Top 10 NIFT Colleges in India 2026: Ranking, Fees, Admission, Placements

NIFT is an advanced institute of Fashion Education in the country and it offers many UG and PG programmes in Design, Technology, and Management. The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), was set up in 1986 under the Ministry of Textiles, Govt. of India, and is a Statutory Institute governed by the NIFT Act 2006. 

There are total of 18 NIFT campuses across in India. National Institute of Fashion Technology offers UG, PG, and doctoral courses in Fashion, Technology, and Management. Its head office is located in New Delhi, India. Top 10 NIFT colleges in India include NIFT Delhi, NIFT Mumbai, NIFT Bangalore, NIFT Hyderabad, NIFT Chennai, NIFT Gandhinagar, NIFT Kolkata, NIFT Patna, NIFT Jodhpur, and NIFT Kannur.

For detailed information on NIFT colleges in India, check the content below -

Eligibility Criteria to get Admission to NIFT Colleges in India 2026

The general eligibility for admission in top 10 NIFT institute in India are mentioned below:

• The National Institute of Fashion Technology offers the following design courses - Des, M.Des, B.F.Tech, M.F.Tech, and M.F.M.
• The NIFT eligibility criteria are specific to each of these courses. This means if you want to apply to the B.Des program, you need to meet the eligibility specific to the program. 
• Note that the eligibility STATUS of the candidate will be checked at the time of NIFT 2026 counseling and seat allotment.
• For instance, candidates seeking admission to the BDes course need to have passed the Class 12 exam from a recognized institute.
• A relaxation of 5 years in the upper age limit applies for candidates belonging to SC, ST, and PwD candidates.

Source: Official site and may vary.

Top 10 NIFT Colleges in India: India Today Ranking 2025

NIFT Delhi consistently ranked as the No. 1 NIFT college in India as per India Today rankings 2025 followed by NIFT Mumbai and NIFT Bangalore.

The table below shows the top 10 colleges of NIFT in India along with their India Today rankings of past three years, i.e. from 2023 to 2025:

Source: The above India Today rankings have been taken from the official India Today website and will/may vary in the future.

Top 10 NIFT Colleges in India

The NIFT top 10 colleges in India are listed below along with their introduction, fees, admission, exams, courses, placements, etc.

1. National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Delhi:

NIFT Delhi emerged as the No. 1 NIFT college in India as per India Today rankings 2025 and it has ranked 1 for Fashion Design by The Week 2023 and Business Today 2023. The institute offers UG, PG, and diploma programmes in the field of Fashion Design. NIFT Delhi courses include BDes, BFTech (Bachelor of Fashion Technology), MDes, and MFM (Master of Fashion Management), among others. NIFT Delhi fees has tuition fee ranges between INR 64,900 to INR 12.34 lakh. National Institute of Fashion Technology Delhi course admissions are based on the entrance exam scores and the popular entrance accepted is NIFT entrance exam. Many top recruiters participated in placement process which include Myntra, Nike, Aditya Birla Group, Fab India, and others, participate in the NIFT Delhi placements.

2. National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Mumbai:

NIFT College Mumbai is ranked 3 by India Today 2025 and The Week 2023, respectively under the Fashion Design category. NIFT Mumbai offers UG, PG, Continuing Education programme, and diploma courses to students. These courses are provided across the Fashion and Apparel streams. NIFT Mumbai is famous for its flagship courses such as BDes and MDes. The tuition fees ranges between INR 2 lakh – INR 12 lakh and the highest placement package recorded during placements 2021 was INR 18 LPA. The prominent recruiters participated include Bata India Limited, H&M, Monte Carlo, etc.

3. National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Bangalore:

NIFT Bangalore has been ranked on number 2 as per India Today rankings 2025. The institute offers 23 courses at the UG and PG levels. Some of the courses offered at National Institute of Fashion Technology, Bangalore include B.Des, M.Des, B.FTech, M.FTech, and MFM. NIFT Bangalore tuition fee structure for different programmes lies between INR 60,000 and INR 12 lakh. Around 85% of the batch was placed during NIFT Bangalore placements. The list of recruiters participated in the placement process include Titan, Flipkart, Amazon, and many others.

4. National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Hyderabad:

NIFT Hyderabad is ranked 4 by India Today 2025 for Fashion Design and is one of the 18 campuses under the NIFT. The institute offer various design courses include B.Des, B.FTech, MFM, etc. NIFT Hyderabad tuition fees ranges between INR 6 lakh – INR 12 lakh and the highest placement package offered during campus placement was around INR 6 LPA. The prominent recruiters participated include Manglam Arts, Arvind Limited, Bewakoof.com, Woodland, and many others.

5. National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Chennai:

The NIFT Chennai offers UG, PG, and diploma courses to students across Design, Management, Technology, and other streams. The institute is ranked 5 as per India Today rankings 2025. The flagship course of NIFT Chennai is B.Des. NIFT entrance exam is the top entrance exam accepted in top NIFT colleges in India. NIFT Chennai tuition fee ranges between INR 5 lakh – INR 12 lakh. The average placement offered INR 5 LPA and the top recruiters participated in placement process include Landmark Group, Trident Group, Classic Fashion Apparel Industry Ltd., and many others.

6. National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Gandhinagar:

NIFT Gandhinagar is a government institute. It is ranked 6th by the India Today 2025 ranking. Undergraduate, Postgraduate, and Diploma courses are offered at the NIFT Gandhinagar.  The tuition fees range between 5 to 12 lakhs. In 2022, the institute recorded nearly 82% placement drive. Its placement parts are Tanishq, Lifestyle, Naukri.com, among others. 

7. National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Kolkata:

NIFT Kolkata is ranked 8 by India Today 2025 for Fashion Design. The flagship course offered at NIFT Kolkata is BDes. As per the Institution's admission guidelines, candidates must appear for the The National Institute of Technology (NIFT) entrance exam for admission to NIFT kolkata. NIFT Kolkata fee structure for different programmes lies between INR 5 lakh – INR 12 lakh. The salary package offered during campus placements was around INR 8 LPA and the top recruiters participated include UCB, Nykaa Fashion, Raga Design, Reebok, etc.

8. National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Patna:

NIFT Patna is a government institute and is ranked 6th by India Today rankings 2025. The institute offer various courses like B.Des, B.FTech, MFM, etc. The admission is based on the national-level entrance examination conducted by NIFT called NIFT Entrance Exam. NIFT Patna fee structure for different programmes lies between INR 25,000 and INR 12 lakh. The NIFT Patna placement percentage was between 70% and 80%. The list of recruiters participated include Laguna, Silver Spark, Raymond, and many others.

9. National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Jodhpur:

NIFT Jodhpur is ranked 9th as per India Today rankings 2025. The institute offers UG, PG and Continuing Education (CE) programmes to students. These courses are offered across streams, including Fashion Design, Textile Design, Fashion Management, and more. The various courses offer include B.Des, MFM, B.FTech, M.Des, and many others. As per Shiksha review page, the highest package offered during NIFT placements was INR 8 LPA and 70% placement rate recorded during NIFT Jodhpur placements 2022. Many top companies visited NIFT Jodhpur campus such as Nykaa, Monte Carlo, Raymond among others.

10. National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Kannur:

NIFT Kannur is a government institute and is ranked 11 as per India Today rankings 2025. The institute offers B.Des and B.FTech at UG level, M.Des and MFM at PG level and Continuing Education Programme (CEP) Programmes. NIFT Kannur fee structure for different programmes lies between INR 5 lakh and INR 12 lakh. As per the data fetched from Shiksha students' reviews, the highest package offered in recent placements was around INR 9 LPA. Furthermore, the NIFT Kannur placement rate in recent years stood between 60% and 70%. The prominent recruiters participated include Trident Hotels, Raymond, Gucci, Lifestyle, Fab India, etc.

Cost of Pursuing Design Courses in Top 10 NIFT Colleges in India

National Institute of Fashion Technology is an autonomous institute offering courses in fashion, technology, and management. A B.Des at any of the top NIFT colleges (Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore etc.) typically costs INR 12 Lakh to 14 Lakh for 4 year tuition fees. Total fees including hostel and other fees typically runs over INR 15-16 Lakh. M.Des courses typically costs around INR 4-6 Lakh.The table below shows the NIFT top 10 colleges in India along with their tuition fees:

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from the official website/ sanctioning body and may vary.

Latest Update:

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Entrance Exams Accepted in Top NIFT Colleges in India 2026

NIFT is a national-level design entrance exam conducted by the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT). The exam is conducted once in every year. The exam is conducted in two parts: Written Exam and Situation Test/ Personal Interview.

The written exam comprises the GAT and CAT. The GAT paper is mandatory for all programs, while only B.Des and M.Des candidates need to take the CAT. 

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Design Courses Offered by NIFT Colleges in India

The most popular design program offered by NIFTs at the UG level is Bachelor of Design (BDes) and at the PG level is Master of Design (MDes). Given below are some of the Design courses offered by NIFTs in India -

Candidates are informed that the UG courses offered at NIFT are of four years duration, whereas the PG courses are of two years duration. BDes course at NIFT campuses is offered in the following B.Des specialisations:

NIFT Entrance Exam 2026: Programme-wise Weightage

The program-wise exam components and weightage are shown in the table below. Candidate needs to refer to this table to have a clear idea as to how they need to prepare for the NIFT entrance exam.

Also Read:

• NIFT Entrance Exam: Tips to prepare for Creative Ability Test
• How to Crack CAT Paper in NIFT Written Entrance?

Top NIFT Colleges in India: Courses Offered

NIFT colleges in India are design colleges that offers both UG as well as PG programs to aspirants. Listed below are some of the top UG and PG courses offered by top 10 colleges of NIFT in India.

Undergraduate Courses:

Listed below are the top UG design courses offered by top NIFT colleges in India:

• Des
• FTech

Postgraduate Courses:

Listed below are the top PG design courses offered by top NIFT colleges in India:

• Des
• FTech
• MFM

Top Recruiters Participated in the Best NIFT Institutes in India

Below is the list of the top recruiters of top NIFTs in India colleges along with their placement rating:

Read More:

• NIFT Fee Structure 2026
• NIFT 2026 - Institute-wise seat matrix, courses, and reservation