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    NIFT Delhi vs NIFT Chennai: Which NIFT Campus Should You Choose?

    NIFT Delhi vs NIFT Chennai: Which NIFT Campus Should You Choose?

    Sumeet SudarshanUpdated on 23 Sep 2026, 03:38 PM IST

    Two popular NIFT campus options for aspirants are NIFT Delhi and NIFT Chennai. The NIFT campuses are among the top design colleges in India, especially for candidates aspiring to pursue design specialisation in fashion design and allied fields. When it comes to NIFT Delhi and NIFT Chennai, which ones should students choose? In this article, let’s get the college comparison between the two to help make the right decision.

    NIFT Delhi vs NIFT Chennai: Which NIFT Campus Should You Choose?
    NIFT Delhi vs NIFT Chennai: Which NIFT Campus Should You Choose?

    NIFT Delhi Vs NIFT Chennai: Quick Overview

    Particulars

    NIFT Delhi

    NIFT Chennai

    Entrance Exam

    NIFT entrance exam

    NIFT entrance exam

    Courses offered

    BDes, MDes, BFTech, MFTech, MFM

    BDes, BFTech, MFTech, MFM

    Seats

    376 seats

    338 seats

    All India Ranking (as per India Today rankings)

    1

    5

    Fees

    Rs 14.09 lakhs (for 4 years)

    Rs 14.09 lakhs (for 4 years)

    Placements

    Centralised placements

    Centralised placements

    NIFT Delhi vs NIFT Chennai: Admission Process

    The admission process is similar for all NIFT campuses. NIFT Delhi and NIFT Chennai admit students based on the performance in the NIFT entrance exam - stage 1 and stage 2. The entrance exam consists of GAT and CAT sections as per the applicable programme. Stage 2 of the selection process consists of the NIFT situation test for BDes and interview rounds for NIFT PG programmes.

    Shortlisted candidates after both stages of the exam must register online for the NIFT counselling process and provide their campus choices. The NIFT seat allotment is done based on the candidate’s rank and campus preferences.

    NIFT Delhi vs NIFT Chennai: Courses and Seats

    NIFT Delhi offers more courses and seats as compared to NIFT Chennai. Both the campuses offer BDes, BFTech, MFTech and MFM programmes. However, NIFT Delhi also offers MDes, which is not offered by NIFT Chennai. The seat intake at NIFT Delhi is 376, while it is 338 seats at NIFT Chennai. The table below provides the specialisation-wise seat matrix for both NIFT campuses for different programmes.

    NIFT Delhi Vs NIFT Chennai: Seat Matrix

    Programme

    Chennai

    New Delhi

    Bachelor Programmes - Bachelor of Design (B.Des)

    Accessory Design (AD)

    38

    38

    Fashion Communication (FC)

    38

    38

    Fashion Design (FD)

    38

    38

    Knitwear Design (KD)

    38

    38

    Leather Design (LD)

    38

    38

    Textile Design (TD)

    38

    38

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

    Apparel Production (AP)

    38

    38

    Master Programmes

    Master of Design (M.Des)


    38

    Master of Fashion Management (M.F.M)

    38

    38

    Master of Fashion Technology (M.F.Tech)

    34

    34

    Total

    338

    376

    NIFT Delhi vs NIFT Chennai: Fees

    The fee structure is the same for all NIFT campuses. However, the NIFT hostel fees may vary across different campuses depending on the facilities offered, location, and accommodation type opted by the students. The NIFT fees is specified in the admission prospectus at the time of admission notification.

    4-year NIFT Fee Structure for Regular/Artisan/Ward of Artisan

    Particulars









    2026-27


    2027-28


    2028-29


    2029-30


    Sem 1

    Sem 2

    Sem 3

    Sem 4

    Sem 5

    Sem 6

    Sem 7

    Sem 8

    Tuition fee (Non-refundable)

    150000

    150000

    158000

    158000

    166000

    166000

    174000

    174000

    Library fee (per year) (non-refundable)

    10000

    0

    10500

    0

    11000

    0

    11600

    0

    Mediclaim & student development fee

    (Per year) (non-refundable)

    4900

    0

    5100

    0

    5400

    0

    5700

    0

    Exam fee (per year)

    4900

    0

    5100

    0

    5400

    0

    5700

    0

    Total

    169800

    150000

    178700

    158000

    187800

    166000

    197000

    174000

    One-time payments









    Security deposit (one-time) (refundable)

    12600

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    Alumni association membership fee

    (One-time) (Non-refundable)*

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    6200

    0

    Registration fee

    (One-time)

    9300

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    Total

    21900

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    6200

    0

    Total

    191700

    150000

    178700

    158000

    187800

    166000

    203200

    174000

    NIFT Delhi Vs NIFT Chennai: Hostel Fee

    Particulars

    Details

    NIFT Delhi

    NIFT Delhi Hostel Fee

    NIFT Chennai

    NIFT Chennai Hostel Fee

    NIFT Delhi Vs NIFT Chennai: Rankings

    The Govt. of India does not release NIRF rankings for design colleges. However, there are third party rankings for fashion design colleges in India released by private entities. As per the India Today Rankings 2026 for top fashion design colleges, NIFT Delhi is ranked at the No.1 spot. NIFT Chennai has been ranked at the fifth spot in the rankings.

    NIFT Delhi vs NIFT Chennai: Facilities and Infrastructure

    The table below provides the notable infrastructure facilities for NIFT Delhi and NIFT Chennai.

    Facilities at NIFT Delhi and NIFT Chennai

    NIFT Delhi

    NIFT Chennai

    • 44 classrooms and labs and 3 seminar halls

    • Equipment such as 3D printers, laser cutting machine, Shima Seiki computerised knitting machine, ETON overhead material carrying system, digital printing machine, digital tablets and soft body dress forms to support practical learning

    • Resource Centre with over 15000 books and a big collection of fabric swatches, fashion garments, traditional costumes and accessories

    • Well-qualified faculty

    • Hostel facility for girls

    • Specialised studios, workshops and labs

    • Classrooms and purpose-built spaces equipped with modern technology

    • Auditorium

    • Hostel for boys and girls

    • Indoor sports facilities

    • Fitness centre

    • Amphitheatre


    NIFT Delhi Vs NIFT Chennai Placements

    The placements at NIFT campuses are conducted in a centralised manner. Candidates from all campuses can participate at the same time in the NIFT placements. This is to ensure that all students get equal opportunities. The average salary at NIFT placements ranges between Rs 5 and 6 lakhs p.a.

    Top recruiters at NIFT placements include companies such as Vymo, H&M, Artex Apparels, Hi-Fashion Pvt. Ltd, Silk Affairs Pvt. Ltd, and more.

    NIFT Delhi Vs NIFT Chennai: Which Campus You Should Choose

    Both NIFT Delhi and NIFT Chennai are among the top design colleges in India. Both offer comparable facilities. However, NIFT Delhi offers more courses and seats and is ranked higher than NIFT Chennai. Also, NIFT Delhi is the oldest NIFT campus and continues to be the top NIFT campus choice. Additionally, the city of Delhi is one of the top fashion destinations in India as the city regularly hosts fashion weeks. However, it must be noted that both Delhi and Chennai are industrial hubs with companies that provide good career opportunities for fashion design students.

    NIFT Delhi vs NIFT Chennai: Which Campus is Better?

    Particulars

    NIFT Delhi

    NIFT Chennai

    Rankings

    Ranked at no. 1

    Ranked at no.5

    Fees

    Tie

    Tie

    Placements

    Tie

    Tie

    Courses

    Better

    Does not offer MDes

    Seats

    Better

    Lesser seats

    Facilities

    Tie

    Tie

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    Questions related to NIFT Entrance Exam

    On Question asked by student community

    Have a question related to NIFT Entrance Exam ?

    If your NIFT B.Des. entrance exam is approaching, focus on revision rather than learning new topics.

    • Revise design principles, colour theory, perspective, and composition.
    • Practise quick sketches within a time limit.
    • Solve previous years' question papers to understand the exam pattern.
    • Improve observation skills by sketching everyday objects.
    • Carry all

    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