I am not going to sell you on this college or tell you to take it off your list. I am going to explain, using the official data the United States government collects from every institution, what Fashion Institute of Technology is, how it compares with similar schools, and what questions are yours to answer before your child makes a decision. This piece is one part of the map, not the whole map. You have the other two parts—what your child wants and what your family can afford.
Who This School Is
Fashion Institute of Technology is a public institution offering four-year or higher degrees, located in New York City, within New York County, in the New York-Newark-Jersey City metropolitan area. The system that classifies colleges and universities in the United States—known as Carnegie—describes it as a master's university with relatively small programs, and the official IPEDS report confirms that a master's degree is the highest level the institution reports offering. It is not exclusively a bachelor's-degree institution, but neither is it a doctoral research center.
Here is a fact worth pausing to understand clearly: Carnegie classifies it as a "primarily nonresidential" institution. That does not mean it has no residence halls—in fact, it does, as you will see later. It means that, under the formula Carnegie uses, either fewer than one in four undergraduate students lived in institution-provided housing or fewer than half attended full time. The data does not clarify which of the two conditions applied. If your child plans to commute every day, what matters is not the Carnegie label: it is the bus, the gas, and the actual hours spent traveling. Make the trip on a weekday at the time your child's classes would be held. The actual travel time is almost never what the map says.
Carnegie also places it among institutions that receive many transfer students. If your child plans to come here after studying at another school, ask in writing, before enrolling, which courses will be accepted for credit and which will not. The "high transfer" label does not tell you how many credits people bring in or how many they lose along the way.
One final piece of its identity: Fashion Institute of Technology is not listed as a Historically Black College or University (HBCU), a Tribal College or University, or a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 colleges and universities in this national directory, 138 do have at least one of those three designations; this is not one of them. That does not tell you which communities it serves or how your child will feel on that campus. If that matters to you, the only way to find out is to ask about the cultural centers and student organizations that exist today and to speak with someone who is already there.
The Size of the Community and Who Else Will Be There
In the most recently reported fall, Fashion Institute of Technology had 8,108 students enrolled in total: 7,843 undergraduates and 265 graduate students. It is primarily a bachelor's-degree institution. In terms of size, it is neither among the smallest nor among the largest: it falls within the official band of between 5,000 and 9,999 students, and compared with 519 four-year public schools with selective admissions in this same census, it sits right in the middle.
Now, the community. Of every 100 undergraduate students, 23 identified as Hispanic or Latino. That is not a majority, but it is not unusual either: compared with those same 519 schools, that share places it in the group's highest quartile. An honest warning is warranted here: this comparison groups schools by type and control, not by state, and that matters. It does not tell you how Latino the campus feels from day to day or provide information at the level of a specific major.
Two more facts help define the student community: women are a clear majority, accounting for 82 of every 100 undergraduate students, while adults ages 25 to 64 are a minority, accounting for only 11 of every 100. And among first-time students, slightly more than half—50 of every 100—had a permanent address within New York State.
How Academics Work
The academic year at Fashion Institute of Technology is organized into semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. The institution accepts credit for AP exams, although it did not indicate that it awards credit for life experience, and it does report accepting credit for military training. It does not enroll high school students in college courses for credit.
Here is a hard truth you should hear before calculating how much your child's AP credits might save: saying they accept AP does not mean they award credit for every exam or every score. This data does not tell us what score they require or whether those credits will count toward the specific major your child is interested in. Request the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not count on the savings until you have it in hand.
As for the credentials the school actually awards: in the most recently reported year, it awarded 1,697 bachelor's degrees across only 5 families of fields of study. And here is this institution's most defining characteristic: visual and performing arts accounted for 711 of those 1,697 degrees—42 of every 100. Compared with 514 similar schools, it falls in the quartile with the fewest families of fields of study represented in its bachelor's-degree detail. Put plainly, this is a school built around a handful of disciplines, not a broad catalog covering everything. That is neither good nor bad by itself. It is information you should have before your child applies with something outside that core in mind.
Regarding the relationship between students and faculty, the institution reports 17 students for every full-time-equivalent faculty member. Compared with similar schools, it falls in the middle: neither among the lowest nor among the highest. And here is the clarification that always needs to be made about this number: it is not a class size. It is an institution-wide ratio that does not tell you how many students will be in your child's first-year class.
The institution also reports structured academic opportunities: study abroad, cocurricular undergraduate research, a complete program that can be taken only during evenings or weekends, and credit-bearing developmental education.
Getting In: Admissions and What Is Required
Fashion Institute of Technology does not have open admission. It reviews specific components before saying yes. Of nine possible considerations, it marks five as required: the high school record, high school GPA, the personal essay, a formal sample of what your child can do—a portfolio or competency test—and, for those to whom it applies, an English-proficiency exam. In addition, although they are not required, it considers whether your child submitted the college-preparatory program the institution requests and your child's work experience.
Put simply, gathering paperwork is not enough here. The essay is required, so your child has to write, and the portfolio or competency test is another genuine piece of work, not a formality. Your child should start in the summer, not during the week of the deadline. The first draft is never the one that gets submitted. The published application fee is $50.
As for how selective it is in practice: in the most recently reported cycle, 4,326 students applied for first-year admission, and 2,492 were offered a place. That is 58 of every 100. Compared with 519 four-year public schools with selective admissions, it falls on the lower side: seven out of ten of those schools accepted a higher percentage of their applicants. Admission is neither guaranteed nor a lottery. The application is reviewed, and of every 100 who apply, 42 do not receive an offer.
Now, something many families confuse: being admitted is not the same as enrolling. Of the students this school admitted, 53 of every 100 ultimately enrolled here. That is a high enrollment rate compared with similar schools—among the highest in the group—but it does not measure quality, prestige, or anyone's satisfaction. It only counts how many admitted students arrived for classes that fall. When admission letters from several schools arrive, this number should not make the decision. Put the letters side by side and compare net price, major, and distance before the deposit deadline.
One fact that may relieve some pressure in your home: Fashion Institute of Technology reports that it does not consider SAT or ACT scores in the admission decision, even if they are submitted. That does not mean those scores have no use—they could be used for scholarships or placement—so ask the admissions office directly.
And regarding transfers: in the most recent fall, 652 undergraduate students entered here for the first time after studying at another institution. This is a count of people, not a proportion, and compared with similar schools, it places the institution in the upper half by volume. How many credits were accepted for those 652 students is a different question, and that question must be asked directly of the school.
The Cost: Two Prices, One Big Difference
At Fashion Institute of Technology, among 158 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid, paid the in-state or in-district rate, and had EFC records showing family income below $30,000, the average net price was $17,337. Among 62 students in the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $24,077; among 97 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $28,837. For dependent students, the band combines their parents' income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income band (158 students) and the average for the highest-income band (97 students) is $11,500. Among first-year students who received any scholarship or grant, the average was $19,649.
Among the 519 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this measure with the same time coverage, this institution falls within the most expensive quartile for the lowest-income families. That does not mean you should rule it out. It means you should request the financial aid letter before deciding.
The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at this public institution, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average for scholarship or grant recipients, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional scholarships or grants; it also uses that rate. If your family lives outside the state or district, the calculation is different. Ask about it before applying.
Aid, Scholarships, Grants, and Loans: Who Receives What
Of every 100 degree-seeking students here, 49 received some scholarship or grant aid that does not have to be repaid. The other 51 received none. Compared with similar schools, this share falls in the quartile where scholarships and grants reach fewer students; among those who did receive them, the annual average was $7,277. The federal Pell Grant, intended for families with demonstrated financial need, reached 33 of every 100 students.
More than half of this school's students received no scholarship or grant aid. That does not tell you what your child will be offered. It does tell you that here you need to pursue aid actively, not wait for it to arrive on its own.
Regarding loans: 31 of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal student loan in the most recently reported year. Compared with similar schools, that share is common, neither among the highest nor among the lowest. Among those who did borrow, the average amount was $6,524 in that academic year. That average covers only one year and counts only federal loans in the student's name: it does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes end up signing for, bank debt, or credit-card debt. Nor is it the total debt with which someone graduates, because that would require adding together several years, and that number is not in this report.
Here is a truth that does not change no matter how much anyone might wish it would: this percentage describes other families, not yours. The amount your child would have to borrow comes from your child's own financial aid letter. Wait for that letter before ruling the school out and before committing to it.
The institution also reports offering an installment tuition payment plan as an additional way to manage the cost.
Campus Life, Learning Format, and Support
Fashion Institute of Technology does have institution-controlled housing, although it does not require all first-time, full-time students to live there. It also offers meal plans, with a fixed number of meals per week in the largest plan. The reported maximum housing capacity is 2,300 students, either on or off the campus itself. The existence of the option does not guarantee an available bed: request this year's rate, the application deadline, and whether you are guaranteed a place or put on a waiting list, all in writing.
Regarding ROTC, the institution did not indicate any opportunity in its most recent report—neither the general checkbox nor any of the three service branches—while 926 of 1,786 four-year institutions in this guide did. If your child's plan depends on an ROTC scholarship, ask the admissions office directly before ruling out the school: this field shows what was reported, not necessarily everything that exists.
There is a real contradiction in the athletics data that you deserve to know about rather than have concealed from you: in one institutional report, the school is listed as affiliated with the NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association); in a separate report, it stated that it does not participate in intercollegiate athletics. The two reports do not agree, and the source does not explain why. If athletics is part of your child's plan, request the current season schedule and the coach's name. Confirm it in writing.
Regarding learning format, the institution does offer distance education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and it reports at least one complete program that can be finished through distance education. In practice, however, only 4 of every 100 undergraduate students took all their classes through distance education; the other 96 took at least one course in person. In other words, this remains primarily an on-campus experience.
The library operates with paid staff, and its annual expenditures exceeded the $100,000 threshold tracked by the federal government. It has physical and digital materials and participates in interlibrary lending. Exceeding that threshold does not guarantee that it has specific databases for the major your child is interested in: ask about that by program name.
Finally, the institution reports offering combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, placement services for those who complete their programs, and a services page for people with disabilities.
How Likely Your Child Is to Stay and Finish
Here is one of the strongest signals in this entire report. Of the cohort of first-time, full-time, bachelor's-degree-seeking students, 1,157 of 1,295—89 of every 100—were still enrolled or had already completed their degree one year later. Compared with 519 similar schools, this share places the institution among those that retain the highest proportion of their students: nine out of ten similar schools retained an equal or lower proportion. Among part-time students, the result was lower: 58 of every 100.
It is a high number, but it is not a graduation rate. It combines those who are still enrolled with those who have already finished, without separating those two outcomes, and it does not say what happened to the rest.
For graduation itself, the available figure covers the full cohort of students who entered in 2017 as first-time, full-time students seeking any degree or certificate: 83 of every 100 completed a program at this institution within 150% of the normal time for a bachelor's degree. It is a historical cohort, not a prediction for your child, and it does not include those who transferred in or those who began part time.
There is yet another, longer view: tracking for eight years the cohort of undergraduate students who entered between July 2015 and June 2016—including both first-time students and those who already had prior postsecondary experience—86 of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from this school as of August 2023. Among those who received a Pell Grant, the figure was 83 of every 100, four points below the group without Pell. Compared with similar schools, this institution is among those graduating the most students within eight years: nine out of ten schools in the group reported an equal or lower proportion.
These numbers are consistently high. Even so, none of them predicts what will happen to your child in particular. They describe an entire cohort, with all its varied circumstances. What you can do with this information is ask, when the time comes, about the current support available in the specific program your child is interested in and about the outcomes of the most recent cohorts.
What You Know Now and What You Need to Do With It
You now understand, as deeply as the official data allows, one of the three pieces you need to make a decision with your child. You know that Fashion Institute of Technology is a public school focused primarily on visual and performing arts, with an admission process that requires an essay and a portfolio, a high sticker price, and a pattern of retention and graduation that is consistently above that of similar schools. You also know where the gaps are: how far your child would have to travel, what your family would actually have to pay based on your household income, and which specific questions you still need to ask the institution directly before making a commitment.
It is your child's job to write that essay, assemble that portfolio, and decide whether this concentration in fashion and visual arts is what your child wants to build. It is your job to handle the money, deadlines, and financial aid letters and to provide support without taking the wheel away from your child. Combine what you learned here with what your child wants and what your family can afford. A plan comes from that combination, not from a single article.
Source note: The information in this article comes from official data reported by Fashion Institute of Technology to the United States Department of Education's IPEDS system, corresponding primarily to the years 2022-23 and 2023-24, depending on the measure. Best College Aid does not represent Fashion Institute of Technology or any government agency; this article is not a substitute for direct verification with the institution's admissions and financial aid offices.