KS DAT Eligibility Criteria 2026: Age Limit, Educational Qualification, Required Marks

The Director of Technical Education (DTE), Thiruvananthapuram will release the Kerala State Design Aptitude Test eligibility 2026 online. The official website is lbsapplications.kerala.gov.in/ksdat where the KS DAT 2026 eligibility criteria will be made available. Interested applicants need to check the KS DAT 2026 qualification requirements before proceeding to fill and submit the KS DAT application form. The eligibility for KS DAT exam 2026 includes the age limit, educational qualification and percentage of marks, etc. The KS DAT exam will be held in June 2026 tentatively. Go through the full article to check if you meet the KS DAT 2026 eligibility criteria for further admission process.

KS DAT Eligibility Criteria 2026

The Bachelor of Design (BDes) is offered for a 4 year duration. Aspirants planning to obtain BDes admission want to know that “who can apply for KS DAT 2026?”. As the official brochure for 2026 is not yet released, candidates can go through the KS DAT eligibility criteria provided as below as per the previous year. The age limit to apply for KS DAT 2026 is not prescribed. However, the applicants can check their eligibility for KS DAT exam 2026 which is as follows.

Educational qualification for KS DAT 2026:

• Candidates must have passed Higher Secondary Examination (10+2) from the board of HSE Kerala or equivalent examination approved by KTU with minimum marks as prescribed by AICTE.

• Minimum marks required for KS DAT 2025 are at least 45% in the qualifying examination required and for the reservation category it is 40%. Or must have passed D.Voc stream from the same or allotted sector.

Nativity:

• Only Indian citizens are eligible to apply for KS DAT BDes admission.

• The overseas citizen of India cardholder (including PIO cardholder) is eligible for admission as per NRI seat availability or the supernumerary seat.

• Candidates will be categorized as Keralite, Non-Keralite Category-I (NK-I) and Non-Keralite Category-II (NK-II).

Keralite: A candidate of Kerala origin is called as “Keralite”. Children of AIS (All India Service) officers who are Non-Keralites and are assigned to Kerala cadre are considered to be a ‘Keralite”. And these candidates will not be eligible for Communal/Special/Persons with Disabilities reservation or any fee concession.

Non-Keralite Category-I (NK-I): A candidate who is not of Kerala origin but fulfills any one of the following criteria, will be considered as Non-Keralite Category-I (NK-I).

• A candidate who has completed their qualifying course in Kerala and who is the son/daughter of Non-Keralite parents belonging to Government of India/Defence Service, posted to Kerala.

• A candidate who has completed their qualifying course in Kerala and who is the son/daughter of Non-Keralite parents who are serving or served Government of Kerala for a minimum of 2 years.

• A candidate who is not of Kerala origin but has been a resident of Kerala for 5 years within the period of 12 years of his/her study.

• A candidate who is not of Kerala but has completed their studies in Kerala from 8th to 12th class.

• Non-Keralite candidates of category-I will be considered against the “State Merit” seats, but will not be eligible for Communal/Special/Persons with Disabilities reservation or any fee concession.

Non-Keralite Category-II (NK-II): Candidates considered under NK-II category are mentioned below.

• Candidates who are not considered under “Keralite” or “Non-Keralite Category-I” come under Non-Keralite Category-II (NK-II).

• These candidates are eligible for BDes admission into the Government and the Management quota seats in Government controlled self-financing colleges.

• The Non-Keralite Category-II (NK-II) candidates will be considered for admission to the Government seats of BDes programme in Government cost-sharing colleges only when the Keralite and Non-Keralite category-I (NK_I) candidates are not available for admission.

• The Non-Keralite Category-II (NK-II) candidates are eligible for admission to both the Government and Management quota seats in private self-financing colleges.

• The Non-Keralite category-II (NK II) candidates will not be eligible for Communal/Special/Persons with Disabilities reservation or any fee concession.

Also read:

• KS DAT Exam Pattern and Syllabus

• KS DAT Admit Card

• KS DAT Exam Dates

• KS DAT Answer Key

• KS DAT Cutoff

KS DAT Application Form 2026

Director of Technical Education, Thiruvananthapuram is expected to begin the KS DAT registration process in online mode during the month of April 2026. Candidates will be able to fill the KS DAT application form 2026 at lbsapplications.kerala.gov.in. Candidates who fulfills the eligibility criteria of KS DAT 2026 will only be eligible to fill out the online application form. The KS DAT application form last date will be in June 2026.