Updated on Oct 21, 2024 14:31 IST
Tasbiya Khan

Tasbiya KhanSenior Executive

Top NIFTs Colleges in India 2024

There are about 18 top NIFT colleges in India that offer Designing courses. Of these, 14 colleges are owned by public/government organisations. NIFTs are considered to be the best design colleges in the country. NIFT Entrance Exam, GAT, etc. are top most accepting entrance exams in top NIFT colleges in India. Some of the popular colleges include NIFT Delhi, NIFT Mumbai, NIFT Bangalore, NIFT Hyderabad, NIFT Chennai, NIFT Gandhinagar, NIFT Kolkata, NIFT Patna, and many others.

Top NIFT Colleges in India: Highlights 2024

There are 18 participating NIFTs that offer a combined intake of 5,289 seats. The NIFTs are counted among the best design colleges in the country. As per most rankings, the NIFTs frequently rank in the top echelons. For instance, in the India Today Ranking was topped by  NIFT Delhi. The 2nd and 3rd positions were occupied by NIFT Mumbai and NIFT Bangalore, respectively. 

The most popular design program offered by NIFTs at the UG level is Bachelor of Design (BDes) and at the PG level is Master of Design (MDes). Check out the below-mentioned highlights of the best NIFT in India:

Parameters

Statistics

No. of Colleges

18 colleges

Annual Fees

INR < 1 lakh: 1 college

INR > 5 lakh: 12 colleges

Top NIFT Colleges in India

NIFT Delhi, NIFT Mumbai, NIFT Bangalore, NIFT Hyderabad, NIFT Chennai, NIFT Gandhinagar, NIFT Kolkata, NIFT Patna, and many others.

Top Specialisations

Fashion Design, Apparel Design, Lifestyle Accessory Design, etc.
Accepted Entrance Exam

NIFT Entrance Exam

Top 10 Best NIFT Colleges in India: India Today 2024

Please refer to the table below for the best NIFT colleges in India according to India Today 2024 ranking:

Name of the Institute India Today 2022 Ranking India Today 2023 Ranking India Today 2024 Ranking
NIFT Delhi 1 1 1
NIFT Mumbai 2 2 2
NIFT Bangalore 3 3 3
NIFT Hyderabad 7 5 4
NIFT Chennai 4 4 5
NIFT Gandhinagar 5 6 6
NIFT Kolkota 8 8 7
NIFT Patna 6 7 8

Top NIFT Colleges in India: Admissions 2024

The eligibility criteria may differ depending on the course opted for by the candidate. However, given below are the basic eligibility criteria that is followed by top 5 NIFT colleges in India:

  • For instance, candidates seeking admission to the BDes course need to have passed the Class 12 exam from a recognized institute.
  • A relaxation of 5 years in the upper age limit applies for candidates belonging to SC, ST, and PwD candidates.

Top NIFT Colleges in India: Exam Schedule 2025

Listed below are most popular entrance exams accepted in top NIFT colleges in India:

  • NIFT Entrance Exam: NIFT is a national-level design entrance exam conducted by the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT).

Listed below are the dates and schedule of various entrance exams accepted in top NIFT colleges in India:

Exams Date Schedule
NIFT Exam 2025 Feb '25 NIFT Entrance Exam Schedule

Top Government NIFT Colleges in India

Here is the NIFT colleges in India list along with their total tuition fee:

College Name

Total Tuition Fee

NIFT Delhi Admission

INR 94,400

NIFT Bangalore Admission

INR 12.34 lakh

NIFT Mumbai Admission

INR 5.58 lakh

NIFT Gandhinagar Admission

INR 12.34 lakh

NIFT Kolkata Admission

INR 12.34 lakh

NIFT Bhubaneswar Admission

INR 9.26 lakh

NIFT Shillong Admission

INR 11.74 lakh

State-wise Top NIFT Colleges in India

In India, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Bihar, Gujarat, Meghalaya, Orissa, and West Bengal each state has one NIFT top colleges in India.

To know more about the top Fashion Design colleges in different regions of India CLICK BELOW:

Top Recruiters for Best NIFT Institutes in India

Below is the list of the top recruiters of top NIFTs in India colleges along with their placement rating:

College Names

Placement Rating

Top Recruiters

NIFT Kolkata Placements

4.5

Adidas, Arvind Mills, Globus Wills Lifestyle, Lifestyle, Nike, Park Avenue, etc.

NIFT Delhi Placements

4.1

Arvind Limited - Lifestyle Apparel Shirts, Future Group, Blackberrys, H&M, etc.

NIFT Patna Placements

3.7

Godrej, Indian Terrian, Triburg, Crew BOS, Mura Fabrics, Impulse, etc.

NIFT Gandhinagar Placements

3.7

Flipkart, Honda Cars, Arvind Brands, Westside, Whirlpool, Adidas, Amazon.com, etc.

NIFT Bangalore Placements

3.5

Amore Magazine, Bata India Ltd., Decathlon, Fabric Monde, Chitrakosh, etc.

Cost of Pursuing Design at Top NIFT Colleges in India

The table below shows the fee range of various top NIFT colleges in India:

Fee Range Number/Names of Colleges
INR < 1 lakh 1 (NIFT Delhi)
INR > 5 lakh 12 (NIFT Mumbai, NIFT Bangalore, NIFT Hyderabad, NIFT Chennai, etc.)

Specalisations Offered by Best NIFT Colleges in India

The table below shows the various specialisations offered by a number of top NIFT colleges in India:

Top Specialisations No. of Colleges
Fashion Design 9
Apparel Design 2
Lifestyle Accessory Design 2

Best Colleges for NIFT in India: Cutoff 2024

Here is the list of the cut-off score of the Top NIFT Colleges in India: 

Top NIFT Colleges in India: Comparison 2024

Listed below is the comparison of top colleges of NIFT ranking in India:

Read More

Location

Total Fees

Rating

Ownership

Specialization

Exams Accepted

Choose rank publishers
1
India Today ' 24
National Institute of Fashion Technology, Delhi
4.6

Placements

4.5

Infrastructure

4.6

Faculty & Course Curriculum

4.6

Crowd & Campus Life

4.5

Value for Money

4.5

Learning Experience

0.0

Course Support

0.0
(409)
Fees: 94,400
2
India Today ' 24
National Institute of Fashion Technology, Mumbai
3.7

Placements

3.1

Infrastructure

4.2

Faculty & Course Curriculum

3.6

Crowd & Campus Life

4.2

Value for Money

3.5

Learning Experience

0.0

Course Support

0.0
(27)
Fees: 5.58 Lakh
3
India Today ' 24
National Institute of Fashion Technology, Bangalore
3.8

Placements

3.6

Infrastructure

3.8

Faculty & Course Curriculum

3.8

Crowd & Campus Life

4.0

Value for Money

3.7

Learning Experience

0.0

Course Support

0.0
(34)
Fees: 12.34 Lakh
4
India Today ' 24
National Institute of Fashion Technology, Hyderabad
4.0

Placements

3.5

Infrastructure

4.0

Faculty & Course Curriculum

4.2

Crowd & Campus Life

4.4

Value for Money

3.7

Learning Experience

0.0

Course Support

0.0
(27)
Fees: 12.34 Lakh
5
India Today ' 24
National Institute of Fashion Technology, Chennai
3.8

Placements

3.7

Infrastructure

4.0

Faculty & Course Curriculum

3.6

Crowd & Campus Life

4.3

Value for Money

3.4

Learning Experience

0.0

Course Support

0.0
(14)
Fees: 12.34 Lakh
6
India Today ' 24
National Institute of Fashion Technology, Gandhinagar
3.8

Placements

3.5

Infrastructure

3.9

Faculty & Course Curriculum

4.1

Crowd & Campus Life

3.9

Value for Money

3.4

Learning Experience

0.0

Course Support

0.0
(35)
Fees: 12.34 Lakh
7
India Today ' 24
National Institute of Fashion Technology, Kolkata
4.7

Placements

4.8

Infrastructure

4.7

Faculty & Course Curriculum

4.8

Crowd & Campus Life

4.8

Value for Money

4.7

Learning Experience

0.0

Course Support

0.0
(142)
Fees: 12.34 Lakh
8
India Today ' 24
National Institute of Fashion Technology, Patna
4.1

Placements

3.8

Infrastructure

4.3

Faculty & Course Curriculum

4.1

Crowd & Campus Life

4.6

Value for Money

4.0

Learning Experience

0.0

Course Support

0.0
(20)
10
India Today ' 24
National Institute of Fashion Technology, Jodhpur
4.1

Placements

3.8

Infrastructure

4.2

Faculty & Course Curriculum

4.3

Crowd & Campus Life

4.2

Value for Money

4.0

Learning Experience

0.0

Course Support

0.0
(18)
Fees: 12.34 Lakh
11
India Today ' 24
National Institute of Fashion Technology, Kannur
4.1

Placements

3.9

Infrastructure

4.4

Faculty & Course Curriculum

4.4

Crowd & Campus Life

4.1

Value for Money

3.5

Learning Experience

0.0

Course Support

0.0
(8)
Fees: 12.34 Lakh
Salary : 4.11 Lakh
13
India Today ' 24
National Institute of Fashion Technology, Bhubaneswar
4.2

Placements

4.0

Infrastructure

4.4

Faculty & Course Curriculum

4.4

Crowd & Campus Life

4.2

Value for Money

4.2

Learning Experience

0.0

Course Support

0.0
(16)
Fees: 9.26 Lakh
14
India Today ' 24
National Institute of Fashion Technology, Raebareli
3.5

Placements

3.1

Infrastructure

3.9

Faculty & Course Curriculum

3.6

Crowd & Campus Life

3.9

Value for Money

3.1

Learning Experience

0.0

Course Support

0.0
(8)
Fees: 12.34 Lakh
15
India Today ' 24
National Institute of Fashion Technology, Shillong
4.1

Placements

3.8

Infrastructure

4.0

Faculty & Course Curriculum

4.8

Crowd & Campus Life

4.0

Value for Money

3.8

Learning Experience

0.0

Course Support

0.0
(4)
Fees: 11.74 Lakh
17
India Today ' 24
National Institute of Fashion Technology, Kangra
3.8

Placements

3.6

Infrastructure

3.4

Faculty & Course Curriculum

4.2

Crowd & Campus Life

4.1

Value for Money

3.8

Learning Experience

0.0

Course Support

0.0
(9)
Fees: 5.58 Lakh

Other popular Design colleges in India

1.75 L - 29.94 L
3.1

#7 India Today

2.88 L - 11.84 L
3.5

#11 India Today

2 Courses
18.68 L
8.9 LPA

#9 India Today

2.8 L - 11 L
10.05 L - 21.92 L
1.89 L - 11.12 L
5.69 - 6.5 LPA

Top 10 in Maharashtra

1.65 L - 7.8 L
35.4 K - 5.4 L
3 - 6 LPA

Top 20 in India

3 Courses
2.46 L - 26.4 L
4.3

#10 India Today

2 Courses
43.56 K - 6.12 L
3.5

#11 The Week

2.1 L - 29.94 L
1.75 L - 29.94 L
2.43 L - 11.44 L
5.8 - 6 LPA

#16 The Week

Confused about which college or exam to opt for?

Chat with our counsellor.

Get your personalised list of colleges & exams.

1.4 L - 2.7 L
3.44 - 4 LPA

Top 10 in Tamil Nadu

2.88 L - 3.02 L
2.46 L - 29.94 L
2 L - 15.04 L
1.2 L - 16 L
6 Courses
3.8 LPA

#15 India Today

2 Courses
1.57 L - 4.13 L
2.3
5.0
3.68 - 3.76 LPA
6 Courses

#25 India Today

3 L - 9.6 L
16.85 K
4.1
2.22 LPA

#26 India Today

1 Course
3.05 L
5.0

#20 India Today

Top NIFTs in India: FAQs

Q: How many top NIFT colleges are in India?

A. There are about 18 top NIFT colleges in India that offer Designing courses. Of these, 14 colleges are owned by public/government organisations. NIFTs are considered to be the best design colleges in the country. NIFT Entrance Exam, GAT, etc. are top most accepting entrance exams in top NIFT colleges in India. Some of the popular colleges include NIFT Delhi, NIFT Mumbai, NIFT Bangalore, NIFT Hyderabad, NIFT Chennai, NIFT Gandhinagar, NIFT Kolkata, NIFT Patna, and many others.

Q: Which is the No. 1 NIFT college in India?

A: NIFT Delhi emerged as the No. 1 NIFT college in Indi followed by NIFT Mumbai and NIFT Bangalore. Given below are the top government NIFT colleges in India according to India Today 2024:

Name of the Institute India Today 2022 Ranking India Today 2023 Ranking India Today 2024 Ranking
NIFT Delhi 1 1 1
NIFT Mumbai 2 2 2
NIFT Bangalore 3 3 3
NIFT Hyderabad 7 5 4
NIFT Chennai 4 4 5
NIFT Gandhinagar 5 6 6
NIFT Kolkota 8 8 7
NIFT Patna 6 7 8

Q: How to get admission in top Fashion Design college in India?

A: The important eligibility criteria for top NIFT colleges are mentioned below:

  • UG Fashion Design Courses: In order to get admission in UG-level fashion design courses candidates should have passed Class 12 from a recognised board with any streams such as Science/ Commerce/ Arts
  • PG Fashion Design Courses: In order to get admission in a PG-level fashion design course candidates students should have a graduation degree from a recognised college

Q: Which job profiles are offered to graduates from top NIFT colleges in India?

A: The job profiles offered to Design graduates in India are Fashion Designer, Fashion Marketer, Fashion Concept Manager, Quality Controller, Fashion Consultant/Personal Stylist, Technical Designer, Fashion Coordinator, and Fashion Show Organiser.

Q: Which are the most popular entrance exams accepted by the top NIFT colleges in India?

A: Among the top NIFT colleges in India, the most popular entrance exam accepted by NIFT colleges in India is the NIFT entrance exam. NIFT is a national-level design entrance exam conducted by the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT).

Q: Who are the top recruiters who participated in top NIFT colleges in India?

A: Below is the list of the top recruiters of top NIFTs in India colleges along with their placement rating:

College Names

Placement Rating

Top Recruiters

NIFT Kolkata Placements

4.5

Adidas, Arvind Mills, Globus Wills Lifestyle, Lifestyle, Nike, Park Avenue, etc.

NIFT Delhi Placements

4.1

Arvind Limited - Lifestyle Apparel Shirts, Future Group, Blackberrys, H&M, etc.

NIFT Patna Placements

3.7

Godrej, Indian Terrian, Triburg, Crew BOS, Mura Fabrics, Impulse, etc.

NIFT Gandhinagar Placements

3.7

Flipkart, Honda Cars, Arvind Brands, Westside, Whirlpool, Adidas, Amazon.com, etc.

NIFT Bangalore Placements

3.5

Amore Magazine, Bata India Ltd., Decathlon, Fabric Monde, Chitrakosh, etc.

Q: What are the top government NIFT colleges in India?

A: The table below shows the top government NIFT colleges in India along with their tuition fees:

College Names

Total Tuition Fee

NIFT Delhi Admission

INR 94,400

NIFT Bangalore Admission

INR 12.34 lakh

NIFT Mumbai Admission

INR 5.58 lakh

NIFT Gandhinagar Admission

INR 12.34 lakh

NIFT Kolkata Admission

INR 12.34 lakh

NIFT Bhubaneswar Admission

INR 9.26 lakh

NIFT Shillong Admission

INR 11.74 lakh

Q: Is NIFT Entrance Exam easy?

A: The difficulty level of NIFT Entrance Exam is usually easy to moderate. Check complete details on NIFT difficulty level.  

Q: Is studying from NIFT considered expensive?

A. Yes, it can be observed that studying from NIFT can be quite expensive as most of the colleges have an average fee of more than INR 5 lakh. You can refer to the table below for the top NIFT colleges in India in different fee ranges:

Fee Range No. of Colleges Popular Colleges
< INR 1 lakh 1 NIFT Delhi
> INR 5 lakh 12 NIFT Bangalore, NIFT Mumbai, NIFT Gandhinagar, etc.

Q: In which specialisations are BDes courses offered at NIFTs?

A: The following BDes specialisations are offered at NIFTs:

  • Fashion Design
  • Textile Design
  • Accessory Design
  • Knitwear Design
  • Leather Design
  • Fashion Communication
Select any publisher to see further ranking
India Today 2024