NIFT Entrance Exam 2027: Notification and Application

National Institute of Fashion Technology Entrance Exam 2026 ( NIFT Entrance Exam )

Sayeba Naushad
Updated on Aug 12, 2026 14:16 IST

By Sayeba Naushad, Assistant Manager

NIFT 2027 Notification and Application will be tentatively released in the second week of December 2026. For 2026, it was released on December 08, 2025. The application will open at exams.nta.nic.in/niftee. The application will be common for all  20 NIFT campuses. The NIFT Prospectus and Information Bulletin will also be released along with the notification and application.

NIFT Entrance Exam 2027 will be conducted by NTA. It is expected to be conducted in the first week of February 2027. 

Latest Updates:

  • NIFT PhD Exam 2026 will be conducted on August 20, 2026 and August 21, 2026.
  • NIFT PhD Exam will be conducted at NIFT Campus(HO), Haus Khas, New Delhi.
Steps to Fill NIFT Application Form
Check out all the steps to fill NTA NIFT registration form
NIFTEE Application Process
Table of contents
  • What is NIFT Entrance Exam?
  • NIFT Entrance Exam 2027 Exam Dates
  • NIFT Entrance Exam Eligibility & Application Form
  • NIFT Entrance Exam 2027 Exam Pattern, Syllabus & Preparation
  • NIFT Entrance Exam Admit Card 2027
  • NIFT Entrance Exam Question Papers 2027
  • NIFT Entrance Exam Answer Key 2027
  • NIFT Entrance Exam Analysis 2027
  • NIFT Entrance Exam Result 2027
  • NIFT Entrance Exam Counselling 2027
  • NIFT Entrance Exam Cut-off 2027
  • NIFT Entrance Exam 2027 - FAQs
View More
NIFT Entrance Exam Logo

What is NIFT Entrance Exam?

NIFT is a national-level design entrance exam conducted by the National Testing AgencyNIFTEE Stage 1 exam includes written exams comprising the NIFT GAT (General Ability Test) and NIFT CAT (Creative Ability Test). The GAT paper is mandatory for all programs, while only B.Des and M.Des candidates need to take the CAT. 

NIFT Stage 2 includes Situation Test and Interview. Shortlisted UG candidates have to appear in the NIFT Situation Test, whereas PG candidates need to appear in a Personal Interview. Admission to the B.F.Tech program will be based on GAT scores. 

Highlights of NIFT Entrance Exam 2027

The important points related to the NIFT 2027 exam are in the table below.

Particulars

Description

Frequency of exam

Once every year

Number of Attempts

There is no limit on the number of attempts. However, the age limit applies to the UG programs.

Mode of exam

NIFT Stage 1: NIFT GAT: Online in CBT Mode and NIFT CAT:  Offline in PBT Mode

NIFT Stage 2: Situation Test and PI: Offline.

Courses offered

B.Des, B.F.Tech, M.Des, M.F.M, M.F.Tech

No. of Applicants 

40,247 in 2026

Language of the exam

English and Hindi

Participating NIFTs

20

Also Read:

NIFT Statistics 2026

NIFT Entrance Exam 2027 Exam Dates

Take a look at the table below for the complete schedule of NIFT Entrance Exam 2026 exam

DatesUpcoming Exam Dates
Dec ' 26 - Jan ' 27

NIFT 2027 application form OPEN (Regular fees)

TENTATIVE
Jan ' 27

NIFT 2027 application form (Late fees)

TENTATIVE
Jan ' 27

NIFT 2027 application form Edit Window

TENTATIVE
Jan ' 27

NIFT City Intimation Slip 2027

TENTATIVE
Feb ' 27

NIFT 2027 (Stage 1: Written Exam)

TENTATIVE
Feb ' 27

NIFT Answer Key and Objection Window

TENTATIVE
Mar ' 27

NIFT Stage 1 Result 2026

TENTATIVE
DatesPast Exam Dates
24 Jul ' 26

NIFT Spot Round: Seat Allotment

19 Jul ' 26 - 22 Jul ' 26

NIFT Spot Round: Documents Verification of new registered candidates

19 Jul ' 26 - 22 Jul ' 26

NIFT 2026 Spot Round: Registration

NIFT Entrance Exam Logo

NIFT Entrance Exam Eligibility & Application Form

DeskCalendarRegistration: Dec ' 26 - Jan ' 27

The eligibility criteria for NIFT B.Des is given below.

NIFT UG Eligibility Criteria

Age

The candidate should be less than 24 years as of 1st August of the admission year. 

Relaxation: 5-year relaxation in the upper age limit for SC, ST, and PwD candidates. 

Academic Eligibility

  • Candidate should have passed the plus 2 level examination in the 10+2 pattern of examination from any recognized Central/State Board of Secondary Examination, such as the Central Board of Secondary Education/State Board New Delhi/Council for Indian School Certificate Examination, New Delhi. Or
  • A pass grade in the Senior Secondary School Examination conducted by the National Open School with a minimum of five subjects. OR
  • 3 or 4 years diploma recognized by AICTE or a State Board of Technical Education after secondary examination/10th standard. OR
  • Any Public School/Board/University Examination in India or in foreign countries recognized by the Association of Indian Universities as equivalent to the 10+2 system. OR
  • General Certificate Education (GCE) Examination (London/Cambridge/Sri Lanka) at the Advanced (A) level/International Baccalaureate (IB).

Also Read: NIFT eligibility

NIFT Application 2027

The application form for NIFT 2027 will open in December 2026. The candidate can select their program of study when filling out the form. To fill out the form, follow these steps.

  1. Go to the NIFT admission portal and click on the "NIFT Registration" link.
  2. A registration form will open. Enter your name, email ID, phone number, and other relevant details.
  3. On registration, an applicant account will be created.
  4. Log in to fill out the rest of the form and select an exam center. 
  5. Upload documents.
  6. Finally, pay the application fee to complete the process.

NIFT 2027 Application Form Fees

Category

Application Fee (in ₹) (Expected)

Open / Open-EWS/OBC(NCL)* (for either B.Des. or B.F. Tech. or MFM or M. Des. or M.F.Tech. or Ph.D.)

₹ 2000

SC / ST / PwD (for either B. Des. or B.F. Tech. or MFM or M. Des. or M.F.Tech. Ph.D.))

₹ 500

Open/Open-EWS/OBC (NCL) applying for two programmes i.e., B.F.Tech. and B.Des. or M.F.M. and M.Des.

₹ 3000

SC / ST / PwD applying for two programmes i.e., B.F. Tech. and B. Des. or MFM and M. Des.

₹ 750

NRI/Foreign National/OCI/PIO/SAARC (for UG / PG Programmes)

₹ 11100

Also Read:

NIFT Entrance Exam Logo

NIFT Entrance Exam 2027 Exam Pattern, Syllabus & Preparation

NTA sets NIFT exam pattern. As per the paper pattern, questions and marks are distributed across the exam. Check NIFT 2027 exam pattern below:

Program B.Des M.Des
Paper GAT GAT
Mode of exam Computer-based exam Computer-based exam
Language English/ Hindi English/ Hindi
Test Duration 120 minutes 120 minutes
Sections Number of Questions Number of Questions
Communication Ability
40
30
English Comprehension 30
Quantitative Ability 20 20
Analytical Ability 15 25
General Knowledge and Current Affairs 25 15
TOTAL 100 120
⬇️ FREE PDF DOWNLOAD

Design Awareness Test

Check Design Awareness Topics here for Design Entrance Exam.

  •  Important DAT Chapters
  •  Practice Design Awareness Topics 
Download Design Awareness Topics →

NIFT Syllabus 2027

Check out some of the important topics for NIFT Syllabus.

Course-Wise NIFT Tests

NIFT Syllabus

B.Des program

CAT

Design Theory, Colour Terminology, Elements & Principles Of Design, Optical Illusion, Form & Function, Drawing Fundamentals, etc.

GAT

4 subjects – Quantitative Ability, Communication Ability & English Comprehension, Analytical & Logical Ability, General Knowledge & Current Affairs

Situation Test

Material handling test to evaluate candidates’ Conceptualisation Skills, Aesthetic Appeal, Colour Scheme, etc.

B.F.Tech program

GAT

5 subjects – Quantitative Ability, Communication Ability & English Comprehension, Analytical & Logical Ability, General Knowledge & Current Affairs, Case Study

M.Des program

CAT

Design questions to test Design Ability, Intuitive Ability, Observation Skills, Concept Development Skills, Illustration Skills

GAT

5 subjects – Quantitative Ability, Communication Ability, English Comprehension, Analytical & Logical Ability, General Knowledge & Current Affairs

GD/PI

15 to 20 minutes discussion on an assigned case study followed by interview

M.F.Tech program

GAT

5 subjects – Quantitative Ability, Communication Ability & English Comprehension, Analytical & Logical Ability, General Knowledge & Current Affairs, Case Study

GD/PI

15 to 20 minutes discussion on an assigned case study followed by interview

M.F.M program

GAT

5 subjects – Quantitative Ability, Communication Ability & English Comprehension, Analytical & Logical Ability, General Knowledge & Current Affairs, Case Study

GD/PI

15 to 20 minutes discussion on an assigned case study, followed by an interview

NIFT Preparation 2027

  • For NIFT GAT: Get familiar with the NIFT 2027 syllabus and exam pattern. Prepare topics like design awareness, Design thinking, color theory. Also, solve basic maths questions and prepare for static GK and current affairs.
  • For NIFT CAT: Practice imaginative sketching, Geometrical Shapes, Concept Development, human figures, etc.
  • For NIFT Situation Test:  candidates must practice with all the possible materials that come in the NIFT Situation Test. They should practice with the material given in the NIFT Common Material List. Some of the common items are cardboard, wire, clay, thermocol, fabric, straw, ice cream sticks and paper. Learn techniques like origami (folding), kirigami (cutting), etc. 
NIFT Entrance Exam Logo

NIFT Entrance Exam Admit Card 2027

DeskCalendarAdmit Card: Jan ' 27

NTA will release NIFT Admit Card in the first week of February 2027. Admit card is released a few days before the exam. NTA also releases NIFT City Intimation Slip for Stage 1 and Stage 2 for candidates to prepare their travel week. Admit card for Stage 2 will be released in the third week of April 2027. 

Steps to download NIFT Admit Card

Admit card for NIFT 2027 can be downloaded by.

  1. Click on hall ticket link on the NTA NIFT website.
  2. Enter the following credentials
    • application number
    • password
    • security pin
  3. On a successful login, the admit card will be displayed on the screen.
  4. Download and save the NIFT admit card. 

Best Strategy to Crack Design Aptitude Test

Learn how to prepare for Design Aptitude Test (DAT) with weekly study plan, exam strategy, key topics and expert tips by Shiksha.com

NIFT Entrance Exam Logo

NIFT Entrance Exam Question Papers 2027

Candidates can download the official NIFT question paper PDF below:

NIFT Question Paper PDF
NIFT 2025 B.Des Question Paper PDF Download Here 
NIFT 2024 B.Des Question Paper PDF Download Here 
NIFT 2018 Situation Test Question Paper Download Here 
NIFT 2017 Situation Test Question Paper Download Here 
NIFT 2016 Situation Test Question Paper Download Here 

Also Read:

NIFT Entrance Exam Logo

NIFT Entrance Exam Answer Key 2027

DeskCalendarAnswer Key: Feb ' 27

NIFT Draft Answer Key will be released in the third week of February 2027. Last year, it was released on February 17, 2026. Candidates can raise objections against the answer key with the help of the response sheet by paying INR 200 per question.  

NTA is expected to release the NIFT Final Answer Key for GAT in the third week of March 2027. It can be downloaded directly from the NIFT website without a login ID or password. No Answer Key was released for CAT.

The step-wise process to download the answer key is given below.

  1. Go to the NTA NIFT admission portal: exams.nta.ac.in/NIFT/
  2. Click on the answer key download link
  3. In the log-in window that opens, enter your Roll Number, Program Name, Question Booklet No., and DOB
  4. On successful login, you can download the answer key.

 

NIFT Entrance Exam Logo

NIFT Entrance Exam Analysis 2027

The analysis for NIFT 2027 will be released here after the exam. Meanwhile we can see the analysis of NIFT 2026 Entrance Exam. NIFT Exam 2026 was of moderate to difficult for most of candidates. English was also easier than in previous years. Most of the questions in English were from grammar and synonyms. Overall, all candidates found the NIFT GAT paper to be moderate. 

The NIFT Entrance Exam 2026 Analysis is given below.

NIFT GAT Sections Difficulty Level Topics
Reasoning Easy to moderate Order, Ranking, Venn diagram, Direction, Series
Quantitative Analytics Easy to moderate Average, Percentage, Pie chart, Time speed, Ration and proportion, Simple interest, Age, pipe based questions and Permutation and Combination
Communication Ability & English Comprehension Easy to moderate Synonyms, Vocabulary, Idioms and phrases, rearrange sentences, grammar, complete the paragraph
GK Easy to moderate Current Affairs on brands, logos and architecture

Also Read:

NIFT Entrance Exam Logo

NIFT Entrance Exam Result 2027

DeskCalendarResult: Mar ' 27

NIFT is expected to declare the final result for NIFT in the last week of June 2027. The final result will be prepared by giving weightage to CAT, GAT, and Situation Test/ Personal Interview. The scorecard of the NIFT 2027 includes information like sections and overall scores and qualifying status. To check your NIFT 2027 results, follow these steps.

  1. Go to the NTA-NIFT website
  2. Click on the NIFTEE Final 2027 result link
  3. In the log-in window that opens, enter your application number and password
  4. On log-in, the result of NTA NIFT 2027 Final Result will be displayed on the screen
  5. Download and take a printout of the result

Also read:

Read more
NIFT Entrance Exam Logo

NIFT Entrance Exam Counselling 2027

DeskCalendarCounselling: Jun ' 27

The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) will start the counselling for NIFT 2027 in mid June 2027. NIFT 2027 is expected to have three seat allotment rounds and one Spot Counselling round. Candidates who have secured a valid Common Merit Rank (CMR) in the final result were asked to register on the official NIFT counselling portal. 

Counselling process for NIFT 2027 will be conducted in a centralized manner for admission to the 20 NIFT colleges. Shortlisted candidates have to register for counselling and fill in and lock in their choices. The choices entered by the candidate must be in order of priority. 

Check out the steps for Counselling.

  • Register for NIFT counselling at the official website of the institute
  • Pay the registration fee (non-refundable)
  • Fill in the choices of academic programs and campuses 
  • Candidates who have been allocated seats will have to pay the seat-acceptance fees. 
  • All the documents submitted by the candidate and the fee paid will be verified by the admission cell.
  • Allotment letters will be sent to selected candidates via email.
Check NIFT Counselling Guidelines for detailed information NIFT_Guidelines_for_Seat_Allocation

Also Read:

Read more
NIFT Entrance Exam Logo

NIFT Entrance Exam Cut-off 2027

The National Institute of Fashion Technology will release the cut-off marks for NIFT 2027 written tests at the time of the declaration of results. The cut-off will be category-specific and indicate the minimum marks (or rank) the candidate needs to secure for admission. The candidate thus needs to log in to the result portal to check their qualifying status. 

NIFT 2027 Expected Cut-off for Categories

Category Expected Cutoff for B.Des Expected Cutoff M.Des
Open 30-80 26-70
EWS 26-29 22
OBC 26-29 22
SC 22 16
ST 19 16-18

Also Read:

Read more
NIFT Entrance Exam Logo

NIFT Entrance Exam 2027 - FAQs

To learn more about NIFT, go through the FAQs given below.

Q:   Can I challenge the NIFT answer key?
A: 

Yes, the candidate is allowed to challenge the draft version of the NIFT answer key.

Objections cannot be filed against the final answer key. The answer key contains the official keys to all the questions asked in the exam.

Objections against the NIFT answer key have to be filed online through the candidate portal. To file objections, the candidate has to pay a fee of INR 200 per objection.

Q:   Will NTA share information entered by candidates during NIFT application submission with 3rd party?
A: 

NTA/NIFT /Government of India can use the data provided by candidate for internal purpose(s) including training, research and development, analysis and other permissible purpose(s). However, this information will not be shared with any third party or private agency for any other use.

Q:   How will NTA communicate important information about NIFT exam?
A: 

Important or relevant information about the NIFT 2027 exam will be sent by NTA through e-mail on the registered e-mail address and/or through SMS on registered mobile number only. Also, the NTA will not be responsible for any non-communication/ miscommunication with a candidate in the email address or mobile number given by him/her other than his/her own. 

Q:   Who can apply for NIFT under Persons with Disability (PwD) category?
A: 

As per Section 2(t) of the RPwD Act, “Persons with Disability (PwD)” means a person with long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairment which, in interaction with barriers, hinders his full and effective participation in society equally with others.

Q:   When will NIFT cutoff be released?
A: 

The National Instituite of Fashion Technology will release the NIFT 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.

Q:   What is good score for NIFT 2027 B.F.Tech?
A: 

Good score for B.F.Tech is 95+ for General, 80 for OBC, 60 for SC/ST.

Q:   How can I raise objections against NIFT answer key?
A: 

The NIFT answer key objection window will close once the draft key is released. To submit objections, you have to:

  1. Go to the NTA NIFT admission portal 

  2. Click on the objection submission link

  3. A log-in window will open

  4. Log in using candidate credentials

  1. Once you log in, you can access the objection form

  2. Enter you roll number, date of birth, program, and question booklet series

  3. Select the answer key you want to challengeSelect the Question number

  4. Attach the supporting documents and describe your observation in concise and clear terms

  5. Make the payment of INR 200 per objection (note, the fee is non-refundable)

Once you are done, submit the application.

Q:   What is the basis of NIFT seat allotment process?
A: 

The allotment of seats for NIFT will be based on the following parameters:

  • Choice opted at the time of counseling registration (academic programs + campuses)
  • The category of the candidate
  • Seat intake in the college opted for admission
  • NIFT merit rank of the candidate.
Q:   What is NIFT Cutoff?
A: 

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.

Q:   Will the NIFT answer key be released for both the GAT and CAT tests?
A: 

The National Institute of Technology (NIFT) releases answer keys only for the computer-based GAT test. No answer key are released for the offline-based CAT paper.

Also, the keys are released separately for the B. Des, M.Des B.FTech M.FTech and MFM courses. The key will contain the official answers to the questions asked in the entrance exam.

59 Institutes accepting NIFT Entrance Exam

Master of Design (M.Des.)
  • 6.16 Lakh
  • 2 years
  • |
  • Full Time
Master of Design (M.Des.)
    • 6.16 Lakh
    • 2 years
    • |
    • Full Time
    B.Des. in Fashion Design
    • 12.96 Lakh
    • 4 years
    • |
    • Full Time
    B.Des. in Textile Design
      • 12.34 Lakh
      • 4 years
      • |
      • Full Time

      Explore more Design exams with upcoming dates

      NIIFT 2026 Application form Mar '26 - Aug '26
      SAT India Exam (August) Attempt 22 Aug '26
      IIAD 2026 - Application 1 Sep '25 - 31 Aug '26
      Pearl Academy Application Form 2026 Sep '25 - Aug '26
      SEED 2027 Online registration (B.Des) Aug '26 - Dec '26

      News & Updates

      Latest NewsPopular News