Why join NIFT – How is National Institute of Fashion Technology different from other design colleges

The NIFTs are easily the most in-demand colleges for pursuing a design course in India. One major reason being most of the NIFTs, and especially the older ones, frequently top the rankings of top colleges. Here we bring you the list of NIFTs in India and discuss why students should join this design school. Also, learn about the NIFT specialty areas, the admission process, and famous alumni.

NIFT or National Institute of Fashion Technology is a premier design school in India. Most students who wish to make a career in fashion design aspire to study at NIFT.

Set up in 1986 under the aegis of Ministry of Textiles, Government of India as a registered society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. NIFT was given the status of a Statutory Institute as part of the NIFT Act 2006.

On its establishment, NIFT instructors were from Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, USA. Further, distinguished personalities from the field of fashion and design were recruited to form in-house faculty of NIFT. “Pupul Jaykar Hall at NIFT headquarters in New Delhi is a reminiscence of many educational thinkers and visionaries who have been instrumental to the institute's road map to success”, informs the official website.

NIFT Accreditation

NIFT Act 2006 published in the Gazette of India on July 14, 2006 confers Statutory Status on the institute. This Act came into effect from April 1, 2007.

As per the act the President of India is the 'Visitor' of NIFT. Also, the act gives NIFT the power to award Degrees as well as other distinctions on completion of the course. NIFT is the first design institute in India that can award its own degrees.

The Degrees awarded by NIFT are recognised by academia worldwide. The design institute is known to confer Degrees to the graduates as part of the Convocation Ceremony which is conducted each year.

NIFT Admission Process

Admission to design courses at the NIFTs is conducted through the NIFT 2024 entrance exam.

The NIFT is a two-step exam. The candidate first appears in the GAT and CAT written exams. If shortlisted, the candidate will have to appear in a Situation Test/ Personal Interview.  

The online application form for NIFT 2024 is expected to commence in the 1st week of November 2023.

NIFT Speciality Areas & How it is different from other Design schools

There are many other popular design colleges in India. However, what sets National Institute of Fashion Technology apart from them is that it offers more in-depth and diverse courses related to the fashion industry.

At NIFT “they teach you about fabrics, illustration, aesthetic sense, garment construction, styling etc. The education system at NIFT is such that we are taught more about apparels. Also, NIFT teaches you in and out of everything related to fashion”, shares Shreya an alumni of NIFT Delhi.

Sharing the same thoughts Shiksha’s Design stream expert, Shipra Anand said, “NIFT focuses on Fashion and Apparel sector while NID and IDC focus on Industrial Design and Communication Design sector”.

Why Should Students Opt to Secure Admission at NIFTs

One of the aspects due to which aspirants should opt to secure admission at any of the NIFTs is their placement and Shipra even shared that the best placements in fashion industry take place at NIFT.

She further revealed other reasons to select NIFT as a college choice by saying, “NIFT has student exchange tie-ups with more than 32 countries in the world. Hence, best exposure and opportunities for higher education or design interventions happen through NIFT”. It’s not just this, even the Government of India considers NIFT to be the premier most fashion design college in the country. “Anything in textile and apparel industry that is undertaken by the GOI is entrusted with NIFT. For example: Metro uniforms were designed by NIFT, new blankets in railways were designed by NIFT, khadi innovations happen with NIFT, craft clusters under GOI also happen with NIFT”, informed Shipra.

List of NIFTs

NIFT has its headquarters at New Delhi. The list of NIFTs along with their year of establishment is mentioned below:

NIFT Campus	Year of Establishment
NIFT New Delhi	1986
NIFT Gandhinagar	1995
NIFT Hyderabad	1995
NIFT Chennai	1995
NIFT Mumbai	1995
NIFT Kolkata	1995
NIFT Bengaluru	1996
NIFT Rae Bareli	2007
NIFT Bhopal	2008
NIFT Kannur	2008
NIFT Shillong	2008
NIFT Patna	2008
NIFT Kangra	2009
NIFT Bhubaneswar	2010
NIFT Jodhpur	2010
NIFT Srinagar	2016
NIFT Panchkula	2019

Also Read: List of NIFTs in India: Rankings, Admissions, Courses and Fees

NIFT Admissions

Aspirants can secure admission in National Institute of Fashion Technology on the basis of their rank/score in NIFT Entrance Exam. Candidates can secure admission through NIFT entrance exam in design disciplines like:

• Fashion Design
• Textile Design
• Accessory Design
• Leather Design
• Knitwear Design
• Fashion Communication

Also Read:

• UCEED vs NID - Which is Better?
• NID vs NIFT - Differences, Participating colleges, Admission Process, Placement
• How to Crack UCEED in 6 Months
• NIFT 2024 Quantitative Ability Syllabus, Questions & Preparation Tips

Famous Alumni

NIFT is known to be the alma mater of famous designers in India. Some eminent alumni of NIFT are listed below:

Rohit Bal, Fashion Designer	Ritu Beri, Fashion Designer	Manish Arora, Fashion Designer
Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Fashion Designer	JJ Valaya, Fashion Designer	Prabal Gurung, Fashion Designer
Govind Kumar Singh, Fashion Designer	Shantanu Goenka, Fashion Designer	Rajesh Pratap Singh, Fashion Designer
Shivaji Dutta, Fashion Designer	Tanya Gyani, Interior Designer	Neha Sharma, Actress
Gulshan Devaiah, Actor	Kritika Kamra , Actress	Nikita Anand, Model/Actress
Riya Sen, Actress	Karan Mehra, Actor	Nikunj Malik, Actress

Read More:

• Famous Indian fashion designers and how they made it big
• Top 10 Fashion Design Colleges in India
• Top Design Entrance Exams Conducted in India
• 5 Most Beautiful Fashion Design Colleges in India