National Institute of Fashion Technology Review By Divya Chouhan

NIFT Gandhinagar is located in the capital city of Gujarat and was established in 1995 by the government of Gujarat. The city is lush green with spacious infrastructures. As it is a government institute, it comes under the ministry of textiles. NIFT provides Undergraduate as well postgraduate courses. The admission process consists of admissions tests for undergraduates whereas, for masters, the aspirant has to go through an additional GDPI round. The college also offers immersion programs with various international colleges and universities. The management of the college is pretty excellent, they have admissions teams, student councils, club committees, placement committees, and many more.

I was enrolled in B.F.Tech program that is an undergraduate course started back in the year 1995, initially; the course was called Garment Manufacturing Technology (GMT) which later evolved to B.F.Tech. The duration of the course was 4 years and the course focused more on the mass manufacturing and retail side of the apparel industry. To be eligible for the course, the candidate has to be qualified with 10+2 with PCM as their subjects in the science stream. The application form is followed by entrance tests that check the candidate's aptitude and awareness. Common Merit Rank (CMR) And Category rank is generated, which aids the candidate get the top centers of NIFT. The course offers a lot of exploration and knowledge in the field of fashion; also it makes you stand out concerning other engineering courses. The curriculum is designed in such a way that helps to gain a deeper insight into every area of the fashion domain. You are also supposed to choose general electives, Minors, and floating subjects, that enhance your personality and learning more. The Degree is quite helpful to get yourself to good positions in the apparel industry, although your academic scores, internships, and graduation projects will decide your further scope.

NIFT Gandhinagar provides experienced and top faculties of the country. My course had more than 15 faculties and staff members. Likewise, the college has other 4 design courses and 2 master's courses with the same or around faculty ratio. The professors, as well as assistant professors, have an average experience of 5-7 years in the apparel industry. Most of the faculties completed their bachelors and masters in textiles and manufacturing. Some of them are the alumnus of different NIFT centers. Some of them are Ph.D. holders as well as awarded internationally. All of them irrespective of the course or subject they teach have a stronghold of the subject. The pedagogy followed is impressive and all classes after they are conducted add a lot to the learning curve.

The college provides a lot of opportunities for students to work in different positions in the apparel industry. Most of it depends on your Graduation project as some students receive a PPO from the project itself. The CC of the particular course makes sure to communicate all the required offers to the students; students can hunt on their own also. We have companies such as Aditya Birla, Classic fashion (Jordan) for recruitment. Also, many other manufacturing industries and retail houses come for placements. To be honest, the starting packages aren't high, as we all enter as a newbie in this domain. Average package is around 3-4 lacs for a B.F.Tech graduate. There is not 100% placement as few students opt to go for their masters, few pursue businesses and few aren't offered jobs.

The campus in Gandhinagar offers hostel facilities for girls that too in their first year. From the second year onwards there is a lottery system that allows a few senior girls to stay again the hostel. The rest of the girls and all the boys have to rent flats or PG nearby to the campus. The girl's hostel is pretty fine, it has double sharing rooms. Students are provided with a table chair, bed, and almirah. Common washrooms at the end of the corridors. They have water coolers, a vending machine for sanitary pads, a common room, an amphitheater, biometric for the attendance in the hostel itself. The mess is situated just outside the hostel building making it convenient for the hostellers. Also, the hostel is safe. It’s 24x7 guarded by security guards and hostel wardens. Late-night entries are not allowed.

The NIFT campus in Gandhinagar is comparatively small. It is surrounded by TCS and DAIICT from both ends. The infrastructure consists of an academic block, Tanariri auditorium, an amphitheater, a basketball court, a volleyball court, an FC building, a Fuel station (mess), a director’s bungalow, and some guest quarters. The classrooms are spacious, the library is large. The medical services are available, in the hostel there is a doctor visiting3-4 times a week and NIFT also appoints a counselor for the students.

The campus life is good and exciting. You have clubs and committees such as social clubs, literary clubs, sports clubs, and cultural clubs. Various events take place in these clubs. The annual fest is also called Spectrum and it is the most celebrated event of the college. Students from other colleges join the fest for sports events, dances, and music. The fashion show is the highlight of the event. Various festivals are also celebrated like Janmashtami, Navratri, Lohri with full enthusiasm. The Garba is the best part. The decoration of all the events is done by the students and clubs. There are sleepless nights to work for the same. The freshers also have a talent show that is fun as well.