NIFT 2026 Round 1 Cutoff: Closing Ranks vs 2025 and 2024 Trends

NIFT 2026 Round 1 closing ranks, released on June 28, 2026, show the General category closing rank for NIFT Delhi Fashion Design has tightened to approximately CMR 78 — down from 90 in 2025 and around 105 in 2024.

The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) has published Round 1 opening and closing ranks (OR-CR) for the 2026 admissions cycle. Students who appeared for the NIFT 2026 Situation Test can use this three-year comparison to evaluate their rank against closing ranks at preferred campuses and programs, and plan their strategy before Round 2 opens.

• NIFT 2026 Round 1 OR-CR was released on June 28, 2026 at nift.admissions.nic.in.
• NIFT Delhi Fashion Design General category closing rank stands at approximately CMR 78 — the tightest it has been in three cycles.
• NIFT Mumbai Fashion Design General closing rank is approximately CMR 122 for Round 1 2026, down from 141 in 2025.
• OBC-NCL closing rank at NIFT Delhi Fashion Design is approximately CMR 820 on the category merit list, tighter than 2025’s 944.
• Students not allotted a seat in Round 1 remain eligible for Round 2 counselling, where closing ranks have historically eased slightly at top campuses.

---

NIFT 2026 Round 1 Closing Ranks — Campus-Wise

The table below shows General category closing CMRs for B.Des Fashion Design across NIFT campuses in Round 1 of the 2026 admissions cycle, alongside 2025 closing ranks for direct comparison. A lower closing rank signals stronger competition for that campus.

2026 figures are based on Round 1 OR-CR data released June 28, 2026; verify exact ranks at nift.admissions.nic.in. 2025 figures are from official OR-CR releases.

---

Year-on-Year Comparison: 2024 vs 2025 vs 2026

The table below compares Round 1 General category closing ranks for B.Des Fashion Design at five leading NIFT campuses across three admission cycles. Closing ranks have declined consistently each year, confirming a steady rise in competition for top campuses.

2024 figures are approximate based on official OR-CR trend data; 2025 and 2026 figures are from officially released closing ranks.

NIFT Delhi Fashion Design closing rank has dropped 26% in two years — from approximately 105 in 2024 to 78 in 2026. NIFT Mumbai shows the steepest tightening at 34%, from around 185 to 122 over the same period. Students must target a higher Situation Test score each cycle to stay competitive at these campuses.

---

Category-Wise Closing Ranks — NIFT Delhi 2026

NIFT fills category-wise reserved seats through separate merit lists following central government reservation norms. The table below shows 2026 Round 1 closing ranks for NIFT Delhi B.Des Fashion Design across all categories, with 2025 comparison figures.

OBC-NCL, SC, ST, and PwD ranks are on their respective category-specific merit lists, not on the General CMR list. Figures marked ~ are based on official OR-CR trend data; verify exact values at nift.admissions.nic.in.

All categories show 10 to 14% tightening compared to 2025. EWS students need a category rank within 148 at NIFT Delhi Fashion Design in Round 1 2026, versus 172 last year. OBC-NCL students need a category rank within 820, compared to 944 in 2025.

---

Program-Wise Closing Ranks at NIFT Delhi 2026

NIFT maintains a separate merit list for each program. The table below compares Round 1 General category closing ranks for major programs at NIFT New Delhi between 2025 and 2026, helping students with ranks slightly above the Fashion Design cutoff identify alternative programs at the same campus.

Fashion Design at NIFT Delhi remains the most competitive program with a closing rank of 78, followed by Fashion Communication at 95. Students ranked in the 80 to 130 range can still secure NIFT Delhi in Textile or Accessory Design. Knitwear Design and Leather Design offer a wider window, admitting students up to rank 285 to 310 at Delhi campus in 2026 Round 1.

---

Factors Driving the Tighter Cutoff Trend

Several structural factors explain why NIFT closing ranks have tightened across every campus and program over the past three years.

• Rising applicant pool: NIFT entrance exam registrations have grown each year, increasing the number of students who qualify for the Situation Test and receive CMRs — intensifying competition for the same number of seats.
• Improved Situation Test preparation: Coaching specifically targeting the three-hour hands-on Situation Test has raised average scores, compressing the rank gap between top performers and compressing closing ranks further.
• Unchanged seat count at legacy campuses: NIFT Delhi and Mumbai have not significantly expanded B.Des seats, meaning the same 50-to-55 seats per program absorb a larger and better-prepared applicant pool each cycle.
• Concentrated campus preferences: A disproportionate share of top CMR holders consistently list Delhi and Mumbai first, pulling those campuses’ closing ranks lower than overall competition growth would suggest.
• Category-wise reallocation: Seats declined in one category are reallocated in later rounds. Students who narrowly miss Round 1 cutoffs — particularly in OBC-NCL and EWS — frequently secure seats in Round 2 through this mechanism.