The NIFT 2026 Entrance Exam has been administered as a written test on February 8, 2026, and aspirants must be aware of the list of colleges accepting NIFT score 2026 . The written exam serves as the first step for candidates wishing to apply for admission to top design courses at any NIFT campus. While the Creative Ability Test was administered offline, the General Ability Test was computer-based. Scores from the written exams are considered as the qualifying criterion for shortlisting candidates to subsequent stages of evaluation, such as the Situation Test for B.Des students and Personal Interviews for PG students. There are a total of 19 NIFT participating institutes that will be offering a total of 5,076 seats in the undergraduate and postgraduate courses across the categories of All-India, state domicile, and NRI categories for 2026 admissions.
Colleges Accepting NIFT Score 2026
Admission to undergraduate and graduate-level design programs at all 19 of NIFT's partner institutions is available through NIFT 2026. Candidates can apply for admission to the programs offered at NIFT campuses if they meet the NIFT cut-off 2026 and pass the entrance exam. The participating institutes for NIFT 2026 are spread throughout many Indian cities, including Patna, Kangra, Shillong, Delhi, Navi Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Gandhinagar, Kolkata, Kannur, Jodhpur, Patna, Bhopal, Raebareli, Bhubaneswar, and Hyderabad. Based on information gathered by CollegeDekho, the colleges listed below accept NIFT 2026 results:
| NIFT Campus | Seat Intake |
|---|---|
| NIFT Bangalore | 228 |
| NIFT Bhopal | 204 |
| NIFT Bhubaneshwar | 123 |
| NIFT Chennai | 223 |
| NIFT Daman | 111 |
| NIFT Gandhinagar | 224 |
| NIFT Hyderabad | 257 |
| NIFT Jodhpur | 142 |
| NIFT Kangra | 182 |
| NIFT Kannur | 128 |
| NIFT Kolkata | 170 |
| NIFT Mumbai | 35 |
| NIFT Nava Raipur | 147 |
| NIFT Delhi | 197 |
| NIFT Panchkula | 186 |
| NIFT Patna | 28 |
| NIFT Raebareli | 228 |
| NIFT Shillong | 140 |
| NIFT Srinagar | 55 |
| NIFT Varanasi | 148 |
Before taking admission into the NIFT 2026 participating colleges/campuses, candidates must check their NIFT 2026 results to see their rank. After the result and cut-off declaration, qualified candidates will be able to be admitted into NIFT. Candidates will be selected for admission to UG and PG design programs offered by participating institutes based on their NIFT 2026 merit rank.
Also Read: Best Design Colleges Apart from NID & NIFT
NIFT 2026 Seat Matrix
The year-wise NIFT Seat Matrix has been provided below:
NIFT Admission Year | Total Number of Seats |
|---|---|
2016 | 2,800 |
2017 | 2,980 |
2018 | 3,010 |
2019 | 3,547 |
2020 | 4,297 |
2021 | 4,517 |
2022 | Total seats = 5,023 Break-up of seats: All India seats = 4,188 State domicile seats = 377 NRI/OCI/Foreign Nationals/SAARC seats = 458 |
2023 | Total seats = 5,199 Break-up of seats: All India seats = 4,324 State domicile seats = 405 NRI/Foreign Nationals = 470 |
2024 | Total seats = 5,289 Break-up of seats: All India seats = 4,392 State domicile seats = 424 NRI/Foreign Nationals = 473 |
2025 | Total Seats = 4,837 seats (not including NRI seats) |
| 2026 | 5,076 |
NIFT 2026 Course-wise Seat Intake
Now that we are aware of the list of colleges accepting NIFT scores 2026, check out the course-wise seat intake in the NIFT participating institutes:
Programs | TOTAL: Open, SC, ST, OBC(NCL), GEN-EWS, PwD (Open, SC, ST, OBC (NCL) | TOTAL: State Domicile | GRAND TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
Bachelor Programs - Bachelor of Design (B.Des) | |||
Fashion Design (FD) | 644 | 75 | 719 |
Leather Design (LD) | 152 | 0 | 152 |
Accessory Design (AD) | 542 | 54 | 596 |
Textile Design (TD) | 606 | 75 | 681 |
Knitwear Design (KD) | 296 | 14 | 310 |
Fashion Communication (FC) | 644 | 75 | 719 |
Fashion Interior (FI) | 34 | 7 | 41 |
Bachelor Program - Bachelor of Fashion Technology (B.F.Tech) | |||
Apparel Production (AP) | 542 | 49 | 591 |
Master Programs | |||
254 | 21 | 275 | |
644 | 75 | 719 | |
34 | 0 | 34 | |
Total | 4392 | 445 | 4837 |
Also Read: Online Courses Offered by NIFT
NIFT 2026 Course-Wise & Category-Wise Seat Matrix
| Program | Open | OBC (NCL) | SC | ST | GEN-EWS | All India Total | State Domicile | Grand Total |
| Bachelor Programs - Bachelor of Design (B.Des) | ||||||||
| B.Des Fashion Design | 288 | 192 | 107 | 53 | 72 | 712 | 89 | 801 |
| B.Des Fashion Comm. | 261 | 174 | 97 | 48 | 64 | 644 | 75 | 719 |
| B.Des Textile Design | 246 | 164 | 91 | 45 | 60 | 606 | 75 | 681 |
| B.Des Accessory Design | 233 | 156 | 86 | 43 | 58 | 576 | 61 | 637 |
| B.Des Knitwear Design | 134 | 89 | 50 | 25 | 32 | 330 | 21 | 351 |
| B.Des Leather Design | 62 | 41 | 23 | 11 | 15 | 152 | 0 | 152 |
| B.Des Fashion Interior | 33 | 22 | 12 | 6 | 9 | 82 | 0 | 82 |
| Bachelor Program - Bachelor of Fashion Technology (B.F.Tech) | ||||||||
| B.F.Tech (Apparel Prod.) | 220 | 146 | 81 | 41 | 54 | 542 | 49 | 591 |
| Master Programmes | ||||||||
| 103 | 69 | 38 | 19 | 25 | 254 | 21 | 275 | |
| 261 | 174 | 97 | 48 | 64 | 644 | 75 | 719 | |
| 28 | 18 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 68 | 0 | 68 | |
| TOTAL SEATS | 1,869 | 1,245 | 692 | 344 | 446 | 4,596 | 480 | 5,076 |
NIFT Seats Available for Foreign Nationals
The approximate total intake for international candidates for the year 2026 has been provided below based on the programs offered at each of the 19 campuses.
| Program Code | Course Name | Total Seats (Approx.) |
| B.Des (FD) | Fashion Design | 82 |
| B.Des (FC) | Fashion Communication | 78 |
| B.Des (TD) | Textile Design | 75 |
| B.Des (AD) | Accessory Design | 75 |
| B.Des (KD) | Knitwear Design | 45 |
| B.Des (LD) | Leather Design | 20 |
| B.Des (FI) | Fashion Interior | 6 |
| B.F.Tech | Apparel Production | 65 |
| M.Des | Master of Design | 30 |
| M.F.M | Fashion Management | 72 |
| M.F.Tech | Master of Fashion Technology | 12 |
As compared to previous years, candidates can view the seats available for admission to aspirants in the NRI/Foreign Nationals category this year.
Courses Offered | No. of Seats (2021) | No. of Seats (2022) | No. of Seats (2023) | No. of Seats (2024) | Number of Seats (2025) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BDes Fashion Design | 66 | 64 | 64 | 64 | 82 |
BDes Textile Design | 59 | 59 | 62 | 62 | 75 |
BDes Accessory Design | 58 | 58 | 58 | 58 | 75 |
BDes Fashion Communication | 63 | 64 | 64 | 64 | 78 |
BDes Knitwear Design | 33 | 33 | 33 | 36 | 45 |
BF Tech Apparel Production | 50 | 58 | 61 | 61 | 65 |
BDes Leather Design | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
MDes | 18 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 30 |
MFM | 61 | 64 | 67 | 67 | 72 |
MFTech | 16 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
Total Seats | 444 | 458 | 470 | 473 | 554 |
NIFT 2026 Admission Process
To be considered for admission to NIFT 2026, applicants must first succeed in the written exams (CAT and GAT). Next, shortlisted candidates must appear for a Situation Test/Personal Interview. Each test component will be given a certain amount of weight to determine the NIFT 2026 merit list for admission.
Other Top Design Colleges in India
Here are a few renowned design colleges in India besides NIFT that are known for quality education and great placement opportunities.
College Name | Location |
|---|---|
Mumbai, Maharashtra | |
Delhi, Delhi | |
Jaipur, Rajasthan | |
Gandhinagar, Gujarat | |
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh | |
Bengaluru, Karnataka | |
Noida, Uttar Pradesh | |
Bengaluru, Karnataka | |
Jaipur, Rajasthan | |
Mumbai, Maharashtra |
Also Read:
We hope this article has helped you with the statistical data for the seat matrix and the list of colleges accepting NIFT score 2026 along with their all-India, state domicile, and NRI seat availability. The students opting for NIFT 2026 can refer to this article and keep a check on this page for further updates and date releases.
If you have any questions, visit our QnA section and feel free to write your queries to us. For further news/articles and updates related to NIFT 2026, stay tuned to CollegeDekho !
FAQs
A total of 19 NIFTs will consider the scores from the NIFT 2025 entrance exam to select students for their undergraduate and postgraduate design programs.
The total seat intake for the B.Des program at NIFTs in 2026 is 3423, including both All-India and state domicile seats.
No, you cannot get a seat in the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) without clearing its entrance exam. NIFT Delhi provides the exam, and one will find it to be the only way to bag seats in different undergraduate, postgraduate, and diploma courses conducted through this institute. After clearing your written exam, it does not mark the end. Here again, the final say rests with your performance through the Situation Test and Personal Interview.
The courses that have the highest number of seats available for NIFT 2026 admissions are B.Des in Fashion Design and B.Des in Fashion Communication, with the programmes offering 801 seats and 719 seats, respectively, thus making them the top choices in terms of seat availability.
Numerous top colleges accept NIFT 2026 scores across India for various bachelor’s and master’s programmes in the field of Design. These include NIFT Bangalore, NIFT Chennai, NIFT Delhi, NIFT Hyderabad, NIFT Kannur, NIFT Kolkata, NIFT Mumbai, NIFT Patna, NIFT Raebareli, NIFT Srinagar, and so on.
Total number of seats available across India for undergraduate and postgraduate courses under NIFT 2026 admissions are 5076. The available courses include Bachelor of Design (BDes), Master of Design (MDes), Bachelor of Fashion Technology (BFTech), Master of Fashion Technology (MFTech), and Master of Fashion Management (MFM). The above count does not include the seats reserved for NRI candidates.
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