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NID DAT eligibility criteria 2025 varies for all the courses, such as B.Des/GDPD, M.Des, and Ph.D. There is a maximum age limit of 20 years for the B.Des program and 30 years for the M.Des program for candidates in the general category. However, there is no upper age restriction for aspirants seeking admission to the Ph.D. program.
The aspirants from the reserved category have some age relaxation benefits. But there are some minimum NID DAT 2025 eligibility criteria to be fulfilled by the candidates before applying for the NID DAT exam 2025. Candidates who do not fulfil eligibility for the NID entrance exam will be considered ineligible and their application forms will be deemed invalid.
Also Read: NID DAT Application Form
NID BDes Eligibility Criteria 2025
The NID eligibility criteria 2025 sets the standard requirement for all candidates to apply for the examination. The criteria are different for the B.Des course or program. Find the detailed eligibility in the points below.
NID Age limit BDes 2025
The BDes age limit details for NID DAT 2025 are shared below.
- The maximum age limit for the candidates to appear for the exam is 20 years, as of June 30, 2025, to satisfy NID DAT eligibility criteria 2025.
- However, for reserved category candidates, the age limit is different. OBC, SC, and ST candidates will have a three-year relaxation. Physically Handicapped (PwD) can appear for NID 2025 until age 25.
- General category candidates born on or before July 1, 2003, do not fulfil NID DAT eligibility criteria 2025 for B.Des.
NID DAT 2025 Education Qualification
Candidates must have passed the 12th examination or should appear for the same in 2022-23 or an equivalent examination from a recognized board to satisfy the National Institute of Design admission criteria. The list of examinations and boards accepted are:
- Candidates clearing 10+2 or equivalent examinations from a board or university must submit a certificate from the Association of Indian Universities. Those candidates who have earned a study conducted by some committee or university that is not even recognized by the AIU 10+2 system are also eligible to apply (submission of all required documents is mandatory)
- Candidates who appeared for the Joint Services Wing of the National Defence Academy (NDA) final year examination (2nd year final exam) are eligible.
- Candidates must have appeared for the senior secondary school examination conducted by the National Institute of Open Schooling. The exam should contain at least 5 subjects.
- The general certificate education (GCE) examination conducted in England, Sri Lanka, etc., is at the advanced A level.
- Applicants must have opted for the Intermediate or second-year pre-university examination conducted by any board or university recognized by the Association of Indian Universities. The central or state board works a final exam of the 10+2 system, which the Association of Indian Universities recognizes.
- Candidates must have cleared the High school certificate examination or International Baccalaureate Diploma at the International Baccalaureate Office, Geneva, which Cambridge University conducts.
Also Read: NID DAT Admit Card
NID DAT B.Des Seat Matrix
All candidates admitted to this program will undergo a foundation course for the first year. After that, they will be allotted domains based on the availability of seats and their performance in the foundation period. The seat availability for B.Des is below as a table for the candidates' reference.
| Number of Seats | Stream |
|---|---|
| 15 Seats |
Graphic Design
|
| 15 Seats |
Animation Film Design
|
| 10 Seats |
Film & Video Communication
|
| 10 Seats |
Exhibition Design
|
| 15 Seats |
Textile Design
|
| 15 Seats |
Product Design
|
| 10 Seats |
Furniture Design
|
| 10 Seats |
Ceramic & Glass Design
|
NID MDes Eligibility Criteria 2025
The age limit for an exam is the minimum and maximum age requirement to be able to attempt the examination. Along with this, candidates must secure the qualifications needed to be valid for the exam.
NID Age Limit MDes 2025
Candidates must check the NID age limit criteria for the MDes program shared below.
- The maximum NID DAT age limit is 30 years for the general candidates to satisfy NID admission criteria for PG courses as of July 30, 2025. However, the reserved category has a different age limit. Three years of relaxation is allowed for OBC, SC, and ST, whereas PwD candidates can attempt until age 35.
- General category candidates born on or before July 1, 1992, do not fulfil NID admission criteria 2025 for M.Des.
- Reserved category candidates born on or before July 1, 1989, do not fulfill NID DAT Eligibility Criteria 2025 for M.Des.
NID 2025 M.Des Admission Qualification-Education Qualification
The NID masters eligibility 2025 requires the following criterions as mentioned below:
- Candidates should have cleared the bachelor's degree (10+2+3 years or 10+2+4 years) to satisfy NID DAT eligibility criteria 2025 for the MDes program. As for the 10+2+4 bachelor's degree, the candidates should have cleared or should be appearing before June 2022. As for the 10+2+3 bachelor's degree, the candidates should have passed and appeared on or before June 2022.
- Those with a bachelor's degree in any discipline from any institution or university recognized by the law in India are also eligible to apply for NID 2025.
- A Diploma in the 10+2+4 system from any recognized university or institution is also accepted.
- If the candidates have a degree from a foreign university, they must obtain an equivalence certificate from the Association of Indian Universities.
Also Read: NID DAT Exam Dates
NID DAT M.Des Seat Matrix
The M.Des program is a two-and-a-half-year course offered by NID in various domains. There will be 2 seats reserved for overseas candidates for each part. This course is available at the NID's Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, and Bengaluru campuses. Candidates can choose a maximum of 2 disciplines or domains while applying for the exam. Once selected, candidates cannot change their environment for any reason.
The detailed seat availability at NID Gandhinagar campus for M.Des, concerning the domain or branch, is below.
| No. of Seats |
Courses offered at NID Gandhinagar Campus
|
|---|---|
| 15 |
Photography Design
|
| 15 |
Strategic Design Management
|
| 15 |
Apparel Design
|
| 15 |
Lifestyle Accessory Design
|
| 15 |
New Media Design
|
| 10 |
Toy & Game Design
|
| 15 |
Transportation & Automobile Design
|
NID Bengaluru Campus Seat Matrix
The detailed seat availability at the NID Bengaluru campus for M.Des, concerning the domain or branch, is given below.
| No. of Seats |
Courses offered at NID Bengaluru Campus
|
|---|---|
| 15 |
Interaction Design
|
| 15 |
Universal Design
|
| 15 |
Design for Retail Experience
|
| 15 |
Digital Game Design
|
| 15 |
Information Design
|
NID Ahmedabad M.Des Seat Matrix
The detailed seat availability at the NID Ahmedabad campus for M.Des, concerning the domain or branch, is given below.
| No. of Seats |
Courses offered at NID Ahmedabad Campus
|
|---|---|
| 15 |
Furniture Design
|
| 15 |
Graphic Design
|
| 15 |
Product Design
|
| 15 |
Textile Design
|
| 15 |
Animation Film Design
|
| 10 |
Ceramic & Glass Design
|
| 15 |
Film & Video Communication
|
NID DAT Eligibility Criteria 2025 for GDPD Candidates
The aspects of NID DAT eligibility criteria 2025 for GDPD are given below.
- NID Ahmedabad and NID Vijayawada offer this course, and the candidates are selected based on their scores in the DAT (Design Aptitude Test).
- Before admitting the candidates, selected candidates will be tested with further rounds by them.
- For this year, the exam authorities have announced 60 seats available for the GDPD courses.
The GDPD (Graduation Diploma Program in Design) is an eight-semester program, where the first 2 semesters are common for all branches, and the rest of the 6 semesters are based on the following domains.
- Apparel and Textile Design Course
- Industrial Design Course
- Communication Design Course
Also Read: NID DAT Exam Pattern
NID DAT Eligibility Criteria 2025 for Overseas Candidates
The overseas category of candidates is those with citizenship in countries other than India. There will be a 15% reservation for the overseas candidates for M.Des and B.Des courses. Specific key points of NID DAT Eligibility Criteria 2025 for the overseas category are given below:
- Candidates opting for B.Des and M.Des programs under the overseas category must take up the DAT only at NID Ahmedabad. There will be two more stages of examination after the DAT.
- All overseas candidates should only apply for the exam online since no other application modes will be accepted and admit cards will be made available to the candidates on the official website, admission.nid.edu. They should make sure to download the admit cards within the specified time.
- Candidates holding PCI or Overseas Citizenship of India passports can apply under standard and overseas categories. The NRI candidates have to be used under the standard categories as citizens of India.
- All the overseas candidates must be in person at their respective campuses, without fail.
Documents to Produce for Overseas Candidates
The documents that should be produced are listed below for the reference of the candidates.
- For the M.Des candidates, the original and copies of the degree certificate, provisional certificate, mark sheets and other graduation details have to be produced, along with the class X and XII mark sheets.
- For B.Des candidates, only the class X and XII mark sheets and other related qualification details have to be submitted.
- Passport copies of the candidates should be attested.
- In the case of candidates holding degrees from universities and institutions recognized by the AIU (Association of Indian Universities), they are required to submit the equivalence certificate before the process of admission.
- Foreign nationals have to produce their copies of visas for the entire duration of their respective courses. The submission of a visa must be done before the start of the course.
Candidates failing to produce the necessary documents and/ or failing to pay the required fees should be aware that their candidature will be canceled.
Quick Link: NID DAT Books
NID 2025 Reservation Based on Category
The reservation percentage for the NID Exam is given below, for the reference of the candidates.
| Category | Reservation |
|---|---|
| General | 51.5% |
| OBC | 17% |
| SC | 15% |
| ST | 7.5% |
The candidates need to fulfil all the eligibility criteria to get NID 2025 Admission.
NID DAT Eligibility Criteria 2025 Highlights
NID DAT eligibility criteria 2025 implies that the candidates should be less than 20 for admission into B.Des programs and should be less than 30 in the case of M.Des. Further relaxations based on reservation are discussed in this section. The admission into all the courses is based on the performances of the candidates in all the stages of the exam, namely:
- DAT (Design Aptitude Test) - Stage 1
- Studio Test - Stage 2
- Personal Interview - Stage 3
This section discusses all the aspects of NID DAT eligibility criteria 2025, and the candidates wishing to take the exam are advised to go through this page completely.
Read More:Â NID DAT Preparation Tips
FAQs on NID Eligibility Criteria
Q: What are the NID DAT eligibility criteria 2025 for the BDes program?
A: The NID DAT 2025 eligibility criteria for the BDes program involves clearing at least 10+2 or equivalent from a recognized board. The detailed NID eligibility is shared on the page for the candidates.
Q: What is the National Institute of Design admission criteria for the MDes program?
A: The NID admission criteria for MDes program 2025 involves a minimum of bachelor’s completion from a recognized board. The detailed admission criteria are already shared on the page.
Q: Who is eligible to apply for the NID DAT 2025 exam?
A: Candidates who have qualified their 10+2 or equivalent from a recognized board and are below 20 years old are eligible for the BDes program, and those who have cleared their bachelor’s and are not more than 30 years old are eligible for the MDes program.
Q: What are the NID DAT eligibility criteria for the GDPD candidates?
A: The eligibility details for the GDPD candidates for the NID DAT 2025 exam are shared on the page for the applicants.
Q: What is the NID 2025 eligibility criteria for the overseas candidates?
A: The eligibility criteria set by the conducting authority for the overseas candidates for NID 2025 are already shared in a very detailed manner on the page for the applicants.
