NIFT Acceptance Rate 2026 - Year-wise Trends and Seat-Acceptance Rates

National Institute of Fashion Technology Entrance Exam 2026 ( NIFT Entrance Exam )

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Sayeba Naushad
Assistant Manager
Updated on Mar 20, 2026 16:57 IST
NIFT Acceptance Rate 2026- If you are seeking admission to one of the top NIFTs, the acceptance rate should be at the back of your mind. So, here we bring you year-wise acceptance rates along with trends and key insights. NIFT 2026 exam will be conducted in February 2025. Learn more here.

If you are seeking admission to one of the top NIFTs, you should know what is acceptance rate. So, here we bring you year-wise acceptance rates along with trends and key insights. Keep reading.

NIFT Acceptance Rate

NIFT Acceptance Rate

NIFT Acceptance Rate 2026 - The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) will release the acceptance rates for NIFT 2026 once the admission process concludes. The NIFT admission cycle starts around November-December and ends with NIFT counselling and seat allotment around June-July. NIFT Stage 1 was conducted on February 8, 2026 and Stage 2 will be conducted in May-June. NIFT 2026 counselling will release after the result of Stage 2 has been announced. Candidates who clear both Stage 1 and Stage 2 will be eligible for counselling.

The NIFT seat acceptance rate of the NIFTs will include details like the number of registered, applied, and accepted candidates. The acceptance rate is the ratio of candidates accepted against the number of applicants. The higher the NIFT acceptance rate, the greater the chance of admission. In contrast, if the acceptance rate is low, it means the competition is higher and so there is a low chance of admission. The NIFT 2026 competition ratio is roughly 1 seat for every 4-5 candidates who qualify.

Read here all you need to know about NIFT acceptance rates.

Latest Updates:  NIFT 2026 Result Stage 1 (OUT) Live Updates

Table of contents
  • NIFT Acceptance Rate 2026
  • NIFT Acceptance 2026 Rate Trends
  • Year-wise NIFT Seat Acceptance Rate
  • NIFTEE 2025 Stage 1 Statistics for GAT and CAT
  • NIFT Admission Process 2026
  • NIFT Seat Matrix 2026
  • NIFT Fee Structure 2026
View More

NIFT Acceptance Rate 2026

Check the table below for year-wise NIFT acceptance rate. Candidates are selected through NIFT entrance exam.

Academic Session

Registration

Seats

Acceptance Rate

2026-2027

To be Announced

To be Announced

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%

Also Read:

NIFT Statistics 2025: How Many Students Appeared for the Exam; Attendance and Participation

NIFT Acceptance 2026 Rate Trends

Here are a few takeaways from the NIFT 2026 acceptance rate that can be derived from the existing data.

  1. The acceptance rate was highest in the 2020-21 academic session. This can be mainly attributed to the smaller number of applicants. 
  2. In the academic year 2020-21, only 20242 applied for admission against 3777 seats filled.
  3. The acceptance rates in 2018-19 and 2014-15 were the closest. Both sessions recorded an acceptance rate of 10.4%
  4. Looking at the trends, there is no clear indication that the acceptance rate is going up or down.
  5. The acceptance rate curve has alternated between an increase and a decrease in the acceptance rate.
  6. The acceptance rate depends on various factors, like available seat intake and the total applicants. If any of these factors change, the acceptance rate will also change.
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Year-wise NIFT Seat Acceptance Rate

The acceptance rate is a parameter that shows how competitive an exam is. Now, the acceptance rate of the NIFTs is on average, around 15%. This means one seat is allocated per seven applicants.

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

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NIFT Acceptance Rate 2021

The NIFT acceptance rate for the academic session 2021 was 18%. It represented the highest acceptance rates by the NIFTs. A total of 20,242 candidates registered for admission in the session, out of which 3777 candidates got admission. Admission categories included regular, State Domicile, and NRI candidates.

NIFT 2021 Acceptance Rate

Category

Seats

Total seats filled

Regular

3901

3427

State Domicile Seats 

334

161

NRI seats

458

189

Total

4693

3777

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   What is the purpose of the NIFT 2026 exam analysis?
A: 

The exam analysis for NIFT 2026 written exam will be available soon after completion of CAT and GAT written exams. It will consist difficulty level, types of questions asked, marking scheme, and expected cut off. Also, the analysis will highlight any technical issues during NIFT. With analysis, candidates will be able to assess their performance and check what went right and what went wrong. Future aspirants also can go through the NIFT exam analysis to learn about the exam.

Q:   Where can I find previous years' exam analysis for the NIFT exam?
A: 

The candidate can find the exam analysis for NIFT over the last few years on this page. The NIFT exam analysis is available for both the CAT and GAT papers. The exam analysis for a specific year will cover the sectional and overall difficulty level of the paper, types of questions asked, and marking scheme. It will also cover the expected cut-off that candidates need to secure in their category to get shortlisted. The candidate by consulting the cut-off for previous years will learn about the emerging trends of the NIFT exam, like whether the difficulty level has increased or decreased, types of questions asked, etc.

Q:   What is NIFT exam pattern for the B.FTech program?
A: 

The participating institutes of NIFTs offer a 4-year B.FTech programme. Admission to the programme is based on GAT scores.

  • The NIFT GAT question paper for the programme will be approximately 180 minutes and will be bilingual.
  • Candidates will have the option to take the exam either in English or Hindi.
  •  The question type will be multiple-choice.
  • The question paper will have a total of 150 questions.
  • Questions will be asked from the following FIVE sections - Communication Ability and Comprehension, Case Study, Quantitative Ability, Analytical & Logical Ability, and GK and Current Affairs. The mode of NIFT exam for the GAT paper will be a computer-based test (or CBT).
Q:   What are the various elements that will be covered in NIFT 2026 exam analysis?
A: 

NIFT 2026 exam analysis will be available soon after written exams are over.

Analysis will cover

  • Section-wise difficulty level of the exam
  • Overall difficulty level
  • Types of questions
  • Specific questions asked in the exam
  • Weightage of questions asked
  •  Expected cut-off
  • About any technical glitches during the exam.

NIFT Admission Process 2026

  • The NIFTs currently offer B.Des, B.F.Tech, M.Des, M.F.M, and M.F.Tech courses.
  • Admission to these courses will be through the NIFT 2025 entrance exam.
  • The NIFT Stage 1 exam includes the written exams - CAT and GAT.
  • NIFT 2025 exam pattern: The GAT will be conducted online, whereas CAT will be an offline exam.
  • Candidates who get shortlisted must appear in a NIFT Situation Test / Personal Interview.
  • The NTA FINAL merit list of NIFT 2026 will be prepared by giving weightage to the written exams and NIFT Situation Test and NIFT Personal Interview
  • All candidates who meet NIFT 2026 cut-off will get admission.
Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   Can I ask queries to the admission committee when taking the NIFT mock tests?
A: 
The NIFT admission committee may take student queries in case the NIFT exam is conducted as a remote-proctored exam. In this case, special hotlines may be created to help the candidate get their system in place. But note that as of now, there is no notification yet whether the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) will conduct mock tests or not. The institute will release the relevant notification, if needed, on its official website, once the admission process gets underway. In the NIFT 2022 exam, when the exam was held in a remote-proctored mode, candidate were allowed to ask queries during the mock test.
Q:   What is the right time to solve sample papers for the NIFT entrance exam?
A: 

It is recommended that the candidate make NIFT sample papers a part of their exam preparation strategy from the very beginning. For one, it will help the candidate evaluate their progress, hone their problem solving skills, and get a taste of the types of questions that will be asked in the entrance exam. Since at the start, most of the NIFT syllabus will be untouched, the candidate may focus on the topic they are preparing at that moment. In addition to the sample papers, the candidate must also keep solving the problem Sets given at the end of the chapter or end of the book. It is also important that the candidate keeps a close tab on the exam pattern and syllabus when solving the sample papers.

Q:   What is the exam pattern for the NIFT CAT paper?
A: 

Candidates seeking admission to the B. Des and M.Des course also need to take the Creative Ability Test CAT written exam, in addition to the GAT. The CAT exam will be conducted in an offline, pen-pencil mode. CAT will be a drawing-based exam of 3 hours duration. The CAT will evaluate various skills of the candidate including Intuition skill, power of observation, innovation in the development of a concept as well as design ability. Further, it will examine the creative as well as innovative use of color and illustration skills of aspirants. It is mandatory for B. Des and M.Des candidates to appear in the CAT paper, or else they will not be invited for the Situation Test.

Q:   Do I need to create an applicant account to download NIFT sample papers?
A: 

National Institute of Design releases sample papers of NIFT on its admission portal. These sample papers are available for all the UG and PG courses offered by NIFT participating institutes. To download sample papers, candidate simply needs to click on the sample paper they want to download. There is no need to create an applicant account or provide any other applicant details to download the sample papers. However, if the candidate wishes to download sample papers published by coaching institutes, he or she may be required to create an account. Further, the candidate, in most cases, has to pay a fee to use the sample papers.

NIFT Seat Matrix 2026

The participating colleges of NIFT 2026 have a combined intake of around 5,289 seats. The program- and category-wise seat intake is given in the tables below. Currently, there are 19 NIFT 2026 participating colleges.

The Seat intake of NIFT 2025 is given for reference.

Bachelor Programs - Bachelor of Design (B.Des)

TOTAL

TOTAL

TOTAL

G. TOTAL

Open, SC, ST, OBC(NCL), GEN-EWS, PwD (Open, SC, ST, OBC (NCL)

State Domicile

NRI/Foreign National

G. Total

Fashion Design (FD)

610

68

64

742

Leather Design (LD)

152

0

20

172

Accessory Design (AD)

542

54

58

654

Textile Design (TD)

606

75

62

743

Knitwear Design (KD)

296

14

36

346

Fashion Communication (FC)

610

68

64

742

Total

2816

279

304

3,399

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   Where can I download NIFT sample papers with solutions?
A: 
The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) publishes the sample papers of NIFT for all the courses offered at its 18 participating colleges. However, these official sample papers doesn't contain any solutions. However, there are many leading coaching institutes like the Rathore Design Studio and Academy of Fashion And Art (AFA) that releases sample papers along with the answer keys that the candidate can download for practice. To avail these sample papers, the candidate will have to pay a one-time fee. To download the sample papers, go to the coaching institute portal, may be fill a form, and make the payment.
Q:   What are the different question booklet series for which the NIFT 2026 exam will be conducted?
A: 

NIFT exam may have multiple question booklet series Booklet Series A, Booklet Series F, Booklet Series L, Booklet Series R, etc.

Candidate must download the answer keys corresponding to their own booklet series. booklet series contains the same questions, but the questions are arranged differently. So, unless the candidate downloads the answer keys corresponding to the relevant booklets series, the keys will not match. And if that happens, the candidate will not be able to accurately calculate the probable scores.

Q:   Is it mandatory to take NIFT mock tests for exam preparation?
A: 
Note that during COVID 19, the mock tests were used as a tool to help candidates get accustomed to the application and the process as the NIFT 2022 exam was held as a remote-based exam. Consequently, the mock tests were made mandatory, given candidates were appearing in the exam from their homes or a place of their picking. The mock tests in such circumstances helped to test internet strength, speed, reliability, check camera quality, for recording the test, etc. But in the last edition of the NIFT exam, the CAT and GAT written exams were conducted in a centre-based mode. Also, the National Institute of Fashion Technology didnt conduct any mock tests before the exam. So, we have to wait and watch to SEE if mock tests will be conducted at all for NIFT 2024 exam, and if they are conducted, whether they will be mandatory.
Q:   What kind of questions will be included in the NIFT 2026 mock tests?
A: 

Mock tests will include representative questions or questions similar to ones asked in NIFTEE. So, by taking mock tests, candidate will get to know about types of questions asked, marking scheme, weightage, etc. Another important benefit the candidate can draw from solving a sample paper is understanding the question paper layout. For instance, the candidate will know which questions are placed where, the sequence of questions, whether the candidate needs to complete one section before moving to the next, etc.

The NIFT 2025 Seat Matrix of B.F.Tech is

Bachelor Program - Bachelor of Fashion Technology (B.F.Tech.)

TOTAL

TOTAL

TOTAL

G. TOTAL

Open, SC, ST, OBC(NCL), GEN-EWS, PwD (Open, SC, ST, OBC (NCL)

State Domicile

NRI/Foreign National

G. Total

Apparel Production (AP)

542

49

61

652

The NIFT 2025 Seat Matrix of B.F.Tech is

Master Programs

TOTAL

TOTAL

TOTAL

G. TOTAL

Open, SC, ST, OBC(NCL), GEN-EWS, PwD (Open, SC, ST, OBC (NCL)

State Domicile

NRI/Foreign National

G. Total

Master of Design (M.Des.)

254

21

29

304

Master of Fashion Management (M.F.M)

644

75

67

786

Master of Fashion Technology (M.F.Tech.)

136

0

12

148

Total

1034

96

108

1238

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NIFT Fee Structure 2026

If you plan to get admission to one of the NIFTs, it is logical that you have a fair idea about the NIFT 2026 fee structure for various design courses.

NIFT Fee Structure B.Des and B.F.Tech courses for 2025 is given for reference.

Academic Fee Semester Wise For Non-NRI Category (In INR) (For UG Courses)

 Year

2023-24

2024-25

2025-26

2026-27

 Semeste

Semester 1

Semester 2

Semester 3

Semester 4

Semester 5

Semester 6

Semester 7

Semester 8

Tuition Fee (Non-Refundable)

143000

143000

150000

150000

158000

158000

166000

166000

Library Fee (Non-Refundable Per Year Payment)

9500

0

10000

0

10500

0

11000

0

Mediclaim & Student Development Fee (Non-Refundable Per Year Payment)

4700

0

4900

0

5100

0

5400

0

Exam Fee (Per Year)

4700

0

4900

0

5100

0

5400

0

Total

161900

143000

169800

150000

178700

158000

187800

166000

One Time Payments

Security Deposit (Refundable)

12000

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Alumni Association Membership Fee (Non-Refundable)

0

0

0

0

0

0

5900

0

Registration Fee (One Time)

9300

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Total

21300

0

0

0

0

0

5600

0

Total

183200

143000

169800

150000

178700

158000

193700

166000

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About the Author
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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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Answered 4 weeks ago

NIFT 2026 Final Result for UG and PG programmes is expected in May - June. It can be released between the last week of May to Second week of June 2026.

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month 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

Answered 2 months ago

The material kit of NIFT Situation Test 2026 can include the following:

  • Corrugated sheets: 2
  • Cardboard: 1
  • OHP Sheets: 1
  • Translucents Sheet: 1
  • Coloured sheets: 4
  • Ice cream sticks: 8-10
  • Toothpicks: 6-7
  • All pinks
  • Jute Thread: 2m
  • Needle
  • Balloon
  • Clay: 2 colors
  • Chopsticks: 2
  • Quilling strips
  • Paper plate: 2
  • Bubble wrap: 1
  • M

...Read more

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

Some of the important topics for NIFT Situation Test are:

  • Momentoes
  • Badges
  • product Design
  • Set Design
  • Book Cover/Diaries
  • Window Display: For Shoes, Clothes, etc.
  • Accessories
  • Character Design

S

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10