NIFT Artisan Category: Who can Apply, Programmes, Application and Exam Components

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

Sayeba
Sayeba Naushad
Assistant Manager
Updated on Jun 11, 2026 17:54 IST
NIFT Artisan Category is an opportunity given by NIFT for candidates coming from an artisan background. It is a special path that provides admission to children of artisans, like handicrafts, handlooms, etc. NIFT provided B.Des under this category. Candidates need to fill the application form in December and appear for the exam in April.

NIFT Artisan Category provides design education to traditional craft families and supports the growth of Indian crafts. It allows candidates to study at the top design college of India without appearing for the NIFT Stage 1 Examination. Let's see how.

NIFT B.Des Artisan Category

NIFT B.Des Artisan Category

NIFT Artisan Category is an opportunity given by NIFT for candidates coming from an artisan background. It is a special path which provides admission to children of artisans, like handicrafts, handlooms, etc. NIFT provides B.Des under this category. Candidates need to fill the application form in December and appear for the exam in April. The application fee is INR 2000 for General category and INR 500 for SC/ST and PwD category. The age limit of the candidate must be below 24 years as on 1 August of the admission year.

Candidates who want to appear under this category will be required to appear NIFT Artisan Test and NIFT Personal Interview. Candidates under this category are not required to appear for NIFT Stage 1 Examination.

Table of contents
  • Who Can Apply for NIFT B.Des Artisan?
  • Programmes Offered by NIFT for Artisan Category
  • NIFT B.Des Artisan Category Overview
  • Timeline for NIFT B.Des Artisan Category
  • Eligibility Criteria for NIFT B.Des under Artisan Category
  • Components and Marks for Artisan Skill Test for NIFT Stage 2
  • NIFT Artisan College
View More

Who Can Apply for NIFT B.Des Artisan?

A candidate can apply if:

  • They have passed Class 12.

  • They are below 24 years of age as on 1 August of the admission year.

  • They are an artisan themselves or the son/daughter of an artisan.

  • They possess a valid Artisan Card issued to self, father, or mother by Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Ministry of Textiles Development Commissioner (Handlooms), Ministry of Textiles or State Government authorities

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   How can I check the NIFT Delhi B.Des cutoff 2026?
A: 

Candidates will be able to check the cutoff for NIFT Delhi on the website of NIFT: nift.admissions.nic.in. The opening and closing rank of all the programmes is given on this page. 

Q:   What is the expected cutoff for NIFT for B.Des?
A: 

The expected cutoff for NIFT 2027 for B.Des is:

CategoryExpected Cutoff for B.Des
Open30-80
EWS26-29
OBC26-29
SC22
ST19
Q:   What is NIFT Cutoff?
A: 

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 applications Higher-ranked candidates This in turn pushes up the cutoff in higher ranked (or popular) institutes. Likewise, a lower-ranked institute will receive comparatively fewer number of applications, and mostly from lower-ranked candidates. This means, cut-off in these institutes are lower making it much easier to get admission.

Q:   What is the expected cutoff for NIFT M.Des?
A: 

The expected cutoff for NIFT M.Des is given below:

CategoryExpected Cutoff M.Des
Open26-70
EWS22
OBC22
SC16
ST16-18

Programmes Offered by NIFT for Artisan Category

NIFT offers B.Des in the following.

  • B.Des in Fashion Design
  • B.Des in Leather Design 
  • B.Des in Accessory Design 
  • B.Des in Textile Design 
  • B.Des in Knitwear Design 
  • B.Des in Fashion Communication.
Staying updated about the latest educational events is just a click away
Enter Mobile Number

NIFT B.Des Artisan Category Overview

Check out the overview of NIFT Artisan Category.

Particulars Details
Courses Offered by NIFT B.Des programmes at NIFT campuses
Artisan Requirement Candidate or parent must possess a valid Artisan Card
Entrance Exam No need to appear for NIFT Stage 1
NIFT Selection Process Artisan Skill Test + Personal Interview
Merit Preparation Based on Skill Test and Interview performance
Seats Available 2 supernumerary seats per campus
Degree Type Same NIFT degree as regular students
Placement Opportunities Same placements, internships, and career support as other NIFT students

Also Read:

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   What are the details mentioned on NIFT cut-off list?
A: 

List of cut off NIFT 2026 would contain the ranks of candidates ranging from opening to closing ranks for every participating institute. Some of the many categories for which the cut-off would be announced include General, SC, ST, OBC-NCl, Domicile, and PwD categories. Candidates must refer to the cut-off list as per their categories for the programmes they wish to pursue.

Rank from which admission gets provided is known as the opening rank. On the other hand, the minimum rank from which admission is given is called the closing rank. Admission is offered only to those candidates whose rank is the same as or above the closing rank.

Q:   What is NIFT cutoff?
A: 
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 applications Higher ranked candidates This in turn pushes up the cutoff in higher ranked (or popular) institutes. Likewise, a lower-ranked institute will receive comparatively fewer number of applications, and mostly from lower-ranked candidates. This means, cut-off in these institutes are lower making it much easier to get admission.
Q:   What is the Cut off for NIFT Mumbai for B.Des (Textile Design) 2025?
A: 

The Cut off for NIFT Mumbai 2025 for B.Des in Textile Design will be out soon. In the meanwhile, we can have a look at the Cutoff 2024 to get a rough idea.

The following table presents the Cutoff for Round 1 under All India Quota for NIFT Mumbai 2024:

Category
Opening Rank
Closing Rank
OBC7222044
Gen-EWS5812653
Open301570
Open (PwD)56545654
SC35224385
ST50765499
Q:   Is the NIFT cut-off fixed?
A: 

The cut-off of NIFT for the various academic courses is not fixed. This is because the cut-off depends on variables like seat intake, the performance of applicants in the NIFT exam, total number of applications received for admission, etc. Now these variables may change from year to year. For instance, the number of candidates appearing in NIFT and qualifying the exam may be different across the years. And when that happens, the cut-off also changes. Typically, if the seat intake increases, the cut-off goes down and vice versa. Likewise, if the number of applicants increases, expect a higher cut-off.

Explore colleges based on NIFT Entrance Exam

Delhi
₹12.96 L
Bangalore
₹12.96 L
Navi Mumbai
₹9.32 L
Chennai
₹9.02 L

Want better recommendations?

There is a 90% more chance of getting best college recommendations by sharing preferences.
Hyderabad
₹6.07 L
Kolkata
₹9.16 L
Gandhinagar
₹6.07 L
Patna
₹90.20 K
Jodhpur
₹12.34 L
Kannur
₹12.96 L
Confused about which college or exam to opt for?assitentRcpRhsImage
  • Chat with our counselor
  • Get your personalised list of colleges & exams matching your preferences
View allCollections

Timeline for NIFT B.Des Artisan Category

Go through the timeline for NTA NIFT B.Des in the Artisan Category.

Activities Timeline
Online Registration 08 December 2025
Last date for Online Registration 28 February 2026
Admit Card (Online only) April 22, 2026
Artisan Skill Test and Personal Interview April 2026
Declaration of Final Result (Online) June 03, 2026
Seat Allocation June 2026

Eligibility Criteria for NIFT B.Des under Artisan Category

Read the eligibility Criteria for NIFT B.Des programme under the Artisan Category.

Programme Eligibility Criteria
Age Criteria
  • 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

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.

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   What is the Cutoff for NIFT Mumbai for B.Des in Fashion Design 2026?
A: 

The Cutoff for NIFT Mumbai for B.Des in Fashion Design 2026 for round 2 are out . We can get a fair idea by looking at the Cut offs for NIFT Mumbai Fashion Design 2026

The following table presents the Cutoff for Round  2under All India Quota:

Category
Closing Rank
Open84
OBC382
EWC371
SC536
PwD1746
ST4321
Q:   What is NIFT cut-off for Accessory Design programme for NIFT Bangalore campus?
A: 

The category-wise cut-off for the Accessory Design programme for NIFT Bangalore campus is given below:

Category

Opening Rank

Closing Rank

EWS

1099

2179

OBC (NC)

438

1333

Open

35

482

SC

2034

4214

ST

2839

7286

Note that reserved category candidates will be considered for admission to both their reserved and open categories.

Q:   Is the NIFT cut-off higher for top institutes such as NIFT Delhi?
A: 
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 factor is more number of higher ranked candidates want to get admission in the institute, which also pushes up the cut-off. On the other hand, lower ranked colleges are not a priority for the top ranked candidates; meaning a higher number of lower ranked candidates applies to these institutes. This keeps the cut-off low in these institutes.
Q:   How can I check NIFT cutoff?
A: 

Candidates can check NIFT cutoff 2026 online on the official website of the National Institute of Fashion Technology. NIFT cutoff is released as a PDF file containing the opening and closing ranks. The cut-off would be category-specific. So, the candidate needs to check the cut-off for the category they belong to. Also, note that candidates from reserved categories will be considered for admission under general category as well. However, candidates belonging to open category will not be considered for admission under reserved categories.

Components and Marks for Artisan Skill Test for NIFT Stage 2

Candidates under the Artisan Category have to appear for Artisan Skill Test. It will comprise creative ability and basic 3-D modelling ability (using 3-D modelling clay) or other material(s). Check out the components and marks of the Artisan Skill Test. The exam is condcuted with the Stage 2 Entrance Exam.

Component Marks
Artisan Skill Test
70
Visualization of form and space
Innovative and Creative use of material
Composition of Elements
Construction skill and Finesse of the model
Overall presentation
Write-up:
Explanation and Communication of concept
Language
Personal Interview (verification of documents/eligibility) 30
Total Marks 100

Explore more Design exams with upcoming dates

NIIFT 2026 Application form

25 Mar '26 - 14 Aug '26

SAT India Exam (August) Attempt

22 Aug '26

IIAD 2026 - Application

1 Sep '25 - 31 Aug '26

Pearl Academy Application Form 2026

8 Sep '25 - 31 Aug '26

UCEED 2027 Notification

1 Oct '26

NID DAT 2027 Registration Date

11 Sep '26 - 1 Dec '26

SEED 2027 Online registration ...

6 Aug '26 - 31 Dec '26

NIFT Artisan College

The 20 participating NIFTs offer B.Des Artisan courses with specialisations in various disciplines.

S.No NIFT Campus
1 NIFT New Delhi
2 NIFT Chennai
3 NIFT Gandhinagar
4 NIFT Hyderabad
5 NIFT Kolkata
6 NIFT Mumbai
7 NIFT Bengaluru
8 NIFT Raebareli
9 NIFT Bhopal
10 NIFT Kannur
11 NIFT Shillong
12 NIFT Patna
13 NIFT Kangra
14 NIFT Bhubaneswar
15 NIFT Jodhpur
16 NIFT Srinagar
17 NIFT Panchkula
18 NIFT Daman
19 NIFT Varanasi
20 NIFT Nava Raipur

Also read:

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

Read Full Bio
Download Important Dates for Design Exams

News & Updates

Latest NewsPopular News

Explore Other Exams

Sep '26

NID DAT 2027 Registration Date

Dec '26

NID DAT 2027 Application Corre...

1 Oct '26

UCEED 2027 Notification

17 Jan '27

UCEED 2027 Exam DATE

Jul '26

UID General Category Window Ad...

25 Mar '26 -

5 Apr '26

UID Tier 2: Situation Test for...

Sep '25

Pearl Academy Application Form...

23 Jun '26

Pearl Academy Personal Intervi...

15 Jun '26

AIEED 2026 Batch Starts

6 Apr '26 -

18 Apr '26

AIEED Examination (Situation T...

27 Jan '26

ISDI Challenge 2026: Result

15 Dec '25

ISDI Challenge 2026: Last date...

The list of exams are recommended based on what other exams do the students in your area show interest in
qna

Student Forum

chatAnything you would want to ask experts?
Write here...