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    Design Institutes Offering Lateral Entry Admissions

    Design Institutes Offering Lateral Entry Admissions

    Team Careers360Updated on 19 Feb 2026, 03:21 PM IST

    Design Institutes Offering Lateral Entry Admissions: Lateral entry admission in design colleges provide an opportunity for aspiring students who have completed their diploma or degree in the relevant field to get a higher education degree. The eligible and qualified aspirants will be offered design institute lateral entry admission which is the direct admission to the second year of the design institutes through this special entry system. Other institutes offer admissions on the basis of lateral entry criteria for design and the candidates’ performance in the qualifying exam.

    Design Institutes Offering Lateral Entry Admissions
    Design Institutes Offering Lateral Entry Admissions

    Top design institutes like NIFT and NID conduct their own written test, studio test, and personal interview. Careers360 provides a list of design colleges that offer lateral entry design admissions in their undergraduate degree programmes. Other important details such as lateral entry eligibility criteria, admission procedure, the application process, important dates, etc. are mentioned in the article below.

    Top College in India Offering Design

    National Institute of Fashion Technology

    NIFT offers lateral entry for fashion design admission to eligible and interested candidates in getting direct admission to the third semester of undergraduate programmes throughout its campuses. An opportunity for admission through NIFT Lateral Entry Admission (NLEA) will be given to the candidates who have completed their diploma/degree in relevant/related fields of Fashion Design & Technology.

    To get lateral entry in design courses, admission in the second year, candidates who have acquired a diploma/ degree will have to appear for an All India Entrance Exam instead of the NIFT entrance exam. The admissions to as many as 336 seats are strictly on merit based on the performance of candidates in written tests, studio tests/ technology aptitude tests, and personal interviews.

    Also Read: Fee Structure of Top Design Colleges in India

    Lateral Entry Eligibility Criteria for Design Courses

    The eligibility criteria for Bachelor of Design (B.Des) Admissions are mentioned below.

    • Candidates must be passed the Secondary School Examination/10th or complete the Senior Secondary Examination/12th recognized by AIU

    • Aspirants must complete a 3 or 4-year diploma recognized by AICTE/AIU/UGC or a State Board of Technical Education and

    • Candidates must have attended courses related to Fashion/Apparel/Textile and Accessories/Home Science/ Handloom Technology/ Products/ Visual Communication/ Graphic Design/ Industrial Design/ Interior Design/ Multimedia Design/ Apparel Technology/ Leather or

    • Students who have completed 2 years regular UG Diploma Programme at NIFT after passing the Senior Secondary Examination/12th standard can also apply for lateral admission

    UPES B.Des Admissions 2026

    Last Date to Apply: 26th March | Ranked #45 amongst Universities in India by NIRF | Ranked #1 in Academic Reputation in India by QS World University Rankings

    Pearl Academy B.Des Admissions 2026

    No. 1 Design & Fashion Institute by ASSOCHAM, India Today, Outlook and The Week rankings

    The eligibility criteria for Bachelor of Fashion Technology (Apparel Production) (B.FTech.) Admissions are listed below

    • Candidates must have passed the Secondary School Examination/10th and

    • Aspirants must have a 3 or 4-year textile technology/textile engineering/textile chemistry diploma recognized by AICTE or a State Board of Technical Education

    • Candidates must be passed the Senior Secondary Examination/12th Standard recognized by AIU with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics as the subject and

    • Candidates having successfully completed a diploma (including NIFT) of a minimum 2-year duration related to Fashion/ Apparel/ Textile/ Home Science/ Handloom Technology can apply for lateral admission

    NIFT Situation Test PYQ's with Solutions
    eBook guides NIFT Situation Test aspirants with exam pattern, past questions, model-making skills, material handling, time management, and expert tips.
    Download EBook

    Lateral Entry Application Form Procedure

    Students can fill out the lateral entry application form for NLEA online mode only. They can make the application fee payment in online mode through a credit card/debit card (Master/ Visa). After completing the application process, students can immediately take out a printout of the admit card.

    Also Read:

    ITM Institute of Design and Media Admissions 2026

    Faculty from A+ Design schools of India and Abroad | 100% Placement Assistance

    IIAD Admissions 2026

    Leading Design College | Highest CTC: ₹12 LPA | Average CTC: ₹7.5 LPA | Scholarships for Deserving Students

    Design Institute Entrance Exam Pattern For Lateral Entry

    The entrance test is paper-based, and is held as per the following schedule and weightage:

    Course

    Test

    Weightage

    Duration

    Venue

    B.Des. (Bachelor of Design)

    GAT

    40

    1 hour

    NIFT campus selected by the candidate

    Studio Test

    40

    1½ hour

    Interview

    20


    Verification of documents/eligibility


    B.F.Tech. (Bachelor of Fashion Technology)

    GAT

    40

    1 hour

    TAT

    40

    1½ hour

    Interview

    20


    Verification of documents/eligibility


    World University of Design

    Aspirants who have fulfilled the eligibility criteria are given opportunities for professional growth and career improvement through diploma to degree lateral entry into courses in the second/third year. Candidates must mention the details about their diplomas while applying for lateral entry.

    Manipal University

    Manipal University which is located in Karnataka offers design courses for lateral entry admissions to UG programmes. Candidates must have passed a 10+3 year diploma in fashion design from a recognized board to apply for lateral admission.

    Application Procedure

    Interested candidates can apply online by providing the required details in the application form. In this design institute admission process , there is no entrance test. Admission is done on the basis of marks obtained in the diploma.

    United World Institute of Design

    UID, a constituent college of Karnavati University, offers admission for a limited number of seats in the second and third years of its B.Design program. These lateral entry design admissions are subject to the availability of seats, which are allotted on the basis of choice-cum-merit.

    Application Procedure

    Candidates have to submit a written application form in the prescribed format along with an application fee of Rs.2000. The application fee can be paid by NEFT/RTGS, cheque, or demand draft.

    Admission Criteria

    The admissions are done on the basis of evaluation reports of students’ portfolios by the evaluation committee of the Institute, marks scored by them in the first and second semesters (for second-year admission), and first, second, third, and fourth-semester examinations (for third-year admission).

    Know More:

    Pearl Academy

    Pearl Academy offers admission under the Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) entry scheme for students with advanced standing. Students, who are studying in other universities/colleges can apply for lateral admission to Pearl Academy via APL/ Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) entry. The Academy’s admission panel carries out an assessment of the learning outcomes for lateral entry admissions.

    Application Procedure

    Candidates have to submit a duly filled and signed APEL application form along with a properly filled SOP. Official transcripts of qualifications (attested photocopies), copies of class 10 and 12 mark sheets, and portfolio links or files are mandatory to submit.

    Admission Criteria

    The candidates are called directly for a personal interview to offer lateral admission.

    Browse Top Fashion Design Colleges by Location

    LISAA School of Design

    Students, who are studying in other universities/colleges, can apply for lateral entry in design courses admission to the LISAA School of Design. Admissions are given to the second or third year in any specialized course.

    Admission Criteria

    The criteria for admission are a portfolio assessment and a personal interview. Admissions are subject to approval from the University.

    Indian Institute of Art & Design

    IIAD offers lateral entry into various programmes (fashion design/communication design/interior architecture & design) to students, who have successfully completed the previous year(s) of their design degree/diploma programme from a nationally or internationally recognized design institute.

    Application Procedure

    • The application form for lateral entry is available at the admissions office of IIAD.

    • The form can also be downloaded and sent to the admission department.

    • Eligible aspirants can also apply online.

    Admission Criteria

    Admissions are done on the basis of personal interviews and portfolios.

    Lovely Professional University

    LPU offers admission to the second year of Bachelor in Design programmes to eligible candidates. Admissions are given on the basis of candidates’ performance in the qualifying exam.

    Eligibility Criteria

    Candidates must have passed with 50% aggregate marks in diploma (Fashion or Garment Technology) [(3 years after 10th) or (1 year/2 year after 12th)] or equivalent, subject to qualifying LPUNEST.

    OR

    If the marks scored in the diploma are 70% or above, then LPUNEST is exempted, and the candidate may apply for admission.

    (5% relaxation to North-East states and Sikkim candidates/Defence Personnel and their Dependents/Wards of Kashmiri Migrants)

    Application Procedure

    Eligible candidates can fill out an online application form to apply for lateral entry in design courses. They also need to upload the required documents for verification.

    Admission Criteria

    Admissions are done on the basis of merit in the qualifying examination.

    List of Design Colleges Offering Lateral Entry Admissions

    Go through the table mentioned below to understand the admission process and fee range of Design colleges in India offering lateral entry admissions to the aspirants.

    College Name

    Location

    Admission Process

    Fee Range (Total Fees)

    Karnavati University

    Gandhinagar, Gujarat

    Merit-based

    INR 7 Lakh- INR 9 Lakh

    Pearl Academy

    Jaipur, Rajasthan

    Personal Interview

    INR 14 Lakh- INR 20 Lakh

    Indian Institute of Art & Design

    New Delhi, Delhi

    Personal Interview and Portfolio Analysis

    INR 10 Lakh- INR 20 Lakh

    UID Ahmedabad

    Gandhinagar, Gujarat

    Entrance Exam

    INR 11 Lakh- INR 13 Lakh

    LISAA School of Design

    New Delhi, Delhi

    Portfolio Analysis and Personal Interview

    INR 4 Lakh- INR 5 Lakh

    Amity University

    Mumbai, Maharashtra

    Merit-Based

    INR 6 Lakh- INR 9 Lakh

    CREO Valley

    Bangalore, Karnataka

    Merit-Based

    INR 8 Lakh- INR 12 Lakh

    Sanskriti University

    Mathura, Uttar Pradesh

    Merit-Based

    INR 1.26 Lakh- INR 1.50 Lakh

    Lovely Professional University

    Phagwara, Punjab

    Merit-Based

    INR 2.5 Lakh- INR 5 Lakh

    Jagannath University

    Jaipur, RajasthanMerit-BasedINR 4 Lakh- INR 5 Lakh

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

    Q: What is lateral admission in design college?
    A:

    Lateral entry admission in design colleges provide an opportunity to the aspiring students who have completed their diploma or degree in the relevant field to get a higher education degree. The eligible and qualified aspirants will be offered direct admission to the second year of the design institutes through this special entry system.

    Q: What is the lateral admission process in National Institute of Fashion Technology?
    A:

    National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) offers admission to the eligible and interested candidates in getting direct admission to the third semester of undergraduate programmes throughout its campuses. An opportunity for admissions through NIFT Lateral Entry Admission (NLEA) will be given to the candidates who have completed their diploma/degree in relevant/related fields of Fashion Design & Technology.

    Q: What is the lateral admission process in Pearl Academy?
    A:

    Candidates have to submit duly filled and signed APEL application form along with a properly filled SOP. Official transcripts of qualifications (attested photocopies), copies of class 10 and 12 mark sheets and portfolio link or file are mandatory to submit.

    Q: What are the programmes that offer lateral admission in Indian Institute of Art and Design?
    A:

    IIAD offers lateral entry into various programmes such as fashion design, communication design and interior architecture & design.

    Q: what is the meaning of NIFT lateral entry?
    A:

    NIFT lateral entry allows candidates with a relevant diploma or degree in fashion design and technology to directly enter the second or third year of NIFT’s undergraduate programmes. Admission is through an All India Entrance Exam, which includes a written test, studio test, and a personal interview. Candidates must meet eligibility criteria and apply online for the exam. Admission is merit-based and depends on performance in the entrance exam. NIFT offers 336 lateral entry seats across its campuses.

    Q: Which design institutes offer lateral entry admissions?
    A:

    The list of colleges  offering lateral entry design admissions is provided in the article above.

    Q: Do I need to appear for an entrance exam for lateral entry admissions?
    A:

    Design Institute Entrance Exam may not be applicable for all institutes for lateral entry admissions.

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    Questions related to NIFT Entrance Exam

    On Question asked by student community

    Have a question related to NIFT Entrance Exam ?

    HELLO,

    I am providing you the link below through which you will be able to download the NIFT Question papers with solutions PDF

    Here is the link :-

    https://design.careers360.com/articles/nift-question-paper

    In the above link , you will get the direct links to download the year vise question papers with solutions ,

    Hello,

    Yes, a diploma holder in Computer Engineering can apply for the NIFT entrance exam , but only through the lateral entry route.

    NIFT allows candidates with a 3-year or 4-year engineering diploma from a recognized board to apply for B.F.Tech (Fashion Technology) through lateral entry. The diploma must be

    Hello aspirant,

    The National Testing Agency (NTA) has determined the official date for NIFT 2026 applicant registrations, which is expected to open in November 2025. Online applications will be accepted through January 2026.

    For complete information, you can visit our site through following link:

    https://design.careers360.com/exams/nift-entrance-exam

    Thank you