NID DAT 2026 mains schedule out; MDes studio test, interview dates, centres
Vaishnavi Shukla | February 18, 2026 | 02:31 PM IST | 2 mins read
NID DAT MDes mains 2026 interviews are scheduled from March 21 to April 1, and the studio test will be held on Mar 8.
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DownloadThe National Institute of Design (NID) has announced the NID Design Aptitude Test (DAT) Mains exam dates 2026 for students who have qualified for the Master of Design (MDes) prelims. NID DAT MDes mains 2026 studio test will be held on March 8, while interviews are scheduled from March 21 to April 1.
Students will be able to download the NID DAT 2026 MDes admit card on the official website from February 24, 4 pm onwards. Students will have to mandatorily appear for both the studio and interview tests to be eligible for admission.
As per the official NID DAT notice, in case candidates’ University exam dates clash with the scheduled interview dates, they are to inform the institute by email admissions@nid.edu on or before February 23, along with the following mandatory documents:
- A copy of your exam timetable, duly attested by the principal.
- A letter from the principal confirming that the exam dates clash with the interview dates.
Also read Design education now ‘tool for innovation, problem-solving, human-centered development’: WUD VC
NID DAT MDes 2026 Mains Studio Test Schedule
The NID MDes 2026 Mains studio test schedule is shown in the table below.
|
Faculty Stream |
Discipline |
Test Centre City |
|
Industrial Design (ID) |
- Ceramic & Glass Design |
Ahmedabad |
|
- Furniture & Interior Design |
||
|
- Product Design - Toy & Game Design |
||
|
- Transportation & Automobile Design - Universal Design |
||
|
- Animation Film Design |
||
|
Communication Design (CD) |
- Film & Video Communication |
|
|
- Graphic Design |
||
|
- Photography Design |
||
|
Interdisciplinary Design Studies (IDDS) |
- Design for Retail Experience |
Bengaluru |
|
- Strategic Design Management |
||
|
IT-Integrated Design (ITID) |
- Digital Game Design - Information Design - Interaction Design |
|
|
- New Media Design |
||
|
Textile, Apparel and Lifestyle Accessory Design (TALAD) |
- Apparel Design - Lifestyle Accessory Design - Textile Design |
Gandhinagar |
NID DAT MDes 2026: Mains Interview Schedule
The NID MDes 2026 Mains interview schedule is shown in the table below.
|
Faculty Stream |
Discipline |
Date of the interviews |
Test Centre City |
|
Industrial Design |
Ceramic & Glass Design |
March 21-23 |
Ahmedabad |
|
Toy & Game Design |
|||
|
Furniture and Interior Design |
March 21-25 |
||
|
Product Design |
|||
|
Transportation and Automobile Design |
|||
|
Universal Design |
|||
|
Interdisciplinary Design Studies |
Design for Retail Experience |
March 21-25 |
Bengaluru |
|
Strategic Design Management |
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
Textile, Apparel and Lifestyle Accessory Design (TALAD) |
- Lifestyle Accessory Design |
March 21-24 |
|
|
Gandhinagar |
|||
|
- Apparel Design |
March 21-25 |
||
|
- Textile Design |
|
||
|
Communication Design (CD) |
- Photography Design |
March 27-30, 2026 |
Ahmedabad |
|
- Animation Film Design - Film & Video Communication |
March 27-31, 2026 |
||
|
- Graphic Design |
March 27-April 1 |
||
|
Faculty Stream |
Discipline |
Date of the Interviews |
Test Centre City for Interviews |
|
IT-Integrated Design (ITID) |
- Digital Game Design - Information Design - New Media Design |
March 27-31 2026 |
Bengaluru |
|
- Interaction Design |
March 27-April 1 |
Students must note that the interview dates for the NID DAT Mains 2026 exam can only be rescheduled within the available dates. NID MDes prelims exam was held from December 21, and the results were announced on February 12.
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