NID Gandhinagar Course Admission 2026: Dates, Fees, Eligibility, Application Process, Selection Criteria

Gandhinagar, GujaratEstd 2004
Mistu Paul's profile photo

Mistu Paul

Content Writer | Updated 3+ months ago

NID Gandhinagar Latest Updates and News

26 May, 2026 NID MDes Round 1 Provisional Offers 2026 have been released. Candidates can download their offer letters from the official website @admissions.nid.eduRead News.

NID Gandhinagar offers admission to only M.Des course in seven different specialisations for a duration of 2.5 years, which costs INR 13.17 Lakhs for Indian National Students, excluding Hostel Fees.

  • Admission to the M.Des course at NID Gandhinagar is based on NID DAT Scores, which is conducted in two stages, namely Design Aptitude Test (DAT) Prelims and Design Aptitude Test (DAT) Mains.
  • Students interested in pursuing studies at NID Gandhinagar need to apply online on its official website: admissions.nid.edu for all the programs.
  • The M.Des application fee for NID Gandhinagar Admission for 1 discipline is INR 3,000 for General/ EWS/ OBC-NCL and INR 1,500 for SC/ ST candidates.
  • Candidates can apply to a maximum of two disciplines within the chosen faculty stream only. The application fee is INR 6,000 for General/EWS/OBC-NCL candidates and INR 3,000 for SC/ST candidates.

NID Gandhinagar Admission Dates 2026

Tabulated below are the important admission dates for the upcoming session of NID Gandhinagar:

Events Date
NID DAT 2026 PG Registration Date Sep 11 - Dec 01, 2025
NID DAT 2026 PG Prelims Exam Date Dec 21, 2025
NID DAT 2026 PG Prelims Result Date Feb 12, 2026
NID DAT 2026 PG Mains Exam Date Mar 08, 2026
NID DAT 2026 PG Interview Date Mar 21 - Apr 01, 2026

NID Gandhinagar M.Des Admission 2026

NID Gandhinagar offers seven specializations under its M.Des program at the postgraduate level. Here are the key details about NID Gandhinagar M.Des Admission 2026:

Particulars Details
Course Master of Design (M.Des)
Duration 2.5 Years
Type Full-Time
Number of Specializations 7
Specializations Offered Photography Design, Toy & Game Design, Transportation & Automobile Design, New Media Design, Strategic Design Management, Apparel Design, and Lifestyle Accessory Design.

NID Gandhinagar M.Des Eligibility Criteria

Here is the eligibility criterion for admission to M.Des at NID Gandhinagar:

  • Bachelor's Degree with a minimum duration of 3 or 4 Years in any specialization.
  • Full-Time Diploma of 4 Years in Design/Fine Arts/Applied Arts/ Architecture.
  • The upper age limit for M.Des at NID is 30 Years on or before July 1 of the Admission Year.
  • There is a relaxation of 3 Years in the upper age limit for SC/ ST/ OBC-NCL.

NID Gandhinagar M.Des Selection Criteria

Admission to M.Des at NID Gandhinagar is based on the score obtained by the candidate in the NID Design Aptitude Test (NID DAT). NID DAT has two stages, namely Design Aptitude Test (DAT) Prelims and Design Aptitude Test (DAT) Mains. Based on the merit list of DAT Prelims, candidates are shortlisted for DAT Mains.

  • DAT Prelims is a paper-and-pencil/pen test involving both text and visual questions.
  • DAT Mains for M.Des consists of two parts, namely Studio Test and Interview.

The final admission for M.Des will be based on the total of the weighted scores obtained by the candidates in the DAT Prelims and Mains.

NID Gandhinagar M.Des Seat Intake

NID Gandhinagar offers a total of 133 seat for admission to M.Des in seven specializations. Tabulated below is the specialization-wise seat matrix for M.Des at NID Gandhinagar:

Specialisations Intake
Photography Design 19
Toy & Game Design 19
Transportation & Automobile Design 19
New Media Design 19
Strategic Design Management 19
Apparel Design 19
Lifestyle Accessory Design. 19

NID Gandhinagar Cutoff 

NID Gandhinagar, NID Cutoff 2025 for the General Category is listed below. The lowest cutoff marks for NID are 57.5 for Interaction Design. Tabulated below are the NID Gandhinagar Cutoffs for M.Des in various specializations.

Courses Round 1 (Cutoff Marks)
M.Des Photography Design 50.15
M.Des Toy & Game Design 72.95
M.Des Transportation & Automobile Design 56.35
M.Des New Media Design 57.7
M.Des Strategic Design Management 61.4
M.Des Apparel Design 54.15
M.Des Lifestyle Accessory Design 59.3

NID Gandhinagar Admission Process

Candidates seeking admission to NID Gandhinagar will have to apply online on the official website of NID, nid.edu. Candidates will have to first register online for the NID DAT. Candidates can apply to a maximum of only two disciplines for the Master of Design program. Once registered successfully, the candidates will have to appear for the entrance exam on the respective date.

Here are the stages for admission at NID Gandhinagar:

  • NID DAT Prelims Exam + Results
  • Shortlisting of Candidates for NID DAT Mains
  • NID DAT Mains Exam + Results
  • Release of Final Merit List (Score in NID DAT Prelims Exam + Results)
  • Seat Allotment Process (Preference Filling, Seat Allotment & Confirmation, Fee Payment)

The seat allotment for admission will be purely based on merit and the preference submitted by the candidate at the time of their application. Admission to NID Gandhinagar will be confirmed after the fee payment and verification of documents.

NID Gandhinagar Application Fees

The application fee for NID Gandhinagar Admission is as follows:

Category Application Fee for M.Des (1 Discipline) Application Fee for M.Des (2 Disciplines in the same faculty stream only)
General/ EWS/ OBC-NCL INR 3,000 INR 6,000
Female Candidates (except SC, ST & PwD) INR 2,000 INR 4,000
SC & ST Candidates INR 1,500 INR 3,000
PwD Candidates INR 500 INR 1,000
Third Gender INR 500 INR 1,000
Overseas (Supernumerary) Candidates US$ 125 US$ 250

NID Gandhinagar Admission FAQs

Ques. What is the entrance exam pattern for NID Gandhinagar?

Ans. The entrance examination for the NID Gandhinagar is divided into two stages. The stages are:

  • Prelims: Part A is MCQ-based, which includes Design Aptitude, observation, and creativity, while Part B is subjective, which includes Sketching and problem-solving.
  • Mains: It includes tests, interviews, and portfolio evaluation.

Ques. What is the seat reservation criteria at NID Gandhinagar?

Ans. The seat reservation criteria at NID Gandhinagar are as follows for M.Des:

  • GEN-EWS (10%)
  • OBC-NCL (27%)
  • Scheduled Caste (15%)
  • Scheduled Tribe (7.5%)

Ques. How do I prepare for NID DAT?

Ans. Candidates willing to take admission to NID Gandhinagar must prepare for the NID DAT examination by following the steps given below:

  • Improve their sketching, observation skills, creative thinking, and problem-solving skills.
  • Candidates should also solve previous years’ papers and take mock tests.
  • A strong portfolio for M.Des. candidates is a must.

Ques. Is a portfolio required for admission at NID Gandhinagar?

Ans. At NID Gandhinagar, it's mandatory for M.Des. students to have a portfolio, which should include three to five strong projects and the process and final result incorporated as well. The portfolio should also contain a variety of sketches, prototypes, digital work, and detailed research work.

NID Gandhinagar Upcoming Important Dates 2026


Expired Events

EventsDates
Rechecking Request for DAT Prelims Exam for Admission 2026 [M.Des]
Apr 07, 2026 - Apr 08, 2026
Date for DAT Prelims Result for Admission 2026 [M.Des]
Apr 07, 2026
Admission Timeline [M.Des]
Mar 01, 2026 - Mar 31, 2026

Do you think the Dates are wrong ?  Report Here

Course Finder

Search from 20K+ Courses and 35+ Streams

Clear

Comments


No Comments To Show