How many rounds of counselling are there for NIFT admissions?

The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) will release the schedule and complete details of NIFT 2025 counseling after final results are declared. NIFT counseling will be conducted in four regular and one spot rounds. Note that seats that are left vacant will be offered in the SPOT round. The counseling registration process will be OPEN from the 1st week of June 2025. The candidate can check their eligibility for counseling by logging into the result portal.

When will NIFT seat allotment announced for Round 1?

The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) will release the seat allotment of NIFT 2026 for Round I around the 3rd week of June 2026. The seat allotment will be based on the merit rank of candidates and the academic option picked at the time of counseling registration. Note that NIFT 2026 counseling will be conducted in four regular and one spot rounds. The admission fee amount for regular seats at all campuses is INR 1,83,000..

What are NIFT Score accepting colleges other than participating colleges?

There are 19 NIFTs that will accept NIFT 2026 Scores for admission purposes. These institutes are known as participating colleges. However, in addition to the participating colleges, there are other private colleges that will also consider NIFT 2026 scores for admission to their UG and PG design courses. The candidates are urged to go through the list of result-sharing institutes.

Is NIFT a good career option?

The NIFTs are ranked among the top design colleges in India. As per India Today 2023 rankings for top fashion design colleges in India, the top 8 positions were occupied by NIFTs. In India Today 2022 rankings as well, the top eight positions were occupied by the NIFTs. NIFT Delhi was the number one ranked college, followed by NIFT Mumbai and NIFT Bangalore, in 2nd and 3rd positions. Speaking of placements at NIFT, candidates passing out of NIFT Delhi on average earns INR 5.5 LPA. Meanwhile, candidates passing out of NIFT Kolkata earns about INR 5.7 LPA. In comparison, NIFT Bengaluru pass outs can expect an average salary of INR 3 Lacs LPA.

What happens in NIFT counselling?

In NIFT counselling process, documents of candidates are verified and they are offered a seat for admission in a specific course and college depending on their NIFT rank. As part of the NIFT counselling process, candidates need to get registered and enter preferences of academic programme. Academic programme in this sense means selection of the academic course and NIFT; entries should be in the order of priority. The counseling process for NIFT 2024 is being held online as a centralized seat-allotment process. The allotment of seats will be based on NIFT 2024 merit rank and college/ course picked at the time of registration. Post seat allotment, candidates need to pay the seat-acceptance fees.

Is NIFT a good career option?

The NIFTs are ranked among the top design colleges in India. As per India Today 2023 rankings for top fashion design colleges in India, the top 8 positions were occupied by NIFTs. In India Today 2022 rankings as well, the top eight positions were occupied by the NIFTs. NIFT Delhi was the number one ranked college, followed by NIFT Mumbai and NIFT Bangalore, in 2nd and 3rd positions. Speaking of placements at NIFT, candidates passing out of NIFT Delhi on average earns INR 5.5 LPA. Meanwhile, candidates passing out of NIFT Kolkata earns about INR 5.7 LPA. In comparison, NIFT Bengaluru pass outs can expect an average salary of INR 3 Lacs LPA.

What is the seat intake for the B.Des programme through NIFT?

The B. Des programme has an intake capacity of 2,884 seats for All-India candidates. In addition, there are 300 state-domicile. Admission to the B. Des programme at NIFTs will be based on performance of the candidate in GAT CAT and Situation Test. Candidates are shortlisted for the Situation Test based on their performance in the written exams. The B. Des programme offers specialisation in Fashion Design (FD), Leather Design (LD), Accessory Design (AD), Textile Design (TD), Knitwear Design (KD), and Fashion Communication (FC). The candidate will be able to select their programme of study at the time of counseling and seat allotment.

When can I download the NID DAT 2026 answer sheets?

The National Institite of Design (NID) will release the answer sheets of the candidate after the declaration of the FINAL results. Further, the answer sheets will only be available on request, only after the admission process is complete. The answer sheet is not be issued during the admission process. To request the answer sheet for the admission cycle 2026 the candidate has to make a payment of INR 1000 online/ per exam. The candidate will also have to furnish the NID DAT 2026 admit card duly signed by the invigilator and seal of the exam center with the request. The answer sheet will be sent to the candidate within 15-20 days after receiving the payment. The National Institute of Design will, however, not release any answer keys for the DAT Prelims exam.

Is there any NIFT counselling fee?

Yes, there is NIFT Counselling fee. Candidate have to pay a registration fee of INR 9,300. The candidate will have to pay a seat-acceptance fee of INR 1,83,200 only if he or she has been allocated a seat.

What will be the basis of NIFT 2026 seat allotment?

The allotment of seats will be based on: 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 2026 merit rank of the candidate. NIFT 2026 seat allotment process will be conducted in four regular and one spot rounds. The 1st round of seat allotment will be declared around the 3rd week of June 2026. . The counseling registration will be conducted in May 2026.

What is the NIFT Counselling Process?

NIFT Counselling Process has the following steps: Registration and Choice filling by the candidates Uploading of documents Paying the Seat Acceptance Fee Document Verification Receiving of Allotment Letter.

When can I download the NID DAT 2026 answer sheets?

The National Institite of Design (NID) will release the answer sheets of the candidate after the declaration of the FINAL results. Further, the answer sheets will only be available on request, only after the admission process is complete. The answer sheet is not be issued during the admission process. To request the answer sheet for the admission cycle 2026 the candidate has to make a payment of INR 1000 online/ per exam. The candidate will also have to furnish the NID DAT 2026 admit card duly signed by the invigilator and seal of the exam center with the request. The answer sheet will be sent to the candidate within 15-20 days after receiving the payment. The National Institute of Design will, however, not release any answer keys for the DAT Prelims exam.

Is the NIFT cut-off higher for top institutes such as NIFT Delhi?

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 factor is more number of higher ranked candidates want to get admission in the institute, which also pushes up the cut-off. On the other hand, lower ranked colleges are not a priority for the top ranked candidates; meaning a higher number of lower ranked candidates applies to these institutes. This keeps the cut-off low in these institutes.

Is there a counselling fee in NTA NIFT?

Yes, a non-refundable registration fee is applicable during the counselling process. The amount and payment details will be mentioned in the official counselling notification.

What is NIFT cut-off for Accessory Design programme for NIFT Bangalore campus?

The category-wise cut-off for the Accessory Design programme for NIFT Bangalore campus is given below: Category Opening Rank Closing Rank EWS 1099 2179 OBC (NC) 438 1333 Open 35 482 SC 2034 4214 ST 2839 7286 Note that reserved category candidates will be considered for admission to both their reserved and open categories.

Is the NIFT cut-off fixed?

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.

Will NTA also conduct the NIFT 2026 counseling?

No, the NTA will not conduct the counseling for NIFT 2026. Its role is limited only to the conduct of the NIFT 2026 written exam and declaration of results. The NIFT 2026 counseling process is being conducted by the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT). Candidates who qualify in the NIFT 2026 exam have to register for counseling through the NIFT admission portal - nift.ac.in/admission. The counseling registration link is currently being activated. Visiting the page to register for NIFT 2026 counseling. Note that as part of the counseling registration process, you need to fill in and lock choices. The seat allotment will be done post document verification after considering factors like merit rank and choices opted.

How do I withdraw my seat, allotted during NIFT counseling?

The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) will conduct NIFT 2026 seat allotment for SPOT Round in the last week of July 2026. Follow the steps given below to withdraw from the NIFT Counselling. Go to the NIFT admission portal Log in to the portal If will see an option for seat withdrawal. Click on the option and confirm the withdrawal process Once the withdrawal is confirmed, the allotted seat will be canceled.

What happens in NIFT counselling?

In NIFT counselling process, documents of candidates are verified and they are offered a seat for admission in a specific course and college depending on their NIFT rank. As part of the NIFT counselling process, candidates need to get registered and enter preferences of academic programme. Academic programme in this sense means selection of the academic course and NIFT; entries should be in the order of priority. The counseling process for NIFT 2024 is being held online as a centralized seat-allotment process. The allotment of seats will be based on NIFT 2024 merit rank and college/ course picked at the time of registration. Post seat allotment, candidates need to pay the seat-acceptance fees.

NIFT Counselling 2026 (UG/PG): Seat Allotment, Document Verification, Fees, Admission

635 Students Q&A

This exam is conducted for courses given below:

B.Des BFTech MDes, MFM MFTech

Updated on Feb 22, 2026 22:28 IST

By Sayeba Naushad, Assistant Manager

NIFT 2026 counselling is expected to consist of three rounds. Three seat allotment rounds will be followed by an NIFT SPOT round. As part of the registration process, the candidate must select academic options and campus in order of priority and pay the registration fee. The registration fee for NIFT Counselling 2026 is around INR 9,300.

Candidates who have secured a valid Common Merit Rank (CMR) in the NIFT final result will be asked to register in the last week of June 2026 on the official NIFT counselling portal: https://nift.admissions.nic.in. Registration is mandatory to participate in the Counselling / Seat Allocation Process.

NIFT 2026 Counselling will start in the last week of June 2026 and will end in the last week of July 2026. After the regular seat allotment round, Spot counselling will begin in the first week of August 2026.

Also read:

Table of contents

NIFT Counselling Process 2026 - Registration, Guidelines and Schedule
NIFT Entrance Exam 2026 Exam Dates
NIFT 2026 Seat Allotment Criteria & Seat Intake
NIFT Counselling 2026 - Document Checklist
NIFT 2026 Counselling & Seat Allotment - Eligibility Criteria
NIFT SPOT Counselling 2026
NIFT Admissions 2026: Withdrawal of Seat & Refund of Fee
NIFT 2026: Test components and Weightage
NIFT Counselling 2026 - FAQs

NIFT Counselling Process 2026 - Registration, Guidelines and Schedule

NIFT Entrance Exam 2026 Exam Dates

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

Dates	Upcoming Exam Dates
May ' 26 - Jun ' 26	NIFT Stage 2: M.Des and M.F.M Interview TENTATIVE
Jun ' 26	NIFT Stage 2: M.F.Tech Personal Interview TENTATIVE
Jun ' 26	NIFT Final Result TENTATIVE
Jun ' 26 - Jul ' 26	NIFT Registration for e-Counselling / Seat Allotment TENTATIVE

Dates	Past Exam Dates
17 Feb ' 26 - 19 Feb ' 26	NIFT Answer Key and Objection Window

NIFT 2026 Seat Allotment Criteria & Seat Intake

DeskCalendar Counselling: Jun ' 26 - Jul ' 26

NIFT Counselling 2026 - Document Checklist

NIFT 2026 Counselling & Seat Allotment - Eligibility Criteria

NIFT SPOT Counselling 2026

NIFT Admissions 2026: Withdrawal of Seat & Refund of Fee

NIFT 2026: Test components and Weightage

NIFT Counselling 2026 - FAQs

51 Institutes accepting NIFT Entrance Exam

National Institute of Fashion Technology, Delhi

Hauz khas, Delhi • Public

Courses Offered

Exams

NIFT Entrance Exam

Total Fees

₹ 6.16 Lakh

Duration

2 years
|
Full Time

National Institute of Fashion Technology, Bangalore

H.S.R Layout, Bangalore • Public

Courses Offered

Exams

NIFT Entrance Exam

Total Fees

₹ 6.16 Lakh

Duration

2 years
|
Full Time

National Institute of Fashion Technology, Mumbai

Navi Mumbai • Public

Courses Offered

Exams

NIFT Entrance Exam

Total Fees

₹ 12.96 Lakh

Duration

4 years
|
Full Time

National Institute of Fashion Technology, Chennai

Taramani, Chennai • Public

Courses Offered

Exams

NIFT Entrance Exam

Total Fees

₹ 12.34 Lakh

Duration

4 years
|
Full Time

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