UG Programmes Bachelor of Design (B.Des.) - Artisan Category UG / PG Programmes - NRI/Foreign National/OCI/PIO/SAARC Ph.D. Programme *These dates are tentative. Notification with final dates will be published on NIFT website i.e. www.nift.ac.in. Admit Card, Results and seat allocation schedule will be available on NIFTs website only. No separate communication will be sent by post. Candidates to check website regularly for updates.

Note:

• An applicant can apply for payment through net-banking/debit/credit card/UPI.
• Service charges of the concerned Bank/ Payment Gateway Integrator, as applicable, will be borne by the candidate.
• Applicants are advised to read Payment instructions carefully before paying the application fee.

* OBC (Other Backward Classes)-NCL (Non-Creamy Layer) as per the Central List of Other Backward Classes available on the website of National Commission for Backward Classes. The candidates falling in this list may mention OBC in the Category Column. State list OBC Candidates who are not in OBC-NCL (Central List) may choose Open (EWS) in case they fulfill the prescribed requirement for the same along with EWS (Open) Certificate.

Entrance Examination, General Ability Test (GAT) - Computer Based Test (CBT) and Creative Ability Test (CAT) - Paper Based Test (PBT) for all UG and PG Programmes Candidates can apply for NIFT Entrance Examination-2026 through "Online" mode only.
The candidate must carefully read the Instructions (including how to fill up Application Form online) given in the Information Bulletin available on the NIFT / NTA Website. Candidates not complying with the Instructions shall be summarily disqualified.
Submission of Online Application Form may be done by accessing NTA website https://exams.nta.nic.in/niftee/ Application Form in any other mode will not be accepted.
Only one application should be submitted by a candidate. The candidates may refer to the Prospectus for the choice of programme.
Candidates must ensure that e-mail Address and Mobile Number provided in the Online Application Form are their own as all information/communication, if required, will be sent by NTA through e-mail on the registered e-mail address or SMS on registered Mobile Number only.

• Download Information Bulletin and Admissions Guidelines and read the same very carefully regarding eligibility and procedure/documentation required for filling in the Online Application Form.
• Follow the steps given below to Apply Online:
  • Step-1: Register for the Online Application Form and note down the systemgenerated Application Number. The candidate should provide the required details while filling the Online Application Form and he/she is also required to create PASSWORD and choose Security Question and enter his/her Answer. After successful submission of the personal details, an Application Number will be generated and it will be used to complete the remaining Steps of the Application Form and will also be required for all future reference/correspondence. The generated Application Number will be used/referred for both Sessions of NIFTEE 2026. For subsequent logins, the candidate will be able to login directly with the respective system generated Application Number and created Password by him/herself.
  • Step-2: The Candidates can log in with the system-generated Application Number and pre-created Password for completing the Application Form including filling up of personal details, applying for the Programme, choosing the Examination Cities, providing the details of Educational Qualifications and uploading the images and documents (as applicable). The candidate will have to upload his/her live photograph at the time of filling of the application form and will also have to upload his/her Scanned Images of Photograph (jpeg/jpg), Signature, and PwD/PwBD Certificate (wherever applicable).
    The recent passport size photograph should be in colour with 80% face (without mask) visible including ears against white background.
    • A recent colour photograph (JPG format, size 10 - 200Kb) in which face shall occupy 80% of the image, with full face (without mask), both ears clearly visible against white background.
    • Signature file should be JPG/JPEG format (clearly legible) between 10 kb to 30 kb.
    • Scanned copy of Identity Proof (for those candidates who will verify their identities through methods other than Aadhaar or DigiLocker) should be in format JPG/JPEG between 10 kb to 200 kb (clearly legible).
    • Scanned copy of Disability/UDID certificate should be a pdf between 50 kb to 300 kb (clearly legible), wherever applicable.
  • Step-3: After completing Step 1 and 2, the candidates have to pay the requisite examination fees. Pay prescribed fee through Net Banking / Debit Card / Credit Card or UPI and keep the proof of payment (fees paid) for future reference. Processing charges and GST as applicable are chargeable to the candidates (in addition to the examination fees) by the concerned Bank/Payment Gateway Integrator.
    After successful payment, candidate will be able to print the Confirmation Page. In case the Confirmation Page is not generated after payment of fee then the transaction is cancelled and the candidates have to approach the concerned bank for refund of amount. However, the candidate has to make another payment/transaction, in case the Confirmation Page is not generated. Any such cases of multiple payments (if any), will be reconciled by the NTA after the declaration of final result and will be refunded to the concerned candidates.
• Download, save and print multiple copies of Confirmation Page after successful remittance of fee and keep copies safely for future reference.

All the 3 Steps can be done together or separately.

• For Entrance Examinations for UG and PG Programmes (Regular, NLEA, Artisans) and Ph.D. for NIFT Admissions-2026

  Program	Specialisation
  Bachelor Programmes (B.Des. 4 Years)	Fashion Communication (FC)
  	Accessory Design (AD)
  	Fashion Design (FD)
  	Knitwear Design (KD)
  	Leather Design (LD)
  	Textile Design (TD)
  	Fashion Interiors (FI)
  Bachelor Programmes (B.F.Tech. 4 Years)	Bachelor of Fashion Technology Apparel Production)
  Master Programmes	Master of Design (M.Des.)
  	Master of Fashion Management (MFM)
  	Master of Fashion Technology (M.F.Tech.)

  Kindly refer NIFT Prospectus / Admissions Guidelines for Admissions – 2026 for Eligibility Criteria / Essential Educational Qualifications uploaded on NIFT Website i.e. www.nift.ac.in.
• Upper Age limit:
  • For Bachelor’s Programmes (B. Des and B.F. Tech.), the maximum age should be less than 24 years as on 1st August of the year of admission. The upper age limit may be relaxed by a period of 5 (five) years for candidates belonging to Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe/ Person with Disability (PwD) categories.
  • For Master’s Programmes (M.Des., M.F.M and M.F.Tech.) and Ph.D. there is No age limit.
• Educational Qualification
  Following is the required educational qualification for UG and PG programmes:

  Program	Eligibility Criteria
  Bachelor of Design (B.Des.)	Passed the plus 2 level examination in the 10+2 pattern of examination from any recognized Central/State Board of Secondary Examination, such as the Central Board of Secondary Education/State Board New Delhi/Council for Indian School Certificate Examination, New Delhi. OR A pass grade in the Senior Secondary School Examination conducted by the National Open School with a minimum of five subjects. OR 3 or 4 years diploma recognized by AICTE or a State Board of Technical Education after secondary examination/10th standard. OR Any Public School/Board/University Examination in India or in foreign countries recognized by the Association of Indian Universities as equivalent to the 10+2 system. OR General Certificate Education (GCE) Examination (London/Cambridge/Sri Lanka) at the Advanced (A) level/International Baccalaureate (IB).
  Bachelor of Fashion Technology (B.F.Tech.)	Passed the plus 2 level examination in the 10+2 pattern of examination from any recognized Central/State Board of Secondary Examination, such as the Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi/Council for Indian School Certificate Examination, New Delhi with Mathematics. OR A pass grade in the Senior Secondary School Examination conducted by the National Open School with a minimum of five subjects with Mathematics. OR 3 or 4 years diploma in any branch of Engineering recognized by AICTE or a State Board of Technical Education after secondary examination/10th standard. OR Any Public School/Board/University Examination in India or in foreign countries recognized by the Association of Indian Universities as equivalent to the 10+2 system with Mathematics. OR General Certificate Education (GCE) Examination (London/Cambridge/Sri Lanka) at the Advanced (A) level with Mathematics/International Baccalaureate (IB).
  Master of Design (M.Des.)	Undergraduate Degree in any discipline from any Institute/University recognized by law in India. OR Undergraduate Diploma of minimum three years duration from NIFT/NID. Note: Master of Design (M.Des.) is an advanced course that demands an understanding of fundamentals in design and presupposes that candidates would be familiar with the basic skills and theories for successful completion of the program. The course will not provide any basic knowledge and skill development in design as a part of its curriculum.
  Master of Fashion Management (M.F.M.)	Undergraduate Degree in any discipline from any Institute/University recognized by law in India. OR Undergraduate Diploma of minimum three years duration from NIFT/NID.
  Master of Fashion Technology (M.F.Tech.)	B.F.Tech. from the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT). OR B.E./B.Tech. from any Institute/University recognized by law in India. OR B.F.Tech. (4 years) from any Institute/University recognized by law in India.

  Eligibility Criteria other than Artisan

  Program

  Eligibility Criteria

  Bachelor of Design (B.Des.)

  Passed the plus 2 level examination in the 10+2 pattern of examination of any recognized Central/ State Board of Secondary Examination, such as Central Board of Secondary Education / State Board New Delhi / Council for Indian School of Certificate Examination, New Delhi. OR A pass grade in the Senior Secondary School Examination conducted by the National Open School with a minimum of five subjects. OR 3 or 4-years Diploma recognized by AICTE or a State Board of Technical Education after secondary school examination. OR Any Public School/Board/University Examination in India or in foreign countries recognized by the Association of Indian Universities as equivalent to 10+2 system. AND Artisan/Ward of Artisan can seek admission under this category on submission of a valid Artisan Card issued to Self/ Father/ Mother by the Development Commissioner (Handicraft), or Development Commissioner (Handlooms), Ministry of Textiles, Government of India or have applied for the Artisan Card before the launch of Prospectus for Admissions-2026.

  Eligibility Criteria for NIFT Lateral Entry Admission (NLEA)

  Program	Eligibility Criteria
  Bachelor of Design (B.Des.) NLEA	Candidates having minimum 1- or 2-years diploma recognized by AICTE/AIU/ UGC / National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) / ITI or a State Board of Technical Education in courses related to Fashion / Apparel / Textile and Accessories / Home Science / Handloom Technology / Products / Visual Communication / Graphic Design / Industrial Design / Interior Design / Multimedia Design / Apparel Technology / Leather/ Fine arts after passing Secondary Examination / 10th standard AND Two-year Full Time Industry Experience in the related field after completion of Diploma before launch of Admissions. OR Candidates having minimum 1 year diploma recognized by AICTE/AIU/ UGC / National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) /ITI or a State Board of Technical Education in courses related to Fashion / Apparel / Textile and Accessories / Home Science/ Handloom Technology / Products / Visual Communication / Graphic Design / Industrial Design / Interior Design / Multimedia Design / Apparel Technology / Leather/ Fine arts after passing Senior Secondary Examination / 12th Standard. AND One-year Full Time Industry Experience in the related field after completion of Diploma before the launch of Admissions. OR Candidates who have completed 2-year regular UG Diploma Programme at NIFT after passing Senior Secondary Examination/ 12th standard.
  Bachelor of Fashion Technology (B.F.Tech.) NLEA	Candidates having minimum 1- or 2-years diploma recognized by AICTE/AIU/ UGC / National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) / ITI or a State Board of Technical Education in courses related to Fashion/Apparel/Textile/ Home Science/ Handloom Technology after passing Secondary Examination / 10th Standard with Mathematics. AND Two-year Full Time Industry Experience in the related field after completion of Diploma before the launch of Admissions OR Candidates having minimum 1-year diploma recognized by AICTE/AIU/ UGC / National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF)/ ITI or a State Board of Technical Education in courses related to Fashion/Apparel/Textile/ Home Science/ Handloom Technology after passing Senior Secondary Examination / 12th Standard with Mathematics. AND One-year Full Time Industry Experience in the related field after completion of Diploma before the launch of Admissions. OR Candidates who have completed 02 years UG Diploma Programme at NIFT after passing Senior Secondary/12th standard recognized by AIU with Mathematics.

  Qualifying Age and Academic Eligibility criteria for Foreign National/NRI/OCI/PIO/SAARC
  • Qualifying Age
    For UG programmes: Maximum age should be less than 24 years as on 1st August of the year of admission. The upper age limit may be relaxed by a period of 5 (five) years for candidates of Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe/Person with Disability (PwD) categories.
    For PG programmes: No age limit.
  • Academic Eligibility
    All candidates must satisfy the required academic qualifications listed for the concerned course. In case the Degree/Certificate has been obtained from a University/Board of any country other than India then an equivalence certificate must be obtained from the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) New Delhi (website: www.aiuweb.org) prior to admission.
    
    Foreign National/NRI/OCI/PIO/SAARC applying to NIFT must possess working knowledge of the English language.
    
    The candidate should have appeared for SAT/GMAT/GRE examination BEFORE applying for admission under this category.
    
    Candidates may have appeared in multiple SAT/ GMAT/GRE examinations prior to 30th April 2026. The highest score submitted among these tests will be taken into consideration for allotment of seat. The minimum requirement of SAT/GMAT/GRE score is 50%. The GRE/ GMAT/SAT scores should not have been declared before 1st January, 2024 and should be received by the Institute (NIFT) latest by 30 April 2026.
  Admission Eligibility for Ph.D. (Full-time and Part-time)

  Qualification	Minimum Years of Education After Class X	CGPA	Work Experience
  Master's degree in the relevant area of Design, Management or Technology (or) equivalent qualification from an institute/ university of national/ international repute	07	Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 6.0 on a 10-point scale (5.5 for SC/ST candidates) or equivalent OR 55% (50% for SC/ST candidates) marks in aggregate (of all the years/semesters)	None (candidates appearing in final semester / final year may also apply as per Format -8)
  Where the Master's Degree is found to be in a discipline not relevant to the areas identified by NIFT	07	Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 6.0 on a 10-point scale (5.5 for SC/ST candidates) or equivalent OR 55% (50% for SC/ST candidates) marks in aggregate (of all the years/semesters)	10 years of professional experience (teaching / working) in the proposed area of research
  Bachelor's degree in the relevant area of Design, Management or Technology (or) equivalent qualification from an institute/ university of national/ international repute	05	Minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 8.0 on a 10-point scale (7.5 for SC/ST candidates) or equivalent as determined by the Institute wherever letter grades are awarded OR 75% (70% for SC/ST candidates) marks in aggregate (of all the years/semesters) where marks are awarded	10 years of professional experience (teaching / working) in the proposed area of research

• Mode of Examinations
  • The Examinations for GAT (General Ability Test) will be conducted in Computer Based Test (CBT) mode.
  • The Examinations for CAT (Creative Ability Test) will be conducted in Pen & Paper Based Test (PBT) mode.
• Pattern of Question Papers

  Programme	Entrance Examination Components	Shortlisting Criteria
  B.Des.	General Ability Test (GAT), Creative Ability Test (CAT)	Shortlisted based on the entrance examination, followed by a Situation Test
  B.F.Tech.	General Ability Test (GAT)	Shortlisted based on the GAT
  B.F.Tech. & B.Des.	General Ability Test (GAT), Creative Ability Test (CAT)	Separate Common Merit Ranks (CMRs) will be generated for: B.Des: Based on entrance exam results + Situation Test B.F.Tech.: Based on GAT Candidates applying for B.F.Tech. with Maths can also enrol for B. Des by taking CAT along with GAT (not applicable for NLEA).
  M.Des.	General Ability Test (GAT), Creative Ability Test (CAT)	Shortlisted based on GAT + CAT, followed by a Personal Interview (PI)
  M.F.M.	General Ability Test (GAT)	Shortlisted based on the GAT, followed by a Personal Interview (PI)
  M.F.M & M.Des.	General Ability Test (GAT), Creative Ability Test (CAT)	Separate Common Merit Ranks (CMRs) will be generated for: M.F.M: Based on GAT (Sections A & B) + PI M.Des.: Based on GAT (Section A) + CAT + PI
  M.F.Tech.	General Ability Test (GAT)	Shortlisted based on the GAT, followed by a Personal Interview (PI)
  Ph.D.	Written test	Research Proposal Presentation and Interview (RPPI)

  For more information, candidates are advised to refer NIFT Admissions Guidelines – 2026 (available on the NIFT / NTA websites) for pattern of Question Papers.
• Medium of Examination
  The Paper will be Bilingual i.e. Hindi and English. Candidates are required to answer in the medium as per option exercised in the online Application Form. In case of any ambiguity between Hindi and English version due to translation, English version would be treated as final.
• Marking Scheme of Examinations
  Please refer to NIFT Admissions Guidelines – 2026 (available on the NIFT / NTA websites) for marking scheme of examinations.
  • Each question carries 01 (One) mark.
  • For each correct response, the candidate will get 01 (One) mark.
  • For each incorrect response, -0.25 mark will be deducted from the total score.
  • Un-answered/un-attempted will be given no marks.
  • To answer a question, the candidate needs to choose one option as the correct option.
  • However, after the process of Challenges of the Answer Key, in case there are multiple correct options or change in key, only those candidates who have attempted it correctly as per the revised Answer key will be awarded marks.
  • In case a Question is dropped due to some technical error, full marks shall be given to all the candidates irrespective of the fact who have attempted it or not.
• Syllabus and Subjects of the Test
  For Syllabus and Scheme of Examination, please refer NIFT Admissions Guidelines – 2026 (available on the NIFT / NTA websites)
  Exam Weightage for UG Programs:

  Programme	Exam	Weightage
  B.Des.	GAT	30%
  	CAT	50%
  	Situation Test	20%
  B.F.Tech.	GAT (Sec-A)	30%
  	GAT (Sec-B)	70%
  B.F.Tech. Opting for B.Des.	GAT (Sec-A)	30%
  	CAT	50%
  	Situation Test	20%

  Exam Weightage for PG Programs:

  Programme	Exam	Weightage
  M.F.M.	GAT (Section A and B)	70%
  	Personal Interview	30%
  M.Des.	GAT (Section A)	30%
  	CAT	40%
  	Personal Interview	30%
  M.F.M. opting for M.Des.	GAT (Section A)	30%
  	CAT	40%
  	Personal Interview	30%
  M.F.Tech.	GAT	70%
  	Personal Interview	30%

  General Ability Test (GAT) - Computer Based Test (CBT)
  The number of questions may vary in each section and for each course year to year. The level of difficulty in questions for different courses may vary. The Component of the Questions for SectionA & B introduced are as under: Exam Structure for UG Programs:

  Programme	Paper Name	Language of Written Test	Test Duration (minutes)	No. of Questions
  B.Des.	GAT (CBT)	English / Hindi	120 + 180	100 + 3
  	CAT (PBT)
  B.F.Tech.	GAT - Section A (CBT)	English / Hindi	120	100
  	GAT - Section B (CBT)	English / Hindi	60	50
  B.F.Tech. & B.Des.	Section A (2 hrs) (CBT)	English / Hindi	180 + 180	150 + 3
  	Section B (1 hr) (CBT)
  	CAT (3 hrs) (PBT)

  Creative Ability Test (CAT)
  This test is administered for both UG and PG Design Programmes to judge the intuitive ability, power of observation in concept development and design ability of the candidate. An important aspect of the test is the creative and innovative use of colour and illustration skills.
  
  Candidates who try to disclose their identity by writing any personal details including details/logo of coaching centre etc or place any identification mark on the answer sheet shall be ‘DISQUALIFIED’ and the result of these candidates shall not be declared. The decision of NIFT on such cases will be final and there will be no appeal.

(For Master of Fashion Technology, Master of Fashion Management and Master of Design)

Exam Structure for M.F.Tech. Breakdown of GAT Sections M.F.Tech. will also have some questions from the Engineering field.

Exam Structure for MFM and M.Des. Programs Breakdown of GAT Sections for MFM & M.Des. COMPONENTS AND MARKS FOR EVALUATION OF ARTISAN SKILL TEST (ARTISANS)
Exam Structure for B.Des. for Artisans Artisan Skill Test - Creative ability and basic 3-D modelling ability (using 3-D modelling clay) or other material(s).

Schedule of Entrance Examination, Studio Test, Technical Ability Test, Personal Interview for NIFT Lateral Entry Admission (NLEA) Exam Structure for Ph.D.