NID DAT Qualifying Marks 2026: Check Category-wise Passing Marks

The official authorities issue the NID DAT Qualifying Marks 2026 for B.Des and M.Des. It is the minimal score required for candidates to pass the exam. Students can also compare the Prelims-to-Mains weightage for both programs to see which event has greater weight.

NID DAT prelims might range from 43 to 64, depending on the category. The B.Des cut-off scores will be available in March 2026, and the M.Des cut-off marks will be released in April 2026. Candidates can use the NID test cut-offs to make general predictions about the results.

NID Passing Marks 2026 incorporate both the preliminary and main NID cutoff marks. The final qualifying status of students for admission to NID colleges is determined by the NID DAT preliminary cutoff. The NID DAT preliminary cut-off scores are normally three times the number of available seats for admission.

What are the NID DAT Qualifying Marks 2026?

The NID DAT exam features separate cut-offs for the preliminary and main exams. Students who achieve the minimum score in the NID preliminary exam are eligible for the mains exam. The passing marks for NID 2026 vary by college.

NID DAT 2026 Minimum Qualifying Score

The National Institute of Design has announced the minimum NID DAT qualifying marks 2026 that candidates must meet to be eligible for NID admissions in BDes and MDes courses:

Category	NID Minimum Qualifying Marks
Open/General	50
EWS	50
OBC-NCL	45
SC	40
ST	40
PwD	40
Overseas	50

NID DAT Final Weightage

Check out the updated weightage for Prelims and Mains for both M.Des and B.Des in the table below:

Exam	DAT Prelims	DAT Mains
B.Des	40%	60%
	DAT Prelims	Studio Test	Personal Interview
M.Des	30%	40%	30%

Also Read: NID DAT Tie Breaking Policy for B.Des Admissions 2025: How It Works?

NID DAT Passing Marks 2026

The National Institute of Design announces the qualifying cut-off marks for each campus in various categories. Admission to B.Des. and M.Des courses requires students to meet the minimal final NID cut-off scores. The NID rank list is given following the exam.

Students can access the official final NID cutoff marks on the official website. To advance to the Mains exam, candidates must first verify the NID preliminary cut-off. The projected NID DAT passing marks in 2026 are shown below:

NID DAT Prelims Passing Marks

The predicted range of NID passing marks in 2026 is shown in the accompanying table:

Category	NID DAT 2026 Prelims Cut Off (Expected)
General	59 - 68
EWS	54 - 63
OBC-NCL	49 – 57
SC	41 - 48
ST	40 - 47
PwD	49 - 55
Overseas	53 - 59

NID Ahmedabad Passing Marks

You can refer to the table below for the expected NID DAT qualifying marks 2026 for NID Ahmedabad:

Categories	Expected Scores	Expected Ranks
OPEN/General	62-68	44-50
Gen-EWS	54-60	12-18
OBC-NCL	57-63	36-42
SC	55-61	18-24
ST	69-55	9-15
PwD	46-52	4-10
Overseas	48-54	17-23

NID Andhra Pradesh Passing Marks

You can refer to the table below for the expected NID DAT qualifying marks 2026 for NID Andhra Pradesh:

Categories	Expected Scores	Expected Ranks
OPEN/General	59-65	151-157
Gen-EWS	47-53	46-52
OBC-NCL	52-58	114-120
SC	51-57	54-60
ST	42-48	38-44
PwD	38-44	18-24

NID Assam Passing Marks

You can refer to the table below for the expected NID DAT qualifying marks 2026 for NID Assam:

Categories	Expected Scores	Expected Ranks
OPEN/General	57-63	252-258
Gen-EWS	47-53	50-58
OBC-NCL	52-58	136-142
SC	47-53	87-93
ST	42-48	45-51

NID Madhya Pradesh Qualifying Marks

You can refer to the table below for the expected NID DAT qualifying marks 2026 for NID Madhya Pradesh:

Categories	Expected Scores	Expected Ranks
OPEN/General	58-64	193-199
Gen-EWS	48-54	41-47
OBC-NCL	53-59	112-118
SC	49-55	67-73
ST	43-49	37-43
PwD	37-43	37-43
Overseas	47-53	22-28

NID Haryana Passing Marks

You can refer to the table below for the expected NID DAT qualifying marks 2026 for NID Haryana:

Categories	Expected Scores	Expected Ranks
OPEN/General	58-64	178-183
Gen-EWS	49-55	33-39
OBC-NCL	53-59	100-106
SC	51-57	46-52
ST	42-48	41-47
PwD	40-46	40-46

Factors Affecting NID DAT Cutoff

Check out the various factors affecting NID DAT Cutoff score:

1. Number of seats available for B.Des and M.Des courses at NID - Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Ahmedabad, and Haryana.
2. The number of students who take the NID DAT exam determines the ultimate NID cutoff.
3. The more students who pass the minimal NID DAT preliminary exam, the higher the final NID cut-offs will be.
4. The NID 2026 passing marks will be lower as the exam's difficulty level increases.
5. An institution with a higher national ranking will have a more competitive admissions procedure and, subsequently, NID 2026 passing marks.

Also Read: What is a Good Score in NID DAT 2026? B,.Des and M.Des Scores, Steps to Calculate

Conclusion

The NID qualifying marks serve as the minimal requirement for candidates to proceed in the admissions process. While these scores help to shortlist students, the final decision is based on overall merit, which includes performance in both Prelims and Mains. Aspirants should strive higher than the minimum cutoff to earn a competitive rank and improve their chances of admission to top NID campuses.