NIFT 2026 registration for BDes, MDes admissions to begin soon; eligibility, exam pattern

The National Testing Agency (NTA) is expected to begin the NIFT 2026 registration process soon for undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) design programmes. Along with the application form, the NTA will also announce the NIFT exam date 2026 and schedule. The registration can be done only in online mode at nift.ac.in.

As per the NIFT registration fees, general category candidates should pay an application fee of Rs 3,000, while Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, and female candidates must pay Rs 1,500.

Last year, the NTA conducted the NIFT 2025 exam on February 9, consisting of two stages — GAT and CAT — across 82 test cities.

NIFT Entrance Exam 2026: Seat matrix

Candidates who have passed Class 12 or are appearing in the upcoming board exam 2026 are eligible to apply for the National Institute of Fashion Technology 2026. Additionally, the maximum age limit for the NIFT exam is 24 years as of August 1 of the admission year.

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According to the seat matrix, NIFT Delhi has the highest of 376 seats, followed by NIFT Bengaluru with 304 seats, NIFT Hyderabad has 266 seats, NIFT Kannur has 287 seats, and NIFT Patna offers 244 seats across UG and PG programmes.

NIFT exam pattern 2026

Candidates who qualify for the NIFT 2026 will be eligible for admission to Bachelor of Design (BDes), Bachelor of Fashion Technology (BFTech), Master of Design (MDes), Master of Fashion Management (MFM), and Master of Fashion Technology (MFTech) at the NIFT colleges. The exam pattern for GAT is given below.

NIFT exam pattern for CAT – According to the NIFT CAT syllabus, the exam assesses a candidate’s design intuition, conceptual and observational skills, creativity in using colours, and illustration ability. Students will be required to draw their response, which will be evaluated for presentation.