NID DAT Exam 2026 Update – The National Institute of Design (NID) will likely release the NID DAT 2026 application form and exam notification anytime now. In the previous edition, the application opened on September 3, 2024.
With the admission process now over for NID DAT 2025, the admission process for the next session will START soon.
The admission notification will be released online at admissions.nid.edu.
It will contain information like the eligibility criteria for the B.Des and M.Des courses, admission process, application fee, seat matrix, information brochure, syllabus, pattern, and other key updates about the exam.
The candidate must carefully go through each of the details carefully before they apply and for exam preparation. NID DAT 2026 (Prelims) will be conducted around 1st week of January 2026.
NID DAT 2026 – Key Features
| Particulars | NID DAT Details |
| Exam | NID Design Aptitude Test (NID DAT) |
| Conducting Body | National Institute of Design (NID) |
| Exam Level | Undergraduate & Postgraduate |
| Exam Frequency | Annual |
| Courses Offered | B.Des, M.Des |
| Registration START Date | 1st week of September 2025 |
| Last Date to Apply | To be notified |
| Exam Fee | INR 3,000 – General/OBC INR 1,500 – SC/ST/PWD |
| Exam Structure | The exam is conducted in TWO parts: DAT Prelims DAT Mains |
| Duration of DAT Prelims | 3 Hours |
NID DAT Prelims 2026 – Test Centers
The NID DAT Prelims will be conducted in the following cities: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Dehradun, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Kurukshetra, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Patna, Raipur, Ranchi, Thiruvananthapuram and Vijayawada.
You can select your choice of exam city when filling out the form.
NID DAT 2025 Admission Process Over
The admission process for the NID DAT 2025 has concluded.
Two rounds of seat allotments were announced for the B.Des and M.Des courses. The last rank and score for the last candidate allotted a seat as on July 31 can be downloaded from the NID admission portal in PDF format.