NID Online Coaching 2026 / 2027

1. NID offers 4 years B.Des. program in 8 design disciplines at its main campus in Ahmedabad (125 seats).
2. From 2020 onwards NID offers 4 years B.Des program in 3 design disciplines at its new campuses in Vijayawada, Kurukshetra, Bhopal & Jorhat (75 seats each = 300 seats).
3. NID offers 2.5 years M.Des. program in 19 design disciplines at its campuses in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar & Bengaluru (347 seats).

For B.Des. programs:

Criterion 1: Age Limit – Candidate is 20 years of age before 1st July (relaxable for up to 3 years for reserved category)

Criterion 2: Educational Qualification – Candidate should have passed or been appearing for 10+2 exam from any recognized board.

Note 1- Candidates completing a 10+3 technical diploma are no longer eligible for applying.

For M.Des. programs:

Criterion 1: Age Limit – Candidate is 30 years of age before 1st July (relaxable for up to 3 years for reserved category)

Criterion 2: Educational Qualification – Candidate should have passed from any recognized institute or university any of the following:

1. Bachelor’s degree in any discipline under 10+2+4 system
2. Bachelor’s degree in any discipline under 10+2+3 system with one year experience or further academic qualification
3. Diploma in Design under 10+2+4 system

Note 2 – Candidates who are appearing for their final year of 10+2+3 bachelors are no longer eligible to apply.

Admission is on the basis of NID’s method of selection, which extends beyond the student’s previous academic qualifications. The objective of the admission process is to seek evidence of the perception, attitude, aptitude, achievement and motivation essential in a potential design student. The process of Admission to NID for B.Des. and M.Des. programs consists of 2 phases of Design Aptitude Tests (DAT):

Phase 1: DAT (Prelims)

Phase 2: DAT (Mains)

Stage 1: Design Aptitude Test (DAT) – Prelims (B.Des)

1. 1. The DAT Prelims is a written exam for 3 hours for 100 marks. It has 2 sections –
      1. Section 1 – Objective Type Questions
      2. Section 2 – Subjective Type Questions
   2. There is no fixed weightage for the 2 sections. It varies from year to year. The weightage for last 4 years is as follows:

1. The DAT prelims is a screening test for Stage 2.
2. The DAT prelims score is expected to carry 20% weightage in final score.

Stage 2: Design Aptitude Test (DAT) – Mains

1. Based on the scores obtained in the DAT Prelims, eligible candidates will have to appear for the DAT Mains.
2. Generally, candidates equal to 3 times the number of seats are called for DAT Mains.
3. The DAT Mains will be for about 3 hours and 100 marks and will consist of Studio Test & Interview*.
4. Candidates get a final merit score and merit rank based on marks obtained in DAT Prelims and NID Mains. The weightage given to marks at each stage is:

The DAT Prelims is a written exam for 3 hours for 100 marks. It has 2 sections- Objective & Subjective. The syllabus in each section is as follows:

1. Objective Section: All questions are Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ). The candidates have to answer on an OMR marking sheet. There is no negative marking. The weightage of this section in the paper can vary from 30 marks to 70 marks. The subjects and their expected weightage is (this is not fixed, can change):

2. Subjective Section: These are questions where the candidates have to answer in the form of drawing, coloring and writing. The questions can be based on Object / Product Drawing, Communication Design, Situational Visualization & Drawing, Color Compositions, Everyday Problem Solving, Creative Writing, Abstract / Imaginative Thinking etc.

The answers to these questions are assessed on the basis of:

1. The Idea or Concept: How creative, unique, interesting, sensible the idea or concept of the answer is.
2. The Presentation: How good the visualization, technical drawing, coloring, presentation quality is.

Phase 2: DAT (Mains)

On the basis of the DAT Prelims score, candidates are shortlisted and called for DAT Mains. The DAT Mains for this programme consists of two parts:

1. Studio Test: This may consist of tests in different formats such as drawing / sketching, hands-on model making, group discussions, presentations etc. This test will be marked out of 100 marks and will be conducted in English. The DAT Mains for NID MDes will include questions relating to the design discipline applied for by the candidate.
2. Interviews (only for MDes): The interviews will be conducted separately for each discipline, immediately after the Studio Test, at the same centre. The candidates may be asked to present their design portfolio as part of the interview.

Note 1 – The weightage of each test in the NID Mains is decided every year by the NID Admission Cell, but is generally Studio Test (70%) and Interview (30%).

Following are the important dates in NID’s admission process :

DAT (Prelims) will be conducted in the following 16 cities in India: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Chennai, Dehradun, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Ranchi, Thiruvananthapuram, and Vijayawada.

The DAT (Mains) are conducted in the different NID campuses

NID has a very strong Industry Interface & Placement process. The Industry Interface is maintained in 3 different ways –

1. Sponsored classroom projects – 4 to 8 week projects conducted for industry in last 2 years of UG and 2nd year of PG program.
2. Mandatory Industrial training – 6 to 8 weeks project in the industry premises. Students are paid anywhere from 10,000 to 25,000 per month. This is scheduled during 3rd year of UG and 2nd year of PG program.
3. Mandatory Diploma project – all final semester students need to complete 6 months of diploma project with a client organization. The stipend is anywhere from 15,000 to 50,000 per month.

Every year in December, NID conducts a placement week, where over 100+ recruiting companies float 1,000+ job offers for the last semester students. Almost 90% of the participating students are placed during this week.

Highlights:

1. The highest salary offer to an NID post graduate in 2018 placement week was Rs 72 lacs p.a.
2. The highest salary offer to an NID graduate in 2018 placement week was Rs 48 lacs p.a.
3. The average salary offered to NID both batches in 2018 was Rs 15 lacs p.a.
4. There was a 40% growth in recruiters and job offers.

The medium of instruction at NID is English. The language for NID DAT Prelims, Mains and the Interview is also English.

Ahmedabad campus: Hostel accommodation is available only for B.Des. students from Sem 1 to 7.

Gandhinagar campus: Hostel accommodation is available for M.Des. students from Sem 1 to 4.

Bengaluru campus: Hostel accommodation is not available.

Vijaywada / Kurukshetra / Bhopal / Jorhat campus: Hostel accommodation is available for all GDPD students.

NID admission interview is conducted by a panel of 3-4 persons. There are faculties and a psycho-analyst amongst them. The interview revolves around the candidate’s personality, interests, likes, dislikes, reactions to situations, their portfolio, their abilities etc. The interview questions can never be predicted. The length of the interview can never be predicted. It can be 2 minutes long or 1 hour long. The students may be asked about their design portfolio in the interview.

There is no standard list of questions which are asked in a design admission interview. The questions will revolve around the candidate’s life, personality, temperament, achievements and creative outputs till date.

Some sample questions are:

1. Why do you want to join NID? What will you do if you don’t get into NID?
2. What would you do if you find a homeless person on the street shivering in cold?
3. In one minute, tell us why we should select you at NID?
4. You have one minute, make us laugh.
5. For M.Des. (E.g. Product Design):
   1. Who is your favorite Product Designer?
   2. What are some of the new products that fascinate you? Why?
   3. What is happening in the Indian Product Design industry?

A design portfolio is not mandatory for admission to NID, but it helps the interviewer in assessing the suitability of the candidate for NID. During the interview, the candidate may present their past work (academic and/or professional) such as drawings, photographs, models, relevant documents etc., which they may like to share with the interview panel. These may be in analogue or digital (in a USB drive or your own laptop) format. The portfolio should reflect the candidate’s interests and abilities.