What to expect in B.Des Course at NIFT 2026?: Admission, Curriculum, Specialisation
National Institute of Fashion Technology Entrance Exam 2026 ( NIFT Entrance Exam )
If you're passionate about design and considering a Bachelor of Design (B.Des) at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), then you are at the right place. NTA will tentatively conduct the NIFT 2026 Entrance Exam in the second week of February 2026. The exam will usually be conducted in 82 cities across India. The candidate can select their choice of NIFT 2026 exam center when applying for the exam. The NIFT 2026 application form is most likely to be released in the third week of November 2025. Candidates who qualify in the written exams will be invited for a Situation Test/ Studio Test and a NIFT Personal Interview. The final result of NIFT 2026 will be prepared by giving weightage to the written exam and Situation Test/ PI. The NIFT 2026 merit list will be used for NIFT 2026 counselling and NIFT Seat Allotment. The results of the NIFT 2026 written exam will be declared in April 2026.
NIFT Admissions: Know your B. Des Curriculum
The study of design is a complete departure from all the conventional education that you have been going through till now. Design is largely a practical field that majorly concentrates on the “learning by doing” methodology. There are only a few entirely theoretical subjects. The four years of college aim at grooming you into a complete professional fit, enough to shoulder the responsibilities & demands of the industry. This is achieved through holistic training, not only in terms of subject knowledge but also practical application of the same.
The B.Des course grooms you to have creative ideas & skills, a technical approach to transform your illustrations into products, industrial aspects like production planning, quality control, merchandising, visual merchandising, marketing, etc. While the latter part of the curriculum is taught across all departments, the former shall vary as per the technical specialisation that you choose.
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The first year of NIFT Curriculum is a common foundation programme where the students are apprised of the basic of drawing, sketching, rendering techniques, visual & representation techniques, material exploration, all types of colour medium handling, world art appreciation, Indian art appreciation, History of fashion, elements of design, colour theory which any design student should be knowing irrespective of their specialisation.
No, the admission criteria for the BDes programme is entrance-based. NIFT Delhi BDes course admission is granted based on applicants performance in the NIFT Entrance Exam. Candidates shortlisted based on exam score are called for the personal interview round followed counselling. The students looking for direct admissions are advised to contact the admission office.
On the day of the NIFT written exam, the candidate must bring with them
- NIFT admit card
- A valid photo ID proof
- HB Pencils, Eraser, Sharpener, Dry Colours
Items which are not allowed inside the exam venue are Water bottle, Papers, Notes, Books, Calculator, Electronic gadgets, Mobile phone, Bag, Handbag, Correction marker/ white fluid.
The next three years shall concentrate on the specific field as per your choice during NIFT Counselling, which you get to choose from the range of Fashion design, textile design, knitwear design, leather design, accessories design(this too offers a variety of choices) & fashion communication.
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Let us get acquainted with what each B.Des specialisation holds:
1. Textile design: This is where designing begins, the fabric design. Right from the fibre stage, which is spun into yarn, then further woven into fabric, followed by various finishing processes, dyeing, printing, embroideries & surface embellishment techniques are studied.
You can expect subjects like fibre science, textile science, dyeing, printing, various embroideries, surface ornamentation techniques, CAD as a part of the specialisation.
2. Fashion design: From where a textile designer ends, a fashion designer picks up. This is all about garment or apparel designing- the wearables. The subject focus shall be on Fabric knowledge, elements of fashion, fashion art, illustration, pattern making, draping, grading, garment construction, embroidery, CAD, etc.
NIFT situation test will evaluate the candidate on Colour scheme, Space visualization, Construction skill, Finesse of the model, Composition of elements, Overall presentation, Innovative and creative use of given material, etc. The Situation Test will be evaluated on the spot. Also, the model made by the candidate will not be preserved for future reference. The candidate must make sure that their model is unique and stands out from the crowd. After making the model, the candidate must make a write-up explaining the model.
The application process for NIFT Chennai is completely online. Candidates have to apply for via the official NIFT Admissions website. For admission to the NIFT programmes, candidates are required to appear for the NIFT entrance exam. First candidates have to register and create a unique id. Fill the application from and submit all the required documents. And before submitting the application form pay the application fee.
NIFT Chennai cutoff 2025 has been released for different categories of students belonging to the General AI quota. Considering the Round 1 cutoff, the closing ranks for General AI category students varied between 130 and 1420. The most sought-after course for admission with the lowest cutoff rank of 130 was Master of Fashion Management (MFM). For other courses and specialisations, the cutoff ranks are tabulated below:
| Course | NIFT Round 1 Cutoff 2025 |
|---|---|
| B.Des. in Accessory Design | 551 |
| B.Des. in Textile Design | 972 |
| B.Des. in Knitwear Design | 1220 |
| B.FTech. in Apparel Production | 253 |
| Master of Fashion Management (MFM) | 130 |
| B.Des. in Fashion Design | 471 |
| B.Des. in Leather Design | 1420 |
| B.Des. in Fashion Communication | 299 |
3. Knitwear design: This entails fabric as well as garment designing using knitting as a technique, both coarse knits (flatbed knitting) & fine knits (circular knitting). Where textile & fashion deal with fabric design & garment design separately, knitwear design deals with both fabric and garment design, but with an exclusive knitting technique.
Expect to study knitting technology, flat bed knitting machine, circular knitting machine, elements of fashion, fashion art, illustration, pattern making, draping, grading, garment construction for knits, CAD, etc.
The textile & knitwear design are highly technical courses.
4. Leather design deals with leather finishing & garment designing, again dealing with leather processing & finishing techniques, elements of fashion, fashion art, illustration, pattern making, grading, garment construction, CAD, etc.
5. Accessories Design: Accessories are the things that we use apart from our basic clothing, like jewellery, footwear, bags, belts, headgear, handicrafts, fragrances, perfumes, interior accessories, etc. This is a product design course, hence it requires a great deal of 3D visualisation. You study form & material exploration, fabrication techniques, illustration, etc.
6. Fashion Communication is a very promising field offering a variety of specialisations like fashion photography & advertising (with inputs in graphics & animation, in limitation), fashion event management, fashion journalism & visual merchandising. People who are good with language, communication & interaction skills may pursue this field.
Learning by doing also means a lot of real hard work...so NIFTians, gear up!!! Next, we shall be discussing the details of B.F.Tech & MFM courses & the career opportunities that await you after your Bachelor’s / Master's from NIFT.
Till then, enjoy being a NIFTian!!!
About the Author: Shipra Anand is the Founder Director of Academy for Fashion Careers in Lucknow.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 2 months ago
The fee for M.Des programme offered at NIFT is around INR 8 Lakhs.
| Fee Components | Fee Amount (2 Years) (2025) |
|---|---|
| Tuition Fees | 5.86 Lakhs |
| Hostel Fees* | 2.21 Lakhs |
| One-time payment* | 27,200 |
| Total fees | 8.35 Lakhs |
* Hostel fee is calculated on the basis of 1st year. Actual amount may vary. The fees might include components other than hostel fees. Meal Plan is not included in the mentioned fee.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
The fee of the B.Des programme at NIFT is around INR 14 lakhs.
| Semester | NIFT Fees 2024 (INR) | NIFT Fees 2025 (INR) |
|---|---|---|
| Semester 1 | 1,83,200 | 1,91,700 |
| Semester 2 | 1,43,000 | 1,50,000 |
| Semester 3 | 1,69,800 | 1,78,700 |
| Semester 4 | 1,50,000 | 1,58,000 |
| Semester 5 | 1,78,700 | 1,87,800 |
| Semester 6 | 1,58,000 | 1,66,000 |
| Semester 7 | 1,93,700 | 2,03,200 |
| Semester 8 | 1,66,000 | 1,74,000 |
| Total (4 Years) | 13,42,400 | 14,09,400 |
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), New Delhi, is the best based on the India Today ranking (2025).
NIFT Delhi is considered the best NIFT campus in India because of the following:
It consistently ranks No. 1 among all NIFTs (India Today Ranking: 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021)
It has
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
The NIFT entrance exam is considered moderately difficult. The level of difficulty of the exam depends on a student's strengths and preparation. Since seats are limited and competition is high, even average questions feel tougher due to the pressure.
B.Des exam tests creativity, design aptitude, obse
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
The educational qualification for NIFT admissions varies from course to course:
| Programme | Educational Qualification Required |
|---|---|
| B.Des (Bachelor of Design) | Passed 10+2 (Class 12) in any stream (Science, Commerce, Arts, Humanities) from a recognised board |
| B.FTech (Bachelor of Fashion Technology) | Passed 10+2 (Class 12) in any stream, but Mathematics as a subject in 10+2 is compulsory |
| M.Des (Master of Design) | Undergraduate degree in any discipline from a recognised university |
| M.FTech (Master of Fashion Technology) | B.FTech from NIFT or B.E./B.Tech from a recognised university |
| MFM (Master of Fashion Management) | Undergraduate degree in any discipline from a recognised university |
S
Contributor-Level 10
The NIFT exam is among the competitive and is also considered among the toughest. So, it is recommended that the candidate starts their exam preparation early. NIFT exam has various components like written exam and Situation Test /Personal Interview. Candidates seeking admission to the B. Des and M.Des courses need to prepare for both the CAT and GAT. The CAT is a drawing-based exam. Now unless the candidate is already well-versed, the exam will be very difficult. So, start early. The same goes for the GAT.