NATA 2025 Eligibility Criteria – Age, Qualification, Attempts & Reservation

For the NATA 2025 examination, there is no specific upper or lower age limit for candidates to appear for the test. However, it is important for aspirants to be aware that individual colleges or universities offering Bachelor of Architecture programs may have their own age criteria for admission, which candidates must meet. While the NATA examination itself does not impose an age restriction, eligibility for admission to specific institutions will depend on their particular requirements. No age relaxation details for specific categories like SC/ST, OBC-NCL, or PwD are explicitly stated for the NATA exam itself, as there is no general age limit.

NATA 2025 may offer certain relaxations for candidates belonging to specific reserved categories, primarily concerning qualifying marks and application fees. As per Council of Architecture guidelines, candidates from SC, ST, Category-I, OBC (2A, 2B, 3A, and 3B) categories, as well as persons with disabilities, may be eligible for a reduced qualifying mark, typically a minimum of 45% in aggregate in their qualifying examination for B.Arch admission, compared to the general criteria. Furthermore, fee concessions are provided; for NATA 2024, candidates belonging to SC, ST, Transgender, and Female categories paid a reduced application fee. To avail these benefits, candidates are required to upload valid and up-to-date category certificates during the online registration process. The verification of these documents will follow the official protocol set by the Council of Architecture or the admitting institutions.

NATA 2025 is open to Indian citizens, and generally, valid OCI/PIO card holders are also eligible to apply. While the NATA examination is a national-level aptitude test, the specific domicile requirements for admission to Bachelor of Architecture programs typically depend on the policies of the individual state or university to which a candidate is applying. For state-level admissions, a domicile certificate of the respective state may be a mandatory requirement. For Non-Resident Indian (NRI) candidates, eligibility generally requires having passed the qualifying examination either abroad or from a school in India with NRI status, along with a valid NATA score. Foreign applicants, similarly, should directly verify their eligibility and admission guidelines with the specific colleges or authorities they intend to apply to, as institutional policies for international candidates can vary.

Before preparing for NATA 2025, it is essential to know the rules regarding the number of attempts permitted. For the National Aptitude Test in Architecture, candidates are allowed to appear for a maximum of three attempts within a single academic year. This provision allows candidates multiple opportunities to achieve their best score. Importantly, if a candidate appears for more than one test, the highest score obtained across all valid attempts will be considered for the declaration of results. There are no specific category-based relaxations mentioned concerning the number of attempts for the NATA examination.

NATA score is valid only for admission in the academic session 2024-25.