NID DAT 2026 Schedule Released, Check Prelims & Mains Schedule Here

NID DAT 2026 Schedule Released, Check Prelims & Mains Schedule Here

Sumeet SudarshanUpdated on 18 Feb 2026, 05:25 PM IST

The National Institute of Design (NID) released the NID 2026 schedule for B.Des and MDes programmes at admissions.nid.edu. The NID M.Des 2026 mains schedule has been notified. The authorities will conduct NID MDes mains studio test on March 8, 2026, while the interview rounds will be conducted from March 21 to April 1, 2026. The NID authorities conduct two phases, namely, Prelims and Mains, for both B.Des and M.Des programmes for NID Admission. The NID DAT 2026 prelims exam date was conducted on December 21, 2025 between 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM. The complete NID DAT 2026 schedule is available in the NID 2026 notification. Read the complete article to know about the National Institute of Design 2026 exam schedule, NID DAT 2026 exam dates, and more.

This Story also Contains

  1. National Institute of Design Exam Schedule 2026
  2. NID 2026 Schedule for Prelims and Mains
  3. NID 2026 Registration Schedule
  4. NID DAT 2026 Admit Card Schedule
  5. National Institute of Design 2026 exam
  6. NID DAT 2026 Result Schedule
NID DAT 2026 Schedule Released, Check Prelims & Mains Schedule Here
NID 2026 Schedule

National Institute of Design Exam Schedule 2026

Candidates can refer to the NID 2026 application schedule, exam date, result, and counselling dates for both B.Des and M.Des in the table below.

NID 2026 Schedule for Prelims and Mains

EventsNID 2026 schedule for BDesNID 2026 schedule for MDes

NID DAT application form 2026

September 11, 2025

September 11, 2025

NID DAT application form 2026 last date

December 1, 2025

December 1, 2025

Correction window for NID DAT 2026 application form

December 2 to 4, 2025

December 2 to 4, 2025

NID DAT admit card 2026 release date (Prelims)

December 11, 2025

December 11, 2025

NID DAT 2026 exam date (Prelims)

December 21, 2025

December 21, 2025

NID DAT result 2026 (Prelims)

April 7, 2026

February 17, 2026

Rechecking request for NID DAT Prelims 2026

April 7 to 8, 2026

February 17 to 18, 2026

NID DAT Mains Schedule 2026

NID DAT admit card 2026 date (Mains)

April, 2026

February 24, 2026

NID DAT 2026 exam date (Mains)

April, 2026

March 8, 2026, March 21-April 1, 2026

NID DAT 2026 result (Mains)

May, 2026

May, 2026

Rechecking request for NID DAT Mains 2026

May, 2026

May, 2026


NID M.Des Mains 2026 Schedule for Studio Test and Interview

The NID M.Des Mains studio test will be conducted on March 8 while the interview rounds will be conducted on multiple days in the fourth week of March 2026. The details are given below.

NID M.Des 2026 Mains Studio Test

Faculty StreamDisciplineTest Centre City
for Studio Test


Industrial Design (ID)
- Ceramic & Glass Design

Ahmedabad
- Furniture & Interior Design
- Product Design
- Toy & Game Design
- Transportation & Automobile Design
- Universal Design
- Animation Film Design
Communication Design
(CD)
- Film & Video Communication
- Graphic Design
- Photography Design
Faculty StreamDisciplineTest Centre City
for Studio Test
Interdisciplinary Design
Studies (IDDS)
- Design for Retail Experience

Bengaluru
- Strategic Design Management
IT-Integrated Design (ITID)- Digital Game Design
- Information Design
- Interaction Design
- New Media Design
Faculty StreamDisciplineTest Centre City
for Studio Test
Textile, Apparel and
Lifestyle Accessory Design (TALAD)
- Apparel Design
- Lifestyle Accessory Design
- Textile Design
Gandhinagar


NID MDes 2026 Mains Interview Schedule

Faculty StreamDisciplineDate of the InterviewsTest Centre City for
Interviews
Industrial DesignCeramic & Glass DesignMarch 21-23, 2026Ahmedabad
Toy & Game Design
Furniture and Interior DesignMarch 21-25, 2026
Product Design
Transportation and Automobile Design
Universal Design
Interdisciplinary Design StudiesDesign for Retail ExperienceMarch 21-25, 2026Bengaluru
Strategic Design Management




Textile, Apparel
and Lifestyle
Accessory Design
(TALAD)
- Lifestyle Accessory DesignMarch 21-24, 2026
Gandhinagar
- Apparel DesignMarch 21-25, 2026
- Textile Design
Communication Design (CD)- Photography DesignMarch 27-30,
2026
Ahmedabad
- Animation Film Design
- Film & Video Communication
March 27-31
2026
- Graphic DesignMarch 27-April 1, 2026
Faculty StreamDisciplineDate of the InterviewsTest Centre
City for Interviews
IT-Integrated Design (ITID)- Digital Game Design
- Information Design
- New Media Design
March 27-31,
2026
Bengaluru
- Interaction DesignMarch 27-April 1, 2026
UPES B.Des Admissions 2026

Last Date to Apply: 26th March | Ranked #45 amongst Universities in India by NIRF | Ranked #1 in Academic Reputation in India by QS World University Rankings

Pearl Academy B.Des Admissions 2026

No. 1 Design & Fashion Institute by ASSOCHAM, India Today, Outlook and The Week rankings

NID 2026 Registration Schedule

The NID authorities released the NID 2026 application form online on September 11, 2025. The registration window is closed and candidates can no longer access it on the official website - admissions.nid.edu. Interested applicants need to fulfill the NID DAT 2026 eligibility criteria to apply for the NID DAT 2026 exam. The last date of application form submission was December 1, 2025.

NID DAT 2026 Admit Card Schedule

The NID M.Des mains admit card will be issued on February 24, 2026, at 4 pm. The authorities had earlier released the NID DAT 2026 admit card for Prelims on December 11, 2025. Candidates who have successfully registered will be able to download the NID DAT admit card 2026. To download the admit card, candidates must enter their allotted login credentials, such as email ID and date of birth. Aspirants who qualify for NID DAT prelims will be eligible to download the admit card for NID DAT mains.

The National Institute of Design (NID) released the NID DAT Exam Pattern 2026 at admissions.nid.edu. Before appearing for the NID DAT exam, candidates must refer to the NID DAT Syllabus 2026 to know what type of questions will be asked in the exam. Knowing the paper pattern and syllabus will help the candidates to score better.

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National Institute of Design 2026 exam

The National Institute of Design conducts the NID entrance exam in two pases, namely Prelims and Mains, for both B.Des and M.Des programmes. The NID DAT 2026 prelims exam for both B.Des and M.Des was held on December 21, 2025.

The NID DAT 2026 mains exam will be held in March for M.Des and in April for B.Des. For M.Des, the NID DAT mains consists of a studio test and an interview. Whereas for B.Des, the NID DAT Mains 2026 consists of only the studio test.

NID DAT 2026 Result Schedule

The NID DAT results will be declared separately for B.Des and M.Des programmes. The NID DAT prelims results will be declared on February 17, 2026 for M.Des and April 7, 2026 for B.Des. After the declaration of the NID DAT result 2026 for Prelims, the shortlisted candidates must appear for the NID DAT Mains 2026. Candidates can verify how many candidates will be selected for the DAT Mains, to have an estimate. The NID DAT Mains result for B.Des and M.Des will be declared in May 2026. Shortly after the results arrive, candidates will be issued the NID cutoff 2026. Candidates can also send the rechecking request for both NID DAT prelims and mains exams as per the schedule.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: When will the authorities release the NID 2026 schedule?
A:

The NID authorities released the DAT schedule 2026 at admissions.nid.edu along with the official notification.

Q: Who will conduct the NID DAT prelims and mains exams?
A:

The National Institute of Design (NID) conducts the DAT prelims and mains examinations.

Q: When will the applications start for NID DAT 2026?
A:

The application for NID DAT 2026 began on September 11, 2025.

Q: How many times is NID conducted in a year?
A:

NID DAT is conducted once a year.

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Questions related to NID DAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to NID DAT ?

No specific stream is required in Class 11 for BDes admissions. You can join B.Des (Bachelor of Design) with any stream in Class 11th (Science, Commerce, or Arts/Humanities). Top design institutes like NID ( NID DAT scores) and NIFT ( NIFT Entrance Exam ), as well as IITs (via UCEED),

Hello,

Yes, if you are in Class 12, you are eligible to sit for the NID DAT 2026 (BDes) exam. The National Institute of Design allows students who are in their final year of Class 12 or have already passed to apply.

To know more access below mentioned link:

https://design.careers360.com/articles/nid-admission-2026

You can get the NIT DAT SYLLABUS, updated version from careers 360 in detail from careers 360 article. Follow the link given from The link of the syllabus article is given below from careers 360

https://design.careers360.com/articles/nid-dat-syllabus-2026

Yes you are eligible to appear for NID DAT for the M.Des programme. Since you are in final make sure you will have completed your BA by the required deadline. Also go through the specific specializations you want to apply for, some may require certain specific backgrounds to be eligible

Hello,

To prepare for M.des exams like CEED or NID DAT, here are some points which you can follow:

Understand the pattern – focus on creativity, design aptitude, and problem-solving.

Practice sketching daily and improve visualization.

Study basics of color, form, and design concepts.

Solve previous papers and build a