CMR Full Form in NIFT, Difference Between Common Merit Rank & Category Merit Rank

CMR Full Form in NIFT, Difference Between Common Merit Rank & Category Merit Rank

Team Careers360Updated on 22 Jun 2025, 07:57 PM IST

CMR in NIFT stands for Common Merit Rank. The common merit rank NIFT is a type of rank list prepared which includes the students who belong to general as well as minorities. Based on the NIFT CMR, the students get admissions into the various courses of NIFT. As per previous year, aspirants having CMR between 1 to 9713 were eligible for NIFT counselling for admission to Bachelors of Design. The NIFT cut off will include the opening and closing common merit rank for admission to campuses. Continue reading for more details on CMR in NIFT.

This Story also Contains

  1. What is the full form of CMR in NIFT?
  2. What is the Common Merit Rank in NIFT?
  3. What is Category Merit Rank in NIFT?
  4. Difference Between Common Merit Rank and Category Merit Rank
  5. NIFT Seat Reservation
CMR Full Form in NIFT, Difference Between Common Merit Rank & Category Merit Rank
What is CMR in NIFT

What is the full form of CMR in NIFT?

The students must now be wondering what CMR full form in NIFT is. The common merit rank is the CMR full form in NIFT. The students must not confuse it with the list of NIFT category merit rank. We suggest reading the full article to solve all the queries related to common merit rank and category merit rank in NIFT.

What is the Common Merit Rank in NIFT?

The NIFT common merit rank is the rank obtained by the candidates who have been shortlisted for the admissions and seat allocation. It includes an all India rank list of students without their categories included. The students who belong to unreserved or general category common merit rank in NIFT is the rank which they will be allotted seats under. This rank is made from the marks and the students are given their ranks based on the marks they have obtained. The students are allotted the ranks without including their category and the unreserved candidates decide their final ranks through this.

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CRM for NIFT Seat Allotment 2025

Along with the NIFT seat allotment 2025 notification, the authorities will also release the details on CMR eligible to participate in the NIFT counselling and allocation process. The authorities will release the CMR for 2025 as per the schedule. As per previous year, aspirants having CMR between 1 to 9713 were eligible for NIFT counselling for admission to Bachelors of Design.

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CMR for NIFT Seat Allotment

What is Category Merit Rank in NIFT?

The NIFT category merit rank of the student depends on the category he/she belongs to. According to the Government of India every institution needs to reserve a certain amount of seats for each category that is considered a minority. These include the SC/ST/OBC-NCL/EWS/PwD students who have been provided reservations across all institutions according to the government of India. Each category has a different percentage of reservation depending on their population.

Difference Between Common Merit Rank and Category Merit Rank

Students must know the important difference between the common merit rank and category merit rank in NIFT so that they don't have any trouble during admissions. The major difference between common merit rank and category merit rank in NIFT entrance exam is the NIFT common merit rank is a rank that includes both unreserved and reserved candidates and a rank is allotted to them according to their marks that they have secured. The NIFT category merit rank on the other hand is for students who belong to the reserved category. The students who belong to SC/ST/OBC-NCL/GEN-EWS/PwD are eligible for the category merit rank. This rank is separately issued for each category based on their reservation percentage.

NIFT Seat Reservation

Each campus of NIFT has reservations of seats under each course according to the below-mentioned percentage. The students must produce valid certificates for the category that they have applied to when the authorities ask for. The certificate should be strictly in the name of the applicant. The certificate must only be in Hindi/ English. If the certificate is produced in any other language a certified translation must be submitted. The inability to produce the certificates/ translations of the certificates may result in the cancelling of the admissions. In case a reserved candidate is considered for admission under the category of unreserved category he/she will be asked to pay the difference of amount in the fee. The unfilled PwD seats will be converted to the respective category such as unfilled Open (PWD) to Open, OBC (NCL) (PWD) to OBC, SC (PWD) to SC and ST (PWD) to ST. The unfulfilled reserved seats will be converted to the unreserved category once two rounds of seat allocation are over.

Based on these reservations the students will be given ranks of their category merit rank. The students must register for the exam and give their correct category during the NIFT application form fill up. The students must note that once they have submitted their category it cannot be changed at any point during the admission process. The category merit rank is allotted to each of the minorities separately and a rank list is prepared for each category separately. The students who belong to the reserved category need to check their category rank and take admissions based on this.

Reservation used to decide the category merit rank in NIFT

Category

Reservation

SC

15 %

ST

7.5 %

OBC-NCL (Non-Creamy Layer)

27 %

General EWS

10 %

Person with Disability (PwD)

5 %

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Is 3000 a good rank in NIFT?
A:

It depends on the factors such as category of the student, course and the campus the student prefers.

Q: What is the full form of CMR in an exam?
A:

CMR stands for Common Merit Rank that is released during the process of admissions.

Q: Which rank is considered for NIFT counselling?
A:

If a student belongs to the unreserved category, then the common merit rank is considered, if a student belongs to a reserved category, then the category merit rank will be considered.

Q: Why is NIFT so expensive?
A:

NIFT provides the students good labs and studios to learn from. NIFT is one of the best options to pursue fashion design studies in India. There are several scholarships available for deserving students.

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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,
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 !

Hello,

The Chennai NIFT entrance exam results for 2025 are usually declared a few weeks after the exam date. You can check the official NIFT website or trusted education portals like Careers360 for the latest updates and result announcements.

Make sure to keep your application details handy to access your result easily.

Hope this helps!

Hii,

NIFTEE 2025 Result has been released by NTA on 24th April 2025. UG and PG aspirants can now check and download their scorecards through direct links given in this news. The NTA has declared the NIFT 2025 Result on its official website, exams.nta.ac.in/NIFT.