Summary: The DAT exam, conducted by NID, is a highly coveted entrance exam among design aspirants. Discover the NID eligibility requirements for appearing for the DAT exam in 2025. 

The National Institute of Design (NID) conducts an entrance exam called the Design Aptitude Test (DAT) every year for admissions into its design programs. It is a highly competitive exam, with over 20,000 students appearing for it each year. Before applying for the exam, it's important to understand and meet the NID eligibility criteria for 2025.

Let's have a look at the detailed NID Eligibility Criteria 2025 of all the courses offered at NID campuses.

Download Free Study Material for NID 2025 by CreativeEdge

B.Des is offered at NID Ahmedabad, NID Andhra Pradesh, NID Haryana, NID Madhya Pradesh and NID Assam. Similarly, M.Des is offered at NID Ahmedabad and its extension campuses at Gandhinagar and Bangalore.

NID Entrance Exam 2025

The NID entrance exam 2025 will be conducted in 2 stages: 

• Stage 1:- NID DAT (Prelims) - Pen & paper-based written test  
• Stage 2:- NID DAT (Mains) - Studio Test & Interview 

The conducting body imposes eligibility requirements for NID entrance exams for every student who intends to take the exam. 

 The NID Eligibility Criteria will be based on the various parameters that are: 

• Nationality
• Age
• Qualification

Learn more: NID 2025 Syllabus

NID Eligibility Criteria 2025 for B.Des

The Bachelor of Design (B.Des) program is a 4-year bachelor's program at NID (National Institute of Design). For the Bachelor of Design (B.Des) program, every year, the NID Ahmedabad campus conducts a Design Aptitude Test (DAT) for young, talented students to get admission to one of India's most prestigious and premium Design Institutes.

Age Limit

Category	NID DAT 2024 Age Limit for B.Des
General or General-EWS Category	Candidates must be born on or after July 1, 2004
Reserved Category - OBC-NCL, SC, ST	Candidates must be born on or after July 1, 2001
PwD Category	Candidates must be born on or after July 1, 1999
Foreign Nationals - Overseas (Supernumerary) Category	Candidates must be born on or after July 1, 2004

Learn more: Important questions with answers for the NID CAT exam

Educational Qualification

The candidates who have completed their 10 + 2 (Higher Secondary) from AISSCE / IB / ICSE or any recognized board during the academic year 2024 will be eligible to apply for NID. 

The candidates appearing for their 10 + 2 (higher secondary) in 2025 can also apply for this examination. 

Some of the examinations that are considered identical to class 12 are as follows:

• A central or state board recognized by the Association of Indian Universities conducts the final examination of the 10 + 2 system—aiuweb.org.
• A board or university recognized by the Association of Indian Universities conducts an Intermediate or 2-year Pre-University examination.
• The final year examination of the 2-year course at the Joint Services Wing of the National Defence Academy (N.D.A.).
• The National Institute of Open Schooling conducts senior secondary school examinations with at least five subjects.
• An examination conducted by any public school, board, or university in India or a foreign country that is recognized as equivalent to the 10 + 2 system by the A.I.U.
• H.S.C. vocational examination.
• The advanced (A) level of the general certificate education (G.C.E.) examination (London, Cambridge, or Sri Lanka)
• Cambridge University conducts a high school certificate examination or International Baccalaureate Diploma at the International Baccalaureate Office, Geneva.
• Candidates who have completed their 10+2 or equivalent examination from outside India or from a board or university not specified in the above list must compulsorily submit a certificate from the Association of Indian Universities.

NID B.Des Eligibility for Overseas Candidates

Foreign candidates holding citizenship in a country other than the Republic of India are eligible to apply under the Overseas (supernumerary) category, provided they fulfil all the eligibility criteria mentioned in the official UCEED admissions handbook. 

• Candidates under the Overseas (supernumerary) category fall outside the seats reserved for the GEN-EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, ST and PwD categories. Such candidates cannot avail of the facility of age-relaxation, scribe, etc. 
• Candidates under the Overseas (supernumerary) category must pay the fees as per the Overseas fees structure. 
• Candidates holding OCI and PIO cards must apply only under the Overseas (supernumerary) category.  
• Candidates must possess a valid passport. When applying online, the candidate must ensure that the passport is current (not expired). 
• Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) holding an Indian passport are not eligible to apply under the Overseas (supernumerary) category and must apply as Indian nationals. 
• Before the commencement of the programme, the candidate will be responsible for obtaining a student visa for the entire programme at NID.

NID Eligibility Criteria 2025 for M.Des

NID master of design eligibility requires candidates applying to the Masters of Design (M.Des) Program to apply to a maximum of 2 disciplines. Once the application for one discipline is received, you can't apply for another.

After receiving the application, you cannot apply or transfer to any other discipline at any stage of application or admission or during the course.

The Master of Design M.Des is a 2.5-year Master's program at the National Institute of Design (NID). For the M.Des program, every year, NID Ahmedabad, NID Bengaluru, and NID Gandhinagar campus conduct a Design Aptitude Test (DAT) for the young, talented students to get admission in one of the prestigious and premium Design Institute of India.

Learn more: NID Study Plan 2025

Below are the NID eligibility criteria that must be fulfilled by all the candidates applying for the Master of Design (M.Des) program through the NID Entrance Exam.

NID Eligibility - Age Limit

Category	NID DAT 2024 Age Limit for MDes
General Category	Candidates must be born on or after July 1, 1993
Reserved Category - OBC-NCL, SC & ST	Candidates must be born on or after July 1, 1990
PwD Category	Candidates must be born on or after July 1, 1988
Foreign Nationals in Overseas (Supernumerary) Category	Candidates must be born on or after July 1, 1993

Learn more: NID Free Mock Test Series by Creative Edge

NID Eligibility - Educational Qualification

The following conditions are what the candidates have to fulfill before applying for the Master of Design Program.

• Bachelor's Degree of minimum 4-year duration in any specialization, after 12th standard or equivalent to 12th standard from any university and/or institute recognised by the law in India. 
• Full-time Diploma of minimum 4-year duration in Design/Arts/Architecture, after 12th standard or equivalent to 12th standard, from a university and/or institute recognised by the law in India. 
• Bachelor's Degree of minimum 3-year duration in any specialization, after 12th standard or equivalent to 12th standard from a university and/or institute recognised by the law in India. 

Things to Note:

• The candidate must obtain an Equivalence Certificate from the Association of Indian Universities (A.I.U.), New Delhi, before admission (website: www.aiuweb.org) if the candidate has obtained the degree/certificate from any University/ Board of any foreign country.
• The candidate must have appeared for any of the subjects and backlogs (if any) of the Bachelor's degree Examination by 30 June 2025.

NID Eligibility Criteria 2025 for Overseas Category

Candidates with citizenship in any country other than the Republic of India can apply for this examination under the overseas candidates' category. In the B.Des (Bachelor of Design) and M.Des (Master of Design) programs, overseas candidates hold 15% of the extra seats that the NID allots. (National Institute of Design).

•  The Non-Residents of India (N.R.I.s) candidates only have to apply as citizens of India. 
• The candidates hold a foreign passport with a valid P.I.O. (Person of Indian Origin) or O.C.I. (Overseas Citizen of India) status can apply under any category, i.e., the 'Indian' or 'Overseas' category. The candidates applying under the overseas category have to pay fees equivalent to foreign citizens only; if they use under the Indian category students, they have to pay costs equal to Indian citizens. 
• The overseas candidates can only apply online for the B.Des (Bachelor of Design) or M.Des programs. The official website for admission in this category is admissions.nid.edu. 
• Candidates who opt for the overseas category can only take the Design Aptitude Test (DAT) at the Ahmedabad campus. The stage 2 and 3 examinations follow the DAT. 
•  The NID Admit cards will be available for download at the official website, and the candidate will be responsible for taking a print of the same. 

Learn more: Important questions for the NID GAT exam

Documents Required for NID Admission

The candidates should make the original documents and the attested copies for proof of NID eligibility criteria -

• The candidates have to submit the Attested copy of their Passport.
• In the case of B.Des candidates, the certified copies of S.S.C. and H.S.C mark sheets.
• In the case of M.Des candidates, the attested copies of mark sheets of S.S.C., H.S.C., completed years of graduation along with degree certificate / provisional certificate/passing certificate.
• If the candidate is from the Association of Indian Universities (A.I.U.), an equivalence certificate must be produced before admission.

Note: For the B.Des (Bachelor of Design) and M.Des (Master of Design) programs, the National Institute of Design (NID) allocates an additional 15% of seats specifically for overseas candidates.

Candidates must submit their student visas for the courses at NID before starting the Bachelor of Design (B.Des) or Masters of Design (M.Des) program.

The application will be cancelled if the selected candidates cannot pay the required fees or submit the relevant documents before registration.

The seats that are left vacant will not be converted into any other category and will eventually be invalid for any category student.

Improve Your NID 2025 Chances: NID 2025 Online Coaching by CreativeEdge

Why know the NID Eligibility Criteria?

The NID Eligibility criteria are important to understand if you are considering applying for the National Institute of Design's programs. This criteria outlines who can apply to the NID and other important eligibility requirements that must be met before you can be accepted into the program.

By reviewing the NID eligibility criteria, you can better understand your chances of being accepted into the NID and which courses best suit your skills and interests.

Learn more: Previous year exam analysis for NID entrance exam

Conclusion

Getting into NID is tough but it's a gateway to amazing careers in design. If you meet the NID eligibility criteria, and got the skills, passion and a strong portfolio, NID is the perfect launching point for your career in design. 

With the right attitude and impressive design work, you can build a successful future in the design industry.

Learn more: NID 2025 Sample Papers