The National Institute of Design will release the NID Prelims 2026 cut-off on the official website - admissions.nid.edu. The NID 2026 prelims cut-off is the first component in the NID cutoff 2026. As per estimated calculations based on student feedback, the NID 2026 BDes prelims cutoff is expected to be around 40+ marks for SC/ST, 45+ for OBC, and 50-55+ marks for the general category. According to the revised NID Selection Process 2026, the marks scored in the Prelims will only serve as a qualifying cutoff, and they will not have any weightage in the final result of the candidates. The weightage is now entirely upon the two divisions in the DAT Mains. The Prelims round is only a qualifying exam in NID DAT 2026. The NID 2026 expected cut-off is expected to change due to the revised selection process. Candidates can check out the article below to learn all about the NID Prelims Cut-off 2026.
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To understand the NID Prelims Cut-off for this year, candidates can also refer to the scores of Prelims for candidates in previous years and get an idea of the potential score needed to qualify for the DAT Mains Studio Test and In-Person Interview.
The NID DAT Prelims cut-off varies according to the categories of the candidates. Similarly, the NID campus-wise cut-off also varies across the NID colleges. The NID DAT Prelims cutoff will be released in the format of a rank and a score. Candidates appearing for the NID DAT Entrance exam 2026 need to be aware of the new selection process. Since the NID Prelims is no longer considered for the weightage in the final result, the scores may change accordingly.
Category | Cutoff marks |
OPEN | 50-55+ marks |
OBC - NCL | 40-45+ marks |
EWS | 48-50+ marks |
SC/ST | 35-40+ marks |
Candidates can also check out the NID DAT Previous years' cutoffs for the Prelims section of the exam to get an idea of the potential score and rank that candidates have received in the previous years.
Category | Score Cutoff for Candidates Shortlisted for NID DAT Mains 2025 |
General | 59 |
GEN-EWS | 46 |
OBC - NCL | 51 |
SC | 46 |
ST | 38 |
Overseas | 22.5 |
PwD | 19 |
Category | Score Cutoff for Candidates Shortlisted in 2024 | Rank Cutoff for Candidates Shortlisted for DAT Mains 2024 |
General | 58.5 | 253 |
GEN-EWS | 43 | 153 |
OBC - NCL | 50 | 257 |
SC | 43.75 | 181 |
ST | 29 | 120 |
Overseas | 24.25 | 62 |
PwD | 9.75 | 96 |
Candidates are also advised to check the category-wise reservation of seats. This will help them have an idea of their chances in landing a seat at NID. Candidates care refer to the Reservation Criteria from the following tables
Institute | GEN-EWS (10%) | OBC-NCL (27%) | Scheduled Caste (15%) | Scheduled Tribe (7.5)% |
NID Ahmedabad | 13 | 35 | 19 | 10 |
NID Andhra Pradesh | 8 | 20 | 11 | 6 |
NID Haryana | 8 | 20 | 11 | 6 |
NID Madhya Pradesh | 8 | 20 | 11 | 6 |
NID Assam | 8 | 20 | 11 | 6 |
Number of seats in the Discipline | Gen-EWS (10%) | OBC-NCL (27%) | Scheduled Caste (15%) | Scheduled Tribe (7.5 %) |
Disciplines with 19 seats each | 2 | 5 | 3 | 1 |
Disciplines with 12 seats each | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
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 Starts | Rank Ends | 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 |
On Question asked by student community
Dear Student,
For NID DAT exam preparation, you can follow the preparation tips provided by Careers360. The article covers important aspects such as understanding the exam pattern and syllabus, choosing the right study material, practising previous-year papers, and taking mock tests.
Use these strategies
Hello Student,
To start your NID DAT and UCEED preparation, begin with the syllabus, exam pattern, and previous years' question papers. You can also refer to the Careers360 preparation resources and sample papers for regular practice using the links provided below.
No, the NID DAT Prelims paper is not exactly the same for B.Des and M.Des aspirants.
You can check these resources for more clarity:
https://design.careers360.com/articles/nid-dat-sample-papers
https://design.careers360.com/articles/nid-mdes-previous-year-question-papers-with-solution
Hello Dear Student,
Could you provide more information so that i could help you further
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