NLEA exam is conducted with the NIFT UG and PG entrance exam. The counselling for this is also conducted at the same time. Get full updates here about NIFT Lateral Programmes.
NIFT (Lateral) 2026
NIFT NLEA stands for Later NIFT Lateral Entry Admission. It is offered by NIFT to get admissions directly into the second year (third semester) of the undergraduate programme (B.Des and B.F.Tech) at NIFT. The students should fulfill the eligibility criteria to get admission in the NIFT NLEA.
Under the NLEA admission scheme, eligible candidates will be considered for admission directly to the 3rd semester of the UG program of NIFT. The NLEA admission route is open for candidates who have completed their Diploma in a relevant or related field of Design & Technology. Interested candidates will have to appear for NIFT entrance examination to get lateral admission. NLEA 2026 admission will be merit-based. Candidates selected through lateral entry will join the regular UG students of NIFT in their second year.
Also Read:
- NLEA Admission 2026 Highlights
- NIFT 2026 (GAT) General Ability Test
- NIFT NLEA 2026 Admission Schedule
- NIFT NLEA Exam Timing
- NIFT Lateral Entry Admission (NLEA) 2026 Eligibility Criteria
- NLEA Admission 2026 - Exam Pattern
- NIFT 2026 - NLEA Seat Intake
- NLEA Application Form 2026
- NLEA Application Fee 2026
- NLEA Exam Center 2026
- NLEA Result 2026
- NIFT 2026 - NLEA Counselling
NLEA Admission 2026 Highlights
The key points related to the NLEA 2026 admission process are given in the table below.
| Particulars |
Description |
|---|---|
| Exam Name |
NIFT NLEA Admission |
| Conducting Body |
NTA |
| Frequency of exam |
Once every year |
| Number of Attempts |
There is no limit on the number of attempts |
| Entry |
Admission is offered directly into the second year of the regular UG programme. |
| Mode of exam |
GAT - Computer-based mode Studio Test + Personal Interview - Offline TAT + Personal Interview - Offline |
| Courses Available for NIFT NLEA |
NIFT NLEA: Bachelor of Design (B.Des) and Bachelor of Fashion Technology (B.FTech) |
| Application fee |
INR 2,000 for General and INR 500 for ST and SC |
| Mode of application |
Online |
| NIFT NLEA 2026 application form START date |
Closed |
| Release of Exam Notification |
December 08, 2025 |
| Exam date |
February 08, 2026 |
| Related exam |
NIFT Entrance Exam 2026 |
Commonly asked questions
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.
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.
NIFT 2026 (GAT) General Ability Test
NIFT GAT is conducted in a computer-based mode. The scores of the written exam will be used to shortlist candidates for:
- NIFT Studio Test + NIFT Personal Interview (B.Des course)
- Technical Ability Test (TAT) + Personal Interview (B.F.Tech)
Under the NLEA scheme, candidates will be considered for admission directly into the 3rd semester. For regular admission, candidates need to apply for NIFT 2026.
NIFT NLEA 2026 Admission Schedule
The admission schedule for the Artisan category is also given below for reference.
| Events |
Dates |
|---|---|
| Registration open for NIFT admission 2026 |
December 08, 2025 |
| Last date to apply |
January 16, 2026 |
| Last date to apply with a late fee of INR 5000 |
January 17, 2026 to January 19, 2026 |
| Edit window |
January 21, 22, 2026 |
| Advance City Intimation Slip |
January 29, 2026 |
| Issue of Admit Cards |
February 04, 2026 |
| Conduct of NIFTEE Entrance Exam |
February 08, 2026 |
| Answer Key for GAT Examination only (using registered user ID & password) |
February 17, 2026 |
| Result of Entrance Examination |
March 20, 2026 |
| Situation Test (Regular) / Studio Test, Personal Interview & documents verification (NLEA) at Test Centres |
April 26, 2026 |
| Declaration of Final Result (Online) |
Last week of May 2026 |
| Seat Allocation |
June 2026 |
Commonly asked questions
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.
The expected cutoff for NIFT 2027 for B.Des is:
| Category | Expected Cutoff for B.Des |
|---|---|
| Open | 30-80 |
| EWS | 26-29 |
| OBC | 26-29 |
| SC | 22 |
| ST | 19 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| OBC | 722 | 2044 |
| Gen-EWS | 581 | 2653 |
| Open | 301 | 570 |
| Open (PwD) | 5654 | 5654 |
| SC | 3522 | 4385 |
| ST | 5076 | 5499 |
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 |
|---|---|
| Open | 84 |
| OBC | 382 |
| EWC | 371 |
| SC | 536 |
| PwD | 1746 |
| ST | 4321 |
Explore colleges based on NIFT Entrance Exam
Want better recommendations?
There is a 90% more chance of getting best college recommendations by sharing preferences.
- Chat with our counselor
- Get your personalised list of colleges & exams matching your preferences
NIFT NLEA Exam Timing
Check out the NIFT NLEA Exam timing.
| Programmes | Test | Examination Time |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor of Design (NLEA) | GAT | 10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon |
| Bachelor of Fashion Technology (NLEA) | GAT | 10:00 AM to 01:00 PM |
NIFT Lateral Entry Admission (NLEA) 2026 Eligibility Criteria
Candidates seeking admission to the B.Des or B.F.Tech programs need to meet the following eligibility criteria. Note that admission officials will verify the information shared by the candidate, and if any anomaly is discovered, the candidate can be disqualified.
The eligibility criteria for NIFT NLEA 2026 are:
| Programme |
Eligibility Criteria |
|---|---|
|
Bachelor of Design (B.Des.) NLEA |
|
| OR |
|
|
|
| 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 |
|
| OR |
|
|
|
| OR |
|
| Candidates who have completed 02 years UG Diploma Programme at NIFT after passing Senior Secondary/12th standard recognized by AIU with Mathematics. |
Also Read:
Commonly asked questions
Candidates applying for B. Des course need to have passed 10+2 exam from a recognised institute and should be less than 24 years as of August 1, 2027. Relaxation of 5 years in the upper age limit applies for candidates belonging to SC, ST and PwD categories.
The expected cutoff for NIFT M.Des is given below:
| Category | Expected Cutoff M.Des |
|---|---|
| Open | 26-70 |
| EWS | 22 |
| OBC | 22 |
| SC | 16 |
| ST | 16-18 |
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.
The NIFT Daman Cutoff 2026 for the fourth round for students falling under the General AI category were from 764 to 3489.
For other categories, please see the table given below:
| Category | 2026 Cutoff range |
| OBC | 831-6176 |
| SC | 8307-10045 |
| EWS | 7757-9670 |
NLEA Admission 2026 - Exam Pattern
The exam pattern provides insights into the question paper structure, including the sections, weightage, exam timings, etc. The NLEA question paper had questions from GAT. Here is how to prepare for the NIFT GAT paper. The candidate must strictly refer to the exam pattern when preparing for the NLEA 2026 entrance exam.
B.Des - NLEA 2026 Exam Pattern
The pattern of NIFT NLEA B.Des is given below.
| Programe |
Exam components |
Marks |
Exam Date |
Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Bachelor of Design (B. Des.) |
GAT |
40 |
8 February 2026 |
10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon |
| Studio Test |
40 |
April 26, 2026 |
10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon |
|
| Personal Interview |
20 |
12:30 PM onwards |
||
|
|
General Ability Test (GAT) |
40 |
8 February 2026 |
10:00 AM to 01:00 PM |
| Technical Ability Test (TAT) |
40 |
April 26, 2026 |
10:00 AM to 11:00 AM |
|
| Personal Interview (PI) |
20 |
11:30 AM to 01:00 PM |
B.F.Tech - NLEA 2026 Exam Pattern
The exam pattern of NIFT NLEA is.
| Programe |
Exam components |
Marks |
Exam Date |
Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
General Ability Test (GAT) |
40 |
8 February 2026 |
10:00 AM to 01:00 PM |
| Technical Ability Test (TAT) |
40 |
April 26, 2026 |
10:00 AM to 11:00 AM |
|
| Personal Interview (PI) |
20 |
11:30 AM to 01:00 PM |
NIFT 2026 - NLEA Seat Intake
The program-wise seat intake for the NLEA 2026 admission is given below for the reference of the candidate.
| Programmes |
Total UG seats |
10% of Seats |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor of Design (Accessory Design) |
637 |
64 |
| Bachelor of Design (Fashion Communication) |
719 |
72 |
| Bachelor of Design (Fashion Design) |
801 |
80 |
| Bachelor of Design (Fashion Interiors) |
82 |
8 |
| Bachelor of Design (Knitwear Design) |
351 |
35 |
| Bachelor of Design (Leather Design) |
152 |
15 |
| Bachelor of Design (Textile Design) |
681 |
68 |
| Bachelor of Fashion Technology (Apparel Production) |
591 |
59 |
| Total |
4014 |
401 |
Commonly asked questions
NIFT master's programme is offered in Master of Design (M. Des. ), Master of Fashion Management (M. F. M) and Master of Fashion Technology (M. F. Tech. ).
The cut-off would be released separately for all these courses. This means, if the candidate meets the cut-off criteria for M. Des but fails to meet the cut-off for M. F. Tech, in that case the candidate will only be eligible for admission to the M. Des programme. So, the candidate needs to check out the cut-off or closing ranks for the programme they are seeking admission to. The cut-off would be determined by considering factors like total applicants, seat intake, merit ranks of the applicants, and also admission category.
The National Instituite of Fashion Technology will release the NIFT at the time of seat allotment and counseling.
The cut-offs will be available institute- and category-wise for all the program at nift.admissions.nic.in.
NLEA Application Form 2026
Candidates meeting the program-wise eligibility criteria to apply had to follow the steps given below:
- Register for the exam - The candidate can register for the NIFT 2026 exam using their Aadhaar details. On successful registration, a candidate account will be created.
- Log-in to fill out the form - The candidate has to log in to the account and fill in personal, academic, and contact details.
- Select test center - The candidate has to next select an exam city from the drop-down list. The entries must be in the order of priority.
- Upload documents - Follow the document specifications when uploading the documents.
- Pay the application fee to complete the NIFT application process.
NLEA Application Fee 2026
The category-wise application fee for NLEA 2026 is given below. Note that the application fee is non-refundable.
| Category |
NIFT 2026 Application Fee (non-refundable) |
|---|---|
| General/OBC (Non-Creamy)/GEN-EWS Category |
INR 2,000 |
| SC/ ST/ PwD Category |
INR 500 |
NLEA Exam Center 2026
The NIFT 2026 exam was conducted in 102 cities across India. The candidate can select their choice of exam centers for NLEA 2026 from the list when filling out the application form.
| State |
City |
|
|---|---|---|
| Andaman & Nicobar Islands |
Port Blair |
|
| Andhra Pradesh |
Kurnool |
|
| Andhra Pradesh |
Vijayawada |
|
| Andhra Pradesh |
Visakhapatnam |
|
| Andhra Pradesh |
Rajahmundry |
|
| Andhra Pradesh |
Tirupathi |
|
| Arunachal Pradesh |
Naharlagun |
|
| Assam |
Guwahati |
|
| Bihar |
Muzaffarpur |
|
| Bihar |
Patna |
|
| Chandigarh |
Chandigarh/Mohali |
|
| Chhattisgarh |
Raipur |
|
| Chhattisgarh |
Jagdalpur |
|
| Dadra & Nagar Haveli |
Silvassa |
|
| Delhi |
Delhi NCR |
|
| Goa |
Mapusa |
|
| Gujarat |
Ahmedabad/ Gandhinagar |
|
| Gujarat |
Rajkot |
|
| Gujarat |
Surat |
|
| Gujarat |
Anand |
|
| Gujarat |
Gandhinagar |
|
| Gujarat |
Mehsana |
|
| Haryana |
Hisar |
|
| Haryana |
Kurukshetra |
|
| Himachal Pradesh |
Bilaspur Hp |
|
| Himachal Pradesh |
Kangra |
|
| Jammu And Kashmir |
Jammu |
|
| Jammu And Kashmir |
Srinagar |
|
| Jharkhand |
Dhanbad |
|
| Jharkhand |
Ranchi |
|
| Karnataka |
Bengaluru |
|
| Karnataka |
Mysuru (Mysore) |
|
| Karnataka |
Mangalore (Mangalore) |
|
| Kerala |
Ernakulam |
|
| Kerala |
Kannur |
|
| Kerala |
Kozhikode |
|
| Kerala |
Kollam |
|
| Kerala |
Kottayam |
|
| Kerala |
Thiruvananthapuram |
|
| Kerala |
Thrissur |
|
| Ladakh |
Leh / Kargil |
|
| Lakshadweep |
Kavaratti |
|
| Madhya Pradesh |
Bhopal |
|
| Madhya Pradesh |
Jabalpur |
|
| Madhya Pradesh |
Gwalior |
|
| Madhya Pradesh |
Satna |
|
| Madhya Pradesh |
Ujjain |
|
| Maharashtra |
Mumbai / Thane |
|
| Maharashtra |
Nagpur |
|
| Maharashtra |
Pune |
|
| Maharashtra |
Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar |
|
| Maharashtra |
Amravati |
|
| Maharashtra |
Kolhapur |
|
| Maharashtra |
Nanded |
|
| Manipur |
Imphal |
|
| Meghalaya |
Shillong |
|
| Mizoram |
Aizawl |
|
| Nagaland |
Kohima |
|
| Odisha |
Berhampur-Ganjam |
|
| Odisha |
Bhubaneswar |
|
| Puducherry |
Pondicherry |
|
| Punjab |
Ludhiana |
|
| Rajasthan |
Jaipur |
|
| Rajasthan |
Jodhpur |
|
| Rajasthan |
Udaipur |
|
| Sikkim |
Gangtok |
|
| Tamil Nadu |
Chennai |
|
| Tamil Nadu |
Coimbatore |
|
| Tamil Nadu |
Madurai |
|
| Tamil Nadu |
Salem |
|
| Tamil Nadu |
Tiruchirappalli |
|
| Tamil Nadu |
Vellore |
|
| Telangana |
Hyderabad |
|
| Tripura |
Agartala |
|
| Uttar Pradesh |
Meerut |
|
| Uttar Pradesh |
Muzaffarnagar |
|
| Uttar Pradesh |
Kanpur |
|
| Uttar Pradesh |
Lucknow |
|
| Uttar Pradesh |
Varanasi |
|
| Uttarakhand |
Dehradun |
|
| Uttarakhand |
Haldwani |
|
| West Bengal |
Kolkata |
|
NLEA Result 2026
- NTA will declare the results in May 2026.
- To check your results, you need to go to the result portal and log-in using your candidate credentials.
- The written exam results will be used to shortlist candidates for a Studio Test/ PI (B.Des) / Technical Ability Test/ PI.
Explore more Design exams with upcoming dates
22 Aug '26
1 Sep '25 - 31 Aug '26
8 Sep '25 - 31 Aug '26
1 Nov '25 - 31 Aug '26
1 Dec '25 - 31 Aug '26
1 Oct '26
11 Sep '26 - 1 Dec '26
6 Aug '26 - 31 Dec '26
NIFT 2026 - NLEA Counselling
- The counseling and seat allotment for NLEA 2026 will be conducted after the declaration of the results. Registration for counseling will start around June 2026.
- Candidates will be considered for seat allotment based on their merit rank in the NIFT NLEA 2026 entrance exam.
- Upon seat allotment, the candidate will have to pay the seat acceptance fee and confirm their admission. If the fee is not paid by the given deadline, the allotment can be cancelled.
Also Read:
News & Updates
Explore Other Exams
Sep '26 | NID DAT 2027 Registration Date |
Dec '26 | NID DAT 2027 Application Corre... |
1 Oct '26 | UCEED 2027 Notification |
Oct '26 | UCEED 2027 Application 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... |
Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?
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