NID DAT 2027 registration is open until 11:59 pm on 30 November 2026. The National Institute of Design will hold DAT Prelims on 20 December 2026 for admission to its post-Class-12 design programmes and regular M.Des courses for 2027-28.

The 2027 cycle brings an important course change. NID Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Bengaluru now offer a 5.5-year M.Des Integrated Pathway after Class 12. The regular 2.5-year M.Des remains a separate postgraduate programme. Both use a two-stage selection process, but their eligibility rules, Mains tests and result dates are different.

NID DAT 2027 Dates

The application and Prelims schedule is common for the post-Class-12 and M.Des programmes. The result dates are different. NID will announce the Mains dates, final results and admission counselling schedule later.

The application form cannot be changed completely during the correction window. Programme, name, date of birth, registered mobile number and registered email address cannot be edited. A category change may require an extra fee, and NID will not refund any excess fee.

NID Courses Covered by DAT 2027

NID DAT 2027 covers two separate levels of study. Students applying after Class 12 use the B.Des/Integrated M.Des application. Graduates use the regular M.Des application. A candidate cannot apply for both because the entrance tests are held at the same time on the same day.

What is new in the Integrated M.Des programme?

The 5.5-year Integrated M.Des has 11 semesters. Its 15 disciplines are divided equally across Industrial Design, Communication Design, Spatial Experience Design, Textile and Apparel Design, and Digital Design Futures. Each stream has three disciplines and 27 seats, giving a total of 135 seats across the three campuses.

NID DAT 2027 Eligibility

Eligibility after Class 12

Students from Science, Commerce, Arts, Humanities or another recognised Class 12 stream can apply. NIOS candidates need at least five subjects. An AICTE-approved three-year full-time diploma after Class 10 is also accepted. Applicants must meet both the qualification and birth-date rule.

Students appearing for Class 12 in 2026-27 must take their Class 12 exam before document checking and pass in the first attempt. The marksheet must reach NID by 15 July 2027. A compartment, supplementary paper or uncleared subject cancels the admission, and the paid course fee is not returned.

Eligibility for the regular M.Des

For most M.Des disciplines, NID accepts a recognised bachelor's degree or its equivalent in any subject. Final-year students can apply, but they must complete all papers and clear earlier backlogs by 28 June 2027. The final marksheets must be submitted by 31 July 2027.

NID DAT 2027 Application and Fees

The form is submitted online through the NID admission portal. Registration needs an active email address and mobile number. The application is complete only after the fee is paid and the final form can be viewed or downloaded.

One post-Class-12 application covers the participating NIDs. The regular M.Des form for NID Ahmedabad covers its Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Bengaluru campuses, and the fee is charged for each discipline selected. NID Haryana and NID Madhya Pradesh need separate M.Des applications through their own links.

Bank charges are extra. The application fee cannot be refunded or moved to another application. For M.Des at NID Ahmedabad, candidates may choose up to three disciplines, but the combination must follow the groups given in the handbook.

NID DAT 2027 Exam Pattern and Selection

DAT Prelims is a paper-and-pencil or pen test with questions based on text and visuals. The paper is in English. NID has not given a fixed chapter list, total marks or test duration in the 2027 handbooks; the duration will be printed on the admit card.

Prelims works only as a shortlist for Mains. Its marks are not added to the final score. For the post-Class-12 programmes, each category shortlist is 2.5 times the available seats. For M.Des at NID Ahmedabad, each discipline shortlist is 4.5 times the available seats in the category.

DAT Mains after Class 12

The Mains stage has a Studio Sensitivity Test and an In-Person Sensitivity Test. A candidate must attend both to enter the merit list. NID will announce their exact format and marks weightage later. Independent NIDs may hold another Mains round if seats are left vacant.

DAT Mains for M.Des

Regular M.Des Mains has a Studio Test and a discipline-wise interview. For courses at Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Bengaluru, NID Ahmedabad conducts the Mains. NID Haryana and NID Madhya Pradesh hold their own Mains. Both the Studio Test and interview are compulsory for the final merit list.

Test Cities and Admit Card

DAT Prelims is planned in 17 cities: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Dehradun, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jorhat, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi and Patna. NID may add or remove a city or allot a different centre if required. The chosen city can be changed only during the form-correction window.

The Prelims admit card will be available on the admission portal from 4 pm on 10 December 2026. NID will not send a separate digital or printed copy. The admit card will show the reporting time and test duration.

Result, Retotalling and Admission

Prelims results are prepared separately by category. M.Des also has discipline-wise merit lists. A Prelims scorecard stays available for 20 days after the result, so it should be downloaded within that period.

Retotalling checks whether every answer received marks and whether the marks were added and copied correctly. It is not a fresh evaluation of the answers. The request costs Rs 2,000 for the post-Class-12 paper and Rs 2,000 per discipline for M.Des. It must be filed online with the required signed and stamped admit card.

The final merit list uses Mains marks. A rank does not guarantee a seat. Admission also depends on category, course or discipline preferences and the seats available. Post-Class-12 candidates must submit another online admission form after the Mains result to take part in seat allotment.

NID DAT 2027 Official Links

• NID DAT 2027 application portal
• B.Des and Integrated M.Des admission handbook
• M.Des admission handbook