List of NIFTs in India 2026: Ranks, Courses, Admission Process, Fees & NIFT Seat Intake
There are 19 participating NIFTs that offer a combined intake of 4,837 seats. Get detailed information about the NIFT admission process, rankings, courses, fees, and institute-wise seats.
NIFT Institutes
NIFT institutes are considered among the best design colleges in the country. As per most of the educational institutions' rankings, the NIFTs frequently rank among the top 10. For instance, NIFT Delhi has been ranked No. 1 in India Today. The 2nd and 3rd positions were occupied by NIFT Mumbai and NIFT Bangalore, respectively. The older NIFTs continued to outrank most of the newly established NIFTs and all other design colleges. So, it is no surprise that the NIFTs continued to be the 1st preference of most design aspirants. The participating institutes of NIFT offer undergraduate and postgraduate design courses. Admission to these courses will be through the national-level NIFT 2026 entrance exam.
Also Read:- NIFT Ranking 2025
- Top Fashion Design Colleges in India 2025 - India Today Rankings
- Top Design Colleges in India 2022 - Outlook and The Week Rankings
- NIFT 2026 Admission Process
- Courses offered by NIFT in India
- NIFT Exam 2026 Components and Weightage
- Seats in Design Courses offered at NIFT
- NIFT Fee Structure 2026
NIFT Ranking 2025
The ranking of NIFT in the top fashion Design Colleges in India for the year 2025, given by India Today:
| Institute | 2025 Rank | 2024 Rank |
|---|---|---|
| NIFT New Delhi | 1 | 1 |
| NIFT Bengaluru | 2 | 3 |
| NIFT Mumbai | 3 | 2 |
| NIFT Hyderabad | 4 | 4 |
| NIFT Chennai | 5 | 5 |
| NIFT Patna | 6 | 8 |
| NIFT Gandhinagar | 6 | 6 |
| NIFT Kolkata | 8 | 7 |
| NIFT Jodhpur | 9 | 10 |
| NIFT Kannur | 11 | 11 |
| NIFT Raebareli | 13 | 14 |
| NIFT Shillong | 14 | 15 |
| NIFT Kangra | 16 | 17 |
| NIFT-TEA Tiruppur | 21 | 22 |
Top Fashion Design Colleges in India 2025 - India Today Rankings
NIFT is one of the oldest design institutes in India. Check the table below for NIFT India Today rankings 2021-2024.
| Name of the Institute |
India Today Ranking 2025 |
India Today Ranking 2024 |
India Today 2023 Ranking |
India Today 2022 Ranking |
India Today 2021 Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
| 3 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
| 2 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
|
| 5 |
5 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
|
| 6 |
6 |
6 |
5 |
6 |
|
| 6 |
8 |
7 |
6 |
5 |
|
| 4 |
5 |
5 |
7 |
7 |
|
| 8 |
7 |
8 |
8 |
8 |
|
| 10 |
9 |
9 |
9 |
9 |
|
| NIFT Jodhpur |
9 |
10 |
10 |
- |
- |
| 12 |
12 |
11 |
10 |
10 |
|
| 13 |
14 |
14 |
11 |
11 |
|
| 15 |
16 |
15 |
12 |
13 |
|
| 11 |
11 |
13 |
13 |
- |
|
| 14 |
15 |
16 |
14 |
12 |
|
| - |
13 |
12 |
15 |
- |
|
| 17 |
18 |
18 |
16 |
14 |
|
| 16 |
17 |
17 |
17 |
16 |
|
| - |
19 |
20 |
18 |
17 |
|
| 18 |
20 |
19 |
19 |
15 |
|
| 21 |
22 |
22 |
20 |
18 |
|
|
|
- |
26 |
22 |
23 |
|
|
|
28 |
- |
23 |
19 |
|
| 19 |
- |
23 |
24 |
24 |
|
| 20 |
- |
24 |
25 |
28 |
|
| - |
- |
28 |
26 |
22 |
|
| - |
- |
29 |
27 |
27 |
|
| - |
- |
27 |
28 |
25 |
|
| - |
- |
- |
29 |
26 |
|
| Department of Fashion Technology, Sona College of Technology, Salem |
- |
- |
30 |
30 |
- |
| - |
- |
33 |
31 |
- |
|
| - |
- |
31 |
32 |
- |
|
| - |
- |
32 |
33 |
- |
|
| - |
- |
34 |
34 |
- |
|
| - |
- |
41 |
35 |
- |
|
| - |
- |
40 |
36 |
- |
|
| - |
- |
37 |
37 |
- |
|
| - |
- |
- |
38 |
- |
|
| - |
- |
43 |
39 |
- |
|
| - |
- |
39 |
40 |
- |
|
| - |
- |
46 |
41 |
- |
|
| Department of Fashion and Textiles IIS, Jaipur |
- |
- |
- |
42 |
- |
|
|
- |
44 |
43 |
- |
|
|
|
- |
45 |
44 |
- |
|
| Department of Costume Design & Fashion Kongu Arts and Science College, Erode |
|
- |
47 |
45 |
- |
|
|
- |
48 |
46 |
- |
|
| Department of Fashion Designing Sardar Patel Mahavidyalaya Chandrapur, Chandrapur |
|
- |
49 |
47 |
- |
|
|
- |
42 |
48 |
- |
|
|
|
- |
51 |
49 |
- |
|
|
|
- |
- |
- |
20 |
|
|
|
- |
- |
- |
21 |
|
| - |
- |
- |
- |
29 |
|
| - |
- |
- |
- |
30 |
The fee of the B.Des programme at NIFT is around INR 14 lakhs.
| Semester | NIFT Fees 2024 (INR) | NIFT Fees 2025 (INR) |
|---|---|---|
| Semester 1 | 1,83,200 | 1,91,700 |
| Semester 2 | 1,43,000 | 1,50,000 |
| Semester 3 | 1,69,800 | 1,78,700 |
| Semester 4 | 1,50,000 | 1,58,000 |
| Semester 5 | 1,78,700 | 1,87,800 |
| Semester 6 | 1,58,000 | 1,66,000 |
| Semester 7 | 1,93,700 | 2,03,200 |
| Semester 8 | 1,66,000 | 1,74,000 |
| Total (4 Years) | 13,42,400 | 14,09,400 |
The fee for M.Des programme offered at NIFT is around INR 8 Lakhs.
| Fee Components | Fee Amount (2 Years) (2025) |
|---|---|
| Tuition Fees | 5.86 Lakhs |
| Hostel Fees* | 2.21 Lakhs |
| One-time payment* | 27,200 |
| Total fees | 8.35 Lakhs |
* Hostel fee is calculated on the basis of 1st year. Actual amount may vary. The fees might include components other than hostel fees. Meal Plan is not included in the mentioned fee.
Top Design Colleges in India 2022 - Outlook and The Week Rankings
The top design colleges in India, according to Outlook and The Week:
Name of the Institute |
Ranking |
|
|---|---|---|
| The Week 2020 |
Outlook 2019 |
|
| NIFT Delhi |
1 |
2 |
| NIFT Mumbai |
- |
1 |
| NIFT Bangalore |
2 |
4 |
| NIFT Chennai |
3 |
5 |
| NIFT Patna |
6 |
8 |
| NIFT Gandhinagar |
4 |
- |
| NIFT Hyderabad |
5 |
7 |
| NIFT Kolkata |
7 |
6 |
| Pearl Academy New Delhi |
8 |
3 |
| Symbiosis Institute of Design (SID), Pune |
- |
20 |
| NIFT Raebareli |
- |
- |
| NIFT Shillong |
9 |
- |
| Army Institute of Fashion and Design |
11 |
14 |
| Pearl Academy Jaipur |
- |
- |
| Amity Institute of Fashion Technology, Noida |
- |
15 |
| NIFT Kangra |
- |
- |
| JD Institute of Fashion Technology |
14 |
- |
| NIFT TEA |
- |
10 |
| MKSSSs School of Fashion Technology, Pune |
- |
- |
| Apeejay College of Fine Arts, Jalandhar |
- |
- |
| Manipal School of Architecture and Planning |
13 |
- |
| Fashion and Apparel Design, T.John College |
- |
17 |
| Vogue Institute of Art and Design |
- |
22 |
| Pearl Academy Mumbai |
- |
25 |
| IMS Design and Innovation Academy |
15 |
24 |
| Whistling Woods International, Mumbai |
- |
- |
| PSG College of Arts and Science |
- |
- |
| Amity School of Fashion Technology, Lucknow |
16 |
19 |
| Axis Institute of Fashion Technology |
- |
- |
| North India Institute of Fashion Technology |
- |
9 |
NIFT 2026 Admission Process
Note that the NIFT exam comprises the General Ability Test (GAT) and the Creative Ability Test (CAT). The GAT will be administered in a center-based mode, whereas the GAT will be held offline. The GAT is common for all programs, but only B.Des and M.Des candidates need to take the CAT written exam.
The scores of the written exam will be used to shortlist candidates for the next admission round: NIFT Situation Test/ NIFT Personal Interview (PI). The final merit list of NIFT 2026 will be prepared considering the performance of the candidate in the written tests and the Situation Test/PI. Admission will be strictly based on NIFT 2026 merit rank.
Courses offered by NIFT in India
Admission to NIFT Kangra is entrance based for the UG and PG programmes.
NIFT Kangra admits students on the basis of entrance and other admission rounds.
Step 1: Applicants must first pass the "written test," also referred to as the NIFT entrance exam.
Stage 2: Candidates who made it through the first round take the situation test. The overall outcomes of both phases are examined in order to make the choice.
The NIFT entrance exam, sometimes referred to as the "written test," is the first requirement for candidates seeking a master's degree or a UG degree. Successful applicants undergo in-person interviews following the screening process. Candidates are selected by summing up their performances in various rounds.
No, the admission criteria for the BDes programme is entrance-based. NIFT Delhi BDes course admission is granted based on applicants performance in the NIFT Entrance Exam. Candidates shortlisted based on exam score are called for the personal interview round followed counselling. The students looking for direct admissions are advised to contact the admission office.
NIFT Bhubaneshwar offers admission to BDes course based on NIFT Entrance Exam. The test comprises of General Ability Test, Creative Ability Test and Situation Test. Below is the weightage of each selection parameter for BDes course:
| Entrance Exam | Weightage |
|---|---|
| CAT | 50% |
| GAT | 30% |
| Situation Test | 20% |
NIFT is a renowned design college in the country that offers both undergraduate as well as postgraduate programs to aspirants. The most popular design program offered by NIFTs at the UG level is Bachelor of Design (BDes) and at the PG level is Master of Design (MDes). Mentioned below is the list of courses offered at NIFT.
| List of UG courses offered at NIFTs | |
|---|---|
| Bachelor of Design (BDes) | Bachelor of Fashion Technology (BFTech) |
| List of PG courses offered at NIFTs | |
| Master of Design (MDes) | Master of Fashion Technology (MFTech) |
| Master of Fashion Management (MFM) | - |
Candidates are informed that the UG courses offered at NIFT are of four years duration, whereas the PG courses are of two years duration. BDes course at NIFT campuses is offered in the following B.Des specialisations:
| List of NIFT BDes Course Specialisations | |
|---|---|
| Accessory Design (AD) | Knitwear Design (KD) |
| Fashion Design (FD) | Leather Design (LD) |
| Textile Design (TD) | Knitwear Design (KD) |
| Fashion Communication (FC) | - |
NIFT Exam 2026 Components and Weightage
Admission in all courses offered at NIFT campuses is through a candidate’s performance in NIFT Entrance Exam. NIFT admission process for all the courses as well as the weightage given to each test, is mentioned in the table below:
| Programme | Test | Weightage (expected) |
|---|---|---|
| BDes | CAT | 50% |
| GAT | 30% | |
| Situation Test | 20% | |
| MDes | CAT | 40% |
| GAT | 30% | |
| GD/PI | 30% | |
| BFTech | GAT | 100% |
| MFTech | GAT | 70% |
| GD/PI | 30% | |
| MFM | GAT | 70% |
| GD/PI | 30% |
Seats in Design Courses offered at NIFT
For the current academic session, 5,215 seats are available for the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
Of these, 4,324 are All-India seats, 405 are state domicile, and the remaining 470 are NRI seats.
Below, aspirants can view the total number of seats available for admission in UG and PG courses offered at different NIFT campuses.
Candidates can go through the seats available for admission in different design courses (BDes, BFTech, MDes, MFTech and MFM) available for NIFT admissions below.
Also Read:
NIFT Fee Structure 2026
Candidates need to pay the NIFT Fee every semester for the course for which they have applied for admission. Aspirants are informed that all NIFT UG courses have eight semesters, whereas PG courses have four semesters. The fee to be paid by non-NRI candidates for all NIFT campuses for UG and PG courses is the same. Mentioned in the table below is the fee to be paid by candidates for the entire course.
| Course | Category | Fee (in INR) (expected) |
|---|---|---|
| UG course fee for all campuses | Non-NRI | 12,77,700 |
| PG course fee for all campuses | Non-NRI | 6,21,200 |
| UG course fee* | NRI | 39,27,700 |
| PG course fee* | NRI | 18,82,200 |
| UG course fee# | NRI | 27,64,000 |
| PG course fee# | NRI | 13,28,400 |
| * Fee to be paid at NIFT campuses located at Bengaluru, Chennai, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi, Raebareli, and Srinagar. # Fee to be paid at NIFT campuses located at Panchkula, Patna, Kangra, Bhopal, Kannur, Shillong, Jodhpur, and Bhubaneswar. |
||
Read More:
| NIFT vs Other Design Colleges: Which one is right for you? | NIFT Placements: Highest/Average salary, Participating Companies & Job Roles | NIFT Notable Alumni |
Comments
(5)
H
2 years ago
S
3 years ago
The educational qualification for NIFT admissions varies from course to course: