NIFT Entrance 2027: Register by 16 November

NIFT Entrance 2027 is no longer just a calendar date — the notification is out

This page used to track a tentative date. That phase is over. The National Testing Agency issued the NIFTEE 2027 public notice on 16 October 2026, applications are already open, and the entrance examination for admission to the National Institute of Fashion Technology's 2027 session is set for 10 January 2027, exactly as the NTA calendar proposed. Read the rest of this page as a working guide to a live application window, not a preview.

NIFT is an institute of national importance under the Ministry of Textiles, with 20 campuses across India. Its entrance examination — now branded NIFTEE (National Institute of Fashion Technology Entrance Examination) — is conducted by the NTA and gates admission to B.Des, B.F.Tech, M.Des, M.F.M and M.F.Tech programmes, besides lateral-entry (NLEA), artisan-category and PhD routes.

The 2027 calendar

Application fee

Applying between 17 and 21 November adds a ₹5,000 late fee on top — an expensive way to buy five days. Payment is online by card, net banking or UPI.

Who can apply

Undergraduate programmes. B.Des requires Class 12 in any stream (or a 3/4-year diploma). B.F.Tech requires Class 12 with Mathematics (or a 3/4-year engineering diploma) — this is the clause that ends many applications in January. Age for both: less than 24 years as on 1 August 2027.

Postgraduate programmes. M.Des and M.F.M require any bachelor's degree (or a 3-year UG diploma from NIFT/NID). M.F.Tech requires B.F.Tech or a B.E./B.Tech. There is no age limit for the PG programmes or PhD.

Reservation follows Government of India rules — SC 15%, ST 7.5%, OBC-NCL 27%, GEN-EWS 10%, and PwD 5% horizontal — so bring valid category certificates; without one, you are treated as a general-category candidate.

The exam itself

Stage 1 has two distinct papers, and they test different people.

GAT (General Ability Test) is computer-based: for B.Des, 100 objective questions in 2 hours covering quantitative ability, communication ability and English comprehension, analytical and logical ability, general knowledge and current affairs, and case studies. For B.F.Tech and the PG programmes the GAT runs 3 hours. Negative marking applies: each wrong GAT answer costs 0.25 marks against 1 mark for a correct one — guess conservatively.

CAT (Creative Ability Test) is a 3-hour pen-and-paper drawing test for B.Des and M.Des candidates only, judging intuitive ability, observation in concept development and design ability — drawing skill, colour sense and composition, not aptitude.

Stage 2 sorts the shortlist: a hands-on Situation Test for B.Des (3D model-making with given materials), a studio test for lateral entry, and personal interviews for the PG programmes. The selection routes are: B.Des — GAT + CAT, then Situation Test; B.F.Tech — GAT only; M.Des — GAT + CAT, then interview; M.F.M and M.F.Tech — GAT, then interview.

How to apply

Apply online only at the NTA NIFTEE portal (exams.nta.nic.in/niftee); there is no offline form. Register to generate an application number, fill in personal, academic, programme and exam-city details, upload a photograph (10–200 KB, face clearly visible), signature (10–30 KB) and ID or PwD certificate if applicable, pay the fee, and download the confirmation page. Only one application per candidate is allowed, and details can be changed only within the 22–25 November correction window.

Common mistakes

Applying for B.F.Tech without Mathematics in Class 12. Treating the 21 November late date as the real deadline and paying ₹5,000 extra. Preparing only for GAT and leaving the CAT drawing paper — worth as much as the aptitude test for design candidates — to the last fortnight. And note the artisan-category and PhD deadlines (31 January 2027) and the NRI window (31 March 2027) are separate tracks; general applicants cannot use them as spillover.

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