NIFT Reservation Criteria 2025: Course/Category-wise Seats Reservation & Percentage

The NIFT Reservation Criteria 2025 defines the seat distribution for candidates applying to NIFT’s undergraduate and postgraduate programs. It ensures equal opportunities for students from diverse categories like SC, ST, OBC, EWS, PwD and State Domicile, promoting inclusivity and access to quality education.

Check NIFT Reservation Criteria 2025

The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) 2025 has specific reservation criteria for candidates seeking admission to its undergraduate and postgraduate programs. These reservations are provided as per government regulations to ensure equal opportunities for students from various backgrounds. The seats are reserved for SC/ST/OBC (Non-creamy layer)/GEN-EWS, Persons with disability (PWD), state domicile, and foreign nationals.

NIFT Reservation Criteria 2025: Category-wise Seats Reservation  

Here’s an outline of the NIFT 2025 Reservation Criteria:

• There is a 5% reservation for Persons with Disabilities (PwD) *, who have a disability of 40% or more, across all categories (SC, ST, OBC (Non-Creamy), and Open Category). The academic program will be assigned based on the recommendations of NIFT's Evaluation Committee.
• PwD candidates will be allocated seats according to their Common Merit Rank (CMR) in their specific category. If there are any unfilled PwD seats, they will be transferred to the corresponding category (e.g., Open PwD seats will go to the Open category, OBC (NCL) PwD seats will go to OBC (NCL), SC (PwD) to SC, and ST (PwD) to ST) during the spot round.
• Candidates must ensure they have a valid and verifiable certificate for the category they are applying under.

NIFT 2025 Reservation Criteria: Requirements under each Category:

1. SC/ST Candidates

• Candidates applying for the reserved Caste/Tribe category must provide a valid Caste/Tribe certificate issued by the Competent Authority of their respective State or Union Territory. The certificate should be in the candidate’s name.
• The certificate must be in English or Hindi.
• If the certificate is in any other language, a certified translation must be provided.
• If the certificate is not in English/Hindi and a certified translation is not submitted, the candidate will not be eligible for the category reservation benefit.
• Make sure your documents meet these requirements to ensure your reservation claim is valid.Top of FormBottom of Form

2. OBC (Non-Creamy Layer)

• The candidate must provide a valid OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) certificate issued in their own name, not in the name of their parent or guardian.
• The caste listed in the OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) certificate should be included in the Central list of OBCs, which can be checked at http://ncbe.nic.in/backward-classes/index.html.
• The certificate must clearly state that the candidate belongs to the Non-Creamy Layer.
• The certificate must be issued by the Competent Authority.
• Married women applying under the reserved category should submit a caste certificate in their own name. Certificates in the name of the husband, mother, or father will not be accepted.
• If the certificate is not in English or Hindi, a certified translation must be provided. This ensures that the OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) category certificate meets the official requirements for admission.

3. Economically Weaker Section (EWS) Reservation (Open Category)

• Candidates belonging to the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) within the Open Category are eligible for a 10% reservation. This reservation benefit is only available to Open Category candidates who meet the criteria outlined in the OM No. 20013/01/2018-BC-II dated 17 January 2019 by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of Higher Education, Government of India.
• To avail of this reservation, candidates must provide a valid EWS (Open) certificate issued by a Competent Authority, and the certificate must be dated on or after 1st April 2024.
• Ensure that you meet the eligibility criteria and submit the required certificate to benefit from the EWS reservation under the Open category.

4. Persons with Disability (PwD)

• Candidates applying under the Disability (PwD) Category must have a Disability Certificate with a Unique Disability ID (showing 40% or more disability), issued by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities. The certificate must be available at https://www.swavlambancard.gov.in.
• NIFT will assess if the candidate is eligible to pursue mainstream programs based on the certificate.
• No other certificate or document will be accepted, and no requests for exceptions will be entertained.

Also read:

• NIFT 2025 Entrance Exam Result
• NIFT 2025 Counselling
• NIFT 2025 Entrance Exam Dates

Tentative Seat Availability: NIFT Lateral Entry Admission (NLEA)- 2025

The following table shows the Tentative Seat Availability for NIFT Admission in Lateral Entry (NLEA)- 2025.

NIFT 2025 Seat Reservation Criteria for Foreign National/NRI /OCI/PIO/SAARC and Domicile Categories

• Candidates applying under the Foreign National, NRI (Non-Resident Indian), OCI (Overseas Citizen of India), PIO (Person of Indian Origin), SAARC, and Domicile categories are not required to appear for the NIFT Entrance Examination. These candidates can apply for admission if they meet the eligibility and admission requirements of NIFT.
• Selection for candidates in these categories will be based on their SAT, GMAT, or GRE The minimum required score for these tests is 50%.

The number of available seats for these categories is as follows:

• 5 supernumerary seats per academic program at the NIFT campuses in Bengaluru, Chennai, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi, and Raebareli.
• 3 supernumerary seats per academic program at the NIFT campuses in Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Daman, Jodhpur, Kangra, Kannur, Panchkula, Patna, Shillong, and Varanasi.

State Domicile Preferential Seats: NIFT 2025

State Domicile Preferential Seats are available for candidates who belong to the states where the NIFT campuses are located. These candidates can apply for admission under State Domicile but no separate merit list will be declared for them.

There are seven supernumerary seats available for domicile candidates in the mentioned campuses.

Seat Availability Regular – NIFT 2025

As of February 2025, the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) has released the seat matrix for the academic year 2025, detailing seat availability across its campuses. The total number of seats available is 4,837, distributed among various undergraduate and postgraduate programs.

Seat Availability in Top 3 NIFT Campuses:

Read Campus-wise seat reservation for NIFT Admission

NIFT Reservation Criteria for 2025 ensures a fair and inclusive admission process, catering to students from various backgrounds and communities. The category-wise seat reservation system includes provisions for General (GEN), Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC-NCL), Economically Weaker Sections (GEN-EWS), and Persons with Disabilities (PwD). Additionally, each NIFT campus reserves seats for State Domicile Candidates, providing local students an opportunity for admission based on their state of residence.

For students aspiring to join NIFT in 2025, it is crucial to stay informed about the exact seat matrix, eligibility criteria, and category-specific provisions. This will help ensure a smooth and transparent admission process, enabling the best candidates to thrive in their chosen fields.