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    Top 10 Fashion Design Colleges in Maharashtra
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    • Top 10 Fashion Design Colleges in Maharashtra

    Top 10 Fashion Design Colleges in Maharashtra

    Tekumalla AvinashramUpdated on 12 Nov 2026, 04:42 PM IST
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    Maharashtra is one of the popular fashion design hubs in India. Currently, there are 102 fashion design colleges in Maharashtra, of which around 97 are privately owned institutions and the remaining 5 are government institutions. Interested students should complete their 10+2 education from any recognised board to be eligible for any fashion design college admissions in Maharashtra. To avail admission into any of the fashion design colleges in Maharashtra, candidates will have to either appear for entrance exams or score good marks in their previous educational board. There are multiple entrance exams such as UCEED, NIFT, MAH BDes CET, NID DAT, and many more through which candidates will be given admission into fashion design colleges in Maharashtra. The top 10 fashion design colleges in Maharashtra are available in different cities such as Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, and many more. Read the complete article to know the top fashion design colleges in Maharashtra, admission process, types of entrance exams, eligibility criteria, and other important details.

    Top 10 Fashion Design Colleges in Maharashtra
    Top 10 Fashion Design Colleges in Maharashtra

    Top 10 Fashion Design Colleges in Maharashtra

    There are 100+ fashion design colleges in Maharashtra. Among them, the top 10 fashion design colleges, which are government-owned and privately owned institutions, are listed below: 


    Fashion Design Colleges in Maharashtra - Privately Owned

    College Name

    Location

    Pearl Academy

    Mumbai 

    Symbiosis Institute of Design

    Pune

    International School of Design

    Pune

    Whistling Woods International

    Mumbai

    MIT Institute of Design

    Pune

    There are various fashion design colleges in Maharashtra; the above-mentioned are some of the popular design colleges that offer fashion design courses. Fashion design colleges, such as NIFT, Pearl Academy, and Symbiosis Institute of Design, are well-known and commonly preferred institutions among design aspirants.

    Fashion Design Courses Offered in Maharashtra

    Fashion Design colleges in Maharashtra offer various degree courses for design aspirants. The most popular courses are B.Des, B.Sc., B.Voc, M.Des, diploma and other certification courses. Check the section below to learn in detail about the popular design courses:

    Bachelor of Design (B.Des in Fashion Design): B.Des in fashion design is a four-year UG programme which is offered for students who complete their 10+2 education from any recognised board. The B.Des in fashion design course mainly focuses on the core principles and creative approach in the apparel and design industry. Through the B.Des course, candidates will learn about the design principles, textile science, patterns, colour, fashion marketing, and merchandising.

    Bachelor of Science (B.Sc. in Fashion Design): B.Sc. in fashion design is a 3 year UG programme offered for students who complete their 10+2 education from any recognised board. Through the B.Sc. degree, candidates will focus on the creative art and technical side of designing clothes, textiles, and apparel production. Fashion design students in the B.Sc. will learn the technical side of design, such as CAD software, merchandising, marketing, and textile science.

    Bachelor of Vocation (B.Voc) in Fashion Design: B.Voc in fashion design is a three-year UG programme that focuses mainly on the practical and technical skills of apparel design and textiles. Through the B.Voc degree, candidates will learn the core design areas such as garment construction, pattern making, fashion illustration, CAD, fashion marketing, merchandising, and many others.

    Master of Design (M.Des in Fashion Design): M.Des in fashion design is a two-year PG programme that focuses on the advanced principles of design, research-led topics, brand strategy, trend analysis, and advanced concepts. As the PG course is a two-year programme, the complete course will focus on research, project, and studio-based teaching to understand the major subjects of fashion design.

    Diploma Courses in Fashion Design: There are multiple institutions that offer diploma courses in fashion design. The diploma courses in fashion design are fast-paced and skill-focused courses that focus mainly on the technical and business aspects of fashion design. Through diploma courses, candidates will be completely focused on the studio and theoretical subjects of fashion design.

    Admission Process for Fashion Design Colleges in Maharashtra

    The admission process for fashion design colleges in Maharashtra is based on various options such as entrance exams and merit-based admission. To secure admission, candidates will have to either appear for a national or state-level entrance exam, or admission will be given based on merit scores secured in their previous academic years. Candidates can check the list of entrance exams available for fashion design college admissions. 

    Exam Name

    Conducting Body 

    UCEED

    IIT Bombay

    NIFT Entrance Exam

    National Testing Agency

    Pearl Academy Entrance Exam

    Pearl Academy

    MAH B.Des CET

    CET Cell, Maharashtra

    SEED exam

    Symbiosis Institute of Design

    MIT DAT (Design Aptitude Test)

    MIT Institute of Design

    CUET BDes exam 

    National Testing Agency

    NID DAT

    National Institute of Design


    • Interested candidates who are planning to take admission into fashion design colleges should complete their 10+2 education with at least 50 – 55% marks from any recognised board. 

    • Candidates should complete the registration process and fill out the application form for any preferred examination. 

    • Among the mentioned entrance exams in the above table, some of them are privately owned, and some of them are government institutions.

    • Some of the entrance exams will be followed by a counselling process for seat allotment. Selected candidates in the entrance exam should appear for the counselling process for seat allotment as per the respective exam guidelines.

    Career Options After Fashion Design in Maharashtra

    As Maharashtra is one of the popular fashion hubs in India, fashion designing students and design graduates have various options to build their career. Students who want to prefer fashion designing, styling, or consulting can prefer Mumbai, as it is the hub for entertainment. Students can find various jobs in the entertainment industry. Whereas, Pune is best for students who want to build their career in the retail market, merchandising, and marketing. Check the list of career options after completing a fashion design graduation in Maharashtra: 

    Career Options After Fashion Design

    • Fashion Designer

    • Textile Designer

    • Fashion Stylist

    • Fashion Illustrator 

    • Fashion Merchandiser

    • Fashion Consultant

    Upcoming Design Exams
    Ongoing Dates
    ADEPT Application Date

    1 Sep'26 - 20 Dec'26 (Online)

    Ongoing Dates
    GLS DAT Application Date

    2 Sep'26 - 21 Jan'27 (Online)

    Ongoing Dates
    MIT WPU CET Application Date

    2 Sep'26 - 14 Dec'26 (Online)

    Questions related to Fashion Design

    On Question asked by student community

    Have a question related to Fashion Design ?

    Some good options include:

    JD Institute of Fashion Technology

    International Institute of Fashion Design (INIFD)

    NIF Global

    There are limited fashion colleges in Chembur itself, so nearby areas like Dadar, Sion, and Andheri offer more choices.

    Hello,

    If you are looking for Fashion Designing colleges near Chembur, Mumbai, you can consider the following institutes:

    NIF Global (formerly INIFD), Mumbai

    JD Institute of Fashion Technology, Mumbai

    Pearl Academy, Mumbai

    SOFT – School of Fashion Technology

    L.S. Raheja School of Art

    Rachana Sansad School of Fashion Design

    Before

    Hello Dear Student,

    Choosing the best course among Fashion Designing, BCA (Bachelor of Computer Applications), and Psychology depends on your core strengths. Fashion Designing is artistic and creative, BCA is technical and computer-focused, and Psychology is scientific and human-centric. No single field is universally "best"-it depends entirely on what you

    Yeah, Master's in Fashion Design is definitely a thing. Quite a few colleges and universities offer it across India.

    You can do a 2-year postgraduate degree if you want to specialize further or if you're looking to build on an existing background. Some institutes focus more on design theory and

    Hello Dear Student,

    Yes, GT (Garment Technology) , FT (Fashion Technology) , and CDDM (Costume Design and Dress Making) are all valid and recognized courses available in India.

    These courses are offered by:

    • polytechnic colleges,
    • technical education boards, and
    • fashion/design institutes

    to prepare students for careers in the fashion, textile,