Summary: Confused about NID VS NIFT? Discover the key differences between the National Institute of Design (NID) and the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in terms of focus, courses, exam duration, age limits, and more. Make an informed choice for your design or fashion career with NID v NIFT. Get insights into NID's design excellence and NIFT's fashion innovation to shape your creative future.

What is the difference between NID and NIFT? Many prospective aspirants get confused about whether they should apply to NID, NIFT, or both.

NIFT and NID may look identical to many but they are different. 

The National Institute of Design (NID) is solely focused on the field of design. Only a few fashion-related courses are available.

People work on many aspects of design like-  fashion, autos, lifestyle, architecture, cinema, cartoons, filmmaking, communication, etc. They don't limit themselves to the realm of fashion.

Whereas, NIFT is solely for the fashion world.

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Basic Things to Know - NIFT vs NID

Criteria	NID	NIFT (B. Des)
Duration of Exam	3hours	2 hours
No. of questions	26	100
Maximum number	100	100
Language of paper	English	English/Hindi
Mode of exam	Pen and paper mode	Pen and paper mode
Maximum Age	General - 20	General -24

Know more: NID Entrance Exam Syllabus 2025

Ever wondered which is best between NID and NIFT or which is better NID or NIFT? Let's talk about NID vs NIFT here. 

Now that we've understood the broad difference between NID vs NIFT, let's take a closer look at NID and NIFT one by one:

The National Institute of Design (NID)

NID, which was founded in 1961, is also recognized for being India's most challenging design school to get into. 

NID is the premier Indian institute for product design for product designing, product concept development, and design innovation, acclaimed globally for design excellence. NID teaches about design and art, aesthetic sense and extracts of design engineering. It is primarily concerned with art, aesthetics, and product design.

NID also include Ceramic and glass design, Furniture design, Textile design, Film and video communication, Animation film design, Product design, Graphic design, and Exhibition design. 

The National Institute of Design (NID) is a famous design school with campuses in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Bangalore (R&D), Kurukshetra (Design Graduate Programs), and Vijaywada (Graduate Diploma Programs in Design).

It has also recently unveiled launched campuses in Andhra Pradesh (Graduate Diploma Programs in Design), Haryana (Graduate Diploma Programs in Design), Madhya Pradesh (Graduate Diploma Programs in Design), and Assam (Graduate Diploma Programs in Design) (Graduate Diploma Programs in Design).

Know more: Points to Remember before Appearing for NID Exam 2025

• Age Limit:

For Indian Nationals in General Category and General EWS Category:  Only those candidates born on or after 1 July 2002 are eligible to apply for admission.

For Indian Nationals in Reserved Category (Other Backward Class-Non Creamy Layer (OBC-NCL), Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST): Only those candidates born on or after 1 July 1999 are eligible to apply for admission.

For Indian Nationals in PwD Reserved Category: Only those candidates born on or after 1 July 1998 are eligible to apply for admission.

For Foreign Nationals in Overseas (Supernumerary) Category: Only those candidates born on or after 1 July 2003 are eligible to apply for admission.

Practice with: Free NID Mock Test Series 2025

• Educational Qualification for NID 2025:

Applications for the academic year 2025 will be open to candidates who have passed or will appear for higher secondary (10+2) qualifying examinations in the academic year 2024–25 in any stream (Science, Arts, Commerce, Humanities, etc.) from any recognized board of education such as CBSE, IB, ICSE or equivalent.

Read more: NIFT Eligibility Criteria

• Exam Pattern for NID 2025:

NID Design Aptitude Test (NID DAT) comprises three phases which include a written exam (Prelims and Mains), a studio test, and a personal interview.

Check out: NID Exam Pattern 2025

National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT)

NIFT is India's foremost fashion design institute, and it consistently produces the greatest stylists and fashion designers.

NIFT Focuses on fabrics, illustration, aesthetic sensibility, garment manufacturing, style, and the technology that surrounds it.

At present, NIFT has 16 professionally managed campuses across the length and breadth of India. There are campuses in Bhopal, Bengaluru, Bhuvneshwar, Chennai, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, Jodhpur, Kolkata, Kannur, Kangra, Mumbai, New Delhi, Patna, Raebareli, Srinagar, and Shillong.

Enrol to get free resources: Best NID Exam Online Coaching 2025

• NIFT EXAM Pattern

The design entrance test for admission to NIFT campuses consists of three parts - Creative Ability Test (CAT), General Ability Test (GAT), and Situation Test.

However, students seeking admission to Bachelor of Fashion Technology will have to appear for the GAT exam only.

No. of sections- Quantitative Ability, Communication Ability, English Comprehension, Analytical Ability, General Knowledge, and Current Affairs

Know more: NIFT Exam Pattern

Conclusion

NID and NIFT are renowned institutes catering to design and fashion respectively. NID focuses on diverse design courses, while NIFT is dedicated to the world of fashion. Students should consider their passions and career goals to make the right choice.

Download here: NIFT Syllabus 2025 PDF