
NIFT Exam Centre 2026 - NTA released the NIFT Admit card for Stage 2 on April 22, 2026. The exam was conducted at 28 centres in 20 cities.
NTA released the City Intimation slip for Stage 2 Exam. The slip contains the name of the city in which the exam was conducted. It was released to help candidates plan travel in advance. Name of the exam city allocated to the candidate was notified through the NIFT 2026 city intimation slip.
Latest Update:
- NIFT Stage 2 Admit Card Released; Download Now
- NTA Announces dates for NIFT Situation Test for Stage 2; Check details here
The National Testing Agency (NTA) conducted the written exams for NIFT 2026 in 102 cities across India. Vapi and Daman have been newly added to the list of cities for NIFTEE 2026. The list of exam centres for NIFT 2026 is given in the admission portal. The candidate had to select their preferred exam centre when filling out the NIFT application form 2026. The candidate had to select the city from the drop-down menu in order of priority.
- NIFT 2026 Written Exams - Test Timings
- NIFT Entrance Exam 2026 Exam Dates
- List of NIFT Exam Centre 2026
- NIFT Exam Day Guidelines 2026
- NIFT Exam Centre 2026 - FAQs
NIFT 2026 Written Exams - Test Timings
The exam timings for the NIFT 2026 exam are given below. The candidate must arrive at the NIFT 2026 as per the exam timings released by the exam officials. No candidate will be allowed to take the design entrance exam if they are late. So, it is incumbent on the candidate they arrive at the NIFT exam center 2026 on the designated time. NTA officials will not make any changes ot the NIFT 2026 exam timings. So, the candidate must adhere to the exam timings.
| Programmes |
Test |
Examination Time |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor of Design |
GAT |
10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon |
| CAT |
03:00 PM to 06:00 PM |
|
| Bachelor of Design (NLEA) |
GAT |
10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon |
| Bachelor of Fashion Technology |
GAT |
10:00 AM to 01:00 PM |
| Bachelor of Fashion Technology (NLEA) |
GAT |
10:00 AM to 01:00 PM |
| Bachelor of Fashion Technology and Bachelor of Design |
GAT |
10:00 AM to 01:00 PM |
| CAT |
03:00 PM to 06:00 PM |
|
| Master of Design |
GAT |
10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon |
| CAT |
03:00 PM to 06:00 PM |
|
| Master of Fashion Management |
GAT |
10:00 AM to 01:00 PM |
| Master of Fashion Management and Master of Design |
GAT |
10:00 AM to 01:00 PM |
| CAT |
03:00 PM to 06:00 PM |
|
| Master of Fashion Technology |
GAT |
10:00 AM to 01:00 PM |
Also Read:
Commonly asked questions
On the day of the NIFT exam, candidates must bring the following items with them NIFT 2026 admit card, a valid photo id proof, HB Pencil, eraser, sharpener, and dry colours.
Items that are not allowed inside the exam venue are water bottle, papers, notes, Books, calculator, electronic gadgets, mobile phone, bag, handbagand correction marker/ white fluid.
The GAT paper for all the B.Des and M.Des courses was conducted from 9 am - 11 am. Meanwhile, the GAT written exam for B.F.Tech, M.F.Tech, and M.F.M. courses were conducted from 9 am - 12 noon.
NIFT Entrance Exam 2026 Exam Dates
Take a look at the table below for the complete schedule of NIFT Entrance Exam 2026 exam
| Dates | Past Exam Dates |
|---|---|
| 26 Apr ' 26 | NIFT Situation Test Stage 2: B.Des |
| 22 Apr ' 26 | NIFT Stage 2 Admit Card |
| 08 Feb ' 26 | NIFT 2026 (Stage 1: Written Exam) |
List of NIFT Exam Centre 2026
The list of exam centres for the NIFT 2026 written exam (Stage 1) is given below.
| State | City | |
|---|---|---|
| Andaman & Nicobar Islands | Port Blair | |
| Andhra Pradesh | Kurnool | |
| Andhra Pradesh | Vijayawada | |
| Andhra Pradesh | Visakhapatnam | |
| Andhra Pradesh | Rajahmundry | |
| Andhra Pradesh | Tirupathi | |
| Arunachal Pradesh | Naharlagun | |
| Assam | Guwahati | |
| Bihar | Muzaffarpur | |
| Bihar | Patna | |
| Chandigarh | Chandigarh/Mohali | |
| Chhattisgarh | Raipur | |
| Chhattisgarh | Jagdalpur | |
| Dadra & Nagar Haveli | Silvassa | |
| Delhi | Delhi NCR | |
| Goa | Mapusa | |
| Gujarat | Ahmedabad/ Gandhinagar | |
| Gujarat | Rajkot | |
| Gujarat | Surat | |
| Gujarat | Anand | |
| Gujarat | Gandhinagar | |
| Gujarat | Mehsana | |
| Haryana | Hisar | |
| Haryana | Kurukshetra | |
| Himachal Pradesh | Bilaspur Hp | |
| Himachal Pradesh | Kangra | |
| Jammu And Kashmir | Jammu | |
| Jammu And Kashmir | Srinagar | |
| Jharkhand | Dhanbad | |
| Jharkhand | Ranchi | |
| Karnataka | Bengaluru | |
| Karnataka | Mysuru (Mysore) | |
| Karnataka | Mangalore (Mangalore) | |
| Kerala | Ernakulam | |
| Kerala | Kannur | |
| Kerala | Kozhikode | |
| Kerala | Kollam | |
| Kerala | Kottayam | |
| Kerala | Thiruvananthapuram | |
| Kerala | Thrissur | |
| Ladakh | Leh / Kargil | |
| Lakshadweep | Kavaratti | |
| Madhya Pradesh | Bhopal | |
| Madhya Pradesh | Jabalpur | |
| Madhya Pradesh | Gwalior | |
| Madhya Pradesh | Satna | |
| Madhya Pradesh | Ujjain | |
| Maharashtra | Mumbai / Thane | |
| Maharashtra | Nagpur | |
| Maharashtra | Pune | |
| Maharashtra | Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar | |
| Maharashtra | Amravati | |
| Maharashtra | Kolhapur | |
| Maharashtra | Nanded | |
| Manipur | Imphal | |
| Meghalaya | Shillong | |
| Mizoram | Aizawl | |
| Nagaland | Kohima | |
| Odisha | Berhampur-Ganjam | |
| Odisha | Bhubaneswar | |
| Puducherry | Pondicherry | |
| Punjab | Ludhiana | |
| Rajasthan | Jaipur | |
| Rajasthan | Jodhpur | |
| Rajasthan | Udaipur | |
| Sikkim | Gangtok | |
| Tamil Nadu | Chennai | |
| Tamil Nadu | Coimbatore | |
| Tamil Nadu | Madurai | |
| Tamil Nadu | Salem | |
| Tamil Nadu | Tiruchirappalli | |
| Tamil Nadu | Vellore | |
| Telangana | Hyderabad | |
| Tripura | Agartala | |
| Uttar Pradesh | Meerut | |
| Uttar Pradesh | Muzaffarnagar | |
| Uttar Pradesh | Kanpur | |
| Uttar Pradesh | Lucknow | |
| Uttar Pradesh | Varanasi | |
| Uttarakhand | Dehradun | |
| Uttarakhand | Haldwani | |
| West Bengal | Kolkata | |
| Gujarat | Vapi | |
| Daman | Daman | |
Note: The Exact NIFT exam centre name and address will be mentioned on the admit card issued to candidates.
NTA NIFT Stage 2 Centre
NIFT Stage 2 Exam will be held tentatively at 26 centres in 18 cities of the country. The centre details are mentioned in the Admit card. Candidates must carry a valid photo ID proof along with the Admit Card to the Test Centre. It is mandatory to reach the centre before 9:30 AM (tentative). Candidates will not be allowed to sit in the exam after 9:30 AM.
NTA is likely to release the NIFT city intimation slip 2026 in the last week of May 2026. The candidates can download the city slip online and learn about the exam center allocated to them. The city slip will be available for all candidates who registered for the NIFT exam. The candidate is urged to carefully go through all the details mentioned in the city slip.
The centre for NTA NIFT Stage 2 are as follows:
| Programme | Stage 2 Components | Location/Centres |
|---|---|---|
| B.Des (Bachelor of Design) | Situation Test – Model-making, material handling, creativity, innovation | 18 Cities Across India |
| B.Des (NLEA) | Studio Test + Personal Interview | Designated Test Centres |
| B.Des (Artisans) | Artisan Skill Test + Personal Interview | Designated Test Centres |
| B.F.Tech (NLEA) | Technical Ability Test (OMR-based) + Personal Interview | As per Schedule at Test Centres |
| PG Programmes (M.Des, M.F.M., M.F.Tech) | Personal Interview | Only in Delhi (Exact Venue in Call Letter) |
Commonly asked questions
Admit card for NIFT will contain the important guidelines that candidates need to follow at the NIFT exam centre.
- Candidate needs to report at the NIFT 2026 exam centre one hour before the commencement of the exam.
- Candidate can't leave the exam hall until the exam ends.
- Entry to the exam centre will only be allowed when the candidate produces their id card and a valid photo id proof.
- The candidate must refrain from adopting unfair means inside the exam hall, including cheating, etc.
- For the CAT the candidate will have to bring along stationery items like blue or black ballpoint pen, HB pencils, eraser, sharpener and dry colours.
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 |
NIFT Exam Day Guidelines 2026
Mentioned below is a list of documents and stationery that aspirants need to carry with them when appearing for the NIFT entrance exam 2026. Apart from this, candidates can also go through exam day tips for the NIFT exam.
NIFT 2026 Checklist
On the day of the NIFT exam, candidates need to carry all the documents and stationery:
- NIFT Admit Card: Candidates without a printout of the NIFT 2026 admit card will not be allowed to sit in the exam. Digital copies will not be accepted. Also, ensure that you paste a photograph on the designated space and bring the self-declaration copy duly filled in.
- Bring an additional photograph to be attached to the attendance sheet.
- The photo ID must be valid and original. Photocopies or printouts of the ID proof will not be accepted.
- Stationery: You need to bring a ballpoint pen, pencils, erasers, and rulers.
- If you are appearing in the CAT exam, then you are also allowed to bring coloring and drawing materials.
NIFT 2026 Exam day - List of barred items
The following items are not allowed inside the NIFT 2026 exam center:
| Instruments |
Handbag |
Purse |
| Any kind of paper, textual material (printed or written material) |
Eatables (loose or packed) |
Mobile Phone |
| Earphone |
Microphone |
Pager |
| Calculator |
Docu Pen |
Slide Rules |
| Log Tables |
Camera, |
Tape Recorder |
| Electronic watches with facilities of calculator |
Any metallic item or electronic gadgets /devices in the examination hall |
Read the detailed NIFT exam-day guidelines to have a pleasant exam-day experience.
Commonly asked questions
The Situation Test/ Personal Interview (PI) are the 2nd stage of the NIFT 2026 entrance exam. Candidates were shortlisted for the Situation Test/ PI based on the NIFT 2026 written exam scores.
Note that if the candidate fails to qualify for the 2nd stage, he or she is not considered for admission to various design courses offered by the NIFTs.
The only exception is B.F.Tech program, where the merit list for admission will be prepared solely on the basis of GAT scores.
In the case of other courses, the merit list will be prepared by giving weightage to the written exams and Situation Test/ PI.
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.
NIFT cutoff for a participating NIFT is the last rank for which admission is offered in for a particular programme and category. This means, if a candidate fails to score a rank equal to or higher than the cutoff rank, they don't get admission. Typically, a higher ranked institute will invite: More applications Higher-ranked candidates This in turn pushes up the cutoff in higher ranked (or popular) institutes. Likewise, a lower-ranked institute will receive comparatively fewer number of applications, and mostly from lower-ranked candidates. This means, cut-off in these institutes are lower making it much easier to get admission.
NIFT Exam Centre 2026 - FAQs
Check out the frequently asked questions (FAQs) related to the NIFT 2026 exam centers below.
NIFT Situation Test will be conducted in an offline mode at the various NIFT campuses. Considering there are 19 NIFTs, the candidate will be able to select any of these institutes to appear in the Situation Test. The window to select test centres for the Situation Test will be announced soon after the declaration of NIFT results for the written exam. Test centres for the Situation Test will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. So, candidates need to book their slots as soon as possible. Note that if seats in a particular centre (or institute) fill out, the candidate will not be able to be offered slots for that institute.
The National Instituite of Fashion Technology will release the NIFT 2026 at the time of seat allotment and counseling.
The cut-offs will be available institute and category-wise for all the program at nift.admissions.nic.in.
The cut-offs will be prepared by considering factors like the seat intake, the merit rank of candidates, admission category, etc. Note that if the seat intake is increase the cut-off would likely go down and vice versa.
The cut-offs are available for the following titles:
- Opening and Closing Rank Details for NIFT UG Counselling 2026
- Opening and Closing Rank Details for NIFT UG (Lateral Entry) Counselling 2026
- Opening and Closing Rank Details for NIFT PG Counselling 2026
To download the cut-offs, visit: https://nift.admissions.nic.in/or-cr/
For NIFT Preparation, candidates need to solve 30-40 sample papers in 6 months. When the exams are very near, one sample paper should be solved daily.
The GAT paper for all the B.Des and M.Des courses was conducted from 9 am - 11 am. Meanwhile, the GAT written exam for B.F.Tech, M.F.Tech, and M.F.M. courses were conducted from 9 am - 12 noon.
The exam timings for NIFT 2026 exam are given in table below.
Programmes | Test | Examination Time |
|---|---|---|
Bachelor of Design | GAT | 10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon |
CAT | 03:00 PM to 06:00 PM | |
Bachelor of Design (NLEA) | GAT | 10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon |
Bachelor of Fashion Technology | GAT | 10:00 AM to 01:00 PM |
Bachelor of Fashion Technology (NLEA) | GAT | 10:00 AM to 01:00 PM |
Bachelor of Fashion Technology and Bachelor of Design | GAT | 10:00 AM to 01:00 PM |
CAT | 03:00 PM to 06:00 PM | |
Master of Design | GAT | 10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon |
CAT | 03:00 PM to 06:00 PM | |
Master of Fashion Management | GAT | 10:00 AM to 01:00 PM |
Master of Fashion Management and Master of Design | GAT | 10:00 AM to 01:00 PM |
CAT | 03:00 PM to 06:00 PM | |
Master of Fashion Technology | GAT | 10:00 AM to 01:00 PM |
NIFT Lateral Entry Admission (NLEA) provides an opportunity to candidates who have completed their Diploma in relevant or related fields of Design & Technology for direct admission to the third semester of UG programmes of NIFT.
Eligible candidates have to appear in the NIFT 2026 entrance exam to get lateral admission. Admission under lateral entry scheme will be strictly on merit of NIFT 2026 exam, which will include written examination, studio test/ technology aptitude test, and a personal interview.
Candidates selected through lateral entry will join the regular UG students of NIFT in their second year.
The seat intake under this scheme will be displayed on the website prior to seat allocation.
PG candidates will be evaluated on the various parameters as listed below by a panel, in the Personal Interview:
Career orientation
Aptness for the course
Overall personal achievements in academics and co-curricular activities
Communication
General awareness, aptitude, creative and lateral thinking
Candidates will be shortlisted for the PI based on their performance in the written exam - GAT (and CAT in case of M.Des program).
Please note that NIFT reserves the right to modify the entrance examination scheme. This includes non-conduct of any stage (s) due to unforeseen circumstances.
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.
NTA releases the recorded responses for the NIFT exam. The recorded responses are a carbon copy of the candidate's answer sheet.
- Recorded responses bring transparency to the conduct of the NIFT entrance exam.
- Candidates can check their attempted and unattempted answers and calcultate probable score.
- It helps to raise objections against the Provisional Answer Key.
There are 20 participating institutes of NIFT that offer the B. Des and B.F.Tech programmes. B. Des programme offers specializations in the following programs: Fashion Design (FD), Leather Design (LD), Accessory Design (AD), Textile Design (TD), Knitwear Design (KD), Fashion Communication (FC).
For B.F.Tech, cutoff is released for Apparel Production.
NIFT Entrance Exam Exam
Student Forum
Answered a month 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
Answered 3 months ago
There are 20 participating institutes of NIFT that offer the B. Des and B.F.Tech programmes. B. Des programme offers specializations in the following programs: Fashion Design (FD), Leather Design (LD), Accessory Design (AD), Textile Design (TD), Knitwear Design (KD), Fashion Communication (FC).
For B
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 months ago
NIFT cutoff for a participating NIFT is the last rank for which admission is offered in for a particular programme and category. This means, if a candidate fails to score a rank equal to or higher than the cutoff rank, they don't get admission. Typically, a higher ranked institute will invite: More
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 months ago
NIFT Delhi is frequently ranked among the top design colleges in the country. So, the admission cut-off for the institute is pretty high, especially when compared to the lower-ranked colleges. This is because being a higher-ranked college, NIFT Delhi receives a higher number of applicants. Another f
S
Contributor-Level 10
When is NIFT 2026 Final Result be released?