September 28, 2026
For 2027-28, NID offers 135 undergraduate seats through the new 5.5-year Integrated Pathway (M.Des) at Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Bengaluru (15 disciplines × 9), while the 4-year B.Des continues at NID Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh.
The independent 2.5-year M.Des offers 404 seats across 22 disciplines (20 with 19 seats, 2 with 12). Overseas candidates get an additional 15% supernumerary seats. Figures are from the official NID handbooks (10 September 2026). Admission is via the NID DAT exam.
For students aspiring to join NID, comprehending the seat allocation, reservation policies, and the counselling process for the NID Design Aptitude Test (DAT) 2026 is essential for a successful admission.
The biggest seat change for 2027 is structural: NID Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Bengaluru no longer admit a standalone 4-year B.Des.
Undergraduate entry into NID now can be with 5.5-Year Professional Education Master of Design (Integrated Pathway), apart from 4-year regular B.Des. This new program is of 11 semesters ending in an M.Des degree - with 135 seats across 15 disciplines (9 each).
The 4-year B.Des continues at NID Ahmedabad, NID Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh.
Each 9-seat discipline reserves GEN-EWS (1), OBC-NCL (2), SC (1), ST (1), plus 15 supernumerary overseas seats (one per discipline). NID shortlists 2.5× seats per category for Mains.
Enter your discipline and campus preferences on the NID application form.
The 4-year B.Des runs at four campuses. The 2027-28 handbook directs candidates to each Institute's website for exact per-campus seat counts; confirm the latest numbers there before counselling.
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NID 4-year B.Des campuses 2027 (confirm seat counts on campus sites) |
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Campus |
Program |
Seats |
|
4-yr B.Des / 5.5-yr Integrated M.Des |
Per campus site (~75) |
|
|
4-yr B.Des / 5.5-yr Integrated M.Des |
Per campus site (~75) |
|
|
4-yr B.Des / 5.5-yr Integrated M.Des |
Per campus site (~75) |
|
|
4-yr B.Des / 5.5-yr Integrated M.Des |
Per campus site (~75) |
|
Also, any changes in seats and programs at NID Ahmedabad will be reflected on the official NID Ahmedabad programs page and in this article within 24 hours of announcement.
The five-and-half year Professional Education Master of Design programme (Integrated Pathway) is offered at NID in the following areas of specialisation:
|
Discipline |
Campus |
Intake Capacity |
|
Ceramic & Glass Design |
Ahmedabad |
9 |
|
Transportation & Automobile Design |
Gandhinagar |
9 |
|
Product Design |
Ahmedabad |
9 |
|
Discipline |
Campus |
Intake Capacity |
|
Animation Film Design |
Ahmedabad |
9 |
|
Film & Video Communication |
Ahmedabad |
9 |
|
Graphic Design |
Ahmedabad |
9 |
|
Discipline |
Campus |
Intake Capacity |
|
Exhibition Design |
Ahmedabad |
9 |
|
Furniture & Interior Design |
Ahmedabad |
9 |
|
Design for Retail Experience |
Bengaluru |
9 |
|
Discipline |
Campus |
Intake Capacity |
|
Textile Design |
Ahmedabad |
9 |
|
Apparel Design |
Gandhinagar |
9 |
|
Lifestyle Accessory Design |
Gandhinagar |
9 |
|
Discipline |
Campus |
Intake Capacity |
|
Digital Game Design |
Bengaluru |
9 |
|
Interaction Design |
Bengaluru |
9 |
|
Information Design |
Bengaluru |
9 |
In addition to the seats available, an additional 15% supernumerary seats are available for Overseas category candidates. The number of seats available in Overseas (supernumerary) category is as under:
|
Program |
No. of supernumerary seats |
|
5.5 Year Professional Education Master of Design Program (Integrated Pathway) at NID Ahmedabad |
15 (one seat under each discipline) |
The two-and-a-half years’ full-time Master of Design (M.Des.) programme is offered at its campuses in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Gandhinagar.
GROUP 1
|
Discipline |
Offered at |
Number of Seats |
|
Animation Film Design |
Ahmedabad |
19 |
|
Film & Video Communication |
Ahmedabad |
19 |
|
Graphic Design |
Ahmedabad |
19 |
|
Photography Design |
Ahmedabad |
19 |
GROUP 2
|
Discipline |
Offered at |
Number of Seats |
|
Apparel Design |
Gandhinagar |
19 |
|
Lifestyle Accessory Design |
Gandhinagar |
19 |
|
Textile Design |
Gandhinagar |
19 |
GROUP 3
|
Discipline |
Offered at |
Number of Seats |
|
Design for Retail Experience |
Bengaluru |
19 |
|
Exhibition Design |
Ahmedabad |
19 |
|
Furniture & Interior Design |
Ahmedabad |
19 |
GROUP 4
|
Discipline |
Offered at |
Number of Seats |
|
Ceramic & Glass Design |
Ahmedabad |
12 |
|
Product Design |
Ahmedabad |
19 |
|
Toy & Game Design |
Gandhinagar |
12 |
|
Transportation & Automobile Design |
Gandhinagar |
19 |
GROUP 5
|
Discipline |
Offered at |
Number of Seats |
|
Digital Game Design |
Bengaluru |
19 |
|
Information Design |
Bengaluru |
19 |
|
Interaction Design |
Bengaluru |
19 |
|
New Media Design |
Bengaluru |
19 |
GROUP X
|
Discipline |
Offered at |
Number of Seats |
|
Design Trends and Futures |
Gandhinagar |
19 |
|
Design Education* |
Gandhinagar |
19 |
|
Strategic Design Management |
Gandhinagar |
19 |
|
Universal Design |
Bengaluru |
19 |
Candidates may apply for one, two, or three disciplines, subject to the permitted combinations as specified in admissions handbook:
In short: Group X can only be paired with others, never combined with itself - and any two disciplines you pick from the same group must come from Groups 1–5.
|
Program |
No. of seats |
|
M.Des discipline having 19 seats |
03 |
|
M.Des discipline having 12 seats |
02 |
Seats are only half the picture - see how each campus performs in NID placements before deciding on your preferences.
How many seats are there in NID for the General category? The number varies by campus and program. NID follows the Government of India reservation policy for GEN-EWS, OBC-NCL, SC and ST categories, while the remaining seats fall under the OPEN category.
The table below shows the category-wise distribution of seats across NID campuses:
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NID M.Des per-discipline reservation 2027 |
||||
|
Discipline size |
GEN-EWS |
OBC-NCL |
SC |
ST |
|
19-seat disciplines |
2 |
5 |
3 |
1 |
|
12-seat disciplines |
1 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
NID Integrated Pathway per-discipline reservation 2027 (9 seats) |
||||
|
Discipline size |
GEN-EWS |
OBC-NCL |
SC |
ST |
|
9-seat disciplines |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
Your category's seat count drives its cut-off - study the NID DAT cut-off trends to judge what rank each seat needs.
NOTE: Amendments about change in the number of seats for each NID, if any, will be updated on the official website https://admissions.nid.edu only in the Amendment(s) Section of this Handbook.
The reservation policy at NID is a reflection of its commitment to ensuring equitable access to education. The table below details the total seats in NID for general category for M.Des and the percentage of reservations across all other categories as per the NID DAT seats matrix:
In accordance with the guidelines of the Government of India, the prescribed number of seats reserved for each of these categories is as follows:
|
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 |
Candidates must mention their respective categories in the NID DAT 2026 Application Form to avail themselves of these benefits.
How many seats are there in NID Ahmedabad for the General category?
For NID Ahmedabad, refer to the OPEN-category seats in the B.Des & M.Des seat matrix. GEN-EWS is a separate reserved category and should not be confused with OPEN seats. The category-wise distribution above shows the seats available for each category.
Eligibility criteria set by NID are stringent, ensuring that only the most suitable candidates make it through. Applicants must diligently fill out their category in the application form. The NID DAT 2026 Admit Card will subsequently reflect this information, along with exam details.
|
NID 2027 age limits (born on or after) |
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|
Category |
B.Des / Integrated Pathway |
M.Des (2.5-yr) |
|
General / GEN-EWS / Overseas |
1 July 2006 |
1 July 1995 |
|
OBC-NCL / SC / ST |
1 July 2003 |
1 July 1992 |
|
PwD |
1 July 2001 |
1 July 1990 |
B.Des/Integrated needs Class 12 (10+2) in any stream; M.Des needs a Bachelor's degree in any discipline (final-year candidates eligible with conditions). Confirm you qualify via the complete NID eligibility criteria. Class XII marksheet is due by 15 July 2027; M.Des final degree by 31 July 2027.
For candidates seeking admission under reserved categories, strict rules apply for NID seats. Once a category is selected during application submission, it cannot be changed. Required documents must be submitted promptly, as provisional admissions are not granted without them.
NOTE: If results are pending at seat allotment, admission is provisional.
B.Des candidates must submit their Class XII qualifying marksheet on or before 15 July 2026
M.Des candidates must submit their final degree result/marksheets on or before 31 July 2026. Failing this, the provisional admission is treated as null and void and the entire fee is forfeited.
Check: NID DAT Cut Off Trends
Application fees are separate from tuition - the full NID fee structure breaks down per-campus program costs. It vary based on the candidate's category, nationality and gender. Check the following tables for registration fee details both B.Des & M.Des candidates:
|
Applicants |
Application Fees |
|
General, Gen-EWS, OBC-NCL |
Rs.3000/- |
|
Female Candidates (except SC, ST& PwD) |
Rs.2000/- |
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SC & ST Candidates |
Rs.1500/- |
|
PwD Candidates |
Rs.500/- |
|
Applicants |
M.Des (1 Discipline) |
M.Des (2 Disciplines in the same faculty stream only) |
|
General, Gen-EWS, OBC-NCL |
Rs.3000/- |
Rs.6000/- |
|
Female Candidates (except SC, ST & PwD category) |
Rs.2000/- |
Rs.4000/- |
|
SC & ST Candidates |
Rs.1500/- |
Rs.3000/- |
|
PwD Candidates |
Rs.500/- |
Rs.1000/- |
Check: NID Fee Structure 2026
The NID counselling process is the final step for admission after the NID DAT exam. Here’s everything you need to know for B.Des admissions 2026–27 (based on the official NID handbook).
To confirm a seat, you must:
Securing a NID Seats involves appearing for and qualifying in the NID exam. There are 2 rounds for NID exam. NID Prelims and NID Mains. Only the candidates who qualify for prelims are allowed to appear in the mains exam. The admission process for NID includes:
NID shortlists candidates for DAT Mains at 2.5 times the number of available seats in each category (Open, GEN-EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, ST, PwD, Overseas), based on DAT Prelims merit.
For M.Des, the number of candidates shortlisted for DAT Mains is 4.5 times the number of available seats in each category, based on DAT Prelims merit.
Update: For the 2026-27 cycle, B.Des admission counselling, fee payment, and physical document verification were scheduled tentatively for the second/third week of June 2026.
How many seats are there in NID? Seat allocation at NID is a crucial step in entering the world of design, offering aspiring designers the opportunity to develop their skills in a creative and innovative environment.
This process is carefully crafted to promote fairness, inclusivity, and diversity, showcasing NID's dedication to nurturing talent from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. It's vital for understanding both the admissions process for NID and the values of equity and excellence that NID stands for.
The NID seats allocation process is a crucial aspect of its admission procedure, embodying the institute's values of fairness, inclusivity, and excellence.
Understanding this system is vital for aspirants, as it not only impacts their chances of admission but also offers a glimpse into the equitable and diverse educational environment that NID provides.
With the detailed information and guidelines provided in this guide, candidates can approach the NID admission process with a clear understanding and enhanced confidence.
Preparing for NID 2027? We can help you with exact strategic roadmap, study material and crucial feedback required to ace this exam.
Join India’s leading NID online coaching and get expert guidance on all NID subjects.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many seats are there in NID?

How many seats in NID are available for B.Des campus-wise?

How many seats in NID Ahmedabad are offered for B.Des?

What is the discipline-wise seat breakup for the NID Integrated Pathway?

How many M.Des seats does NID offer?

How are NID seats reserved across categories?

Which NID campuses offer B.Des and which offer M.Des?

Can I change my course or campus preference after seat allotment?

How are NID seats allotted to candidates?

What changed in NID seats for 2027?

How many candidates are shortlisted for NID DAT Mains?

Are overseas seats extra or part of the total?

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