Fashion Design in 2026: Admission 2026, Salary, Fees, Course, Syllabus, and Subjects
Published by Shikha Kumari on May 06, 2025
The Indian fashion market is growing bigger every day, and the Indian design market is expected to grow at 25 to 30% annually. This provides a vast career opportunity for creative minds. Fashion design is rooted in learning the basics of stitching and constructing garments, and it introduces a broad range of effects in fashion design. Through fashion design courses, candidates can translate ideas into good designs.
If you are willing to learn the course, in this blog, we are going to discuss the animation process, salary scope, fees, and the syllabus for fashion design.
Fashion Designing Admission 2026
Fashion Design courses are available as certificates, diplomas, undergraduate, as well as postgraduate degree programs. While the certification courses do not require any prior qualifications, the latter require candidates to clear entrance exams to get into colleges. Some of the popular design entrance exams are CEED, UCEED, NID DAT, NIFT Entrance, CUET, JEECUP, and CUET-PG. These exams test the candidate’s design aptitude, fashion design ability, visualisation skills, and general aptitude.
| Entrance Exam | Syllabus |
| CEED | Design Aptitude, Drawing Skills, Visualisation, Creativity |
| CUET | General Knowledge, Quantitative Aptitude, Logical Reasoning, Language Proficiency |
| NIFT Entrance | Creative Ability Test (CAT), General Ability Test (GAT) |
| UCEED | Design Aptitude, Visualisation, Drawing, Analytical Ability |
| JEECUP | Engineering/Technology and Fashion Design subjects |
| NID DAT | Design Aptitude, General Knowledge, Visualisation, Creativity |
| CUET-PG | Postgraduate subjects, General Knowledge, Reasoning, Language Proficiency |
NID DAT Schedule 2026
NID DAT schedule for 2026 examination has been released, the important dates are mentioned in the table below:
| Application opens | 11 September 2025 |
| Last date to apply | 1 December 2025 |
| Correction window | 2 – 4 December 2025 |
| DAT Prelims exam | 21 December 2025 |
| DAT Prelims result (B.Des) | 7 April 2026 |
| DAT Mains exam (B.Des) | April / May 2026 (tentative) |
UCEED Schedule 2026
UCEED notification for 2026 exam was released on 1 October 2025, the exam is scheduled to be conducted on 18 January 2026.
| Notification release | 1 October 2025 |
| Registration starts | 1 October 2025 |
| Last date to apply (regular fee) | 5 November 2025 |
| Last date with late fee | 10 November 2025 |
| Admit card release | 2 January 2026 |
| Admit card correction window | 2 – 8 January 2026 |
| Exam date | 18 January 2026 (Sunday, 9 AM – 12 Noon) |
| Draft answer key release | 20 January 2026 |
| Final answer key release | 28 January 2026 |
| Results announcement | 6 March 2026 |
| Score card download window | 10 March – 31 July 2026 |
| B.Des application for participating institutes opens | 14 March 2026 |
| B.Des application closes | 10 April 2026 |
Fashion Designing Courses
Fashion design itself is a very wide field; hence, the courses available in this field can range extensively. Fashion designing extends from the Bachelor of Design, B.Sc. Fashion Designing, and Bachelor of Fashion Technology to B.A. in Fashion Communication. While there are short-term courses, such as diplomas in fashion design, which can take from 12 months to 18 months, the proper Bachelor of Design courses in fashion design can take more than four years.
| Fashion Design Courses | Type | Syllabus |
| B.Des in Fashion Design | Bachelor’s Degree | Design principles, textile technology, and fashion history |
| B.Sc in Fashion Design | Bachelor’s Degree | Fabric science, design software, and apparel manufacturing |
| Bachelor of Fashion Technology (BFTech) | Bachelor’s Degree | Digital design, pattern making, garment construction |
| B.A. in Fashion Communication | Bachelor’s Degree | Fashion journalism, styling, branding, marketing, media |
| B.Sc in Fashion & Apparel Design | Bachelor’s Degree | Apparel design, draping, and garment construction |
| B.Sc in Fashion Business & Retail Management | Bachelor’s Degree | Retail strategy, merchandising, marketing |
| Diploma in Fashion Design | Diploma | Core design skills, fashion basics |
| Diploma in Fashion Technology | Diploma | Technical tools, pattern making, and garment construction |
| Certificate Programs (e.g., Jewellery, Footwear) | Certificate Course | Niche training, such as fashion photography, accessory/jewellery/footwear design |
| B.Des in Accessory Design | Bachelor’s Degree | Design of accessories like handbags, footwear, jewellery |
| B.Des in Textile Design | Bachelor’s Degree | Textile creation, surface ornamentation |
| B.Des in Knitwear Design | Bachelor’s Degree | Design & construction of knitted garments and textiles |
Top Fashion Designing Colleges in India 2025
While NIFT is considered one of the best fashion design colleges in India, with fees of approximately Rs 12.34 lakh. For a fashion designer, course fees can range from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 30 lakh as well. The best fashion design schools include NIFT, Pearl Academy, SID, and Amity Institute of Fashion Design, as per India Today ratings.
| Rank | College Name | Location | Fees (Approx.) |
| 1 | National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) | Delhi | Rs 12.34 Lakh |
| 2 | National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) | Mumbai | Rs 12.34 Lakh |
| 3 | National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) | Bangalore | Rs 12.34 Lakh |
| 4 | National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) | Hyderabad | Rs 12.34 Lakh |
| 5 | National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) | Chennai | Rs 12.34 Lakh |
| 6 | National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) | Gandhinagar | Rs 12.34 Lakh |
| 7 | National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) | Kolkata | Rs 12.34 Lakh |
| 8 | National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) | Patna | Rs 12.34 Lakh |
| 9 | Pearl Academy | Delhi | Rs 29.94 Lakh |
| 10 | National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) | Jodhpur | Rs 12.34 Lakh |
| 11 | National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) | Kannur | Rs 12.34 Lakh |
| 12 | Symbiosis Institute of Design (Symbiosis International University) | Pune | Rs 18.68 Lakh |
| 13 | National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) | Bhubaneswar | Rs 9.26 Lakh |
| 14 | National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) | Raebareli | Rs 12.34 Lakh |
| 15 | National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) | Shillong | Rs 11.74 Lakh |
| 16 | Army Institute of Fashion and Design | Bangalore | Rs 6.12 Lakh |
| 17 | National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) | Kangra | Rs 11.74 Lakh |
| 18 | Pearl Academy | Jaipur | Rs 26.40 Lakh |
| 19 | JD Institute of Fashion Technology | Bangalore | Rs 5.25 Lakh |
| 20 | Amity School of Fashion Technology (Amity University) | Noida | Rs 9.12 Lakh |
Fashion Designer Salary & Scope
Institutes such as NSCT Mumbai University offer very high placement packages compared to regular colleges, with salaries going as high as Rs 16 LPA, and Rs 12.1 LPA at PSGCT Coimbatore. Candidates can follow the table below to get a better understanding of the placement packages.
| Top Placement Opportunities | |
| Institute | Placement Package |
| NSUT | Rs 16 LPA |
| Mumbai University | Rs 15 LPA |
| Lucknow University | Rs 14.4 LPA |
| Vijaybhoomi University | Rs 13.3 LPA |
| PSGCT Coimbatore | Rs 12.1 LPA |
Likewise, when it comes to the salary for a fashion designer, while at the entry level a candidate can easily earn Rs 4.5 LPA as an average salary, within a few years of experience, the salary can exponentially rise to Rs 7.7 LPA. Meanwhile, a middle manager’s CTC is around Rs 5.3 LPA.
| Average CTC (Per Annum) | |
| Level | Average Salary |
| Entry Level | Rs 4.5 LPA |
| Mid Level | Rs 5.3 LPA |
| Senior Level | Rs 7.7 LPA |