Top 10 Design Colleges in India 2025: Ranking, Courses, Fees, Admission, Placements
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Some of the popular Design colleges in India include NIFT, Amity University, Pearl Academy, Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design And Technology, World University of Design, and MIT Institute of Design. As far as rankings are concerned, the NIFTs continue to dominate. For instance, in the India Today rankings, eight of the top ten positions are occupied by NIFTs.
Design is a diverse field that covers numerous elements including Fashion, Textile, Graphics, Apparel, Web, Games, UI/UX, Jewellery, and so on. With the rising popularity and introduction of new concepts related to aesthetics, the yearly turnover of the Design industry has surpassed every other sector.
- Top 10 Design Colleges in India
- Top Fashion Design Colleges in India 2024 - India Today Rankings
- Best Designing Colleges in India: Eligibility Criteria 2025
- Top Design Colleges in India: Exam Schedule 2025
- Best Private Design Colleges in India
- Best Govt. Design Colleges in India
- Best Designing Institutes in India: Courses, Fees, Eligibility
- Top Design Career Options After Graduation
- Design Career Scope: Top Recruiters in India
Top 10 Design Colleges in India
Here is a list of top 10 Design colleges in India along with their details of admission, tuition fees, courses, placements, etc.
- National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Delhi:
The National Institute of Fashion Technology in Delhi is ranked 1 for Fashion Design by The Week 2023 and Business Today 2023. NIFT Delhi courses include BDes, BFTech (Bachelor of Fashion Technology), MDes, and MFM (Master of Fashion Management), among others. NIFT Delhi fees range from INR 64,900 to INR 12.34 lakh. Many top recruiters such as Myntra, Nike, Aditya Birla Group, Fab India, and others, participate in the NIFT Delhi placements.
- National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Bangalore:
The NIFT Bangalore has been ranked 2 for Fashion Design by The Week 2020 and India Today 2020 rankings. NIFT offers BDes, MFM, MFT and MDes in various specialisations. The total tuition fee for all the courses offered here ranges between INR 60,000 - INR 1,234,000.
- National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Mumbai:
NIFT Mumbai College is ranked 2 and 3 by India Today 2023 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. Admission to NIFT Mumbai is through the NIFT Entrance Exam. Some of the top recruiters that have visited the NIFT Mumbai campus for placements include Bata India Limited, H&M and Monte Carlo, among others.
- National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Chennai:
The National Institute of Fashion Technology Chennai offers UG, PG, and diploma courses to students across Design, Management, Technology, and other streams. NIFT College Chennai is ranked 2nd by The Week 2024 for Fashion Design. The total tuition fee charged for the various courses ranges between INR 59,000 - INR 1,234,000. NIFT Chennai famous for its flagship courses such as B.Des, MFM, B.FTech, and many others.
- National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad:
This Institute of Design in Ahmedabad is declared as an Institution of National Importance by the Act of Parliament. National Institute of Design Paldi Ahmedabad is known for its MDes and BDes courses.
- Pearl Academy, New Delhi:
Pearl Academy Rajouri Garden is one of the top Fashion institutes in India. Pearl Academy of Fashion Delhi offers UG, PG, and other courses to students. These courses are provided across the Fashion Design, Interior Design, and various other streams. Pearl Academy Delhi provides BDes and MDes as flagship courses.
- World University of Design:
With a total of 39 courses offered at WUD, the college offers education in the field of Arts ( Fine / Visual / Performing ), Design, and Business & Management Studies, among other streams to the students. WUD provides undergraduate, postgraduate, and diploma programmes. The courses include B.Des, M.Des, and many others.
- Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology:
Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design And Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education offers UG and PG courses, including B.Des, B.Voc, BFA, M.Des, M.Plan, MFA and PG Diploma.
- MIT Institute of Design, MIT-ADT University:
MIT Institute of Design (MITID) is a private institution which is a part of MIT ADT University. The institute offer various courses include B.Des, M.Des, and many othes.
- Symbiosis Institute of Design (SID), Pune:
SID offers high-quality design education with a focus on creative and practical learning in fields such as product design, graphic design, and animation. Symbiosis Design is ranked as the second-best Private Fashion Design College by the India Today & Outlook I-Care Rankings for 2022. The institute offer various courses like B.Des and M.Des.
Commonly asked questions
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.
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 |
Top Fashion Design Colleges in India 2024 - India Today Rankings
| Name of the Institute |
India Today 2022 Ranking |
India Today 2023 Ranking |
India Today 2024 Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
1 |
1 |
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| 2 |
2 |
2 |
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| 3 |
3 |
3 |
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| 4 |
4 |
5 |
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| 5 |
6 |
6 |
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| 6 |
7 |
8 |
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| 7 |
5 |
4 |
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| 8 |
8 |
7 |
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| 9 |
9 |
9 |
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| 10 |
11 |
12 |
Disclaimer: This information is official website of ranking body listed and may vary.
Best Designing Colleges in India: Eligibility Criteria 2025
Here’s a general overview of the minimum eligibility requirements every candidate must fulfil to get admission to a Design course in India’s colleges:
| Course Level |
Eligibility Criteria |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate/UG Diploma |
|
| Postgraduate/PG Diploma/PGDM |
|
| Doctorate |
|
| After 10th Diploma/Certification |
|
Note: The Design courses eligibility criteria mentioned above may vary depending on the college policies.
Links useful for Design Courses:
Commonly asked questions
Shift | NIFTEE Stage 1 2026 Exam | Registered (expected) | Appeared (expected) |
|---|---|---|---|
Shift 1 | General Ability Test (GAT) | 18000+ | 17000+ |
Shift 2 | Creative Ability Test (CAT) | 16000+ | 15000+ |
Total |
| 34000+ | 32000+ |
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 |
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Top Design Colleges in India: Exam Schedule 2025
Given below are Popular Design entrance exams through which candidates can get admission to Design courses along with their schedule:
| Entrance Exams |
Exam Dates |
Exam Schedule |
|---|---|---|
| NIFT Entrance Exam |
over for 2025 |
|
| UCEED |
over for 2025 |
|
| CUET |
over for 2025 |
|
| CUET-PG |
over for 2025 |
|
| GATE |
over for 2025 |
Note: The Design entrance exam dates and schedules mentioned above may vary depending on the latest updates.
Best Private Design Colleges in India
The table below shows the top private Design colleges in India along with their tuition fees and their accepted entrance exams:
| Private Colleges |
Tuition Fee |
Entrance Exams |
|---|---|---|
| INR 2 lakh – INR 30 lakh |
Pearl Academy Entrance Exam, MAT, XAT, etc. |
|
| INR 2 lakh – INR 11 lakh |
CUET |
|
| INR 1 lakh – INR 16 lakh |
NIFT Entrance Exam, NID Entrance Exam, UCEED, etc. |
|
| INR 35,000 – INR 5 lakh |
JDIFT GAT |
|
| INR 3 lakh – INR 17 lakh |
CUET |
|
| INR 17 lakh |
NIFT Entrance Exam, NID Entrance Exam, UCEED, etc. |
Disclaimer: This information is sourced from the official website/counseling body and may vary.
Commonly asked questions
Candidates can check NIFT cutoff 2026 online on the official website of the National Institute of Fashion Technology. NIFT cutoff is released as a PDF file containing the opening and closing ranks. The cut-off would be category-specific. So, the candidate needs to check the cut-off for the category they belong to. Also, note that candidates from reserved categories will be considered for admission under general category as well. However, candidates belonging to open category will not be considered for admission under reserved categories.
NIFT master's programme is offered in Master of Design (M. Des. ), Master of Fashion Management (M. F. M) and Master of Fashion Technology (M. F. Tech. ).
The cut-off would be released separately for all these courses. This means, if the candidate meets the cut-off criteria for M. Des but fails to meet the cut-off for M. F. Tech, in that case the candidate will only be eligible for admission to the M. Des programme. So, the candidate needs to check out the cut-off or closing ranks for the programme they are seeking admission to. The cut-off would be determined by considering factors like total applicants, seat intake, merit ranks of the applicants, and also admission category.
Best Govt. Design Colleges in India
The table below shows the top government Design colleges in India along with their tuition fees and their accepted entrance exams:
| Public/Govt. Colleges |
Total Tuition fee |
Eligibility/Exams |
|---|---|---|
| INR 10.68 lakh – INR 14.68 lakh |
DAT |
|
| INR 70,800 – INR 12.34 lakh |
NIFT Entrance Exam and Merit-Based |
|
| INR 1.3 lakh – INR 11.74 lakh |
NIFT Entrance Exam and Merit-Based |
|
| INR 9.97 lakh |
DAT |
|
| INR 9.97 lakh |
NID Entrance Exam |
Disclaimer: This information is sourced from the official website/counseling body and may vary.
Best Designing Institutes in India: Courses, Fees, Eligibility
Please refer to the table below for some of the top Design schools in India with their courses offered and tuition fees:
| College Names |
Courses Offered |
Tuition Fee/ Eligibility |
|---|---|---|
| Amity University Noida |
BDes in Fashion Design, Bachelor of Interior Design, Bachelor in User Experience Design, etc. |
Fee: INR 2.88 lakh - INR 12.54 lakh CUET, Merit-Based, etc. |
| NID Ahmedabad |
BDes in Animation Film Design, BDes in Graphic Design, MDes in Film and Video Communication, etc. |
Fee: INR 11.43 lakh - INR 15.72 lakh Design Aptitude Test |
| NIFT Delhi |
MDes, BDes in Fashion Design, MFM, etc. |
Fee: INR 70,800 - INR 12.34 lakh NIFT Entrance Exam, CEED, etc. |
| MIT-ADT University |
MDes in User Experience Design, BDes in Product Design, BDes in Animation Design, etc. |
Fee: INR 4.9 lakh - INR 12.65 lakh MITID DAT |
| NIFT Mumbai |
MDes, BDes in Fashion Communication, BFTech in Apparel Production, etc. |
Fee: INR 1.64 lakh - INR 12.34 lakh NIFT Entrance Exam, CEED, etc. |
Disclaimer: This information is sourced from the official website/counseling body and may vary.
Commonly asked questions
NIFT Bengaluru has 190 BDes and 38 BFTech seats. NIFT Bengaluru is one of the leading fashion design colleges in India. The admission cut-off for the institute tends to be higher, so the candidate must have a high merit rank to have a good chance of admission. Admission to both the BDes and BFTech courses at the institute will be conducted on the basis of the merit rank of the candidate in the NIFT 2023 exam. Candidates seeking admission to the BDes programme need to appear in the CAT GAT and Situation Test. However, BFTech applicants only need to take the GAT exam.
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 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 |
The candidate will be able to select their choice of NIFT 2025 participating institutes (in the order of priority) at the time of filling out the NIFT 2025 counseling registration form.
Online registration for NIFT 2025 counseling will start soon after the final results are declared.
The counseling registrations for NIFT 2025 will be open to candidates who have qualified in the NIFT 2025 entrance exam.
The allotment of seats (or campus) to the B. Des programme will be on the basis of merit rank of the candidate in the NIFT 2025 entrance exam and campus selected. So, candidates who are higher in the NIFT 2025 merit rank will be given preference in the seat allotment.
Top Design Career Options After Graduation
See table below:
| Job Profiles | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Graphic Designers | INR 3.9 LPA |
| User Experience (UX) Designers | INR 11.9 LPA |
| User Interface (UI) Designers | INR 6.1 LPA |
| Photographers | INR 3.8 LPA |
| Interior Designers | INR 4.2 LPA |
| Art Directors | INR 9.3 LPA |
| Advertising and Promotions Managers | INR 8.3 LPA |
| Fashion Designers | INR 4.3 LPA |
| Textile Designers | INR 5.1 LPA |
| Animation Designers | INR 4.2 LPA |
Note: The salary information is sourced from Ambitionbox.com.
Recommended Links for Design Career Scope:
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Design Career Scope: Top Recruiters in India
For businesses to hire people for senior positions, these recruiters provide job offers to recent graduates. The companies that recruit the most designers every year are:
| Design Top Recruiters | ||
|---|---|---|
| Arvind Garments | ITC Ltd | Myntra |
| Nykaa | Ubisoft | EA Sports |
| Vir Mueller Architects | Wallmakers | Talati and Partners |
| Art-n-Glass Inc. | Satyam Gartex | Monkey Business |
| Microsoft | IBM | |
| Lifestyle | Swarovski | Raymond Apparel Ltd. |
Note: The information is from external sites and may vary.
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