Fashion Institute of Technology Admission
Fashion Institute of Technology Undergraduate Program
Fashion Institute of Technology Application

The Facts

The Fashion Institute of Technology is a rather moderately sized public school located in the heart of New York City that focuses on art, design (particularly fashion) and the business and technology that surrounds the fashion world. The school also offers its students programs in interior design and advertising, and its programs have greatly expanded since its founding in 1944. The school is home to over 6,400 undergraduate students and approximately 112 graduate students, and is actually comprised of several smaller colleges including schools of art and design, business and technology, continuing and professional studies, graduate studies, and liberal arts. The school offers its students more than 30 undergraduate majors, however, some of the most popular with students include majors in the areas of fashion merchandising management, fashion design, communication design, advertising and marketing communication, as well as interior design.

Admission to FIT is quite competitive, and all students are required to submit a portfolio of previous work to be taken into consideration along with their application and essays. Last year, over 4,000 students applied to the school for admission and approximately 1,400 of those students were accepted. Eventually however, only about 850 of the admitted students actually enrolled for the coming Fall semester. The admitted students had an average combined SAT score ranging from 1000 to 1200, and an average comprehensive ACT score ranging from 20- 26. Additionally, over 32% of those admitted were ranked in the top 25% of their high school graduating class with an average high school GPA of 3.1.

FIT has a fairly manageable student to faculty ratio of 17:1, and students say that in general, their teachers are pretty great, although they are usually working professionals in their respective fields, so they don't always have very much time to spend one on one time with their students. This doesn't really seem to bother students much, because FIT has an incredible professional internship program with some major fashion designers and companies throughout Manhattan , many of which turn into full-time professions after graduation.

The Social Scene

New York City is one of the most exciting cities in the country, and students are able to take advantage of the many social and cultural events the city has to offer, including museums, concerts, shows, movies, restaurants, and most importantly, shopping. The campus itself is known for its amazing facilities and libraries filled with fashion related volumes that are difficult to find anywhere else.

There are no fraternities or sororities at the school, and FIT is definitely not a place for students craving a typical collegiate experience. Most students have always had a clear image of what they want to do with their lives, and most of their time at school is spent working toward their ultimate career goal.

The dating scene is all right, if you can find any straight guys...

What’s Good

“There is no better place to prepare for the fashion industry. You are right in the middle of all the action. It's awesome.”

“The housing is great, although small, it's much cheaper than finding an apartment in Manhattan .”

“The teachers all work in the industry, and can give you insights that no one else can.”

What’s Bad

" New York can get overwhelming sometimes, and trying to balance work and play can be pretty tricky.”

“The dorms are so small, and you never get a moments peace, even if you have a single room.”

“The people tend to be really snobby and competitive. It's kind of hard to make fast friends here.”

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