This country holds a very huge fashion industry that is seen to continue increasing, and that’s one of the reasons you should start considering these fashion designing colleges in India. Statista reported that the revenue in this industry will increase close to US$20bn, and will even increase to US$33.11bn in 2025.
Fashion is one of the fastest growing and changing industries in India and the world at large, so it is really worth it to join this bandwagon.
Another interesting thing about this industry is, that there are lots of niches under it, whether it’s the most popular apparel niche, the shoe, embroidery, pattern making, fabric weaving, or make-up artist. Also, you must not be the one creating the design, you can even be a fashion photographer, a writer, or a fashion journalist.
So it’s a very broad industry, and India accepts this industry with both hands, even though the industry just rolled out in the country.
As the market is growing so is the competition too, there are lots of students applying to these fashion design schools in India, and it is making the entrance a lot harder. Even NIFT (National Institute of Fashion Technology) has gone all the way to make their entrance exam a lot harder because they have seen that for students to currently thrive in this market they have to have both creative skills and some mathematics skills.
Shocking to hear me say mathematics? Yes, fashion from an academic perspective is both art and mathematics, you need to understand measurement, and geometry the same way you love design.
That said, it will be advisable to go through some free fashion design courses first before sitting for any entrance exam.
Cost of Fashion Design Colleges in India
The average cost of studying fashion design in India varies based on citizenship, school, and the kind of program. The kind of program here is whether you’re enrolling for a Bachelor’s degree, a postgraduate, or a master’s degree.
But, the average fee for these schools is ₹11.19 Lakh annually. You can see the school fees are high, that’s why most of them offer scholarships, there are also other financial aids meant for Indians to study abroad.
Requirements for Fashion Design Colleges in India
To be admitted to any of these fashion schools, especially the best ones we have listed, you need to bring in your A-game, you need to make sure to submit all the required documents, which we will list some of them, shortly. And when submitting your portfolio, make sure it is neatly represented whether through pictures, video, or both.
Here are some entry requirements for these schools;
- You need to be less than 24 years if you’re applying for an undergraduate program
- You need to have passed your 10+2 examination
- Equivalent exams to 10+2 might be accepted, depending on the college, if you’re an international student
- You might need to enrol in an entrance exam
- Submission of qualifying degree on time
- Submission of General Certificate Education (GCE) Examination result
Fashion Designing Colleges in India
There are lots of fashion designing colleges in India. In fact, there are more than 1,000 of them, but we had to carefully hand-pick 15 of the best.
All the choices here were carefully researched, to make sure you are properly served. Here is the list of these schools;
- NIFT Delhi
- Pearl Academy
- NIFT Mumbai
- NIFT Bengaluru
- Parul University – Fashion Design & Technology
- INIFD Deccan, Pune
- Symbiosis of Institute of Design
- Army Institute of Fashion and Design
- JD Institute of Fashion Technology
- Artemisia College of Art and Design (ACAD)
- Unitedworld Institute of Design, Karnavati University
- LPU Jalandhar
- Ramaiah University Of Applied Sciences (B.Des. Fashion Design)
- Manipal Academy of Higher Education – B.Design Fashion Design
1. NIFT Delhi
The National Institute of Fashion Technology students have not just been prolific in the Indian fashion industry, but they have gone ahead to contribute to the world’s apparel and won the first ever global design graduate show. This shows that the first institute of fashion design in India understands what they want and is pushing tenaciously to get it.
NIFT campus in Delhi is the first to be established in 1986 and was just operating as a two-room class during its inception, and only had 4 programmes as of then. Now, they are the largest campus in NIFT with 10 programmes, which include;
- Bachelor of Design Programs
- Accessory Design
- Fashion Communication
- Fashion Design
- Knitwear Design
- Leather Design
- Textile Design
- Masters Programs
- Master of Design
- Master of Fashion Management
- Master of Fashion Technology
- Bachelor of Fashion Technology
- Apparel Production
NIFT Delhi is one of the fashion designing colleges in India that have learned to survive during adversity, especially during the pandemic, when some were chilling and waiting for schools to physically open. This school had to “go tech,” they had to start teaching their students through online classes, and the physical barrier did affect their learning.
2. Pearl Academy
For almost 30 years since birth, this fashion school has been able to produce graduates that have produced exquisite designs and have contributed to problem-solving in the fashion world. Unlike some other fashion designing colleges in India, Pearl Academy focus its development on an international scale, that’s why lots of organizations have awarded them for their wonderful results.
FICC was recognized for their excellence in Creative Arts, World Leadership Congress (WLC) Awarded them the Best Design Institute in 2021, and they are also known for online learning excellence.
They also have campuses in Delhi-West, Jaipur, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Delhi-South. They offer Undergraduate Programmes, Postgraduate Programmes, MA Courses, and Professional Certificates.
3. NIFT Mumbai
The National Institute of Fashion Technology established this Campus in Mumbai, in 1995. In their classes, you’ll be collaborating with your classmates to create designs that should stand out even in our world.
During your academic years, your skills will be assessed, you’ll be able to go for an internship to learn from well-established companies, and you’ll also be undertaking some projects to see how skilled you have become.
NIFT Mumbai offers the same Bachelor of Design Programs as NIFT Delhi except that instead of Textile Design, they are offering Apparel Production. As for their Masters’s Programs, they offer only two programs which are;
- Master of Design
- Master of Fashion Management
This fashion designing college in India also has a new curriculum where they give their students more flexible learning, through 3 Interdisciplinary Minors (IDMs). This means, you will be able to choose up to 3 minors no matter the fashion department, and it will help you to learn more disciplines outside the fashion industry.
4. NIFT Bengaluru
Bengaluru Campus offers the same programs as their NIFT counterparts, they also offer continuing education, where they offer 6 months to a year programs. These short courses include;
- 1-year
- Fashion & Clothing Technology
- Fashion Integration for Textiles
- Fashion Retail Management
- 6 months
- Garment Export Merchandising Management
- Apparel Merchandising & Manufacturing Technology
- Apparel Design and Development
- Design Development for Athleisure
And many more continuing education programs.
5. Parul University – Fashion Design & Technology
This school will teach you how to see the fashion of the future and construct it now. The school will not only focus on fashion ideas and creativity, but you’ll also learn about fashion as a business.
You’ll be learning courses like;
- Pattern Drafting
- Garment Construction
- Fashion Stylizing
- Draping
- Fashion Sketching
- Fashion Illustration
- Textile Science
- Trend Forecasting
- Fashion Journalism
- Fabric surface Ornamentation
And many more.
Their Undergraduate Degree in Fashion is a 4-year program, which is accredited by University Grants Commission (UGC). In your first year, you will be offering foundational courses with other design departments, in your remaining 3 years, you’ll be specializing in your core major.
6. INIFD Deccan, Pune
The fashion design courses in this school were expertly picked by the faculty members of this school, and these courses, which are also well-taught have helped their students to become great and innovative designers. The school offers different kinds of programs, this is to give you options and reduce the excuse of not pursuing your dream career.
- They offer a 3-year degree program, which when successfully completed, can either choose to start your career or further your education at the Post Graduate level.
- The 2-year post-graduate program, where you will learn courses like;
- Garment Construction Techniques
- Technical fashion Illustrations
- Creative Surface and textiles
- Media and Communication for Fashion
- Draping Art, and many more post-graduate courses.
- There is also the 2-year Advanced Certification Program
- Finally, the 2-year Professional Certification Course.
7. Symbiosis of Institute of Design
This is one of the fashion designing colleges in India that offers 2 kinds of fashion degrees, B.Des in Fashion Design and B.Des in Fashion Communication.
This fashion communication is one of the most recent programs in the fashion industry. And, it will be touching some other areas fashion design doesn’t, such as graphic design, exhibition and Space design, visual merchandising, fashion Forecasting and many other areas.
The school also does well in their education, they have produced outstanding design graduates, that’s one of the reasons they are the 3rd Best Emerging Colleges
8. Army Institute of Fashion and Design
This is another recent fashion design school in India that was established by the Army Welfare Education Society in 2004. This school does it differently, they are not just focusing on fashion design alone, but they also brought technology to the game.
9. JD Institute of Fashion Technology
This fashion school has approximately 40 branches across India. They offer lots of different kinds of programs, such as;
- A 3-year advanced diploma in Fashion
- A 3-year BSc. in Fashion Design and Garment Management
- A 3-year BSc. in Fashion and Apparel Design
- A 2-year MSc. in Fashion Design and Management
- A 2-year MBA in Fashion Business and Event Management
- A 2-year in MA in Fashion Communication
- A 1-year diploma in fashion design
They even have short courses like 40 days diploma in international fashion styling, 3 months diploma in fashion styling and many other programs and courses.
10. Artemisia College of Art and Design (ACAD)
ACAD also offers a 4-year Bachelor’s Degree in Fashion Design. You’ll be learning diverse important courses during these years, which the first year will always start with foundational courses like basics of fashion, history of fashion, introduction to Textile, introduction to fashion illustration, etc.
While in your subsequent years, you will be diving deeper into this degree, and in your 4th and last year, you will be going for an internship at a well-developed company to get hands-on experience.
11. Unitedworld Institute of Design, Karnavati University
This Indian fashion school offers diverse programs, which include
- B.design (Hons) in Fashion Design
- B.design (Hons) in Lifestyle Accessory Design
- M.Design Fashion Design
- PhD in Design (Fashion Design)
12. LPU Jalandhar
LPU (Lovely Professional University) is not just one of the best fashion designing colleges in India, they are also excellent in other areas of study and are recognized in so many awards and accolades. The World University Ranking awarded them the 36th best University in India, and they are ranked 3rd on Innovation Achievements by the Atal Ranking of Institutions in 2021.
They offer a 4-year (8 semesters) B.Design Program in Fashion, and a 3-year (6 semesters) B.Sc. in Design – Fashion. They also offer a 4-year international credit transfer Fashion Program, where you can start your degree in LPU but complete it in a top international college partnering with the school.
13. Ramaiah University Of Applied Sciences (B.Des. Fashion Design)
This is one of the fashion designing colleges in India that offers a 4-year Undergraduate degree program, where you will go beyond the creativity and aesthetics of Fashion. You will also be learning the business principles, and different strategies to apply in fashion entrepreneurship.
You will also be able to add other minor courses which can broaden your skillset in other important disciplines, there is also project work where you will be involved in different seminars, and embark on internships.
14. Manipal Academy of Higher Education – B.Design Fashion Design
This is one of the fashion design colleges in India that will be accessing you in different ways, sitting for 2 sessional exams and 1 final exam each semester. You’ll be having practical
Conclusion
Even though there are lots of fashion designing colleges in India, there must be something unique with each of them. Some schools focus majorly on the aesthetics of fashion, there are those that focus on tech and fashion, and there are also schools that focus on the business part of fashion.
So, when making your choice, focus on what you need.
Fashion Designing Colleges in India – FAQs
[sc_fs_multi_faq headline-0=”h3″ question-0=”Do fashion design colleges in India accept international students?” answer-0=”Yes, most of these fashion colleges accept international students.” image-0=”” headline-1=”h3″ question-1=”How many fashion designing colleges are in India?” answer-1=”According to Shiksha, there are over 1,200 fashion colleges in India” image-1=”” count=”2″ html=”true” css_class=””]