The National Institute of Fashion Technology is a premier public institution for fashion education, which offers admission for the undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programmes.
The admission is held through the entrance exam, which is the NIFTEE. The National Testing Agency holds this annually; for the year 2026, the notification brochure for this exam is made public.
If you are interested in the NIFT Admission 2026, you may apply for the NIFTEE. Here, we have discussed all about this exam. Read this article to check if you are eligible to apply, what the application fee is and much more.
NIFT Admission 2026 Overview
The NIFTEE 2026 will be held for the aspirants who are seeking admission for the B.Des., M.Des., Ph.D. and other courses for the academic year 2025-26. Refer to the table below for an overview of this entrance examination.
| Country | India |
| Exam Name | NIFT Entrance Examination (NIFTEE) 2026 |
| Conducting Body | National Testing Agency (NTA) |
| Institute | National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) |
| Courses Offered | UG, PG & Ph.D. programmes |
| Admission Mode | Entrance Exam Based |
| Entrance Tests | GAT, CAT, Written Test |
| Exam Mode | CBT & Pen-and-Paper |
| Academic Session | 2025–26 |
| Application Mode | Online |
| Official Website | exams.nta.ac.in/niftee |
Important Dates
The National Testing Agency has announced the important dates for the NIFTEE 2026 officially. Refer to the table below to check the timeline.
| Event | Date |
| Online application start | 8 December 2025 |
| Last date to apply (without late fee) | 6 January 2026 |
| Last date to apply (with late fee) | 7–10 January 2026 |
| Application correction window | 12–14 January 2026 |
| Admit card release | Late January 2026 |
| NIFT Entrance Exam (GAT & CAT) | 8 February 2026 |
| Answer key release | February 2026 |
| Written exam result | March 2026 |
| Situation Test or Interview | April 2026 |
| Final result and counselling | May–June 2026 |
Eligibility Criteria
In order to apply for the NIFTEE 2026, it is mandatory that you are eligible. The course-wise requirements:
| Course | Educational Qualification | Age Limit |
| B.Des. | You have passed or appearing in 10+2 Exam with any stream from a recognised board. | Your age shouldn’t be above 24 year as of August 1, 2026. The relaxation is applicable for 5 years for candidates belonging to SC, ST or PwBD. |
| B.F.Tech. | You have passed or appearing in 10+2 Examination with Physics, Chemistry & Mathematics. | |
| M.Des. | You have pursued a Bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognised university. | No age limit. |
| M.F.M. | ||
| M.F.Tech. | You have completed B.F.Tech, B.E. or B.Tech in relevant discipline from an recognised institution. | |
| Ph.D. | You have completed Master’s degree from a institution in a relevant discipline. | As per NIFT Ph.D norms |
Application Fee
In order to apply for the NIFT Admission 2026, the payment of the application fee is mandatory. For a candidate who belongs to UR, OBC-NCL and EWS, the payable amount is 2,000 rupees.
The payable amount for the SC, ST and PwBD candidates is only 500 rupees. Make sure you deposit it by the due date; you can pay it using the debit card, credit card, NET banking or UPI.
In case of missing the deadline of January 6, 2026, the candidate will have to pay an additional ₹5,000 to apply between the period of January 7 and 10, 2026.
Shorting Criteria
The National Testing Agency has released the details about the shortlisting criteria along with information about what entrance tests you have to appear in for the NIFTEE 2026. Refer to the table below for more details.
| Programme | Entrance Test(s) | Selection Process |
| B.Des. | GAT + CAT | Entrance Exam → Situation Test |
| B.F.Tech. | GAT | Based on GAT |
| B.F.Tech. & B.Des. | GAT + CAT | Separate merit lists:B.Des: Exam + Situation TestB.F.Tech: GAT |
| M.Des. | GAT + CAT | Exam → Personal Interview |
| M.F.M. | GAT | GAT → Personal Interview |
| M.F.M. & M.Des. | GAT + CAT | Separate merit lists:M.F.M: GAT + PIM.Des: GAT + CAT + PI |
| M.F.Tech. | GAT | GAT → Personal Interview |
| Ph.D. | Written Test | Research Proposal + Interview |
Exam Pattern
The NTA has also announced the exam pattern for the NIFTEE 2026 for all tests: GAT, CAT, and the written test. Refer to the table for the details about it.
| Test | Mode | Duration | Total Questions | Maximum Marks | Question Type | Sections | Medium | Marking Scheme |
| GAT (General Ability Test) | Computer-Based Test (CBT) | 120 minutes | 100–150* | 100-150 | MCQs | Communication & English, Quantitative Ability, Analytical & Logical Ability, GK & Current Affairs, and Case Study | English | +1 for correct answer, –0.25 for wrong answer |
| CAT (Creative Ability Test) | Pen & Paper (Offline) | 180 minutes | 3 | 100 | Descriptive / Drawing | Creativity, design ability, visualisation | English | No negative marking; evaluated on creativity & design skills |
| Written Test (Ph.D.) | Offline (Pen & Paper) | As notified | As notified | As notified | Descriptive | Research aptitude, subject knowledge | English | As per NIFT Ph.D guidelines (no MCQ negative marking) |
The number of questions in the GAT varies from programme to programme; you may check from the image given below.
How to Apply?
In order to apply for the NIFT Admission 2026, please go through the step-by-step instructions available below.
- Go to the official website of NTA Exams.
- Find and click on the NIFTEE.
- Tap on the New Registration.
- Complete the registration procedure.
- Log in to fill in the application form.
- Upload documents, photographs and signatures.
- Deposit the application fee through the opted payment gateway.
- Review all the details accurately and click the Submit button.
After applying for the NIFTEE 2026, ensure that you take a printout of the filled-in application form.