National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi

What NIFT New Delhi is

The National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi is the headquarters campus of a network spanning 20 campuses across India. It was established in 1986 under the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, and made a statutory institute in 2006 under the NIFT Act, with the President of India as Visitor (NIFT NTA Information Bulletin 2026).

The New Delhi campus, located at Hauz Khas, is where the institution’s central administrative and academic leadership is based. NIFT awards its own degrees under the NIFT Act 2006 — it is neither a university nor an affiliated college (NIFT Placement Brochure 2025).

NIFT is certified ISO 9001:2015 and describes itself as “An Institute of Design, Management and Technology” (NIFT Fee Circular 2025-26). It functions under a legislated framework, awarding its own degrees under the authority of the NIFT Act.

The institution operates a centralised placement process, meaning companies recruiting at the New Delhi campus can also hire from any other NIFT campus through a single engagement with the Industry & Alumni Affairs (I&AA) unit (NIFT Placement Brochure 2025).

Who it’s for

NIFT New Delhi suits students who want a focused, practice-intensive education in fashion design, fashion technology, or fashion management, and who are prepared to compete through the NIFT Entrance Exam (NIFTEE), conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). The exam is taken at 100+ cities pan India (NIFTEE 2026 Information Bulletin).

B.Des. programmes attract students with strong visual and creative aptitude. Selection involves a Creative Ability Test (CAT) — a paper-based drawing and design test — in addition to a General Ability Test (GAT) and, for shortlisted candidates, a hands-on Situation Test (NTA Bulletin 2026, Chapter 3).

B.FTech. (Apparel Production) suits students with a mathematics background who want to work on the production and technology side of the apparel industry. Selection is based on GAT only.

PG programmes (M.Des., M.F.M., M.F.Tech.) are open to graduates of any discipline (for M.Des. and M.F.M.) or engineering graduates and B.FTech. holders (for M.F.Tech.). There is no upper age limit for PG applicants (NIFT Admission Guidelines 2026).

The age ceiling for UG programmes is under 24 years as on 1 August of the admission year, with a 5-year relaxation for SC/ST/PwD candidates (NIFT NTA Bulletin 2026, Chapter 2).

Programs offered

All programmes below are offered at the New Delhi campus. Seat availability at New Delhi for 2026, per the NIFT Admission Guidelines 2026 (seat availability table):

B.Des. specialisations (4 years each) — 38 seats each at New Delhi:

• Accessory Design
• Fashion Communication
• Fashion Design
• Knitwear Design
• Textile Design

B.FTech. (4 years) — 38 seats at New Delhi:

• Apparel Production

PG programmes (2 years each):

• Master of Design (M.Des.) — 38 seats at New Delhi
• Master of Fashion Management (M.F.M.) — 38 seats at New Delhi
• Master of Fashion Technology (M.F.Tech.) — 34 seats at New Delhi

Doctoral:

• PhD — seat count not publicly specified per campus in brochures

Note on B.Des. specialisations not offered at New Delhi: Fashion Interiors (FI) and Leather Design (LD) do not show seats at New Delhi in the 2026 seat availability table (NIFT Admission Guidelines 2026).

NLEA (Lateral Entry): Diploma holders from recognised institutions can apply to the third semester of UG programmes through the NIFT Lateral Entry Admission scheme, subject to seat availability after the regular process (NIFT Admission Guidelines 2026).

The curriculum incorporates a Majors and Minors structure, programme specialisations, and a basket of General Electives (NIFT Placement Brochure 2025).

Campus and infrastructure

The New Delhi campus is located at Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016. It is one of three campuses (alongside Bengaluru and Mumbai) that host Phase 1 on-campus placements. The campus hosts Pupul Jaykar Hall and functions as the institution’s national headquarters.

NIFT New Delhi is also the hub of the Industry & Alumni Affairs (I&AA) unit, which coordinates placement activities across all campuses. The unit’s head office is based here (NIFT Placement Brochure 2025).

The NTA conducts the written entrance examination (GAT via CBT; CAT via paper-based test) on the same day nationally, on 8 February 2026 for the 2026 admissions cycle (NIFTEE 2026 Bulletin). Situation Tests and Personal Interviews are then held at designated test centres.

Things to verify before applying

• Exact seat counts by category (Open, SC, ST, OBC-NCL, EWS, PwD, State Domicile): The seat table in NIFT Admission Guidelines 2026 shows 38 general seats plus a separate State Domicile component. The category-wise split is not individually itemised per campus in the brochure.
• NAAC accreditation: NIFT does not appear in standard NAAC grade lists — it is a statutory institute not governed by UGC. NAAC accreditation status could not be confirmed from any of the four official brochures.
• NIRF ranking: Not present in the four official brochures provided.
• Specific package figures: The placement brochure notes a “notable increase in salary packages and Pre-Placement Offers” in 2025, but does not publish average, median, or highest package figures.
• Scholarship information: The brochures describe reservation-based seat allocation and a refund policy; no scholarship schemes for domestic students are named in the provided documents.
• Fashion Interiors and Leather Design seats at Delhi: These specialisations may or may not be offered at New Delhi — verify directly with NIFT admissions before applying.

Where to go next on this site

• NIFT Entrance Exam — full exam structure, CAT and GAT pattern, Situation Test, key dates
• For management or business-oriented applicants considering adjacent options, MBA at other institutions may be relevant
• XLRI Jamshedpur — for students comparing fashion management against general management programmes
• IIT Delhi — for students considering design (B.Des.) or technology programmes at another Delhi institution

Sources Used

• NIFT NTA Information Bulletin (NIFTEE 2026): https://exams.nta.nic.in/niftee/
• NIFT Admission Guidelines 2026 (official brochure, pages 110–117)
• NIFT Placement Brochure 2025 (official brochure, pages 3–53)
• NIFT Fee Circular 2025-26 (official circular dated 19 May 2025, all 3 pages)
• NIFT official website: https://www.nift.ac.in/