Design Institutes Offering Lateral Entry Admissions

Design Institutes Offering Lateral Entry Admissions

SundararajanUpdated on 16 Apr 2025, 03:33 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 2025 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. 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.

Design Institutes Offering Lateral Entry Dates

Events

Dates

NLEA online registration

2nd to 4th week of May

Availability of NLEA admit card

Immediately after completing the application form

  • Written examination and interview at the NIFT campus
  • Scrutiny of forms- Verification of documents/eligibility

Last week of May

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

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Bennett University B.Design Admissions 2025

Merit Based Scholarships Available

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

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Lateral Entry Application Form Procedure

Students can fill out the lateral entry application form for NLEA online mode only. General/ OBC (Non-Creamy) aspirants will have to pay Rs 1500 as an application fee- Rs. 1500 However, SC/ ST/ PwD candidates have to pay Rs. 750. They can make the 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:

Sanskriti University B.Des Admissions 2025

Best innovation and research-driven university of Uttar Pradesh

IIFT Design Admissions 2025

Recruiters: Tommy Hilfiger, USPA, Arvind etc | Only Fashion Institute in India to have entered the LIMCA BOOK OF RECORDS

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

Timings

Venue

B.Des. (Bachelor of Design)

GAT

40

1 hour

10:00 AM to 11:00 AM

NIFT campus selected by the candidate

Studio Test

40

1½ hour

11:30 AM to 01:00 PM

Interview

20

02:00 PM onwards

Verification of documents/eligibility

02:30 PM onwards

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

GAT

40

1 hour

10:00 AM to 11:00 AM

TAT

40

1½ hour

11:30 AM to 01:00 PM

Interview

20

02:00 PM onwards

Verification of documents/eligibility

02:30 PM onwards

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: 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.

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: 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.

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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 Neharika

These are the topics which are most important in the Current affairs section in respect to NIFT Entrance Exam:

1. National and International Awards and Honors
2. Government Schemes and Initiatives
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6. Indian and World Economy
7. International Relations
8. Fashion Industry Updates
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To know more about NIFT Entrance Exam: NIFT Entrance Exam by CAREERS360

Hope this answer helps! Thank You!!!


Hello,

According to the sources, the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) entrance exam for 2026 will be held in February 2026. Also, the registration period may open from November 2025.

I hope it will clear your query!!

Hello,
It’s completely understandable to feel disheartened after not getting a seat in the first and second rounds, especially when you’ve filled all the colleges and have your hopes set on a particular course like Fashion Communication . With an OBC rank of 1910 and CMR 7192, your chances can improve in the upcoming counselling rounds as more students withdraw or shift to other colleges.
So make sure to check the further rounds of counselling and don’t lose hope. Many students get seats in the 3rd, 4th, and mop-up rounds. You can also consider updating your preference list or keeping a wider range of courses and campuses open in case you're okay with related fields.
Keep checking the official NIFT website for updates on seat allotment and further counselling instructions.
Thank you

Dear Candidate ,
Yes , you are eligible for NIFT - UG 2026 . Based on your birthdate , you will be 19 years old as of August 1 , 2026 , which is well within the age limit .
NIFT requires applicants to be under 24 years of age on August 1 of the admission year , with a 5 year relaxation for SC/ST/PwD candidates .

Hello

The syllabus of NIFT 2026 will be released on October 2025 by Nift officials on their official website nift.ac.in . The syllabus comprises of topics General Ability Test (GAT) and Creative Ability Test (CAT). The syllabus is different for UG and PG programmes. The GAT syllabus consists of :

  • Communication ability and English comprehension
  • Quantitative ability
  • Analytical and Reasoning
  • Case study
  • General knowledge and current affairs

The CAT syllabus consists important topics like

  • Creative ability
  • Observation power
  • Discernment ability
  • Design ability
  • Colour combination ability

To download the complete syllabus kindly refer this

https://design.careers360.com/articles/nift-syllabus

Good luck !