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Sayeba Naushad
Assistant Manager
Updated on Feb 8, 2026 19:40 IST
NTA releases data on how many students registered for NIFT UG and PG. NIFT Stage 1 Entrance Exam is a national-level entrance test conducted by the National Testing Agency for admission to Undergraduate (UG) and Post Graduate courses offered by NIFT institutes. It is one of the biggest Design entrance exam.

NTA releases the number of students who applied and appeared for the NIFT 2026 Entrance Exam. The number of students who registered/appeared for NIFT Stage 1 and NIFT Stage 2 will be released soon. Aspirants can check how many students appear for NIFTEE year-wise and the acceptance rate here.

How many Appeared for NIFT 2026?

How many Appeared for NIFT 2026?

NIFT Exam was conducted today, February 08, 2026 for all the UG and PG programmes for Stage 1. The number of students expected to sit in the NIFT Stage 1 is around 35,000. NIFT Exam 2026 is conducted in two shifts: NIFT GAT and NIFT CAT. NIFT GAT is computer-based and NIFT CAT is in paper based mode. NIFT GAT is from 10 AM to 1 PM. NIFT CAT is from 3 PM to 6 PM. After this NIFT Answer Key will be released by NTA for GAT exam.

Latest Updates:

Table of contents
  • NIFTEE 2026 Stage 1 Statistics for GAT and CAT (Expected)
  • NIFT Acceptance Rate 2026
  • NIFTEE 2025 Stage 1 Statistics for GAT and CAT
  • How many students appeared for NIFTEE 2025 Stage 1 Examination for UG and PG programs?
  • How many males and females registered for NIFT 2025 Entrance test?

NIFTEE 2026 Stage 1 Statistics for GAT and CAT (Expected)

The NIFT GAT and CAT statistics are:

Shift

NIFTEE Stage 1 2026 Exam

Registered

Appeared

Shift 1

General Ability Test (GAT)

18000+

17000+

Shift 2

Creative Ability Test (CAT)

16000+

15000+

Total

 

34000+

32000+

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   When will slot booking open for the situation test at NIFT 2026?
A: 

Slot booking process for the NIFT Situation Test 2026 will be held a few weeks before the Situation Test. Slot booking process will be held online and will be open for candidates who have qualified in NIFT written exams. As part of the slot booking process, candidate needs to book their date and time slots for Situation Test. Note that slots will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. The details of the slot allocated to the candidate, exam centre, and other key details will be mentioned on the admit card.

Q:   What materials can be used for making the model during NIFT Situation Test?
A: 

Candidates will be provided with the items for making the model during the NIFT Situation Test. Materials that students may be provided with are Glaze Papers, Plasticine Clay, Copper Wire, Ivory Sheets, Cardboard, Thermocol (thick And Thin), Kite Papers, Handmade Sheet, Coloured Clay, Cellophane, Fabric, Thread, Ribbon, Straw, Aluminum Foil, etc. The candidate can not use any other items except the ones provided in the exam hall. 

Q:   Where can I find student reactions for NIFT 2026?
A: 

We at Shiksha.com will bring you student reactions for the NIFT exam. Our representatives will be present at the NIFT 2024 exam centre to do live coverage and provide insights into various aspects of the exam. We will get in touch with students appearing in the NIFT 2026 exam after they have appeared in the entrance exam. The student reactions will cover aspects like difficulty level of the exam, types of questions asked, expected cut-off, etc. Note that the student reactions will be available for all the design courses - M.Des B. Des, B.FTech M.FTech and MFM.

Q:   Can I carry my own material for the NIFT Situation Test?
A: 

The NIFT Situation Test is a hands-on test that B. Des candidates need to appear in after qualifying the written exam. During the Situation Test the candidate has to make a model. Note that the material for making the model will be provided to the candidate inside the exam hall; no other material expect that provided to the candidate is allowed. So, candidates appearing in the Situation Test must not bring any additional materials for the Situation Test. The Situation Test will be evaluated on the spot. It is mandatory for the candidate to draft a write-up explaining the model.

NIFT Acceptance Rate 2026

Check out the acceptance rate for NIFT.

Academic Session

Registration

Seats

Acceptance Rate

2026-2027

To be Announced

5076

To be Announced

2025-2026

33,877

5,289 

13-15%

2021-22

20242

3777

18.7%

2020-21

26604

3810

14.3%

2019-20

29195

3692

12.6%

2018-19

31862

3305

10.4%

2017-18

29000

3319

11.4%

2016-17

26160

3279

12.5%

2015-16

27537

3006

10.9%

2014-15

26391

2742

10.4%

2013-14

19436

2680

13.8%

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NIFTEE 2025 Stage 1 Statistics for GAT and CAT

The NIFT GAT and CAT statistics are:

Shift

Exam

Registered

Appeared

Shift 1

General Ability Test (GAT)

17,974

16,475

Shift 2

Creative Ability Test (CAT)

15,903

14,586

Total

 

33,877

31,061

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   When was the NIFT 2026 exam conducted?
A: 

NIFTEE 2026 was conducted on February 08, 2026. Written tests comprised a General Ability Test (GAT) and a Creative Ability Test (CAT). GAT is mandatory for all candidates, but CAT is only required for B. Des and M. Des candidates. 

Q:   What is NIFT tie-breaker policy?
A: 

In the scenario where two or more candidates score the same marks in NIFT, the tie-breaker policy will be applied.

  1. The marks scored by the candidate in tests with higher weightage will be considered to break the tie. For example, for the B. Des programme, marks obtained in the CAT exam will be compared to break the tie.
  2. If the marks obtained in the CAT are equal, then marks obtained in GAT will be considered.
  3. If tie is undecided, then subject-wise marks in the following order will be considered: Communication Ability, English Comprehension, Quantitative Ability, Analytical Ability &General Knowledge and Current Affairs.
Q:   What are various items that candidates need to carry with them to the NIFT exam centre?
A: 

On the day of the NIFT exam, candidates must bring the following items with them NIFT 2026 admit card, a valid photo id proof, HB Pencil, eraser, sharpener, and dry colours.

Items that are not allowed inside the exam venue are water bottle, papers, notes, Books, calculator, electronic gadgets, mobile phone, bag, handbagand correction marker/ white fluid.

Q:   How many test centres are there for NIFT 2026 situation test?
A: 

NIFT Situation Test will be conducted in an offline mode at the various NIFT campuses. Considering there are 19 NIFTs, the candidate will be able to select any of these institutes to appear in the Situation Test. The window to select test centres for the Situation Test will be announced soon after the declaration of NIFT results for the written exam. Test centres for the Situation Test will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. So, candidates need to book their slots as soon as possible. Note that if seats in a particular centre (or institute) fill out, the candidate will not be able to be offered slots for that institute.

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How many students appeared for NIFTEE 2025 Stage 1 Examination for UG and PG programs?

Stage 1 examination was conducted on February 09, 2025, for various undergraduates and graduate programs. Also, there was no second stage examination for the Bachelor of Fashion Technology (B.F.Tech.) programme. The selection process was based on the performance of the General Ability Test (GAT) in Stage 1. The following list has program-wise statistics of the registered and appeared candidates.

Programme

Registered

Appeared

B.Des (Shift 1)

11,944

11,071

B.Des Lateral (Shift 1)

44

37

B.F.Tech (Shift 1)

1,015

888

B.F.Tech and B.Des (Shift 1)

2,492

2,264

B.F.Tech Lateral (Shift 1)

9

9

M.Des (Shift 1)

1,078

977

M.F.M. (Shift 1)

950

845

M.F.M. and M.Des (Shift 1)

389

338

M.F.Tech (Shift 1)

53

46

CAT B.Des (Shift 2)

11,944

11,044

CAT B.F.Tech and B.Des (Shift 2)

2,492

2,245

CAT M.Des (Shift 2)

1,078

962

CAT M.F.M and M.Des (Shift 2)

389

335

Grand Total

33,877

31,061

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How many males and females registered for NIFT 2025 Entrance test?

The number of female registrations was more than that of males in the NIFTEE 2025 Examination. The gender wise distribution of the NIFTEE Examination is:

Gender

Registered

Appeared

Female

28,080

25,783

Male

5,797

5,278

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About the Author
author-image
Sayeba Naushad
Assistant Manager

Sayeba Naushad is a commerce postgraduate from Banaras Hindu University. She has over five years of experience in content writing and editing. She has a nose for current events in design field. At Shiksha.com, she s

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Write here...

Answered a month ago

NIFT 2026 Final Result for UG and PG programmes is expected in June. It can be released anytime in the week of June 2026.

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

There is no fixed number of mock tests one should take before the NIFT Entrance Exam. A candidate should take at least one mock test daily for the NIFT Entrance Preparation. 10-15 mock tests will really help in preparing for the exam.

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

There are 20 participating institutes of NIFT that offer the B. Des and B.F.Tech programmes. B. Des programme offers specializations in the following programs: Fashion Design (FD), Leather Design (LD), Accessory Design (AD), Textile Design (TD), Knitwear Design (KD), Fashion Communication (FC).

For B

...Read more

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

NIFT cutoff for a participating NIFT is the last rank for which admission is offered in for a particular programme and category. This means, if a candidate fails to score a rank equal to or higher than the cutoff rank, they don't get admission. Typically, a higher ranked institute will invite: More

...Read more

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

NIFT Delhi is frequently ranked among the top design colleges in the country. So, the admission cut-off for the institute is pretty high, especially when compared to the lower-ranked colleges. This is because being a higher-ranked college, NIFT Delhi receives a higher number of applicants. Another f

...Read more

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

Yes, Pearl Academy, Mumbai BBA students who wish to avail the NIFT Rank scholarship are required to appear for the NIFT entrance exam separately. This can be done either before or after securing the BBA admission at Pearl Academy, Mumbai.

There are also other BBA scholarships that do not require cand

...Read more

S

Saurabh Khanduri

Contributor-Level 10