National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) – 1986
NIFT exam is held once a year in the 3rd week of January. Around 45000 students sit in NIFT exam for 3400 seats. So NIFT is very competitive and tough to clear, there are two stages of exam one is written paper including drawing and second is situation test. Online Classes
NIFT was established in 1986 in New Delhi under the aegis of the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, with curriculum and faculty support from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), in Manhattan, New York City. NIFT has since grown into 16 campuses nationwide.
16 campuses + 2 coming up in 2020
NIFT currently has the following campuses:
- NIFT Delhi (university head office)
- Bengaluru
- Bhopal
- Bhubaneswar
- Chennai
- Gandhinagar
- Hyderabad
- Jodhpur
- Kangra
- Kannur
- Kolkata
- Mumbai
- Patna
- Raebareli
- Shillong
- Srinagar
- Panchkula
- Varanasi (planned)
Campuses at Panchkula and Varanasi are expected in 2020.
Source: Nift 2020 brochure
Dates for NIFT:
| Event | Date |
| Online registration starts | October 23, 2019 |
| Written examination date
DAT / CAT / BFTECH |
Jan 19, 2020 |
| Result of exam | March 13, 2020 |
| Situation test | To be announced, delayed |
Nift Delhi Center
Degrees offered: Bachelor of Design (B.Des) and Bachelor of Fashion Technology (B. F. Tech) in a 4 -year course.
Choice of streams: Once you get in NIFT, there are 7 streams open to you, the first year is common to all and from second year you can join your choice of stream.
NIFT gives options of 7 undergraduates streams, these are
- Accessory Design : Jewellery Design, Fashion Products & Work Gear, Decor & Design
- Fashion Design : Luxury & Couture, Image Creation & Styling
- Fashion communication: Visual Communication, Fashion Media
- Knitwear Design: Knitting, Flat Pattern & Construction, Fabric Technology, Sportswear
- Leather Design: flat and fancy goods, small leathers goods, bags and solid leather goods, footwear
- Textile Design: Textiles for Apparel & Fashion Accessories, Textiles for Home & Spaces
- Fashion Technology: Apparel product development, production technology and management.
Source: Nift 2020 brochure
NIFT Seats 2020
| S.No | Stream | Total Seats* |
| 1. | Fashion Design (FD) | 642 |
| 2. | Leather Design (LD) | 168 |
| 3. | Accessory Design (AD) | 600 |
| 4. | Textile Design (TD) | 558 |
| 5. | Knitwear Design (KD) | 296 |
| 6. | Fashion Communication (FC) | 598 |
| 7. | F.Tech Apparel Production (AP) | 518 |
| Total NIFT seats | 3380 | |
| Approximate open | 1400 |
*Total Seats: Means total of Open, SC, ST, OBC(NCL), GEN- EWS, PwD (Open, SC, ST, OBC (NCL), State Domicile, NRI/OCI/Foreign Nationals/SAARC, for seats as per city and stream refer to brochure on NIFT site.
NIFT Reservation of seats
Seats reserved for SC / ST / OBC (Non Creamy)/ GEN-EWS/ Person With Disability (PWD in each programme are as under
SC 15%
ST 7.5%
OBC (NON-CREAMY) 27%
GEN-EWS 10%
Person with Disability (PWD) 5%*
NIFT Eligibility
Age: Maximum age should be 23 years as on 1st October, 2019 and 28 years for candidates of Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe/ Person with Disability (PWD) categories.
NIFT educational eligibility: Appearing or passed 12th class.
NIFT Examination details
B.Des
There is a written examination comprising of a Creative Ability Test (CAT) and General Ability Objective Test (GAT), followed by a Situation Test to be undertaken by shortlisted candidates of the written examination.
B.FTech
There is a written examination comprising only of a General Ability Test (GAT).
Note: There is 0.25 (1/4) negative marks for every wrong answer in GAT
Both GAT and CAT are held on the same day at the center of your choice
CAT: 10.00 am to 01.00 pm
GAT: 02.30 pm to 04.30 pm
Examination Pattern
GAT – General Ability Test (B.Des)
| Heading | Detail |
| Language of written examination | English /Hindi |
| Duration of Test (Minutes) | 120 |
| Sections | |
| Quantitative Ability (Math) | 20 |
| Communication Ability (English) | 25 |
| English Comprehension (Passages) | 25 |
| Analytical Ability (Logical) | 15 |
| GK and Current Affairs | 15 |
| Total | 100 |
CAT – Creative Ability Test (B.Des)
120 minutes, 3 Q (2Q x 30 marks + 1Q x 40 marks =100 Marks)
Programmes to judge the intuitive ability, power of observation in concept development and design ability of the candidate. An important aspect of the test is the creative and innovative use of colour and illustration skills.
General Ability Test (B.F.Tech)
| Heading | Detail |
| Language of written examination | English /Hindi |
| Duration of Test (Minutes) | 180 |
| Sections | |
| Quantitative Ability (Math) | 30 |
| Communication Ability (English) | 45 |
| English Comprehension (Passages) | 25 |
| Analytical Ability (Logical) | 25 |
| GK and Current Affairs | 25 |
| Total | 150 |
Test Weightages
| Programme | Test | Weightages |
| B.Des | CAT | 50% |
| GAT | 30% | |
| Situation Test | 20% | |
| B.F. Tech | GAT | 100% |
NIFT Situation test
120 minutes
Situation test is given for testing a candidate’s skills for material handling and innovative ability on a given situation with a given set of materials.
The model is evaluated on
- space visualization,
- innovative and creative use of given material,
- composition of elements,
- colour scheme,
- construction skill,
- finesse of the model and
- overall presentation
- Neatness
These parameters will be checked with the accompanying write up in English explaining the concept behind the model constructed.
NIFT Fees : Around Rs. 270,000/ – per year. Hostel and Mess extra depending on the institute.
Other design exams:
Design Exam Details and overview
IIT-UCEED /CEED Design Exam
NID Design Exam
NATA / IIT BARCH / CEPT Architecture Exam
NIFT site