The National Institute of Design is a premier design institute in India, with students from all over the country. Admission to the B.Des and M.Des courses is given based on performance in the NID Design Aptitude Test (NID DAT). However, getting an opportunity to be trained at NID is not only based on merit but also on the NID DAT seat intake and reservation policy that has been put in place.

The aspirants should be aware of the NID DAT reservation policy because it defines the number of seats reserved under various reservation categories. The distribution of seats is very important for Indian students as well as foreign nationals who intend to get admission to a particular college or university. This blog will discuss the NID DAT 2025 reservation categories, B.Des and M.Des seat matrices, and why it is justified for everyone.

How Does the NID DAT Seat Intake and Reservation Work?

The total intake capacity of the admission through NID DAT and the number of seats reserved also vary depending on the campus and discipline of B.Des and M.Des. Each category is given a certain percentage of the seats so that the candidates from the respective categories are given equal opportunities.

For the B.Des program, NID has five campuses at Ahmedabad, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and Assam with different numbers of seats. Similarly, the M.Des program is available in all the NID campuses in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, and Bengaluru.

Apart from the general categories of seat reservations, there is the NID DAT foreign quota which allows international students to apply for a seat reservation. This assists in developing a pool of students from all over the world in the area of design.

Also Read: How to Crack NID DAT in First Attempt?

Distribution of Seats Under NID DAT 2025 Reservation Categories

NID also follows the government policies of reservation for different categories to ensure that admission is fair. The seat allocation is as follows:

• General (GEN): Open competition seats
• Economically Weaker Section (GEN-EWS): 10% of seats
• Other Backward Classes (OBC-NCL): 27% of seats
• Scheduled Castes (SC): 15% of seats
• Scheduled Tribes (ST): 7.5% of seats
• Persons with Disabilities (PwD): 5% of seats across all categories
• Foreign Nationals: A separate quota for international applicants

These percentages are used in the NID DAT reservation policy for B.Des and NID DAT reservation policy for M.Des so that all the sections of the society are given an equal chance.

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NID DAT Seat Intake for B.Des and M.Des

The NID DAT seat intake and reservation for B.Des is 425 and it is distributed over the five zones of NID. The total NID DAT seat intake and reservation for M.Des is 347 and it is available in different specializations. It is a versatile model that can be applied in various forms across the campuses based on the available resources and the staff.

To help the aspirants to understand the seat intake and the reservation policy, the following table is given below to show the seat intake and the reservation policy of B.Des and M.Des programs:

NID DAT 2025 Seat Intake and Reservation

It is to be noted that M.Des programs have discipline-wise seat allocations, therefore, the seat matrix may differ as per the discipline. The number of seats in some of the M.Des disciplines is 12 and in some, it is 19.

NID DAT Reservation Policy for Foreign Nationals

The admission process for foreign nationals intending to apply for admission to NID is slightly different from the one mentioned above. There is a separate NID DAT reservation policy for foreign nationals in which a few percentage of seats are reserved for the international students. These are extra seats that are not included in the total number of seats under a given category.

Regarding the candidates of this category, they have to meet some requirements and present documents proving their foreign citizenship status. They may also have different fee structures as compared to the Indian applicants.

Documents Required for NID DAT Reservation

The candidates who wish to apply under the NID DAT 2025 reserved categories must enclose necessary documents while applying. These include:

• Caste certificate (for SC/ST/OBC-NCL candidates) as per the prescribed format issued by the competent authority
• Income certificate for GEN-EWS applicants
• PwD certificate for differently-abled candidates
• Domicile certificate if applicable
• Foreign nationality proof for international applicants

This implies that if the right documents are not produced, the candidate may be locked out of the reserved category.

Also Read: Top 10 Interior Design Schools in India 2025

NID DAT Application Fee for All Categories

The application fee of NID DAT varies for each category of the applicant. From the current information, the approximate fees are as follows:

• General/OBC-NCL/EWS: INR 3,000
• SC/ST/PwD: INR 1,500
• Foreign Nationals: $60 (USD)

The application fee is non-refundable and should be paid online before the deadline of the application submission. Any candidate who wants to apply under any of the reserved categories should ensure that he or she makes the right selection in the application form.

Final Thoughts

The NID DAT seat intake and reservation policy is aimed at making the institute more diverse. The NID DAT reservation policy for B.Des, NID DAT reservation policy for M.Des, and NID DAT reservation policy for foreign nationals should be understood in terms of the reservation breakdown and documents needed.

Candidates should also be aware of the NID DAT 2025 reservation policy and should apply accordingly. It is therefore necessary to know the NID DAT reservation of seats to avoid any shock during the admission process.

Candidates should know the NID DAT seat intake and reservation policy in advance and prepare well for the exam to get a chance to be a part of one of the most prestigious design institutes in India, NID. Interested candidates should visit the official website for the updated information and dates for the application.