National Institute of Fashion Technology is one of the most popular fashion design colleges in India, and every year, lakhs of students aspire to get NIFT admission. However, one of the common queries amongst the aspiring students is “How to get admission in NIFT?”. NIFT 2026 will have multiple stages. To get admission in the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), candidates need to first appear for the NIFT entrance exam that is conducted by NTA. Further, the shortlisted candidates have to appear for all components in the NIFT selection process, which includes the NIFT situation test for BDes admission and an interview for the PG programme. In this article, learn how to get admission in NIFT for various programmes.
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NIFT entrance exam is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), and over 20,000 students appear for the NIFT exam every year. To get admission in NIFT 2026, appearing and qualifying in the entrance exam is a mandatory step. The NIFT full form is National Institute of Fashion Technology.
Aspirants looking for admission to NIFT campuses should follow the below-given steps:
Identify skills
Check eligibility criteria
Fill the NIFT admission form
Apply for NIFT entrance exam
Appear for NIFT CAT and GAT
Participate in the situation test
Counselling and seat allotment
Candidates looking for “how to get admission in NIFT after 12th” can below check the step-by-step procedure to get admission in NIFT.
Do you keep a regular update with various fashion weeks? Do you have a knack for buying the most absurd piece of clothing and making it look cool? Do you daydream about sketching croquis figurines and seeing them getting sewed for runways? If yes, then congratulations! you can make a career in fashion designing and NIFT can help you do that. Most of the Indians are of the notion that fashion designing is all about glamour and Bollywood. But it is so much more than that. From runway shows to retail shops a designer has a role to play in all of them. If you want to become a designer you must have an eye for detail and zeal for innovation, the rest can be learned in the process. Given below are a few skills required by a designer, if you have a few of them you might want to try a career in designing:
Sketching
Time Management
Attention to details
Trend analysis
Creativity
If you have a few of the skills listed above you can try your hands in fashion designing. Even if you don't have these skills and you have a passion for designing you can still join a fashion designing course and hone up these skills.
Candidates who want to get admission into NIFT must have the proper eligibility criteria in order to not get rejected. NIFT eligibility criteria is released through the official brochure at the official website - nift.ac.in. Course-wise NIFT entrance exam eligibility is mentioned in the table below.
NIFT Course | Eligibility Criteria |
BDes | Candidate must have passed 10 + 2 exams or equivalent from any recognised board. The candidate must also be less than 24 years old on August 1 of the year of admission. |
BFTech | B.F.Tech courses require that the candidate must have passed 10 + 2 or equivalent with physics, chemistry, and maths as compulsory subjects. Also, the candidate must be less than 24 years old on August 1 of the year of admission. |
MDes and MFM | The eligibility criteria for these courses are the candidate must have an undergraduate degree from a recognised university or the candidate must have a 3 year diploma from NIFT/NID. There is no upper age limit for taking admission into NIFT masters course. |
M.F.Tech | The candidates must have a B.F.Tech degree from a recognised university or a B.E/B.Tech degree. There is no upper age limit for this course. |
The next step for NIFT admission is filling the application form. The application process for NIFT is released in online mode at the official website -nift.ac.in.
How to Get Admission in NIFT: Step-by-step process to fill application form
Students must fill in the NIFT application form on time to ensure that they can take admission in NIFT.
Register for the NIFT entrance exam by visiting the application form official website - exams.nta.ac.in/NIFT.
Create an ID and password and login again.
Fill in the details carefully such as name, parents' name, education details, category details, address, etc.
Upload the scanned image of photograph, signature, certificates, etc.
Pay the fee and proceed to download the NIFT entrance application form pdf. Keep this safely for further reference.
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The next important step to take if you want admission at NIFT is knowing the syllabus and preparing for the exam. The first is GAT (General Ability Test), which tests the candidate’s communication skills, general knowledge, mathematical abilities etc. The Creative Ability Test (CAT) is a drawing test made to evaluate the illustration skills, creativity and knowledge of colours. The second step is only for candidates who want to pursue B.Des or M.Des. Students must not only practise sketching and illustration for CAT but also practice logic and reasoning questions, quantitative ability etc for GAT. Here is a list of the best books candidates can refer to.
For the candidate who is shortlisted from the above two examinations he or she is selected to appear in the situation test (in case of undergraduates) /Personal Interview and Group discussion (in case of post graduates). The students must stay up to date with current affairs and improve confidence in order to perform well in the PI round. For the situation test, the candidates should practice 3D modelling with clay, paper cutting and origami to improve their creativity.
After the entrance exam and situation test, aspirants need to wait for the final results to get published. Once the final results are published the students can attend counselling sessions and choose their specialisations and select their campus out of the wide range of 19 campuses across the country.
Mark Distribution for different NIFT exams:
Programme | CAT | GAT | Situation Test | PI |
Bachelor of Design (B.Des) | 50% | 30% | 20% | - |
Master of Design (M.Des) | 40% | 30% | - | 30% |
Bachelor of Fashion Technology (B.F.Tech) | - | 100% | - | - |
Master of Fashion Technology (M.F.Tech) | - | 70% | - | 30% |
Master of Fashion Management (MFM) | - | 70% | - | 30% |
Aspirants should note that the minimum qualifying eligibility criteria for admission to NIFT is class 12th. Therefore, candidates cannot get admission to NIFT after the class 10th.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
If the student fulfills the eligibility criteria, he or she can apply for the NIFT entrance exam on the official website. The student needs to qualify in order to get admission into NIFT.
NIFT is a moderate difficulty level exam that tests students' creativity as well as general knowledge. Thus preparation for NIFT requires hard work. But with dedication anything is possible.
NIFT is one of the most sought after Institute for fashion designing in India. NIFT provides premier education as well as exposure to the students. NIFT is well known for its placements and thus it is worth the money.
All the NIFT campuses have a single process of getting admission. The candidate must fulfil the eligibility criteria and then appear for the entrance test after which if shortlisted the candidates can apply to NIFT Hyderabad if their scores suffice.
Unfortunately, the students have no other way except writing the entrance test and getting shortlisted for admission.
On Question asked by student community
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
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
3. Sports
4. Appointments and Newsmakers
5. Science and Technology
6. Indian and World Economy
7. International Relations
8. Fashion Industry Updates
9. Books and Authors
10. Art and Culture
11. Environmental and Social Issues
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!!
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 .
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