NIFT 2027: exam date, how to apply, fees, eligibility, exam pattern, campuses and Gandhinagar seats

NIFT 2027 exam date and schedule

The bulletin lists the later dates as tentative. The prospectus adds that orientation for new UG and PG students of the 2027-28 session starts on 28 July 2027.

On exam day the B.Des GAT runs from 9:00 am to 11:00 am and the CAT from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm. The B.F.Tech GAT runs from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon. Both papers are bilingual, in Hindi and English, and if the two versions differ the English version is final.

How to apply for NIFT 2027

You apply only online on the NTA NIFTEE portal. Forms sent any other way are not accepted. The bulletin lays out four steps:

1. Register. The bulletin says registration is enabled through the MeriPehchaan single sign-on service. You choose a password and a security question, and you get an application number. Use your own mobile number and email ID, because NTA sends information only to those. One mobile number and one email can be used for one form only.
2. Fill the form. Personal details, programme, four exam cities in order of preference, educational details and uploads. NTA's notice says Aadhaar-based e-KYC and a live photograph may be needed.
3. Upload files. A recent colour passport photo (JPG or JPEG, 10 to 200 KB, face about 80% of the frame, white background), a signature (JPG or JPEG, 10 to 50 KB) and, if you claim PwD or PwBD status, a UDID card or disability certificate (PDF, 50 to 300 KB).
4. Pay the fee and download the confirmation page. Your candidature is confirmed only after the fee is received. Keep a copy of the confirmation page.

File only one application. If you hold two application numbers and appear on both, NTA treats it as unfair means. The correction window lets you edit only the fields NTA enables, and after it closes no change is entertained. The prospectus says your category cannot be changed after the correction window closes.

You can pick a Gujarat city for the exam if your permanent or present address is in Gujarat: the Gujarat centres in the 2027 list are Ahmedabad/Gandhinagar, Rajkot, Surat and Vadodara. NTA says city choices are limited to the state of your permanent or present address.

NIFT 2027 application fee

"Two programmes" means B.F.Tech with B.Des, or M.F.M with M.Des, on a single form. Bank or gateway charges are extra and the fee is not refunded once paid, except for duplicate payments. Only candidates on the OBC (NCL) central list should choose OBC (NCL); a state-list OBC candidate not on the central list must choose General.

NIFT 2027 eligibility and age limit

Age (bachelor's programmes). The candidate must be less than 24 years old on 1 August 2027. Worked out from that rule, that means a date of birth after 1 August 2003. The limit is relaxed by 5 years for SC, ST, PwD and PwBD candidates. There is no age limit for M.Des, M.F.M and M.F.Tech.

B.Des (4 years). Class 12 (10+2) from any recognised board, or a NIOS Senior Secondary pass with at least five subjects, or a 3 or 4-year diploma recognised by AICTE or a state board after Class 10, or an AIU-recognised equivalent, or GCE A-level or IB.

B.F.Tech (4 years, Apparel Production). The same Class 12 routes but with Mathematics, or a 3 or 4-year engineering diploma after Class 10. A B.F.Tech applicant who has Mathematics can also take the CAT along with the GAT and be considered for B.Des. Two separate merit ranks are then made.

M.Des and M.F.M (2 years). Any undergraduate degree from an institute or university recognised by law in India, or a 3-year undergraduate diploma from NIFT or NID.

M.F.Tech (2 years). B.F.Tech from NIFT, or B.E./B.Tech from a recognised institution, or a 4-year B.F.Tech from a recognised institution.

If you are still sitting your qualifying exam, you can apply, but you must show proof of the pass at the time of seat allocation. The prospectus gives students whose result is pending provisional admission, with the final result due by 30 September 2027.

NIFT 2027 exam pattern: GAT, CAT, Situation Test and interview

NIFT admission has more than one stage. The entrance exam is Stage 1, and shortlisted candidates take a second test at a test centre.

GAT (General Ability Test)

The GAT is computer-based. Each question carries 1 mark, a wrong answer costs 0.25 mark and an unattempted question scores nothing. For B.Des, Section A has 100 questions in 120 minutes:

B.F.Tech candidates also take Section B of 50 questions in 60 minutes: Quantitative Ability 15, Analytical and Logical Ability 15 and Case Study 20. NTA adds that the number of questions can vary by section and by year.

CAT (Creative Ability Test)

The CAT is a pen-and-paper test of 3 questions in 3 hours, taken by B.Des and M.Des candidates. NTA says it judges intuitive ability, power of observation in concept development and design ability, with weight on the creative and innovative use of colour and illustration. You get a physical question booklet with space for answers and bring your own colouring and drawing material. Do not write your name, a logo or a coaching centre's details anywhere on the answer sheet. The bulletin says such candidates are disqualified and their result is not declared. A scribe cannot be provided for the CAT.

Situation Test (B.Des)

Shortlisted B.Des candidates make a model from a given set of materials, and nothing extra is allowed. The Situation Test is marked out of 100: 3D model 50, write-up 20 and overall presentation 30. The write-up must be in English, since no marks are given for other languages. A jury evaluates it on the spot. You must appear in both the GAT and the CAT to be shortlisted for it.

Personal Interview (PG)

PG candidates are assessed on career orientation, aptness for the course, academic and co-curricular achievements, communication and general awareness, aptitude and creative and lateral thinking. The prospectus says shortlisted PG candidates attend the interview at New Delhi.

NIFT 2027 weightage and tie-break

If two B.Des or M.Des candidates tie, NTA compares CAT marks first, then GAT marks, then the section scores in this order: Communication Ability and English Comprehension, Quantitative Ability, Analytical and Logical Ability, and General Knowledge and Current Affairs. For Stage 2, marks in the Situation Test or interview are preferred before these rules apply.

NIFT campuses and seats in 2027

NIFT has 20 campuses: Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Daman, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, Jodhpur, Kangra, Kannur, Kolkata, Mumbai, Nava Raipur, New Delhi, Panchkula, Patna, Raebareli, Shillong, Srinagar and Varanasi. The prospectus lists 5,076 regular seats for 2027: 4,596 regular and 480 state-domicile seats. NIFT can increase or decrease seats at its discretion.

Not every campus runs every programme. Fashion Interior seats are at Nava Raipur and Varanasi only, Leather Design at Chennai, Kolkata, New Delhi and Raebareli, and M.F.Tech at Chennai and New Delhi. A separate set of tentative lateral-entry (NLEA) seats, 401 in all, is open to diploma holders.

NIFT Gandhinagar for Gujarat students

The Gandhinagar campus (GH-0 Road, behind Info City, near DAIICT, Gandhinagar 382007) has 38 regular seats in each of seven programmes, 266 in all:

• B.Des: Accessory Design, Fashion Communication, Fashion Design and Textile Design
• B.F.Tech: Apparel Production
• M.Des and M.F.M

Gandhinagar does not offer Knitwear, Leather or Fashion Interior. The seat table shows no state-domicile seats at Gandhinagar, so being a Gujarat resident does not by itself earn a preferential seat there. The campuses with domicile seats are Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Daman, Jodhpur, Kangra, Kannur, Nava Raipur, Panchkula, Patna, Shillong, Srinagar and Varanasi. Gandhinagar also has 5 supernumerary NRI seats per programme for NRI, OCI and foreign candidates.

The exam itself is held in Ahmedabad/Gandhinagar, Rajkot, Surat and Vadodara, so Gujarat candidates should not need to travel out of state. Read more on the design stream page on CareerBox.

Reservation and state domicile

The prospectus gives these reservations: SC 15%, ST 7.5%, OBC (NCL) 27%, GEN-EWS 10%, plus 5% horizontal reservation for PwD (40% or more disability) across all categories. OBC (NCL) certificates must have been issued not earlier than 1 April 2026. SC and ST caste certificates must be in English or Hindi, or come with a certified translation.

State-domicile seats are preferential seats at specific campuses. Your domicile is the state in which your Class 12 school is located, with a certificate from that school. You choose domicile during registration, and the choice is final. No separate merit is declared for domicile candidates, and unfilled domicile seats are merged into the general categories in the spot round.

Fees after admission (non-NRI)

The prospectus gives first-year costs of ₹1,91,700 in semester 1 and ₹1,50,000 in semester 2, which is ₹3,41,700 for 2027-28. Semester 1 includes tuition of ₹1,50,000, a ₹10,000 library fee, ₹4,900 for mediclaim and student development, ₹4,900 for exams, a refundable security deposit of ₹12,600 and a one-time registration fee of ₹9,300. Tuition rises each year, to ₹1,58,000 per semester in 2028-29 and ₹1,66,000 in 2029-30. NIFT can revise fees in any year.

How to prepare from 26 October 2026 to 10 January 2027

You have 76 days to the exam, and 21 days left on the application window. This plan is our suggestion, built on the official pattern.

26 October to 16 November: apply first, then set a base.

• Finish the form before 16 November. Photo, signature and certificates take longer than you expect, and NTA treats your details as final once the correction window closes.
• Check your category and Class 12 details against your documents before you pay.
• Start GAT Section A practice: English comprehension (40 questions, the biggest block), then quantitative ability from the topics NTA lists.

17 November to 21 December: build both halves.

• Alternate days: GAT sections on one, CAT drawing on the next. The CAT is half of your B.Des merit, so it should get at least as much time as the GAT.
• Practise CAT answers with the real constraints: 3 questions in 3 hours, colour and illustration, no name or mark on the sheet.
• Keep up with current affairs for the 25-question GK block.
• B.F.Tech applicants: add case-study and Section B practice.

22 December to 3 January: timed papers.

• Take full 120-minute GATs on a computer. Wrong answers cost 0.25 mark, so practise skipping what you can't answer.
• Time 3-hour CAT sittings. The CAT paper is at 3:00 pm on the exam day, so practise after a morning paper.

4 to 9 January: logistics.

• Download the admit card on 4 January and check the centre, date and shift.
• Pack the print of the admit card with the self-declaration, two passport photos, an original photo ID, and drawing and colouring material for the CAT. Phones, calculators, bags, loose stationery and pens are not allowed inside.
• Reach early. The bulletin asks for 2 hours before the exam; the prospectus says at least 60 minutes. Aim for the earlier.

After 10 January: the recorded responses and provisional answer key are shown for about two to three days. You can challenge a GAT answer for ₹200 per question. Start practising model-making for the Situation Test while you wait for the Stage 1 result in February or March.

Where to go next

• Exam overview: NIFT entrance exam on CareerBox
• Explore the field: design stream on CareerBox
• Other design entrances: NID DAT and UCEED
• Latest updates: CareerBox News