The top design exams in India are NID and NIFT. There has often been a comparison between NIFT vs NID salary packages, their placements, and job profiles. Both the exams promise a wide career scope with a handsome package but in different aspects.
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The average starting salary of NIFT graduates is nearly INR 7 LPA, and the highest pay can reach as high as INR 25 LPA. In the meantime, NID Alumni have an average placement of INR 18-30 LPA, and the highest placement stands at INR 50 LPA. Top key recruiters, such as Titan, Myntra, Raymond, and FabIndia, frequently hire graduates from NIFT, whereas NID attracts global brands like Adobe, J.P. Morgan, Philips, and Microsoft.
The explosion in the demand for people who have majored in design from the premiere design colleges have made them even more necessary now and has also made the future of design in the coming years brighter and promising.
Both NIFT and NID come packed with strong placement records that enhance the return on your investment in skill as well as creativity. Let us now have a detailed look at NIFT vs NID salary packages to help you guide your choice of design college.
NIFT vs NID Salary Package Comparison
Salary outcomes can be a determining factor in the case of your decision-making between NIFT and NID. Its corporate connections are better in the fields of fashion, textile, and lifestyl,e and average salaries hover between INR 5 to INR 7 LPA in the different campuses, with the best ones clocked at a phenomenal INR 20 LPA in the best cities such as Delhi and Mumbai. In contrast, NID, especially the campuses such as Ahmedabad and Bengaluru, has substantially greater salaries because it focuses on industrial design, UX/UI, product innovation and/or visual communications.
Below is a simplified comparison of average and highest salary packages for graduates from both institutes:
|
NIFT |
NID |
||||
|
NIFT Campus |
Avg Salary (INR) |
Highest Salary (INR) |
NID Campus |
Avg Salary (INR) |
Highest Salary (INR) |
|
NIFT Delhi |
INR 5-7 LPA |
INR 17-22 LPA |
NID Ahmedabad |
INR 9–10 LPA |
INR 40–45 LPA |
|
NIFT Mumbai |
INR 3-5 LPA |
INR 18 LPA |
NID Bengaluru |
INR 17-21 LPA |
INR 48-50 LPA |
|
NIFT Bengaluru |
INR 21 LPA |
INR 50 LPA |
NID Gandhinagar |
INR 8-21 LPA |
INR 46 LPA |
|
NIFT Hyderabad |
INR 4-6 LPA |
INR 18 LPA |
NID Vijayawada |
INR 6-12 LPA |
INR 30 LPA |
Note: Salary figures vary depending on the placement year, course specialization and employer profile.
Top Recruiters and Job Profiles for NIFT Graduates
NIFT provides an extensive post-degree career path when it comes to fashion and textile, digital branding and product development. Depending on your specialization and the strength of your portfolio, there are various job opportunities and salary for NIFT gradautes. The following list includes the entire list of the best job profiles that the NIFT graduates commonly go for and the list of recruiters who are frequent at the campuses for the placements.
|
Job Profile |
Industry |
Top Recruiters |
|
Fashion Designer |
Fashion and Apparel |
FabIndia, Raymond, H&M, Aditya Birla, Ritu Kumar |
|
Merchandising Manager |
Retail and Export |
Shahi Exports, Trent, Arvind, ZARA, Reliance Trends |
|
Textile Designer |
Home and Fashion Textiles |
D’Decor, Welspun, Raymond, Bombay Dyeing |
|
Visual Merchandiser |
Fashion Retail |
Marks and Spencer, Lifestyle, Westside, Pantaloons |
|
Fashion Communication Exec. |
Media, PR, E-commerce |
Conde Nast, Myntra, Future Group, WGSN |
|
Fashion Technologist |
Apparel Manufacturing |
Decathlon, Texport, Madura Garments, Arvind Mills |
Read More:
NIFT Highest Salary Package 2025: Top Job Profiles & Recruiters
NIFT Average Salary Package 2025: Campus-wise & course-wise salary offered
Top Recruiters and Job Profiles for NID Graduates
The National Institute of Design (NID), just like NIFT, also churns out some of the most desirable design professionals in the country. You have an opportunity to pursue careers in such spheres as industrial design, visual communication, product design, animation and UX/UI. Graduates of NID are conceptual thinkers, user-focused designers and innovative-oriented. Below is a detailed list of top NID placements and job profiles along with the companies that regularly hire NID graduates.
|
Job Profile |
Industry |
Top Recruiters |
|
Product Designer |
Consumer Products, FMCG |
Titan, Godrej, Philips, Whirlpool, Tata Motors |
|
UX Designer |
IT, SaaS, Startups |
Flipkart, Microsoft, IBM, Infosys, TCS |
|
Communication Designer |
Branding, Media, Agencies |
Elephant Design, Lopez Design, DY Works, Landor |
|
Animation Film Designer |
Media, Ed-Tech, Gaming |
Toonz, Green Gold, BYJU’S, Disney India |
|
Transportation Designer |
Automotive, Mobility |
Mahindra, Tata Motors, TVS, Maruti Suzuki |
|
Design Researcher |
Strategy, Consulting |
IDEO, SAP, Fractal Ink, Future Factory |
Which is Better: NIFT or NID?
NIFT vs. NID is not a question of one being better than the other, but which one is better suited to your career aspirations. The following is a comparison of the major differences that will enable you to make a well-informed decision.
|
Criteria |
NIFT |
NID |
|
Entrance Exam |
GAT, CAT, Situation Test / GDPI |
DAT Prelims + Mains |
|
Core Focus |
Fashion, Textile, Lifestyle Design |
Product, Industrial, UX, Communication |
|
Top Campuses |
Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru |
Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Gandhinagar |
|
Fee Structure |
INR 2–3 LPA (UG average) |
INR 2.5–3.5 LPA (UG average) |
|
Industry Connect |
Fashion, Apparel, Retail |
Product, Tech, Consulting |
|
Global Ranking |
Strong in fashion education |
Strong in design innovation |
|
Alumni Strength |
Fashion brands, e-commerce leaders |
Design consultancies, tech giants |
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Conclusion
In case you intend to take up a career in the field of design, NIFT and NID is your best bet. NIFT is the winner when it comes to a placement in fashion and textile as well as lifestyle and NID is the winner among industrial design/ UX, animation and product innovating. The placements of both institutes have been consistently increasing and the best packages received at NIFT last year was about INR 50 LPA whereas the best offers at NID have been in the range of INR 40 LPA last year.
You should select the one among NIFT and NID, depending on the area you like the most, what type of recruiters you would like to have and what skills you would like to master. In any case, it can only be fruitful when relying on your personal input, portfolio performance and on-going skill development.
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