NID DAT Age Restrictions 2026, NID Age Requirement Category Wise

NID DAT Age Restrictions 2026, NID Age Requirement Category Wise

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Rajyalaxmi VenkatapuramUpdated on 06 Nov 2025, 03:09 PM IST

The National Institute of Design will mention the age restrictions for NID DAT 2026 on its official website - admissions.nid.edu. The NID DAT eligibility criteria will contain all details about the NID BDes age limit 2026, NID MDes age limit 2026 as well as any NID DAT age criteria for reserved categories. For the academic year, 2026-27, the applicants must carefully check the age restrictions before deciding to apply for NID 2026. Failure to meet the NID entrance exam age restrictions can be a ground for rejection during the NID admission process.

This Story also Contains

  1. NID Age Limit for UG (Category-Wise)
  2. NID Age Limit for PG (Category-Wise)
  3. Age Limit for NID Entrance Exam 2026: Common Queries
  4. Eligibility Conditions Apart from NID Age Limit
NID DAT Age Restrictions 2026, NID Age Requirement Category Wise
NID DAT Age Restriction

Meeting the NID age limit is important to appear for the NID entrance exam. This is a very crucial part of the NID 2026 eligibility criteria to meet the specified NID age limit that varies for the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Read the full article to know the important facts about NID entrance exam age restrictions 2026.

NID Age Limit for UG (Category-Wise)

The authorities specify the NID age limit for the design aspirants applying for the UG courses. Provided below in the table is the NID 2026 age restriction for all the categories.

NID Entrance Exam Age Limit 2026

Category

NID Age Limit

Indian Nationals in General Category and General EWS Category

Should be born on or after 1 July 2005

Indian Nationals in Reserved Category (Other Backward Class-Non Creamy Layer (OBC-NCL), Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST)

Should be born on or after 1 July 2002

Indian Nationals in PwD Reserved Category

Should be born on or after 1 July 2000

Foreign Nationals in Overseas (Supernumerary) Category

Should be born on or after 1 July 2005

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NID Age Limit for PG (Category-Wise)

The age limit for NID 2026 is specified by the authorities in the official brochure at admissions.nid.edu. The applicants willing to appear for NID entrance exam 2026 for the postgraduate courses need to check the NID age restrictions 2026 to avoid their application rejection. Based on the categories, the NID age restrictions are specified in the table below.

NID Entrance Exam Age Restriction 2026

Category

NID Age Limit

Indian Nationals in General Category and General EWS Category

Should be born on or after 1 July 1994

Indian Nationals in Reserved Category (Other Backward Class-Non Creamy Layer (OBC-NCL), Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST)

Should be born on or after 1 July 1991

Indian Nationals in PwD Reserved Category

Should be born on or after 1 July 1989

Foreign Nationals in Overseas (Supernumerary) Category

Should be born on or after 1 July 1994

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Age Limit for NID Entrance Exam 2026: Common Queries

The NID 2026 age restrictions are applicable to all applicants who wish to get admitted to the NID UG and PG programmes. The candidates need to meet the NID age limit to proceed with the NID admission process. The age limit for NID 2026 is different based on the categories such as Open, SC, ST, PwD.

Q. Does NID have an age limit?

Ans. Yes, there is a NID age limit specified for each category.

Q. What is the age limit for BDes?

Ans. The NID BDes age limit for the candidates is based on the category they belong to. The authorities specified the NID age limit as per Open/SCT/ST/PwD categories.

Q. Which course in NID has no age limit?

Ans. The NID age limit is applicable for all the UG and PG courses.

Q. I am 28 years old. Can I join the NID MDes course?

Ans. Yes, as per the NID age limit 2026, you can apply for the NID MDes course. However, the NID age restriction is based on the category that you belong to.

Also check:

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Eligibility Conditions Apart from NID Age Limit

The eligibility criteria for NID 2026 that the applicants need to meet, apart from the NID age limit, are the academic qualifications. Candidates who have passed their 10+2 are eligible to apply for the NID BDes course. And for the NID MDes course, the applicants must have completed a bachelor's degree. Provided below in the table are the academic eligibility conditions required for the candidates to meet, apart from the NID age limit.

NID Eligibility - Academic Qualifications

Programme

Academic eligibility requirement

BDes

Candidates who have passed or will appear for higher secondary (10+2) qualifying examinations in the academic year 2024-25 in any stream (Science, Arts, Commerce, Humanities, etc.) from any recognised board of education such as CBSE, IB, ICSE or equivalent are eligible.

MDes

  • Candidates holding 4 4-year bachelor's degree in any specialisation from a recognised university or college. It is essential for candidates to have completed or be scheduled to complete their degree examination by June 28, 2026.

OR

  • Candidates possessing a 3-year bachelor's degree in any stream from a recognised university or college, in which they should have completed their degree by August 2024. Candidates who are in the final year are also eligible to apply.

OR

  • Holding a four-year full-time Diploma in Design, Fine Arts, Applied Arts, or Architecture after completing Class 12, from a certified university or college. Diploma examinations must be completed or be in progress to be completed by June 28, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Is the NID age limit the same for the UG and PG courses?
A:

No, the NID 2026 age limit for the UG and PG courses is different.

Q: What is the NID 2026 age restriction for open category candidates?
A:

The NID age restriction 2026 for open category candidates is different for the BDes and MDes courses.

Q: Where can we check the NID age limit?
A:

The aspirants can find the NID 2026 age limit at the official website - admissions.nid.edu.

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Questions related to NID DAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to NID DAT ?

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

Hope it helps.

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 to apply for them. You can find more details here design.careers360.com/articles/nid-dat-eligibility-criteria

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 strong portfolio.

Stay consistent and observe everyday designs for new ideas.

THANKU.

Hi daksh

As 563 rank in nid dat exam cannot guarantee admission in designing college but it could be a good chance to explore some campus as if you are not from general category as category role plays an important role . But now you can do one thing focus on your strengthening your protofile or preparing for the studio test (bdes) or interview (mdes).

Thanks.