Pearl Academy B.Des Admissions 2026
No. 1 Design & Fashion Institute by ASSOCHAM, India Today, Outlook and The Week rankings
NID DAT Application Date:11 Sep' 25 - 01 Dec' 25
The National Institute of Design will release the NID prelims 2026 cut-off on its official website - admissions.nid.edu. Only those candidates who clear the NID prelims cut-off will be eligible to appear for the NID mains. In the revised NID selection process, the marks obtained in NID prelims will not have any weightage in the final selection of the candidates. The NID prelims will be only a qualifying exam in NID DAT 2026. The number of candidates who will clear the NID prelims cut-off 2026 will be approximately 1.5 times the number of seats in the NID entrance exam. In this article, get complete details of the NID prelims 2026 cut-off, including previous year's cut-off trends.
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Candidates who clear the NID prelims cut-off have to compulsorily attend the NID DAT mains to obtain seat allotment. NID conducts the NID Design Aptitude Test for admissions into B.Des and M.Des programmes offered by participating NID campuses in India.
NID DAT prelims cutoff is different for all categories. The authorities release the NID DAT prelims cutoff in the form of rank and score. The revised selection process is expected to have an impact on the NID DAT prelims cutoff 2026. The table below provides the NID DAT 2026 prelims expected cutoff based on past year trends.
Category | Marks of the last shortlisted for NID Mains/ NID prelims cut off |
OPEN | 56-60 |
OBC - NCL | 40-44 |
EWS | 48-52 |
ST | 42-44 |
SC | 27-30 |
PwD | 8-10 |
Overseas | 22-25 |
Interested candidates can go through the NID prelims previous year cut-off in the tables below. It will help them understand the NID prelims cut-off trends and predict the cutoff.
Category | Score of last candidate shortlisted NID Mains 2025 |
GENERAL | 59 |
| GEN-EWS | 46 |
OBC - NCL | 51 |
SC | 46 |
ST | 38 |
Overseas | 22.5 |
PwD | 19 |
Category | Score of last candidate shortlisted | Rank of last shortlisted for NID Mains/ NID prelims cut off 2024 |
OPEN | 58.50 | 253 |
OBC - NCL | 43.00 | 153 |
EWS | 50.00 | 257 |
ST | 43.75 | 181 |
SC | 29.00 | 120 |
PwD | 9.75 | 62 |
Overseas | 24.25 | 96 |
Category | NID Score | NID Rank |
General | 64.00 | 375 |
General-EWS | 40.25 | 155 |
OBC-NCL | 52.50 | 323 |
SC | 48.75 | 224 |
ST | 13.50 | 125 |
PwD | 18.50 | 43 |
Overseas | 35.00 | 81 |
Also Check:
Disciplines | NID Scores |
Animation Film Design | 60.00 |
Ceramic & Glass Design | 54.50 |
Film & Video Communication | 58.50 |
Furniture & Interior Design | 65.50 |
Graphic Design | 60.20 |
Product Design | 61.00 |
Textile Design | 57.50 |
Apparel Design | 53.50 |
Lifestyle Accessory Design | 61.50 |
New Media Design | 54.00 |
Photography Design | 47.00 |
Strategic Design Management | 64.50 |
Toy & Game Design | 58.50 |
Transportation & Automobile Design | 57.00 |
Design for Retail Experience | 59.00 |
Digital Game Design | 58.50 |
Information Design | 64.00 |
Interaction Design | 61.00 |
Universal Design | 60.50 |
Candidates can check the category-wise reservation of seats from the following table:
Programme | Institute | GEN-EWS (10%) | OBC-NCL(27%) | Scheduled Caste (15%) | Scheduled Tribe (7.5)% |
B.DES. | NID Ahmedabad | 13 | 34 | 19 | 9 |
GDPD | NID Andhra Pradesh | 8 | 20 | 11 | 6 |
GDPD | NID Haryana | 8 | 20 | 11 | 6 |
GDPD | NID Madhya Pradesh | 8 | 20 | 11 | 6 |
GDPD | NID Assam | 8 | 20 | 11 | 6 |
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The National Institute of Design has notified in its admission handbook that approximately candidates numbering 1.5 times the number of seats will qualify for the NID mains. The scores they obtain in the NID prelims will not have any impact on the final NID cutoff. The table below provides the details about the candidates who were selected for NID B.Des mains in the previous year.
| Category | Rank From | Rank To | Score of the last candidate shortlisted |
|---|---|---|---|
General | 1 | 193 | 59 |
General EWS | 1 | 134 | 46 |
OBC | 1 | 204 | 51 |
SC | 1 | 176 | 46 |
ST | 1 | 110 | 38 |
PWD | 1 | 67 | 19 |
Overseas | 1 | 106 | 22.5 |
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
As per the revised NID selection criteria, the NID prelims score will not have any weightage in the final selection process.
The good score for the NID DAT exam for the open category is 60-66.
Candidates numbering 1.5 times the number of seats will qualify the NID prelims.
On Question asked by student community
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.
No, IPU (Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University) does not accept NID DAT Prelims score for admission to the B.Des (Bachelor of Design) program.
Instead, IPU conducts its own entrance test or may consider CUET (UG) scores for B.Des admissions, depending on the latest admission guidelines. Always refer to the university's official prospectus for the year you're applying to for the final admission criteria.
NIT DAT (https://www.shiksha.com/design/articles/nid-admissions-2025-colleges-accepting-nid-entrance-exam-scores-for-bdes-mdes-courses-blogId-13097)
Ranked 2nd in the IIRF 2023 Design School Ranking | Approved by AICTE | Highest CTC 13 LPA
Ranked amongst top 3% universities globally (QS Rankings)
No. 1 Design & Fashion Institute by ASSOCHAM, India Today, Outlook and The Week rankings
EXAMS dates- 13-14 Dec | Leading Design College | Highest CTC: ₹12 LPA | Average CTC: ₹7.5 LPA | Scholarships for Deserving Students
Courses offered in- Fashion Design, Product Design, Communication Design, Interior & Spatial Design & Animation & VFX Design
Ranked #45 amongst Universities in India by NIRF | Ranked #1 in Academic Reputation in India by QS World University Rankings