NIFT Cutoff 2026

NIFT has no single cutoff mark for its entrance exam. The NIFTEE 2027 bulletin and the NIFT prospectus publish no qualifying score. The NIFT cutoff that counts is the closing Common Merit Rank (CMR) for each campus, programme, category and counselling round. A rank moves with the seat you want, so one candidate faces many NIFT cutoff numbers, not one.

No NIFT cutoff 2027 exists yet. The exam is on 10 January 2027, and NIFT lists seat allocation for May and June 2027. Until then, the latest real figures are from the 2026 cycle. This page labels every rank as 2026 and treats it as a guide, not a promise for 2027.

Read the NIFT exam pattern to see how marks are earned. Track each stage on the NIFT 2027 dates page. The NIFT results page explains the scorecard and the merit rank.

The NIFT cutoff 2027 is a set of opening and closing ranks, and no pass mark sits behind it. Each rank belongs to one campus, one programme, one category and one round. NIFT publishes them on its public counselling portal once the allotments begin.

How is the NIFT cutoff decided?

The NIFT cutoff comes out of five steps, from the Stage 1 tests to campus allotment.

1. Stage 1. NTA holds the General Ability Test (GAT) on computer. It holds the Creative Ability Test (CAT) on paper. B.Des. candidates must appear in both.
2. Shortlist. NIFT picks candidates for Stage 2 category-wise. The 2026 ratio was 1:4, which means one seat to four candidates. The 2027 ratio is not yet published.
3. Stage 2. B.Des. candidates take the Situation Test. PG candidates take a Personal Interview. B.F.Tech. regular has no Stage 2, so GAT alone decides.
4. Common merit rank. NIFT adds the weighted marks of every stage. It ranks all candidates of one programme on that total.
5. Allotment. In e-counselling, you list campus and programme choices. NIFT allots seats by rank, category and the order of your choices, round by round.

The opening and closing ranks of each round are the NIFT cutoff. This causes a side effect. The closing rank is not a fixed bar. It is the rank of the last candidate who took that seat in that round. So it shifts when candidates above you pick the same campus or leave it for another.

Each programme has its own CMR. As per the NIFT Admission Prospectus 2027, a merit rank is valid only for the programme and category you applied for. It is valid only for Admissions 2027.

Is there a minimum qualifying score in NIFT?

No minimum qualifying score for the entrance exam is published in the 2027 documents. The only marks condition seen in the 2026 Stage 1 notification was for PwD candidates. They needed at least 50% of their category's cut-off marks to reach Stage 2. NIFT has not published the 2027 shortlisting criteria.

When will the NIFT 2027 cutoff be released?

The NIFT 2027 cutoff appears only after seat allocation begins, which NIFT lists for May and June 2027. All dates below are tentative, as per the bulletin. In 2026, the four allotments ran from 27 June to 24 July 2026. NIFT publishes opening and closing ranks for every round on its public portal.

Cutoff: Frequently Asked Questions

NIFT has released no NIFT 2027 cutoff, so no 2027 rank is confirmed for any programme. The closest guide is the 2026 Round 1 Open category rank, which is the NIFT cutoff for general candidates. It differs sharply by programme, and the programme explains more of the gap than the campus does.

The table shows the 2026 Round 1 NIFT cutoff for the Open category, All India quota. Each cell is opening and closing CMR. A smaller number means the seat went to a candidate with better merit.

At New Delhi, B.F.Tech. closed at rank 29 and Leather Design at rank 808. Both are Open category, the same campus and the same round. The Round 1 NIFT cutoff for Fashion Design at New Delhi was 128, and for Fashion Communication it was 54.

Which programme has the tightest NIFT cutoff?

In the 2026 Round 1 Open data, Fashion Communication and B.F.Tech. closed at the smallest rank numbers at New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Fashion Design, Accessory Design, Textile Design and Knitwear Design closed at larger numbers. At Mumbai, for example, Fashion Communication closed at 76 and Knitwear Design at 814.

Fashion Interiors and Leather Design run at only a few campuses. Their NIFT cutoff covers a small set of seats. The NIFT colleges page lists which campus offers which programme.

Does B.F.Tech. have a higher NIFT cutoff than Fashion Design?

No. B.F.Tech. closing ranks are smaller numbers than Fashion Design at the same campus, and the two ranks come from different pools. In 2026 Round 1 Open, B.F.Tech. closed at 29 in New Delhi, 93 in Mumbai and 110 in Bengaluru. Fashion Design closed at 128, 136 and 257 at the same campuses.

The B.F.Tech. pool is much smaller. In 2026, 4,612 candidates registered for B.F.Tech. (1,179 alone and 3,433 who also took B.Des.). The B.Des. pool had 17,349 (13,916 alone and 3,433 who also took B.F.Tech.). So never compare a B.F.Tech. rank with a B.Des. rank.

What are the NIFT PG closing ranks?

In 2026 Round 1, Open category closing ranks for NIFT PG ran from 17 for M.F.Tech. at Chennai to 604 for M.F.M. at Srinagar. PG has its own CMR for M.Des., M.F.M. and M.F.Tech. The table lists the NIFT cutoff as opening and closing CMR for selected campuses.

These are 2026 numbers for the Open category only. Reserved category PG ranks sit on the same portal report. NIFT lists PG ranks in a separate report from UG ranks.

Expected Cutoff: Frequently Asked Questions

NIFT cutoff category wise means a separate opening and closing rank for Open, Gen-EWS, OBC-NCL, SC and ST. Each rank is tied to a campus, a programme and a round. As per the Admission Prospectus 2027, seats are reserved as SC 15%, ST 7.5%, OBC-NCL 27% and Gen-EWS 10%. PwD gets 5% as a horizontal reservation for candidates with 40% or more disability.

The tables below show 2026 Round 1 closing ranks, All India quota. The portal calls the category OBC, and it means OBC-NCL. A smaller number is a better rank. "No row" means the report has no entry for that category at that campus.

What was the NIFT cutoff 2026 for Fashion Design, category wise?

In 2026 Round 1, Fashion Design at New Delhi closed at 128 for Open and 819 for Gen-EWS. OBC closed at 625, SC at 1294 and ST at 1936. The NIFT cutoff 2026 OBC closing rank at New Delhi was 625. At Nava Raipur the same programme closed far higher, with SC closing at 8670. Each cell shows opening-closing CMR.

NIFT cutoff category wise: Fashion Design, New Delhi and Mumbai, 2026 Round 1

NIFT cutoff category wise: Fashion Design, Bengaluru and Chennai, 2026 Round 1

NIFT cutoff category wise: Fashion Design, Kolkata and Nava Raipur, 2026 Round 1

What was the NIFT cutoff 2026 for Fashion Communication, category wise?

In 2026 Round 1, Fashion Communication at New Delhi closed at 54 for Open and 200 for Gen-EWS. OBC closed at 341, SC at 763 and ST at 2584. The NIFT cutoff 2026 OBC closing rank for this programme at Mumbai was 356. Fashion Communication closes earlier than Fashion Design in every Open row listed for the top campuses.

NIFT cutoff category wise: Fashion Communication, New Delhi and Mumbai, 2026 Round 1

Fashion Communication, Bengaluru and Chennai, 2026 Round 1

What was the NIFT cutoff 2026 for B.F.Tech., category wise?

In 2026 Round 1, B.F.Tech. (Apparel Production) at New Delhi closed at 29 for Open and 447 for Gen-EWS. OBC closed at 359, SC at 256 and ST at 1267. OBC closed at 471 in Bengaluru. These numbers are small because the B.F.Tech. pool is small.

NIFT cutoff category wise: B.F.Tech., New Delhi and Mumbai, 2026 Round 1

B.F.Tech., Bengaluru and Chennai, 2026 Round 1

Do reserved categories get a different NIFT cutoff?

Yes. Each category has its own opening and closing rank, because seats are reserved category-wise. In every table above, Gen-EWS, OBC, SC and ST close at larger numbers than Open at the same campus.

The NIFT cutoff for general candidates (Open) is the tightest column. Gen-EWS and OBC cross over from campus to campus. At New Delhi Fashion Design, Gen-EWS closed at 819 and OBC at 625. At Mumbai, Gen-EWS closed at 726 and the NIFT cutoff 2026 OBC rank was 801. So check both columns if you hold either certificate.

For 2027, OBC-NCL means the central list. The certificate must be issued not earlier than 1 April 2026. A state-list OBC candidate who is not in the central list must apply under General.

How do seats move between categories?

NIFT converts unfilled seats in a fixed order. PwD seats go to the parent category. Gen-EWS and OBC-NCL seats convert to Open. State domicile seats convert to All India. SC, ST and NRI sponsored seats are not converted. This order is in the 2026 seat allocation guidelines, and the 2027 guidelines are not yet published.

The tables on this page are All India quota rows. Domicile seats have separate rows on the portal. A domicile candidate can still take an Open, SC, ST or OBC seat at any campus on the overall CMR.

Category Wise Cutoff: Frequently Asked Questions

There is no sectional NIFT cutoff in 2027. The 2027 documents publish no minimum mark for any GAT section or for CAT. Sections still matter in three ways. They add up to the GAT mark, they break ties, and CAT alone carries 50% of the B.Des. merit.

The table compares the two Stage 1 tests for a B.Des. candidate, as per the bulletin and the NIFT sample paper.

The B.Des. GAT has four sections. Communication Ability and English Comprehension has 40 questions. Quantitative Ability has 20, Analytical and Logical Ability has 15, and General Knowledge and Current Affairs has 25. B.F.Tech. adds Section B with Quantitative Ability (15), Analytical and Logical Ability (15) and Case Study (20). See the NIFT syllabus page for the topics.

Is there a sectional cutoff in NIFT GAT?

No. NIFT does not set a minimum mark for any GAT section. A low score in one section only reduces your total. A strong section can cover a weak one.

Must I appear in both GAT and CAT for B.Des.?

Yes. If a B.Des. candidate skips one test, NIFT does not shortlist that candidate for the Situation Test. B.Des. needs both tests, so a missed CAT or GAT keeps you out of the final B.Des. merit rank.

How does NIFT break a tie between two candidates?

For B.Des. and M.Des., NIFT first compares CAT marks and then GAT marks. If the tie remains, NIFT checks the GAT sections in a fixed order. The first is Communication Ability and English Comprehension. The next are Quantitative Ability, Analytical and Logical Ability, and then General Knowledge and Current Affairs.

B.F.Tech., M.F.M. and M.F.Tech. use the same four-section order within GAT. Where a programme has Stage 2, skill test, studio test or interview marks get preference. This is where section marks decide a rank and a seat.

NIFT 2027 has no score vs rank table. The final rank comes from weighted marks across stages, not from one score. Your CMR is your place among all candidates of your programme on that weighted total. A rank, not a raw mark, is compared with the NIFT cutoff.

The weights below are as per the NIFTEE 2027 bulletin.

How is the NIFT rank calculated?

NIFT adds the weighted marks from every stage and ranks all candidates of one programme on the total. Take a B.Des. candidate who scores 70 in GAT, 60 in CAT and 80 in the Situation Test. Assume each test is marked out of 100. The weighted total is 21 plus 30 plus 16, which is 67. This is an illustration, not a NIFT result.

Now raise only the CAT score by 20 marks. The total becomes 77. Raise only the GAT score by 20 marks instead, and the total becomes 73. So the same effort gives more merit in CAT than in GAT.

Can a good GAT score cover a weak CAT score in B.Des.?

Only partly, because CAT carries 50% of the B.Des. merit and GAT carries 30%. A 20-mark gain in CAT adds 10 points to the total. The same gain in GAT adds 6. A very strong GAT cannot fully offset a poor CAT.

Is 7000 a good rank in NIFT?

A rank of 7,000 did not reach any Open category seat in the 2026 UG data on this page. It sits above the NIFT cutoff for general candidates in every row. The largest Open closing rank in those rows was 4861, for Textile Design at Srinagar in the Spot Round. Reserved seats closed higher. At Nava Raipur in Round 1, Fashion Design SC closed at 8670 and ST at 10291.

So 7,000 may still work for an SC or ST seat at some campuses. It is unlikely to work for Open, Gen-EWS or OBC. The NIFT cutoff 2026 OBC closing rank at Nava Raipur was 5847. Check the category rows for the campus you want, and note that this is 2026 data.

Score vs Rank: Frequently Asked Questions

NIFT New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru had the smallest Round 1 closing ranks in 2026 across most programmes. Their NIFT cutoff is the tightest. Here, "top" means the tightest 2026 closing rank. It is not a ranking of quality. NIFT New Delhi also has the most regular seats in 2027, with 376, while Mumbai and Bengaluru have 304 each.

Each cell shows the 2026 Round 1 NIFT cutoff as opening-closing CMR for the Open category, All India quota.

Fashion Design and Fashion Communication

B.F.Tech. and Textile Design

Which NIFT campus has the highest cutoff?

New Delhi had the smallest Round 1 Open closing rank in every UG programme it offers in 2026. This is the lowest NIFT cutoff for general candidates at any campus. It covers Fashion Design (128), Fashion Communication (54), Accessory Design (145) and Textile Design (425). It also covers Knitwear Design (492), Leather Design (808) and B.F.Tech. (29). Mumbai and Bengaluru follow in most rows.

At these three campuses, 2026 Round 1 Open closing ranks ran from 29 to 926 across UG programmes. This NIFT cutoff for Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru is the one that shuts out most candidates. Read the NIFT colleges page for seats and programmes at each campus.

Which NIFT campuses closed at higher ranks in 2026?

Newer and smaller campuses closed at larger rank numbers. In Round 1 Open, Fashion Design closed at 2748 at Nava Raipur and 2687 at Daman. It closed at 2559 at Srinagar and 2268 at Varanasi. In the 2026 pattern, these campuses suit candidates with a B.Des. CMR in the low thousands who still want a design seat.

Check what each campus offers before choosing. Nava Raipur offers Accessory Design, Fashion Design and Fashion Interiors. Varanasi offers Fashion Communication, Fashion Design and Fashion Interiors. A campus that closes late may not have your preferred programme.

Top Campuses: Frequently Asked Questions

The 2026 closing ranks rose round by round at most campuses that ran later rounds, so the NIFT cutoff widened. The pattern is clearest in Fashion Design Open. Campuses that fill early, such as New Delhi and Mumbai, show no Round 3 or Spot Round row at all. Other campuses show rows up to the Spot Round.

The table shows the Fashion Design NIFT cutoff for the Open category, All India quota, 2026. Each cell is opening-closing CMR.

At Srinagar, the Round 1 closing rank was 2559 and the Spot Round closing rank was 4291. At Nava Raipur, the figures were 2748 and 4215. At New Delhi, Round 2 ran from 131 to 136, and the report shows no later row. At Mumbai, Round 2 ran from 150 to 183, again with no later row.

How did the NIFT cutoff change between rounds in 2026?

The 2026 NIFT cutoff moved to larger rank numbers in later rounds for most campuses. Some single rows run the other way. In Fashion Design, Hyderabad's Spot Round shows a rank of 241, below its Round 1 range. A one-seat row like this can run against the trend.

So read the range, not one row. Look at Round 1, Round 2 and the Spot Round together.

Where are the NIFT cutoff 2025, 2024 and 2023 files?

NIFT's sample paper page lists files titled Cut off Merit Ranks for 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2020. Candidates often search for NIFT cutoff 2025, NIFT cutoff 2024 and NIFT cutoff 2023 for this reason. Open the NIFT sample paper page if you need an older year. This page uses 2026 because it is the latest cycle.

Seat counts, applicants and rules change every year, so an older NIFT cutoff may not match the NIFT 2027 cutoff. In 2026, 21,307 unique candidates registered, and about 83% were women. The 2027 seat count is 5,076 for regular and domicile seats.

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