What is Common Merit Rank in NIFT Counselling 2026?: Factors, Seat Allotment, and Relationship with Seat Reservation
National Institute of Fashion Technology Entrance Exam 2026 ( NIFT Entrance Exam )
NIFT Counselling Round 1
15 Jun '26 - 1 Jul '26
Common Merit Rank or CMR in the NIFT Exam is the position which is assigned to a candidate at the time of declaration of the Final result. Read on to find what it is, how it helps in seat allotment and cutoff.
NIFT Common Merit Rank
NIFT Common Merit Rank is the position of the candidate in the national merit list based on NIFTEE final score. Rank is assigned regardless of category or any reservation. It depicts where a student stands based on the national level in NIFT 2026 Entrance Test.
With the declaration of the NIFT Final Result, NTA allots a Common Merit Rank to all the students. Seat Allotment is done on the basis of these CMRs. NIFT Seat Allotment is done on the basis of marks and Common Merit Rank.
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Higher your score, the better (lower) your rank.
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Rank determines your chances of getting into the top NIFT campuses and preferred courses.
NIFT Final Result 2026 was released on June 03, 2026.
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- What is Common Merit Rank in NIFT?
- Factors Affecting NIFT CMR
- What to do after getting NIFT CMR?
- NIFTEE Shortlisting Criteria 2026 based on CMR
- Relationship between NIFT Reservation of Seat 2026 and CMR
- NIFT Expected Cutoff 2026 (Campus-Wise) based on Common Merit Rank
What is Common Merit Rank in NIFT?
Common Merit Rank is used by NIFT to allot seat to students who have cleared all the stages of the entrance exam. It is given irrespective of category and reservation. For example, if your CMR is 350, it means 349 candidates have scored above what you in all categories. It should not be confused with Category Merit Rank, as Common Merit Rank is the overall rank among all the students and Category Merit Rank is the rank allotted when the reservation category is applicable. Let's check with an example, CMR = 1500 and SC Rank = 420. This means the Common Merit Rank is 1800, and 420 is the category rank amongst SC test takers.
NIFT merit ranking is valid only for the NIFT programme/ category for which the candidate has appeared and cannot be used for admission to any other programme/category. Common Merit ranking of the candidate will be valid only for the Admissions 2026 for which the candidate has appeared in the NIFT entrance examination.
Factors Affecting NIFT CMR
Some of the factors which affect the NIFT Common Merit Rank are given below.
- Marks in NIFT CAT, GAT and Stage 2
- Weightage of each section: CAT, GAT, Situation Test and Interview
- Overall performance of all candidates: how all the students performed overall
- Number of applicants who applied in that year
- Tie-breaking rules set by NIFT.
What to do after getting NIFT CMR?
Candidates who have secured a valid Common Merit Rank (CMR) in the NIFT final result will be asked to register in the May - June 2026 on the NIFT counselling portal: nift.admissions.nic.in. Registration is mandatory to participate in the Counselling / Seat Allocation Process.
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Commonly asked questions
NIFT result 2026 for Stage 1 was released on March 20.
| NIFT Result | 2026 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 | March 20, 2026 | April 24, 2025 |
| Stage 2 | June 03, 2026 | June 22, 2025 |
NIFT 2026 Final Result for UG and PG programmes was released on June 03, 2026.
No, you cannot get into NIFT colleges that you have not listed in your counselling application.
- The NIFT counseling process is done after the exam to allot colleges to qualified students in participating institutes.
- Once the NIFT exam results are announced by the NTA, NIFT will declare its counseling schedule.
- You will be required to participate in the counseling process at your preferred institute. The university will assign you to a NIFT Institute based on your score, rank and preferences.
- If you have not listed any college, you will not get a seat allocation in that college even if you meet the qualifying cutoff.
There will be three rounds of counselling in NIFT Counselling 2026. One round of spot counselling is also expected if there are seats left.
| NIFT Seat Allotment Round | Date / Timeline (Tentative) |
|---|---|
| Registration and Document Uploading | June 2026 |
| Document Verification | June 2026 |
| Choice Filling and Locking | June 2026 |
| Seat Allotment | June 2026 |
| Willingness Submission & Admission Fee Payment | June 2026 |
NIFTEE Shortlisting Criteria 2026 based on CMR
Candidates applying for both B.F.Tech & B.Des need to appear in an entrance examination comprising a NIFT General Ability Test (GAT) and Creative Ability Test (CAT). For such candidates, two separate Common Merit Ranks (CMRs) will be generated. One for B.Des Programme and one for B.F.Tech Programme.
The shortlisting is done based on the criteria given.
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Commonly asked questions
No, you cannot raise an objection against the NIFT Result. Objections can be raised only at the time of release of the Provisional Answer Key. Once the Final Answer Key is made, result is declared on it.
There is no option to apply for a recheck of NIFT 2026 results. If the candidate has any doubts, they are allowed to challenge NIFT provisional answer key. Final Answer key is made on the basis of Provsional answer key.
The NIFT 2026 written exam is the 1st stage of the entrance exam and includes the CAT and GAT. The results for the NIFT written exam were announced on March 20, 2026.
The NIFT exam includes two stages - The candidate first appears in the written exams, and if shortlisted has to next appear in a Situation Test/ Personal Interview (PI).
Note that the written exams for the B.Des and M.Des program includes the GAT and CAT, whereas for the other programs the written exam includes only the GAT.
The final score for the B. Des programme will be prepared by considering the performance of the candidate in CAT, GAT and the Situation Test. In case of the B.FTech programme, the merit list will be prepared based on GAT scores.
NIFT Final Result: Weightage
| Programme | Test | Weightage |
Bachelor of Design (BDes) | CAT | 50% |
| GAT | 30% | |
| Situation Test | 20% | |
| Bachelor of Fashion Technology (BFTech) | GAT | 100% |
Master of Design (MDes) | CAT | 40% |
| GAT | 30% | |
| GD/PI | 30% | |
Master of Fashion Technology (MFTech) | GAT | 70% |
| GD/PI | 30% | |
Master of Fashion Management (MFM) | GAT | 70% |
| GD/PI | 30% |
| Programme |
Entrance Examination Components |
Shortlisting Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| B.Des. |
General Ability Test (GAT), Creative Ability Test (CAT) |
Shortlisted based on the entrance examination, followed by a Situation Test |
| B.F.Tech. |
General Ability Test (GAT) |
Shortlisted based on the GAT |
| B.F. Tech & B. Des |
General Ability Test (GAT), Creative Ability Test (CAT) |
Separate Common Merit Ranks (CMRs) will be generated for: B. Des: Based on entrance exam results + Situation Test B.F.Tech: Based on GAT Candidates applying for B.F. Tech with Maths can also enrol for B. Des by taking CAT along with GAT (not applicable for NLEA) |
| M.Des. |
General Ability Test (GAT), Creative Ability Test (CAT) |
Shortlisted based on GAT + CAT, followed by a Personal Interview (PI) |
| M.F.M. |
General Ability Test (GAT) |
Shortlisted based on the GAT, followed by a Personal Interview (PI) |
| M.F.M & M. Des. |
General Ability Test (GAT), Creative Ability Test (CAT) |
Separate Common Merit Ranks (CMRs) will be generated for: M.F.M: Based on GAT (Sections A & B) + PI M.Des: Based on GAT (Section A) + CAT + PI |
| M.F.Tech. |
General Ability Test (GAT) |
Shortlisted based on the GAT, followed by a Personal Interview (PI) |
| Ph.D. |
Written test |
Research Proposal Presentation and Interview (RPPI) |
Relationship between NIFT Reservation of Seat 2026 and CMR
NIFT 2026 seats are reserved for SC/ST/OBC (Non-Creamy Layer)/GEN-EWS/ Person With Disability (PwD) in each programme.
| Category |
Percentage |
|---|---|
| SC |
15 % |
| ST |
7.5 % |
| OBC (NON-CREAMY LAYER) |
27 % |
| GEN-EWS |
10 % |
| Person with Disability (PwD)* |
5 %* |
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5% horizontal reservation for Person with Disability (PWD) (with 40% or more disability), cutting across all categories, i.e., SCs, STs, OBCs (NCL) and Open Category Academic programme will be allotted as per the recommendations of NIFT's Evaluation Committee.
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The seats will be allotted to the PwD candidates during the seat allocation process based on the Common Merit Rank (CMR) in the respective category.
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Unfilled PwD seats will be merged to the respective category, i.e., Open (PWD) to Open, OBC(NCL) (PWD) to OBC (NCL), SC(PWD) to SC and ST(PWD) to ST, in the spot round of seat allocation.
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Candidates should make sure that they have the requisite valid and verifiable certificate for the category chosen.
Commonly asked questions
The NTA will release the recorded responses for the NIFT 2025 written exam before the declaration of results.
The recorded responses can be downloaded online from the NTA website - exams.nta.ac.in/NIFT. To download the recordedd responses, log in using your application number and date of birth.
The NTA will also release the NIFT 2025 question paper along with the recorded responses.
The recorded responses can be used by the candidate to calculate the number of correct attempts, and consequently the probable score.
Yes, a non-refundable registration fee is applicable during the counselling process. The amount and payment details will be mentioned in the official counselling notification.
NIFT Counselling Process has the following steps:
- Registration and Choice filling by the candidates
- Uploading of documents
- Paying the Seat Acceptance Fee
- Document Verification
- Receiving of Allotment Letter.
Yes, there is NIFT Counselling fee. Candidate have to pay a registration fee of INR 9,300. The candidate will have to pay a seat-acceptance fee of INR 1,83,200 only if he or she has been allocated a seat.
NIFT Expected Cutoff 2026 (Campus-Wise) based on Common Merit Rank
The following table provides the expected NIFT 2026 cutoff ranks for top campuses based on previous year data and admission trends.
|
Campus |
Expected B.Des Common Merit Rank (General) |
Expected B.F.Tech CMR (General) |
Admission Chances |
|---|---|---|---|
|
NIFT Delhi |
1 - 150 |
1 - 200 |
Very High |
|
NIFT Mumbai |
150 - 400 |
200 - 450 |
High |
|
NIFT Bengaluru |
400 - 700 |
450 - 800 |
High |
|
NIFT Chennai |
700 - 1000 |
800 - 1100 |
Moderate |
|
NIFT Hyderabad |
1000 - 1300 |
1100 - 1400 |
Moderate |
|
NIFT Kolkata |
1300 - 1600 |
1400 - 1700 |
Moderate |
|
NIFT Gandhinagar |
1600 - 1900 |
1700 - 2000 |
Low |
|
NIFT Patna |
1900 - 2200 |
2000 - 2300 |
Low |
|
NIFT Shillong |
2200 - 2500 |
2300 - 2600 |
Low |
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 2 months 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
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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