NIFT Reservation Criteria 2026: Course/Category-wise Seats Reservation & Percentage

NIFT follows candidate reservation criteria for admission to its various courses as per the Government guidelines. Check below NIFT Reservation Criteria for different categories for UG and PG programmes. 

Reservation Criteria 2026

The National Institute of Fashion Technology provides reservation criteria for candidates taking admission in UG and PG programmes. The reservation is provided as per the government regulations and guidelines and ensures equal opportunities to candidates belonging to various categories and backgrounds. The seats are reserved NIFT Reservation Criteria for SC, ST, OBC, GEN-EWS, PWD, State Domicile and Foreign nationals.

NIFT admission is based on entrance exam which is held in 2 stages. The first stage NIFT entrance exam 2026 was held on February 8 and its result was released on March 20, 2026. The NIFT Stage 2 exam is likely to be held in May-June and its result will be declared afterwards. NIFT admission process or counselling will be conducted thereafter. 

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

NIFT Reservation Criteria 2026: Category-wise Seats Reservation  

The NIFT 2026 Reservation Criteria are as follows:

• *5 percent of seats will be reserved for PwD candidates. This will apply across all categories. PwD seats will be allocated on the basis of Common Merit Rank (CMR). In case the seat is not filled by a PwD reservation, then it will be transferred to the corresponding categories. For example, Open PwD seats that are not filled will go to the Open category, OBC (NCL) PwD seats will go to OBC NCL, etc.
• Candidates must have a valid certificate to avail the benefit of reservation.

Also Read:

• NIFT 2026 CAT vs GAT: Which Section Was Tougher?
• NIFT Expected Cutoff 2026: Ranks & Admission Chances Across Top NIFT Campuses

NIFT 2026 Reservation Criteria: Requirements under each Category

SC/ST Candidates

• Canidates who are applying under the ST/SC category must provide a valid Caste or Tribe Certificate, issued by Competent Authority of their State or Union Territory.
• The SC/ST certificate should be in the name of the candidate.
• The certificate should be in Hindi or English. 
• The certficate should provide an translation if it in other language.

OBC

• Candidate under this category must provide a valid certificate issued in their own name. The certificate should not be in the name of theier parents or guardians.
• The caste under this category, provided by the candidate, must be in the Central list of OBCs.
• The OBC certificate should be issued by the competent authority.
• OBC certificate must state clearly that the candidate belongs to Non-creamy layer.
• Married women should submit a caste certificate in their own name. Certificate will not be accepted if it is in the name of husband, mother, or father.
• Certificate should be in Hindi or English. Translation should be provided if it is in another language.

Economically Weaker Section (EWS) (Open Category)

• Candidates belonging to EWS category in the Open Category will be eligible for a 10% reservation. This reservation can be claimed for the Open category candidates who meet the criteria given in OM No. 20013/01/2018-BC-II dated January 17, 2019 by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of Higher Education.
• Candidate must have a valid EWD (Open) Certificate issued by the Competent Authority.
• Candidate must meet the eligibility criteria and submit the EWS certificate under the open category.

Persons with Disability (PwD)

• Candidates applying under the Disability (PwD) Category must have a Disability Certificate with a Unique Disability ID (showing 40% or more disability), issued by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities.
• The certificate must be available at https://www.swavlambancard.gov.in.
• No other certificate or document will be accepted.

Seat Availability: NIFT Lateral Entry Admission (NLEA) 2026

The seat intake for the NIFT Lateral Entry Admission (NLEA) 2026 is given in the table below.

NIFT 2026 Seat Reservation Criteria for Foreign National/NRI /OCI/PIO/SAARC and Domicile Categories

• Candidates applying under the Foreign National, NRI (Non-Resident Indian), OCI (Overseas Citizen of India), PIO (Person of Indian Origin), SAARC, and Domicile categories are not required to appear for the NIFT Entrance Examination. These candidates can apply for admission if they meet the eligibility and admission requirements of NIFT.
• Selection for candidates in these categories will be based on their SAT, GMAT or GRE. The minimum required score for these tests is 50%.

The number of available seats for these categories is as follows:

• Around 5 supernumerary seats per academic program at the NIFT campuses in Bengaluru, Chennai, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi, and Raebareli are reserved for Foreign students.
• Around 3 supernumerary seats per academic program at the NIFT campuses in Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Daman, Jodhpur, Kangra, Kannur, Panchkula, Patna, Shillong, and Varanasi are reserved for Foreign students.

State Domicile Preferential Seats: NIFT 2026

State Domicile Preferential Seats are available for candidates who belong to the states where the NIFT campuses are located. These candidates can apply for admission under State Domicile, but no separate merit list will be declared for them. There are seven supernumerary seats available for domicile candidates in the mentioned campuses.

Seat Availability Regular – NIFT 2026

NIFT 2026 is expected to have 4,837 seats among various undergraduate and postgraduate programs.

The Regular seat intake (Total intake - Domicile & NRI seats) for NIFT 2026 participating colleges is given below.

Read Campus-wise seat reservation for NIFT Admission

NIFT Reservation criteria aims at providing a smooth and fair admission process for candidates belonging to different backgrounds, categories and regions. The seat reservation covers all the categories, like GEN, SC, ST, OBC, EWS, PwD. NIFT also provides reservations under State Domicile Candidates, which helps in providing opportunities to local students in their state of residence.