NIFT vs NID Cutoff 2026: Which is hard to Crack?

The NID DAT 2026 Studio Test and Interview for the M.Des program will be conducted from in the first week of March 2026. Candidates will be shortlisted for DAT Mains on the basis of their performance in DAT Prelims.

The Studio Test and Interview will be conducted programme-wise from. Candidates who have qualified DAT prelims are eligible to appear in DAT Mains, which comprise a Studio Test and Interview for the M.Des programme. The Studio Test is usually conducted from 9 am - 12 noon. The Interview will be conducted after the completion of the studio test.

 

NID DAT, along with NIFT and UCEED are among the most competitive national-level entrance exams in the country. The fact that there are only 425 seats for the B. Des and 347 seats for the M.Des programme makes it very competitive. But that being said, if the candidate prepares well and with the correct strategy, then the NID DAT exam can be cracked. Among the first things the candidate needs to do is prepare a efficient study timetable get familiar with the syllabus and pattern, and use good books as reference material. 

No, there is no negative marking in the NID Studio Test. Candidates will be evaluated based on their thinking and creative skills. Studio Test will carry 40% of the total Marks for the NID Mains Exam.

NID DAT Mains 2026 exam for the B. Des and M.Des programme will be conducted in 17 cities. NID DAT 2026 exam was conducted on December 21, 2025 and application was closed on December 01, 2025.

Details of NID DAT 2026 Exam centre, name, address, and reporting time are given in the NID DAT 2026 Admit card. DAT Prelims admit card was available for download from December 11, 2025.

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. This year, NIFT 2026 cutoff is expected to be on the lower side.

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 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 2026 for B.Des is:

Category	Expected Cutoff for B.Des
Open	30-80
EWS	26-29
OBC	26-29
SC	22
ST	19

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.

Yes, all B.Des candidates who were shortlisted for NID DAT 2026 counselling had to submit their campus preferences within the allotted time. The preferences have to be entered in the order of priority. 

The allotment of seats to the B.Des programme will be based on the campus option selected and merit rank of the candidate in NID DAT 2026 So, one must bear caution when entering their preferences.

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 NIDs offer a full-time B.Des programme of 4-year duration, and a full-time M.Des programme of two-and-half years duration. 

The institute, in addition, also offers a PhD program. The programme can be pursued full-time or part-time. 

Admission to the design courses at the NID is conducted through a Design Aptitude Test (DAT). The exam comprises DAT Prelims and DAT Mains.

The Cut off for NIFT Gandhinagar 2025 will be out soon on the official website. The Cut off for NIFT Gandhinagar 2024 can give a fair idea for this year.

The following table shows the NIFT Gandhinagar 2024 Round 1 Cutoff for Fashion Design:

Category	Opening Rank	Closing Rank
OBC	725	1485
Gen-EWS	1105	2770
Open	208	466
Open (PwD)	8824	8824
SC	876	2586
ST	3004	3306

The Cutoff for NIFT Mumbai for B.Des in Fashion Design 2025 will be out soon once the Stage 2 Exams are over and the final results are declared. However, we can get a fair idea by looking at the Cut offs for NIFT Mumbai Fashion Design 2024.

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

Category	Opening Rank	Closing Rank
OBC	517	870
OBC (PwD)	5828	5828
Gen-EWS	937	1498
Open	3	170
Open (PwD)	3193	3193
SC	816	1275
SC (PwD)	4848	4848
ST	1736	2094