NIFT 2026 Cutoff: Rank, Category‑Wise Trends & Admission for Design Students

NIFT 2026 cutoff refers to the minimum rank or Common Merit Rank (CMR) required for admission into B.Des and B.FTech programmes at various National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) campuses. It is not a fixed score; instead, NIFT releases category‑wise, campus‑wise opening and closing ranks for each round of counselling. These ranks decide whether a candidate gets a seat in their preferred course‑campus combination.

For 2026, the NIFT result has already been declared on 20 March 2026 by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on exams.nta.nic.in/niftee and nift.admissions.nic.in. The official NIFT 2026 cutoff PDF will be published on the admission portal once counselling begins; candidates can download it from the OR‑CR (Opening‑Closing Rank) section under e‑services.

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How is the NIFT 2026 Cutoff Decided?

Several factors shape the NIFT 2026 cutoff percentile and rank every year:

• Total number of candidates appearing in the NIFT 2026 entrance exam.

• Difficulty level of the NIFTEE‑2026 paper and overall score distribution.

• Seat matrix (number of B.Des and B.FTech seats) across all 18 NIFT campuses.

• Category and reservation (General, OBC, SC, ST, EWS, PwD).

• Previous‑year cutoff trends and campus‑wise admission behaviour.

Because of these variables, there is no single “NIFT cutoff marks 2026” value; instead, each campus‑course‑category has its own opening and closing rank in every counselling round.

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NIFT 2026 Cutoff – Expected Rank and Campus Trends

Based on recent NIFT cutoff data and expert projections, here is an expected NIFT 2026 cutoff rank snapshot for top campuses (General category, B.Des in Fashion Design):

These ranges are indicative and the actual NIFT 2026 cutoff will depend on how many applicants join counselling and the seat matrix.

For B.FTech (Apparel Production), the required rank is generally a bit lower than B.Des at the same campus, as the programme is more technical and has fewer applicants.

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NIFT 2026 Cutoff Percentile and Score Insight

While NIFT mainly releases rank‑based cutoffs, but other platforms translate those into percentile‑like bands to help students benchmark performance.

Typical good‑score indicators for NIFT 2026 (B.Des) are:

• Excellent level: NIFT score ~75+ (approx. top 1–150 ranks).

• Very good level: 65–74 (~151–500 ranks).

• Good level: 55–64 (~501–1000 ranks).

• Average level: 45–54 (beyond 1000).

These ranges are approximate and not official percentiles; they help students roughly map their score to rank and thus to NIFT 2026 cutoff percentile scenarios.

NIFT 2026 Cutoff Category‑wise (OBC, SC, ST, EWS, PwD)

The NIFT cutoff category‑wise structure follows reservation norms and is published as opening–closing ranks for each group.

Key points:

• OBC, EWS, SC, ST, PwD candidates get higher cutoff ranks (i.e., lower cutoff numbers in terms of rank) than General.

• For example, in 2025 counselling, OBC Fashion Design at NIFT Delhi closed around 206–944, while General closed at 15–112.

• At campuses like Kolkata, Hyderabad, Gandhinagar, OBC, and SC‑ST Fashion Design cutoffs often extend into thousands of ranks, improving chances for reserved‑category students.

So if you are specifically checking “NIFT 2026 cutoff for OBC”, expect your required rank to be higher (numerically larger) than General at the same campus‑course, but still within a realistic range for admission.

Previous Year NIFT Cutoff Trends (2023–2025)

Analysing the past‑year NIFT cutoff helps students estimate NIFT 2026 cutoff. Key takeaways:

• For NIFT Delhi Fashion Design (B.Des), General opening–closing in 2023 was 15–112; for Accessory Design it was 9–223.

• NIFT Mumbai Fashion Design General cutoff 2023 was 24–191, while Bhopal was 516–1671, showing how newer campuses open at much higher ranks.

• NIFT Kolkata and Hyderabad typically open between 70–150 in Fashion Design for General, then climb to thousands for SC/ST and some OBC seats.

NIFT 2025 Opening & Closing Ranks for General Category

NIFT opening and closing ranks represent the highest rank at which a candidate was admitted to a specific program. The closing rank is the lowest rank accepted for that same program. These ranks can vary depending on factors like the candidate’s category, the popularity of the course, and the campus they are applying to. 

 The following tables give details of the NIFT opening and closing ranks across various NIFT campuses for the General Category.  NIFT 2025 opening and closing ranks for the General category are given below for the NIFT Delhi campus. 

NIFT Mumbai 2025 Cutoff

The following table gives details of the NIFT Mumbai cutoff 2025 across various rounds of NIFT counselling. 

NIFT Chennai 2025 Cutoff

Check out the NIFT Chennai cutoff 2025 across various specialisations for all three rounds of NIFT counselling. 

NIFT Bengaluru 2025 Cutoff

Candidates can check out the NIFT Bengaluru cutoff 2025 for various rounds of NIFT counselling. 

NIFT Hyderabad 2025 Cutoff

NIFT Hyderabad cutoff 2025 is given in the following table across various specialisations. 

NIFT Delhi Cutoff 2024

Check out the NIFT Delhi 2024 opening and closing ranks for various design specialisations in the following table. 

NIFT Mumbai Cutoff 2024

Here are the NIFT Mumbai opening and closing ranks for Round 1 and Round 5, respectively. 

NIFT Chennai Cutoff 2024

Refer to the following table to get insights into the NIFT 2025 cutoff for the Chennai campus. 

NIFT Hyderabad Cutoff 2024

Check out the NIFT cutoff 2024 for Hyderabad in the following table. 

NIFT 2026 cutoff vs JEE Mains (If Applicable)

Some aspirants also ask: “Is there a link between NIFT 2026 cutoff and JEE Mains?”

• NIFT and JEE Mains are separate exams; NIFT does not use JEE Mains scores for its cutoff.

• However, competent design aspirants often prepare for both and may treat JEE Mains engineering entrance as a backup route, while aiming for a Good rank in NIFT (say under 1000 for B.Des at top campuses).

In short, NIFT 2026 cutoff JEE Mains is not a thing; they are different admission systems and must be treated independently.

How to Check and Download NIFT 2026 cutoff (PDF)

Candidates can view and download the official NIFT 2026 cutoff PDF after the counselling rounds start.

Steps to check NIFT 2026 cutoff:

1. Visit nift.admissions.nic.in during counselling.

2. Go to e‑services → OR‑CR (Opening‑Closing Rank).

3. Select programme (B.Des/B.FTech) and then campus‑course‑category.

4. The NIFT 2026 cutoff – opening and closing ranks will appear on screen; you can save as PDF or screenshot for records.

What is a “Good” Rank in NIFT 2026?

A good rank in NIFT 2026 depends on your category, desired campus, and course.

• For NIFT Delhi/B.Des Fashion Design, a rank under 200 is very strong.

• For NIFT Mumbai or Bengaluru, ranks under 500–700 are usually competitive.

• For newer campuses or reserved categories, a rank in 2000–4000 can be sufficient for admission.

So if you are wondering “Is 2000 a good rank in NIFT?”, it is good for OBC, SC, ST, or admission to newer campuses, though not enough for top‑campus General‑category seats.

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