National Institute of Fashion Technology

Latest Admission Updates (2026)

The most time-sensitive update for National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi aspirants is the Stage II selection round: the Situation Test for B.Des and the Personal Interview for M.Des are the gateway to a seat in this 2026 cycle. As of June 2026, the written-exam stage is complete and final selection is being concluded. Here are the latest dated milestones for NIFT New Delhi admission 2026.

• Situation Test (B.Des) - second week of June 2026: The hands-on model-making Situation Test for B.Des shortlisted candidates is being conducted now and carries roughly 20% weight in the final B.Des merit.
• Final result / merit list - second week of June 2026: The combined merit (written exam plus Situation Test/Interview) is being declared, after which counselling registration opens.
• Counselling and seat allotment - June to July 2026: Online counselling registration, choice filling and seat allotment for NIFT New Delhi run through June and July 2026.
• Entrance exam already held - 8 February 2026: The NIFT Entrance Examination (NIFTEE 2026), conducted by the NTA, was held on 8 February 2026; the written result was declared in the third week of April 2026.
• Application window (closed): Applications opened on 8 December 2025 and closed on 16 January 2026 (regular fee), with a late-fee window of 17-19 January 2026.
• Correction window (closed): The application correction/edit window was active 21-22 January 2026.

Aspirants targeting National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi for the 2027 cycle should note that the application form historically opens in early December, so the NIFTEE 2027 form is expected around December 2026 (based on the 2026 schedule).

National Institute of Fashion Technology Admission 2026: Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility for National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi is programme-specific, and the most common reason applications are rejected here is an age or qualifying-degree mismatch. For the flagship B.Des, the deciding factor is the upper age limit; for M.Des, it is holding a valid bachelor's degree. The table below maps each programme offered at NIFT New Delhi to its qualifying qualification, marks rule and the single accepted entrance exam, so you can confirm your candidature before paying any fee. Read each row against your own marksheet and date of birth, because NIFT verifies both at the document stage.

The takeaway for National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi applicants is that B.Des is the only programme with a hard age ceiling of 24 years, so a gap-year aspirant must check this first. M.Des and PhD have no age bar but demand a completed degree at the relevant level. Candidates appearing in their final qualifying examination in 2026 can still apply provisionally, but must produce proof of passing at document verification. If your qualification or age does not match a row above, do not proceed, because the NIFT entrance score alone cannot override an eligibility failure.

Course-Wise Admission Status

This section answers the question most aspirants ask in June 2026: "Can I still apply to National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi this year?" The short answer is that the application window for all 2026 entrance-linked programmes has closed, and the institute is now in the selection and counselling phase. The table records the current status, the approximate sanctioned intake at the New Delhi campus, the admission mode and the accepted exam for each programme. Use it to judge how competitive each programme is, since seat numbers directly shape the closing ranks discussed later.

The clear takeaway is that B.Des, with around 228 seats spread across Fashion Design, Fashion Communication, Textile Design, Accessory Design, Knitwear Design and Leather Design, is by far the largest entry route into National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi. M.Des is far tighter at roughly 38 seats, which is why its closing ranks are extremely low. PhD admission runs on a separate calendar with a written test and proposal presentation. If you missed the 2026 window, plan now for the December 2026 application opening for the 2027 session.

Application Fees

Aspirants frequently confuse two very different payments at National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi: the one-time NIFT entrance/application fee paid to the conducting body (the NTA) when filling the form, and the institute's tuition/programme fee paid only after a seat is allotted. This section covers the application fee, which is category-wise, and a notable update for 2026 is that NIFT reduced these fees mid-cycle. The table lists the 2026 application fee for every category on its own row so you can see the exact amount, with a comparison to the original pre-revision figure. Read it alongside the year column to understand the change.

The key takeaway is that for 2026 National Institute of Fashion Technology made the entrance fee cheaper for everyone, with General/EWS/OBC-NCL paying Rs 2,000 and SC/ST/PwD paying Rs 500 for a single programme. Do not confuse this with tuition: the B.Des programme fee at NIFT New Delhi is about Rs 14,09,000 for the full four years and M.Des is about Rs 6,85,000 for two years, both payable only after seat allotment. Anyone who filed after the regular deadline also paid the Rs 5,000 late surcharge. Keep your fee receipt, as it is checked during document verification.

Entrance Exam Requirements

Admission to National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi runs entirely through the NIFT Entrance Examination (NIFTEE), conducted by the NTA; the institute accepts no other national exam for B.Des or M.Des. The exam combines a General Ability Test (GAT) and a Creative Ability Test (CAT), and shortlisted B.Des candidates then face the Situation Test while M.Des candidates face a Personal Interview. The table below sets out which exam applies to each programme, the 2026 exam date and the score/rank band that is realistically competitive at the New Delhi campus. Because Delhi is among the most sought-after NIFT campuses, the competitive bar here is far higher than at smaller campuses.

The takeaway is that a single exam on 8 February 2026 decided entry to both B.Des and M.Des at National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi. For B.Des, doing well in the CAT (design aptitude) matters as much as the GAT because the Situation Test that follows is creative. For M.Des, the all-India rank you need at Delhi is brutally low (often under 40 in the General category), so the New Delhi campus is one of the hardest M.Des seats to secure. Aim for a top-three-digit B.Des rank to keep most Delhi specialisations open.

Cutoff Analysis (2024-2026)

The cutoffs below are the single most useful data point for judging your chances at National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi, because they show the actual closing rank at which the last seat went in each category and specialisation. This table compiles verified 2025 B.Des and M.Des closing ranks for the New Delhi campus, with category-wise rows and the 2024 overall trend for context. Closing rank means the lowest (numerically highest) rank admitted in that round, so a rank better (smaller) than the closing rank is what you should target. Read each specialisation separately, because Fashion Design and Fashion Communication close far earlier than Leather or Knitwear Design.

The trend is unmistakable at National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi: design-heavy and communication specialisations close first (Fashion Design General around rank 54-86 in 2025), while Leather and Knitwear Design admit candidates with three-digit ranks up to 967. Reserved-category cutoffs at Delhi sit numerically higher (OBC-NCL around 944, SC around 1593 in 2025), reflecting category reservation. M.Des General closes between rank 24 and 40, confirming it is the toughest seat to win here. Because the overall B.Des closing rank across all categories was roughly 8846 in 2024 and 8658 in 2025, the bar tightened marginally, so for 2026 you should target a rank at least as good as your specialisation's 2025 closing number.

Counselling Process

After the NIFTEE 2026 result, admission to National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi is finalised through a centralised online counselling and seat-allotment flow run for all NIFT campuses. Follow these steps in order:

1. Result and merit list (second week of June 2026): Check your combined merit (written exam plus Situation Test for B.Des or Personal Interview for M.Des) on the NIFT admissions portal.
2. Online counselling registration (June 2026): Register on the NIFT counselling portal and pay the counselling/seat-acceptance fee to participate.
3. Choice filling and locking (June 2026): Fill and lock your preferred campuses and specialisations; list New Delhi high if it is your target, ordered by the specialisation you can realistically secure given the cutoffs above.
4. Seat allotment, Round 1 (June-July 2026): Seats are allotted by all-India rank, category and your locked choices across the e-counselling rounds.
5. Document verification (June-August 2026): Upload and then present originals - class 10 and 12 marksheets, degree (for M.Des), category certificate, ID proof and the NIFT fee receipt.
6. Fee payment and reporting (up to August 2026): Pay the institute/admission fee to confirm the seat, then report physically at NIFT New Delhi; later rounds and a spot round run through August 2026 for vacant seats.

Important Dates (2026)

This master schedule answers the most-searched question for National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi: "What are the key admission dates this year?" Each canonical event in the 2026 cycle is listed with its date and current status as of June 2026, so you can see at a glance what has passed and what is still pending. The dates follow the NIFTEE 2026 calendar conducted by the NTA. Use the Status column to focus only on the live items, which right now are the Situation Test, result and counselling.

The key takeaways are that every application-stage deadline for National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi has already closed, and the decisive remaining steps are the Situation Test/Interview and counselling in June-July 2026. Shortlisted B.Des candidates must focus entirely on the Situation Test, since it carries about 20% of final merit. Counselling registration is the next action item, so keep all documents scanned and ready. For the 2027 session, expect the application form to reopen around December 2026 (based on the 2026 schedule).