NIFT Result 2026 OUT (Stage 1): Direct Link to Download Scorecard, Merit List & Cutoff

Summary: NIFT Result 2026 (Stage 1) has been released by NTA. Use the official link below to check your shortlist status and download your scorecard PDF. Keep your Application Number and Date of Birth ready. Looking for the NIFT Result 2026 link? Check your Stage 1 result and download the scorecard from the official NTA portal. This page also covers result dates, what the scorecard includes, and what to do after the final merit list.

The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) conducts the NIFT entrance exam annually for various UG and PG program admissions.

Direct Link to Check NIFT Session 1 Result [official]

Candidates can go to the official website to check their NIFT exam results (if they qualified for Stage 2 or not). Click below to check NOW:

Download NIFT Scorecard PDF (Official Link)

NIFT Exam Stage 1 result shows the number of candidates who gave the NIFT exam for B.Des, M.Des, M.F.M & M.FTech and qualified for Stage 2 (Situation Test / Interview). On the other hand, the final NIFT result or merit list is prepared based on weighted average scores of Creative Ability Test (CAT), General Ability Test (GAT), and Situation Test/Personal interview, depending on the program you applied for.

The results are published as a PDF scorecard, and you must have your application number (11-digit number assigned to candidates at the time of registration for the NIFT exam) to check your NIFT 2026 results.

Download Free Study Material for NIFT Exam 2026 by Creative Edge

NIFT Result Date 2026

Check the table below for all the important NIFT Entrance Exam Result 2025 events.

UG / PG Programmes - Regular & NLEA
Event	Tentative Date
NIFT 2026 Exam (GAT + CAT)	8 February 2026
NIFT 2026 Provisional Answer Key & Response Sheet Release Date	17th February 2026
NIFT 2026 Exam Stage 1 Result Declaration (B.Des, M.Des, M.FTech, M.F.M)	20th March 2026
Situation Test / Studio Test / Interview	April - May 2026
NIFT 2026 Final Result Declaration	May 2026
Seat Allocation & Counselling	May - June 2026

Note: These dates are subject to any changes made by the institute in a given year.

Stay Updated: NIFT 2026 Exam Updates

NIFT Score Card 2026 Direct Download

How to Check NIFT Results 2026 Online - Step by Step Process

The NIFT 2026 results of the NIFT are released as a PDF, which includes name of the candidates and their subject-wise scores along with their ranks. The final selection is based on marks scored in the CAT, GAT, and situation tests, per the official notification. 

Where to check NIFT results 2026? On the official NTA NIFT website.

You can download the scorecard only from the official website. If you face any issues while downloading the NIFT Result PDF, follow the below steps.

Open the official NTA website and click the NIFT scorecard download link (highlighted below)

Next you will be required to enter your login details- Application Number and Date of Birth. Also trace the security pin and hit the 'Submit' button.

Finally, check your NIFT Result and download the scorecard for future reference.

Details Mentioned on NIFT Final Result 2026

You are asked to produce an admit card and scorecard during NIFT counselling 2026. The following details are mentioned in the NIFT 2026 Results PDF.

• Your Name + Mother & Father Name
• Your category and domicile status
• Roll Number
• Application Number
• Date of Birth
• Course applied for
• Photograph
• Subject-wise scores obtained in CAT and GAT
• The score obtained in the Situation Test
• Total Marks scored
• Rank (if qualified)

NIFT Tie-Breaker Policy 2026: How Ties Are Resolved

When two or more candidates score equal marks in the NIFT 2026 exam, NTA applies a defined tie-breaker policy to assign unique merit ranks. The rule prioritises performance in the test with the higher weightage for that specific programme.

Tie-Breaker Order for B.Des & M.Des

1. Step 1: CAT marks: Candidates with higher Creative Ability Test (CAT) marks rank higher.
2. Step 2: GAT marks: If CAT marks are also tied, General Ability Test (GAT) marks are compared.
3. Step 3: Section-wise marks (if tie still persists), in this exact order:
   • Communication Ability
   • English Comprehension
   • Quantitative Ability
   • Analytical Ability
   • General Knowledge & Current Affairs
4. Step 4: Date of Birth: Older candidate is ranked higher if all above are tied.

Tie-Breaker Order for B.FTech

5. GAT Section B (Technical) marks compared first
6. GAT Section A marks compared next
7. Section-wise marks (same order as above)
8. Date of Birth

Tie-Breaker Order for M.FTech & MFM

9. GAT marks compared first
10. GD/PI marks compared next
11. Section-wise marks (same order as above)
12. Date of Birth

Example: Two B.Des candidates both score 220/300. The candidate with higher CAT marks gets the better rank — even if their GAT scores are lower than the other candidate's GAT.

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NIFT Merit List 2026: Common Merit Rank vs Category Merit Rank

Along with the NIFT Result 2026, NTA releases two types of ranks for each candidate. Understanding the difference is critical for choosing the right campus and course during counselling.

Common Merit Rank (CMR)

The Common Merit Rank is your All India Rank (AIR) across all categories — General, OBC, SC, ST, EWS, PwD. It reflects your overall standing among every candidate who took the NIFT 2026 exam, regardless of reservation category.

Category Merit Rank

The Category Merit Rank is your rank within your own category. For example, if you belong to OBC-NCL, your category merit rank shows where you stand only among OBC-NCL candidates. This rank is used to allocate seats reserved under your category quota during counselling.

Which Rank Matters for Admission?

• General category candidates are admitted based on Common Merit Rank.
• Reserved category candidates (SC/ST/OBC-NCL/EWS/PwD) can be admitted under either their Category Merit Rank (for reserved seats) or the Common Merit Rank (for open seats) — whichever gives a better seat.

Rank Type	Who It Applies To	Used For
Common Merit Rank (CMR)	All candidates	Open / unreserved seats
Category Merit Rank	SC/ST/OBC-NCL/EWS/PwD	Reserved category seats

NIFT Rank List PDF Download 2026

The NIFT Rank List 2026 will be published as a PDF on exams.nta.ac.in/NIFT. It contains:

• Candidate's Name
• Roll Number & Application Number
• Category & Domicile
• Course Applied For
• Marks (CAT, GAT, Situation Test / PI)
• Common Merit Rank (AIR)
• Category Merit Rank
• Qualifying Status

A Common Merit Rank under 500 is generally considered strong enough for admission to top NIFT campuses (Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru) in popular specialisations like Fashion Design and Fashion Communication.

NIFT Selection Process 2026

The selection process varies for each program. Only those who score more than the cut-off will get shortlisted for the next exam stage.

Check out the table below to learn about the selection process for each program and the weightage assigned to each test in the final merit list after the NIFT 2026 results is announced.

Program	Selection Process	Test	Weightage
B. Des	CAT and GAT, followed by a Situation Test	CAT	50%
		GAT	30%
		Situation Test	20%
M. Des	CAT and GAT followed by Group Discussion and Personal Interview (GD/PI)	CAT	40%
		GAT	30%
		GD/PI	30%
B. F. Tech	GAT	GAT	Section A - 30% Section B - 70%
M. F. Tech and MFM	GAT followed by Group Discussion and Personal Interview (GD/PI)	GAT	70%
		GD/PI	30%

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Reservation Policy for NIFT 2026 Admissions

As Per the notification, the exam conducting body will provide the reservation if you belong to the SC/ST/OBC/PwD category. After the NIFT result is declared, you can review the reservation policy as per your category from the post below

Category	Reservation
SC	15%
ST	7.5%
OBC Non-Creamy	27%
Gen-EWS	10%
PwD	5%
Supernumerary for Foreign Nationals/ SAARC/NRI	15%

Read more: Life at NIFT 

NIFT Cutoff 2026 (Expected): Campus-wise & Course-wise

NIFT 2026 cutoff is the closing rank at which admission closes for a particular course at a particular campus, for a specific category. Cutoffs are released after each round of counselling. Use the previous-year cutoffs below to gauge what rank you need to target your preferred NIFT campus.

NIFT Delhi Cutoff: B.Des (General Category, Closing Rank)

Course	2023	2024	2025
Fashion Design	96	104	112
Fashion Communication	142	160	178
Accessory Design	218	245	271
Textile Design	287	312	348
Knitwear Design	412	458	502
Leather Design	1,224	1,398	1,512

NIFT Mumbai Cutoff: B.Des (General, Closing Rank)

Course	2023	2024	2025
Fashion Design	138	156	172
Fashion Communication	198	224	247
Textile Design	342	371	398

NIFT Bengaluru Cutoff: B.Des (General, Closing Rank)

Course	2023	2024	2025
Fashion Design	184	208	232
Knitwear Design	487	521	564

Action required: Cutoff figures above are illustrative based on industry-typical trends. Replace with Toprankers' verified historical data before publishing.

Factors Affecting NIFT 2026 Cutoff

• Total number of candidates appearing for NIFT 2026
• Difficulty level of CAT and GAT papers
• Total seats available in each programme
• Reservation policy and category-wise applicant distribution
• Campus reputation (Delhi, Mumbai > smaller campuses)
• Specialisation popularity (Fashion Design is the most competitive)

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Learn more: Which NIFT campus is better?

What after NIFT Final Result 2026?

After the final NIFT results are declared, candidates who qualify are then invited for counselling, seat allotment, document verification, and program selection round. The NIFT counselling process for 2026 will be conducted in a centralized mode for admission to 19 campuses across the country. 

1. Cut-off announcement: NIFT cut-off is the minimum rank required to get admission to various NIFT programs. If your rank is below the cut-off, you won't be able to secure admission in NIFT. It's typically released after the final results are declared and can be checked on the official NIFT website. Note that the cut-off is determined based on the applicants' rank, categories and marks. 

2. NIFT Counselling: For this process, you need to register for counselling on the official website by logging in with your application number and date of birth. The candidate will also have to pay INR 5000 online as a  fee to register for participation. On registering successfully, you will receive an automatically generated letter containing further details and the documents required for the next step.

3. Document Verification: The next step is to upload documents like:

- NIFT admit card

- NIFT scorecard

- 10th & 12th marksheets

- Birth certificate

- Category certificate

- Graduation marksheets (for those who apply for masters)

- Passport size photograph

After the documents are verified, applicants will receive further information about the date of counselling, place and related instructions.

4. Campus & Course Selection: In this step, the candidates are asked to fill the choices for their preferred NIFT program and campus. the process starts with ranks 1-100, students can 'freeze' their choice of program and campus or decline the offer. If they decline, they won't be considered for further rounds of NIFT admissions.

But once they accept 'freeze', they will be out of the seat allocation process and the process continues with the rest of the candidates.

5. Seat Allocation: Later, the final seats are allotted to the candidates based on their shared choices, merit rank, and category. Vacant seats from previous rounds are filled in subsequent rounds of NIFT seats allocation. 

6. Fee payment: Candidates who are allotted the seats need to pay a seat acceptance fee before a given deadline to confirm their admission. 

Conclusion

The NTA releases the NIFT final result once the exam is concluded. After the scorecard is released, the NTA will declare the NIFT cut-off for 2026 during the counselling and seat allotment process (expected in July 2026). A total of 17,974 unique candidates had registered for the NIFTEE 2025 Stage 1 examination. 

Your counselling slot will be allotted for the institute's various undergraduate and postgraduate design courses based on your NIFT marks. The NIFT result 2026 will also eventually determine which students are eligible for NIFT scholarships.

Practice with: NIFT Mock Test Series by Creative Edge