NIFT Statistics 2026: How Many Students Appeared for the Exam; Attendance and Participation
National Institute of Fashion Technology Entrance Exam 2026 ( NIFT Entrance Exam )
NIFT Registration for e-Counselling / Seat Allotment
To be notified
NTA released the Statistics for NIFT Entrance Exam 2026 along with the results. The statistics include the number of candidates in each stage, shift, programme, etc. It also released the data on the basis of gender. In this article, we will have a look at the number of students who registered and appeared for the NIFT Examination under different categories, gender and stages of the exam for NIFT UG and PG programmes.
NIFT Statistics
NTA conducted the NIFT Stage 1 Entrance Exam on February 08, 2026 for all the UG and PG programmes. NIFT UG Programmes included Bachelor of Design (B.Des.), Bachelor of Fashion Technology (B.F.Tech.), B.Des. (Artisans) and NIFT PG Programmes included Master of Design (M.Des.), Master of Fashion Management (M.F.M.), Master of Fashion Technology (M.F.Tech.) and Lateral Entry Programmes - B.Des. (NLEA), B.F.Tech. (NLEA) for NIFT Admissions. There were 129 centres located in 97 Cities. The exam was conducted in Hindi and English mediums in Computer-Based Test (CBT) / Paper-Based Test (PBT) mode.
A total of 21307 unique candidates registered for the NTA NIFTEE 2026 Stage 1 examination. The exam was conducted in shifts on the same day: NIFT GAT and NIFT CAT. Total registration received for NTA NIFT Stage 1 was 40247. Of these, 35596 appeared for the exam, marking an overall attendance of 88.44%.
- NIFT Stage 1 Statistics 2026
- Number of candidates for NIFT Stage 1 for UG and PG Programmes
- Category-wise Distribution: Stage 1
- Gender-wise Distribution: Stage 1
- NIFT Stage 2 Statistics for Personal Interview
- NIFT Stage 2 Statistics for Situation Test
NIFT Stage 1 Statistics 2026
Check out the NIFT Stage 1 registered and appeared statistics.
| Shift | Examination | Registered | Appeared |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shift 1 | General Ability Test (GAT) | 21,307 | 18,867 |
| Shift 2 | Creative Ability Test (CAT) | 18,940 | 16,729 |
| Grand Total | - | 40,247 | 35,596 |
Commonly asked questions
NIFT Situation Test will be conducted in an offline mode at the various NIFT campuses. Considering there are 19 NIFTs, the candidate will be able to select any of these institutes to appear in the Situation Test. The window to select test centres for the Situation Test will be announced soon after the declaration of NIFT results for the written exam. Test centres for the Situation Test will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. So, candidates need to book their slots as soon as possible. Note that if seats in a particular centre (or institute) fill out, the candidate will not be able to be offered slots for that institute.
NIFTEE 2026 was conducted on February 08, 2026. Written tests comprised a General Ability Test (GAT) and a Creative Ability Test (CAT). GAT is mandatory for all candidates, but CAT is only required for B. Des and M. Des candidates.
The GAT paper for all the B.Des and M.Des courses was conducted from 9 am - 11 am. Meanwhile, the GAT written exam for B.F.Tech, M.F.Tech, and M.F.M. courses were conducted from 9 am - 12 noon.
The allotment of seats will be based on:
- Choice opted at the time of counseling registration (academic programs + campuses)
- The category of the candidate
- Seat intake in the college opted for admission
- NIFT 2026 merit rank of the candidate.
NIFT 2026 seat allotment process will be conducted in four regular and one spot rounds.
Number of candidates for NIFT Stage 1 for UG and PG Programmes
The exam for NIFT Stage 1 was conducted in two shifts for NIFT GAT and NIFT CAT. 21307 candidates registered for GAT and 18,867 appeared. 18,940 registered for CAT and 16,729 appeared.
| Course | Shift 1 (GAT) Registered | Shift 1 (GAT) Appeared | Shift 2 (CAT) Registered | Shift 2 (CAT) Appeared |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor of Design (GAT) | 13,916 | 12,546 | 13,916 | 12,486 |
| Bachelor of Fashion Technology | 1,179 | 982 | NA | NA |
| Bachelor of Fashion Technology and Bachelor of Design (GAT) | 3,433 | 2,947 | 3,433 | 2,892 |
| Bachelor of Design (NLEA) | 61 | 48 | NA | NA |
| Bachelor of Fashion Technology (NLEA) | 15 | 14 | NA | NA |
| Master of Design (GAT) | 1,079 | 929 | 1,079 | 921 |
| Master of Fashion Management | 1,044 | 908 | NA | NA |
| Master of Fashion Management and Master of Design (GAT) | 512 | 442 | 512 | 430 |
| Master of Fashion Technology | 68 | 51 | NA | NA |
| Grand Total | 21,307 | 18,867 | 18,940 | 16,729 |
Category-wise Distribution: Stage 1
The number of candidates for Shift 1 and Shift 2 for NIFT CAT and NIFT GAT for different categories is given below.
| Category | Shift 1 (GAT) Registered | Shift 1 (GAT) Appeared | Shift 2 (CAT) Registered | Shift 2 (CAT) Appeared |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OBC-NCL (As Per Central List) | 5,248 | 4,850 | 4,601 | 4,246 |
| Open | 12,046 | 10,632 | 10,813 | 9,538 |
| Open-EWS | 884 | 834 | 799 | 752 |
| Scheduled Caste | 2,134 | 1,779 | 1,858 | 1,532 |
| Scheduled Tribes | 995 | 772 | 869 | 661 |
| Grand Total | 21,307 | 18,867 | 18,940 | 16,729 |
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Gender-wise Distribution: Stage 1
The number of candidates for Shift 1 and Shift 2 for NIFT CAT and NIFT GAT for each gender is given below. There were more female candidates can male in the NIFT Stage 1.
| Gender | Shift 1 (GAT) Registered | Shift 1 (GAT) Appeared | Shift 2 (CAT) Registered | Shift 2 (CAT) Appeared |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FEMALE | 17,612 | 15,643 | 15,752 | 13,967 |
| MALE | 3,695 | 3,224 | 3,188 | 2,762 |
| Grand Total | 21,307 | 18,867 | 18,940 | 16,729 |
NIFT Stage 2 Statistics for Personal Interview
NIFT Stage 2 exam was conducted in April for the shortlisted candidates. Interview was conducted for NIFT PG and Situation test was conducted for NIFT UG. Personal Interviews for NIFT PG Programmes (M.Des., M.F.M., M.F.Tech.) were conducted in New Delhi from April 06, 2026 to April 11, 2026.
| Programme | Registered | Appeared |
|---|---|---|
| Master of Design (M.DES.) | 680 | 553 |
| Master of Fashion Management (M.F.M.) | 608 | 759 |
| Master of Fashion Technology (M.F.Tech.) | 51 | 36 |
| M.Des. & M.F.M. both | 442 | 355 |
| Grand Total | 2081 | 1703 |
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NIFT Stage 2 Statistics for Situation Test
Check out the statistics for NIFT Stage 2 Situation test.
| Programme | Registered | Appeared |
|---|---|---|
| B.Des (Artisans) | 53 | 34 |
| B.Des (NLEA) | 48 | 27 |
| B.F. Tech (NLEA) | 14 | 7 |
| B.F. Tech & B. Des. (Both) | 2,064 | 1,717 |
| Bachelor of Design (B.Des) | 9,886 | 8,647 |
| Grand Total | 12,065 | 10,432 |
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered a month ago
NIFT 2026 Final Result for UG and PG programmes was released on June 03, 2026.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months 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
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
S
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
S
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
S
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
S
Contributor-Level 10
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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