NIFT Mumbai

About NIFT Mumbai

NIFT Mumbai is located in Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, placing it inside India's commercial and financial capital. Established in 1995, the campus is consistently ranked among the top two or three in the NIFT network and benefits from its proximity to the country's fashion retail epicentre. Mumbai houses the headquarters of major fashion brands, export houses, film and media companies, and the country's largest textile wholesale markets, all of which provide NIFT Mumbai students with an industry immersion that is difficult to replicate elsewhere.

The city's fashion ecosystem is unique in India for its scale and diversity. Dharavi, one of the world's largest informal textile clusters, produces garments for global brands. Bhiwandi's warehousing belt handles e-commerce fashion logistics for the entire country. The Bollywood film industry employs hundreds of costume designers and stylists, creating a distinct career pathway for NIFT Mumbai graduates interested in entertainment fashion. JNPT port facilitates the export of garments produced by the hundreds of export houses in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, giving Apparel Production and textile students direct access to the supply chain they will work in.

The campus offers 8 programmes: B.Des in Fashion Design, Leather Design, Accessory Design, Knitwear Design, Fashion Communication, B.F.Tech in Apparel Production, and postgraduate M.Des and MFM. The B.Des intake is 180 seats, with a total campus enrolment of approximately 280 students per year. This breadth of programmes, combined with Mumbai's industry density, creates strong internship pipelines with brands including Reliance Brands, Tata CLiQ, Myntra, Raymond, and international retailers with sourcing operations in Mumbai.

B.Des fees at NIFT Mumbai range from approximately Rs 10 to 12 lakhs for the 4-year programme, consistent with other Tier 1 NIFT campuses. Living costs in Navi Mumbai are lower than central Mumbai, though still higher than smaller cities in the NIFT network. The standard NIFT admission process applies: NTA conducts the GAT and CAT, with a Situation Test for B.Des shortlisted candidates. Applications open in November at exams.nta.nic.in/niftee.

NIFT Mumbai's alumni network reflects the diversity of Mumbai's fashion industry. Graduates work in fashion design at Indian labels and international brands, in styling for film and advertising, in buying and merchandising at fashion retail chains, in textile product development at export houses, and in brand management at fashion companies. The campus has strong ties with the Retailers Association of India and the Apparel Export Promotion Council, both of which have active offices in Mumbai.

For students whose target careers involve the mainstream fashion industry, whether retail, export, media, or entertainment fashion, NIFT Mumbai provides both the credential and the city-level access to make those careers happen. The combination of a consistently high-ranked campus, proximity to India's fashion commercial hub, and a broad programme range makes it one of the two most strategically valuable NIFT campuses to attend.