Students who are perplexed with the decision on which career to choose after 12th standard must once ponder on preparation of entrance examination of NIFT (National institute of Fashion Design) and National institute of Design (NID). As far as career opportunities are concerned, both the institutes offer a vast scope on building your career in designing. If you want to be a pro in fashion designing then NIFT is the best choice, but if you are interested in product development or design innovation then NID is your place. There is no comparison between the two.
NIFT OR NID ? Which is a Better Selection?
NIFT is more inclined towards fashion, it has courses like fashion designing, leather, textile, accessory designing and also about fashion communication. Talking about NID it has courses like product designing, graphics designing or films, depending on what discipline of design you are looking for. NID gives you a lot of (immense) exposure in every sphere related to design and at the same time NIFT too comes with a huge scope in terms of fashion and styling.

NID is specifically for Design:
In general, people relate designing with only fashion. But it is not only about fashion design. It is in everything we use, we wear, we decorate. So NID is known for its hardcore designing. NIFT is all About Fashion:
It is about fashion creativity or fashion technology. In short you can say it is ‘’FASHION FOCUSED’’. NIFT gives you an opportunity to blend design, knowledge, artistic skills, and fashion trends to create something appealing, beautiful, and magnificent.
Recommended Read: Essential skills needed to be a Fashion Designer
Career Opportunities in Design after 12th Standard :
To pursue a career in design after 12th standard students should decide which course they should go for and which colleges they are applying for. As for students, it becomes difficult for them to prepare for both 12th boards and NIFT/NID entrance exam preparation together.
So we suggest starting preparation after 11th onwards. Passing your 12th is compulsory to pursue a career in designing. Career in design under Bachelor programs like Bachelor in Design / Bachelor in Fashion Technology is a 4 years degree offered by NIFT, NID, UCEED and other top colleges in India.
Here’s the list of career options after 12th Standard:
- Fashion Design
- Leather Design
- Textile Design
- Accessory Design
- Fashion Communication
After completing professional studies in designing, students have ample job opportunities. Fresh designing graduates can join Fashion houses or can launch their own label in the market.

The scope of the designing industry is not restricted to India. It has bright job opportunities abroad. If you are creative enough,imaginative, and good in artistic skills you find immense opportunities in the designing field outside India.
Designing is considered as one of the best paying industries today. If NIFT is concerned, It is known for offering good campus placements. After completing Bachelor in Design, the average package a designer gets is Rs. 4.30 lac Per annum.
For any course, career opportunities can be broadly segregated into industry, research, education/academics and any other field. Design education has grown with the good number of best designing institutes offering students a rich knowledge in designing. So, you can have a career in the education sector too after completing P.HD. in designing . With all these advantages you can select between NIFT or NID with your interest. If you want to pursue your career in this industry, you have a bright future.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How many marks are required to crack NID?
Ans : There is no specific score. The cut off varies every year.. It also depends on the availability of seats and number of applicants.
2. What are the eligibility and percentage required for the preparation of NIFT/NID?
Ans: Students who have appeared or appearing higher secondary exam 10+2 or equivalent like I.sc, I.com, +2 ICSE CBSE board are eligible for any kind of design course.
3. Can you suggest some tips to crack NIFT/NID exams?
Ans. Solving sample papers, looking at past tentative papers will give you insight on the types of questions and patterns. Focus on general knowledge, read newspapers, blogs to keep you updated on current affairs. Work on drawing skills too.
4. How much percentage is required for NIFT?
Ans. You just need to pass the intermediate/12th Standard. Percentage does not matter. Criteria for admission is the score you get in the NIFT entrance exam and rank obtained in it .
5. What are the Group Discussion (GD) topics for NIFT entrance?
Ans. Some current affairs, latest updates, happenings and innovations of the fashion industry related to textile, garments, apparels, large scale manufacturing, industry policy, e-commerce etc. are some of the important topics for GD.