LATEST UPDATE 2026

NATA registration is expected to begin soon, with the application form likely to be released in February 2026. The registration link will be made available on the official website nata.in. Candidates must complete and submit the application form within the prescribed timeline to be eligible for the NATA Architecture Examination. It is advised that applicants regularly track the application window to avoid missing the final date for submission.

The NATA admit card will be issued online around two to three days before the selected examination slot. The NATA exam will be conducted multiple times in a year, with the 2026 session scheduled to take place every Friday and Saturday from July to August 2026. Candidates will be allowed to appear for a maximum of three sessions, and the best score obtained out of these three attempts will be considered for admission purposes.

Qualifying NATA is mandatory for admission to the Bachelor of Architecture program offered by architecture colleges across India. There will be no centralized counselling process for NATA-qualified candidates, as admissions will be conducted individually by participating institutions. The NATA question paper will consist of two sections, namely Drawing and Composition conducted in online mode and an MCQ section conducted in offline mode. 

IMPORTANT DATES

The NATA registration is expected to begin in February 2026, and candidates must complete their application a few weeks before the first exam session. The exam will be conducted every Friday and Saturday from July to August 2026. Admit cards will be released online two to three days before the chosen exam slot. Results will be declared a few weeks after each session. Each candidate can attempt the exam a maximum of three times in 2026, and the best score among all attempts will be considered for BArch admissions.

PROGRAMS OFFERED

Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch) — 5-year full-time undergraduate program (core focus).

Some institutions may consider NATA scores for related programs like B.Planning or integrated architecture courses, but B.Arch is the main one.

No direct postgraduate entry; NATA is undergraduate-level only.

TOP COLLEGES & TOTAL SEATS

Participating Institutions: Over 390–420 colleges/universities (government, private, deemed) accept NATA scores for B.Arch.

Total Seats (Approximate): Around 15,000–20,000+ B.Arch seats nationwide accepting NATA (varies yearly; includes state quotas, management, and all-India seats). Exact 2026 intake will be confirmed post-approval process.

Many top institutions accept NATA scores (some also accept JEE scores or have dual modes). Below is a list of prominent ones (based on NIRF rankings, reputation, placements, and infrastructure; not exhaustive). Seat numbers are approximate (total intake per college, including all quotas; subject to annual variations and CoA approvals).

Sir J.J. College of Architecture, Mumbai — Government; ~100–120 seats.

CEPT University, Ahmedabad — Private/Deemed; ~120–150 seats (highly competitive, strong design focus).

School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) Delhi/Vijayawada/Bhopal — Government (some seats via NATA/JEE); ~75–100 seats each.

Chandigarh College of Architecture (CCA), Chandigarh — Government; ~40–50 seats.

Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi — Central University; ~80 seats.

IIEST Shibpur, Howrah — Government; ~50–60 seats.

VNIT Nagpur — NIT; ~60–70 seats.

Department of Architecture, IIT Roorkee — Primarily JEE/AAT, but some awareness of NATA trends; limited direct NATA seats.

Manipal School of Architecture and Planning — Private; ~100+ seats.

RV College of Architecture, Bengaluru — Private; ~100–120 seats.

SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai — Private; ~100+ seats.

Chandigarh University — Private; large intake (~200+ seats).

Other notable mentions: NIT Calicut, NIT Rourkela, MSU Baroda, etc. Total nationwide B.Arch seats accepting NATA hover around 15,000–20,000, with top-tier colleges filling quickly (cutoffs often 120–145+ out of 200 for general category in premier ones).

HOW TO APPLY

Candidates need to visit the official NATA website nata.in and register for the exam. They must fill in personal details, educational information, and contact details, and upload required documents including a photograph, signature, and any other specified certificates. After completing the form, the candidate must pay the application fee online and submit the application. Once submitted, a confirmation page or acknowledgment should be downloaded or printed for future reference.

NATA  APPLICATION FEE

Fee for One Test

General and OBC Male Candidates: INR 1,750

General and OBC Female Candidates: INR 1,250

SC, ST, EWS, and PwD Male Candidates: INR 1,250

SC, ST, EWS, and PwD Female Candidates: INR 1,000

Transgender Candidates: INR 1,000

Candidates Outside India: INR 10,000

Fee for Two Tests

General and OBC Male Candidates: INR 3,250

General and OBC Female Candidates: INR 2,250

SC, ST, EWS, and PwD Male Candidates: INR 2,250

SC, ST, EWS, and PwD Female Candidates: INR 1,750

Transgender Candidates: INR 1,500

Candidates Outside India: INR 18,000

Fee for Three Tests

General and OBC Male Candidates: INR 4,500

General and OBC Female Candidates: INR 3,000

SC, ST, EWS, and PwD Male Candidates: INR 3,000

SC, ST, EWS, and PwD Female Candidates: INR 2,500

Transgender Candidates: INR 2,000

Candidates Outside India: INR 25,000

Here’s a simple explanation of how to apply for NATA step by step:

Visit the official website: Go to nata.in, which is the official portal for NATA registration.

Register yourself: Click on the registration link and create a new account by providing your basic details like name, date of birth, email, and mobile number.

Fill the application form: Enter all required information carefully, including personal details, educational qualifications, and contact information. Make sure everything is correct, because this information will be used to generate your admit card and for verification later.

Upload documents: Scan and upload your photograph, signature, and any other documents mentioned in the notification, such as your 12th marksheet or diploma certificate. All uploads must follow the size and format guidelines.

Pay the application fee: Complete the process by paying the fee online using net banking, debit/credit card, or other accepted payment methods.

Submit and save confirmation: After submitting the form, download or print the confirmation page. This serves as proof of successful registration and will be needed for future reference like admit card download and exam verification.

EXAM CENTERS

NATA is conducted across various cities in India. Candidates can choose their preferred exam center at the time of registration, depending on availability. The exact list of centers is provided on the official NATA website nata.in. Admit cards will mention the assigned exam center along with date and slot. Candidates must report to their allocated center on time with the required documents for verification.

ADMIT CARD

The NATA admit card is released online on the official website nata.in a few days before the exam. Candidates must download it and carry a printed copy to the exam center along with a valid photo ID. The admit card contains important details like exam date, time, exam center, and candidate information.

1. For each Applicant, an Admit Card will be generated according to the schedule notified indicating the allotted Examination Centre for NATA  and a downloadable version of the admit card will be published on the respective webpage of the candidate concerned. An Examination Roll Number will also be generated for each candidate.
2. A candidate is required to download the soft copy of the Admit Card from the website and must appear in the examination with a printed hard copy at the concerned Examination Centre indicated in the downloaded Admit Card along with one original photo identity card- Voter Card/ Pan Card/ Aadhar Card/ Driving Licence.
3. Candidates must ensure that the photograph and signature printed on the admit card are not mutilated/distorted/soiled even by accident. Candidates with such mutilated/distorted/soiled admit cards will not be allowed to appear in NATA.

How to download the NATA admit card 

1. Visit the official website atnata.in
2. Click on the link to the NATA login
3. The candidate login portal will appear on the screen. Enter the NATA application number and password
4. There will be a tab reflecting ‘NATA admit card’, click on it
5. NATA hall ticket shall appear on the screen
6. Download the same and take a printout for future reference

EXAM RESULT

NATA results are also declared online. Candidates can check their score and qualifying status on the official website using their login credentials. The best score of multiple attempts in a year is considered for admission. Qualified candidates can then use their NATA score for BArch admissions in participating colleges.

The scorecard will display the following:

1. Marks obtained in the exam out of 200

(a) In case the candidate appears for more than one test all scores received in the attempts will be displayed.

(b) In case a candidate appears for 2 Tests, the best of the 2 scores shall be taken as the valid score, and in the case of 3 attempts, the valid score shall be taken as the average of the 2 best scores.

2. Qualified/ Not Qualified Qualifying marks for NATA is 70 marks out of 200 marks

Validity of NATA score score shall be valid only for admission in the current year academic session.

COUNSELLING PROCESS & CUTOFFS

After the NATA exam results are declared, admission to BArch colleges does not happen through a single central counselling. Instead, each participating institute or state admission authority conducts its own counselling or admission process using the NATA score. Colleges prepare a cutoff based on the NATA score and other criteria like class 12 marks or domicile requirements. Candidates who meet the minimum cutoff set by a college become eligible to participate in that college’s selection process. Cutoff scores vary by college, category and quota and getting the minimum qualifying score does not automatically guarantee a seat — it only makes a candidate eligible for that particular college’s counselling or admission list.

Last Year (2025) Cutoffs
For NATA 2025 the qualifying cutoff (minimum aggregate score required to be considered qualified) was around 70 marks out of 200 in the exam overall. Candidates needed to meet this to be eligible for admission consideration.

For specific colleges, previous data shows varying closing scores depending on the institute and category. For example, in some well known colleges the last round closing marks for general category candidates were around 75 to 82 out of 200 in previous cycles.

Expected Cutoffs for NATA 2026
Based on trends and typical patterns from past years, expected cutoffs for 2026 are usually given as score ranges out of 200. For top architecture programs and popular institutes the expected cutoff score range for general category candidates might be roughly 120 to 160, while for OBC and EWS category it might be around 100 to 140. For SC, ST and PwD categories, cutoffs could be around 80 to 120 depending on college and category rules.

These expected ranges are indicative and can change based on the difficulty of the exam, number of applicants, seat availability and individual college policies.