Admit rate has ranged 52%–59% over the last 5 years. Source: IPEDS via Urban Institute.
Acceptance & SAT from Common Data Set / IPEDS; net price, earnings & graduation from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~1–2 years — verify with the school.
The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is a public SUNY school in Manhattan that operates like a trade school for the fashion industry—rigorous, industry-connected, and unapologetically niche. With a 60% acceptance rate and a '2+2' degree model (AAS before BA/BFA), it’s a pipeline for designers, merchandisers, and creatives who want to hit the ground running in New York’s fashion scene. Students trade leafy quads for garment districts and portfolio reviews, graduating with an 83% completion rate and median earnings of $36,427 a year—modest by Ivy League standards, but strong for a public art school.
Admission requirements
Test-blind — scores not considered
Required
High school transcript
Grade point average
Demonstrated competencies
TOEFL (non-native English)
Considered (not required)
College-prep program
Source: IPEDS Admissions survey (2022) via Urban Institute. Covers formal factors only — it does not reflect essays, extracurriculars, or other holistic criteria.
More details
Undergrad enrollment
7,637
In-state tuition
$6,294
Out-of-state tuition
$16,874
Location
Manhattan, NY
Top Majors
Fashion Design, Advertising, Business Management
Campus Housing
28% of students
Acceptance Rate
60%
Graduation Rate
83%
Median Earnings (1 Yr)
$36,427
Outcomes & value
Outcomes & value
Median earnings (10 yr)
$62,696
Value (earnings ÷ net price)
3.3×
Median debt at graduation
$12,000
Graduation rate
81%
First-year retention
91%
Reducing loan balance (3 yr)
69%
Pell (lower-income) share
55%
First-generation share
28%
Endowment / student
$7,478
Top-earning majors
Median earnings by field of study (highest credential), ~2 years after completion.
Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations$45,889
Apparel and Textiles$43,638
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication$42,458
Marketing$41,689
Design and Applied Arts$41,076
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations
Campus & location
Campus safety
On-campus violent crimes (2024)
1
Per 1,000 students
0.13
On-campus criminal offenses classed as violent (murder/non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) for the most recent reported year. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education Campus Safety and Security (Clery Act). Counts reflect what’s reported to the school, and urban campuses often report more partly due to non-student incidents nearby — read alongside campus size and setting, not as a standalone safety verdict.
Climate
Pleasant days / yr
90
Summer high
83°F
Winter low
29°F
Annual rain
54.4"
Annual snow
18.3"
Natural-hazard risk
Relatively High
Pleasant days counts days per year with a mean temperature of 55–75°F, a high at or below 90°F, a low at or above 45°F, and little precipitation — a transparent comfort measure, not a weighting we invented. Computed from Open-Meteo ERA5 daily history (2019–2023). Natural-hazard risk is the county’s composite rating from the FEMA National Risk Index.
Deep dive — research, future-scholar output & economic mobility▾
Research output
Institutional h-index
52
Scholarly works
1,636
Institutional research volume and impact from OpenAlex. The h-index reflects large research universities and will be low for teaching-focused liberal-arts colleges — not a measure of undergraduate quality.
Economic mobility
Mobility rate
3.6%
Bottom → top quintile
28%
From bottom quintile
13%
Mobility rate = the share of students who both start in the bottom household-income quintile and reach the top quintile; bottom → top is that chance conditional on starting at the bottom. Source: Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Cards (Chetty, Friedman, Saez, Turner & Yagan). Reflects 1980–82 birth cohorts, so it’s directional, not current.
Quick answers
What is the acceptance rate at Fashion Institute of Technology?
Fashion Institute of Technology's acceptance rate is approximately 60% (New York, NY), based on the most recent figures we compiled from public and primary sources.
How much does Fashion Institute of Technology cost?
At Fashion Institute of Technology, the average net price (after aid) is about $19,095 per year. Actual cost varies with financial aid and residency.
How many undergraduates attend Fashion Institute of Technology?
Fashion Institute of Technology enrolls approximately 7,637 undergraduate students.
Where is Fashion Institute of Technology located?
Fashion Institute of Technology is located in New York, NY.
Admissions
FIT’s admissions process is unconventional, mirroring its academic structure. Unlike most colleges, all first-time applicants must start in an Associate (AAS) program before applying separately for a Bachelor’s (BFA/BS)—a '2+2' model that filters students through vocational training first. The Acceptance rateThe share of applicants a college admits in a given year. A 10% acceptance rate means it admits about 1 in 10 applicants. hovers around 60%, making it moderately selective, though this varies by program (fashion design is notoriously competitive).
No SAT/ACT required: FIT has been Test-optionalA policy where you choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores. If you don't, the rest of your application carries more weight. since before it was trendy, focusing instead on portfolios and GPAs (36% of admits have a 3.75+ GPA).
Rolling deadlines: The priority deadline is January 1, but applications are accepted until August 15 for fall enrollment.
Open admission for some programs: Certain AAS tracks admit virtually all applicants with a high school diploma or GED, per SUNY policy.
Earnings = median of students working ~10 years after entry; debt = median of graduates. Value divides 10-yr earnings by one year’s net price — read it as earnings per dollar of annual cost, not a full lifetime ROI; it favors lower-cost schools. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~2 years and reflect all students, not your intended major.
$34,526
Fine and Studio Arts$22,329
Graphic Communications$14,627
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings). Figures cover graduates who received federal aid and lag ~2 years; not all programs report data.
FIT’s curriculum is hyper-specialized, with every major—from Fashion Design to Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing—geared toward industry readiness. The '2+2' model means students earn an AAS (e.g., in Accessories Design) before competing for limited seats in Bachelor’s programs. Highlights:
Top-ranked programs: Study.com ranked FIT #1 for Bachelor’s degrees in Advertising and Fashion Design.
Hands-on focus: Courses are studio-heavy, with critiques from industry veterans. One Reddit user noted the fashion design program is 'excellent and rigorous,' with workloads that 'vary drastically by major.'
Most popular majors: Visual/Performing Arts (think: Illustration, Textile Development) and Business (Fashion Business Management, International Trade).
FIT’s campus is urban and no-frills—think high-rises near the Garment District, not quads. Only 28% of students live on campus, with most opting for NYC apartments. But the school punches above its weight in networking:
Industry events: Guest lectures from designers like Calvin Klein, portfolio reviews with Vogue editors.
Clubs: Over 60 student-run groups, from the Sustainable Fashion Club to Drag Society.
Instagram-worthy vibe: The school’s social media (#unconventionalminds) showcases student work, from avant-garde runway shows to textile labs.
FIT graduates outperform typical art-school ROI, with an 83% graduation rate (well above the national average for public colleges) and 67% of BA grads earning $50K+ within a year. Notable stats:
Median earnings: $36,427 one year post-graduation (Niche).
BFA completion rates: 96% for programs like Interior Design (vs. 63% for AAS tracks).
Industry placement: Alumni work at LVMH, Condé Nast, and Tommy Hilfiger—though salaries skew lower than corporate fields.
As a public SUNY school, FIT is a relative bargain for NYC—but costs add up. The average net price after aid is $19,649/year, with 52% of students receiving financial aid.
Tuition: $7,870/year for NY residents, $22,050 for out-of-state (2023-24).
Hidden costs: Materials for design majors (fabrics, software) can run thousands extra.
Aid options: SUNY’s calculator estimates aid packages, but merit scholarships are rare.
FIT is the trade school of fashion—a place where students skip gen-ed fluff to master pattern-drafting or fragrance chemistry. Its edge:
Location: Minutes from Mood Fabrics, showrooms, and internships.
Alumni network: Designers like Michael Kors and Nina Garcia (Project Runway) mentor students.
SUNY value: Compared to private art schools (e.g., Parsons, Pratt), FIT offers similar industry access at half the cost.
Downsides? The workload is brutal, and the AAS-to-BFA bottleneck weeds out weaker students. But for those who survive, it’s a direct line to NYC’s fashion elite.
