains be conducted in the same exam centers?
No, the DAT Prelims and DAT Mains exams will not be conducted in the same exam centers.
Candidates who qualify in DAT Prelims exam only are eligible to appear in the next admission round (or DAT Mains).
Note that only a fraction of the total applicants manage to qualify for DAT Mains. So, with fewer candidates, the number of exam centers will also go down.
Details like the name and address of the allotted exam centre, reporting time, etc. will be mentioned on the admit cards.
The National Institute of Design released admit cards for DAT Prelims on December 24, 2024. The DAT Prelims exam was conducted on January 5, 2025.
Meanwhile, the M.Des DAT Mains admit card will be released on February 24, 2025.
The NID DAT (Mains) 2025 exam for the M.Des program is scheduled to be held discipline-wise from March 1 – April 4, 2025.
Also Read:
- NID DAT Sample Papers 2025 – Download Previous Years’ Question and Sample Paper PDFs
- NID Study Material 2025 – Recommended Section-wise Books, Study Tips, Online Resources
- Best books for NIFT exam preparation 2025 – Section-wise Books, Important Topics
Will requests for a change in the NID DAT 2025 test centre be entertained?
Admission officials will not entertain any requests for change in the allotted NID DAT 2025 exam centre.
Note that NID officials have the authority to add or remove any test centre for unforeseen circumstances. In such cases, the candidate will be allotted the 2nd best option.
An exam city can have one or more test centers.
NID DAT 2026 Exam-day Guidelines
The DAT Prelims exam will be conducted on December 21, 2025. The next
On the day of the exam, the candidate needs to follow these guidelines.
Document Checklist
- NID DAT Admit Card 2026 – The candidate must retain the NID DAT 2025 admit card even after the exam is over. Note that the admit card with the sign of the invigilator and the seal of the exam center is mandatory to apply for recheck of DAT Prelims or DAT Mains result.
- A Photo ID Proof – The ID must be non-expired, in the original, and must have the candidate’s photo. Photocopies of the ID proof will not be accepted.
Valid Photo ID proofs
The following documents will be accepted as a valid photo ID proof:
- Student ID card issued by current school/college
- Passport
- Driving License
- Aadhar Card
- Voters ID Card
- PAN Card
Stationery required for NID DAT 2026 Exam
The candidate must bring the following stationery for the NID Entrance Exam 2026.
- Black ballpoint pen (to mark the answers in the OMR sheet)
- Lead pencils (of varying grades)
- Dry colors (such as oil pastels/color pencils/sketch pens etc)
- Eraser
- Sharpeners
- Ruler
What not to carry on NID exam day?
Th candidate mustn’t carry the following items with them to the NID DAT exam center 2026.
- Mobile phones
- Calculator
- Any other electronic device
Any candidate found carrying any of the above items will be disqualified.
Also Read:
- NIFT Situation Test – DATE, Download Past 10 Years Questions
- How to Prepare for NIFT Personal Interview – Dress Code, Skill Tested, Questions Asked
- Best books for NIFT exam preparation – Section-wise Books, Important Topics
DAT Mains Exam
The B.Des DAT Mains 2025 exam was held in SIX NID campuses – Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and Jorhat. B.Des DAT Mains exam or STUDIO Test was conducted on May 3, 2025.
Candidates who have qualified B.Des NID DAT 2025 (Prelims) had to select test centers between 4 pm, April 3, 2025 up to April 6, 2025, (4 pm). The campus-wise seat capacity for B.Des program is given below. B.Des DAT Mains 2025 exam centers is allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
The name and address of the NID DAT 205 exam center for the B.Des Studio Test is mentioned on the NID DAT 2025 admit card (released on April 11). The admit card also contains other the exam timings, exam center reporting time, and exam-day guidelines.
The M.Des DAT Mains 2025 exam was conducted from in THREE campuses – NID Ahmedabad, NID Gandhinagar, and NID Bengaluru.