How to apply to art and design at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT): the 2+2 path where high school students start in a two-year AAS before the BFA, major-specific portfolios, and a 1 January application and 1 February materials deadline, with portfolio requirements and timelines for students from China, Canada and transfers

The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), in Chelsea in Manhattan, is a college of the State University of New York (SUNY). It offers 29 undergraduate fields of study, and the School of Art and Design is one of its schools. This guide summarises FIT’s published requirements for students at high schools in China (including A-Level, IB and AP), students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver) and transfer students.

1. The 2+2 pathway: high school students start with an associate degree

• FIT degrees come in two stages: two years in an Associate in Applied Science (AAS), then two years in a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) or Bachelor of Science (BS). You earn the AAS on the way to the bachelor’s.
• FIT states that high school students should apply to an associate degree (AAS) program and may not apply directly to a bachelor’s program (BS or BFA). The Fine Arts page says the same: high school students apply to the two-year Fine Arts AAS, and many then apply to the two-year Fine Arts BFA.
• You choose a major when you apply. Moving up to a bachelor’s needs prerequisites and a minimum GPA, and BFA programs also require a portfolio; FIT AAS students get priority. Most students continue in the same or a closely related major; switching to an entirely different area may need extra coursework.
• AAS majors with portfolio pages: Fine Arts, Communication Design Foundation, Fashion Design, Footwear and Accessories Design, Illustration, Interior Design, Jewelry Design, Menswear, Photography and Related Media, Textile/Surface Design, and Film and Media.
• BFA majors with portfolio pages: Advertising and Digital Design; Animation, Interactive Media and Game Design; Fine Arts; Graphic Design; Packaging Design; Photography and Related Media; Spatial Experience Design; Styling for Creative Media; and Toy Design. For the Fashion Design, Footwear and Accessories Design, Illustration, Interior Design, Textile/Surface Design and Toy Design BFAs, do not use SlideRoom; Admissions or the department will contact you.

2. Portfolio

• Every major in the School of Art and Design (and Film and Media) requires a portfolio, reviewed by FIT faculty.
• How to submit: once FIT confirms your application, your applicant portal gives you a SlideRoom link. SlideRoom charges $10 per submission, with no refunds. Work sent by mail or in person is not reviewed. Submit one portfolio at a time; it is reviewed only for the major on your application, and changing major means a new portfolio and another $10.
• FIT suggests attending a National Portfolio Day or an FIT Portfolio Preview Day before you submit.
• Fine Arts AAS (the BFA asks for the same): 12–20 original pieces in any medium (no photography), at least four drawings from observation, sketchbook pages welcome; no work copied from photographs, anime, cartoons or game characters; note the medium and original size of each piece. Add a short essay of up to 350 words on what you hope to accomplish at FIT and how a Fine Arts education will affect your life. Images up to 5MB each, video up to 250MB.
• Communication Design Foundation AAS: 10–15 pieces plus two essays (up to 200 words on why this major; up to 300 words on a time your creative vision differed from a teacher’s or employer’s). FIT recommends two hand drawings from observation, two to four sketchbook pages and one or two digital pieces (animation or interactive work goes on a public URL, not uploaded).
• Illustration AAS: 14–20 pieces in two parts: 7–10 drawings and paintings made directly from life (FIT says these have the greatest influence on its assessment) and 7–10 works from photo reference or imagination (animations up to 30 seconds each), plus two essays of up to 500 words.
• Fashion Design AAS: a short essay of up to 250 words, two design projects (7–14 images in total, one of them sportswear coordinates) and a sewing project (4–9 photographs).
• Graphic Design BFA (for transfers and upper-division applicants): three short answers of up to 100 words each and a portfolio showing concept development, drawing, colour, 2D and 3D design and digital design, including at least one strong example of your design process (scanned sketchbook pages are fine).
• Requirements for the other majors are on each major’s page under Portfolio Requirements.

3. Application materials and deadlines

• Application: the online SUNY application, available from 1 August. FIT then emails your MyFIT login (this can take 7–10 days), and you submit supplemental materials in the applicant portal.
• Fall entry: file the SUNY application by 1 January and have all supplemental materials (academic documents, essay, portfolio, English scores) received by 1 February for priority consideration. The deadlines page does not state a year, so check it again before applying for fall 2027.
• Spring entry: apply by 1 October and send supplemental materials by 1 November.
• Essay: up to 750 words on what makes you a perfect candidate for FIT and why you are interested in your major. The short essays in the portfolio do not replace it.
• Recommendation letters: not required.
• Testing: SAT and ACT are not required; if submitted they are used for maths placement. International students without SAT or ACT scores take placement tests before registering for English, maths and science.
• Selection: class rank, grades, preparatory coursework and the essay; FIT generally considers applicants with a strong B average.
• Application fee: not stated on the FIT pages we read; see the SUNY application.

4. International applicants

• Credential evaluation: if you studied at secondary or post-secondary level outside the US, send your documents to a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES), not to FIT. Evaluations must be based on official, verified documents and include the US equivalency, cumulative GPA, English versions of your documents and the month and year of any diploma. Credentials that may earn transfer credit (such as A-Levels) need a course-by-course evaluation.
• English: required if your first language is not English, however long you have lived in the US:
  • TOEFL iBT: 80 for tests before 21 January 2026; for tests from 21 January 2026, a total of 4 and at least 4 in each section. MyBest scores and TOEFL Essentials are not accepted.
  • IELTS Academic 6.5; PTE 53; Duolingo 110.
  • Scores must be no more than two years old at enrolment.
• F-1 visa: after admission, submit FIT’s International Student Financial Statement (ISFS); FIT uses it to issue the I-20.

5. Costs and aid

• Tuition (fall 2026 and spring 2027, full time): international students pay out-of-state rates, $8,685 a semester at associate level and $10,846 a semester at baccalaureate level.
• Cost of attendance (2026-27): out-of-state tuition $17,370 at associate level and $21,692 at bachelor’s level; fees $1,146; books and supplies about $1,850. Food and housing depend on whether you live on campus.
• New students pay a non-refundable $150 tuition deposit to confirm their place.
• FIT Grants are need-based; recipients file for aid each year by 15 January and must stay full time with a 2.3 GPA. Whether international students can receive them, and whether there are entrance scholarships for international students, is not stated on the pages we read; ask FIT Admissions or Financial Aid.

6. Students at high schools in China

• Apply to an AAS major and prepare the portfolio for that major.
• Send your transcripts and diploma to a NACES member for evaluation, not to FIT.
• How the Gaokao is used is not published; ask FIT Undergraduate Admissions.
• Send English scores to the standards above by 1 February.

7. Students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver)

• You also apply to an AAS major first.
• High school study outside the US is evaluated by a NACES member. FIT does not publish grade requirements for the BC curriculum.
• English: FIT asks for a test from anyone whose first language is not English and does not list a separate exemption for Canadian students. If English is your first language, check with Admissions whether you need a score.

8. Transfer students

• Applying directly to a BFA: by enrolment you need an associate or bachelor’s degree equivalent to the matching FIT AAS, or at least 60 credits in an equivalent program (the same major area and liberal arts distribution as the FIT AAS). BFA applicants must also have completed Life Drawing, Digital Drawing and Art or Design History.
• Accelerated one-year AAS: for some majors, if you have a bachelor’s degree or 30 transferable credits that meet FIT’s AAS liberal arts requirements, plus, for art and design, a strong portfolio evaluation.
• If your program is not equivalent, apply to the AAS. FIT AAS students get priority for BFA places.
• Transfer credit is evaluated at admission and sent by email or through MyFIT. College study outside the US needs a course-by-course evaluation.
• For majors such as Communication Design, transfer portfolios should include at least six design projects from your previous school, labelled with the project and course name and number.

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• Choose one AAS major and prepare the work and essays on its portfolio page
• Have your records evaluated by a NACES member
• Take IELTS 6.5, TOEFL 80 (or 4 overall and in each section on the new test), PTE 53 or Duolingo 110
• For fall, file the SUNY application by 1 January and send your essay, portfolio (SlideRoom, $10) and English scores by 1 February

Students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver):

• Apply to an AAS on the same 1 January and 1 February timeline
• Ask Admissions whether you need an English score and how BC grades are reviewed

Transfer students:

• Use the eligibility page to work out whether you apply to the BFA, a one-year AAS or the two-year AAS
• For a BFA, check you have Life Drawing, Digital Drawing and Art or Design History
• Send official transcripts from every college and include design projects from your previous school in your portfolio

Sources: Fashion Institute of Technology, Undergraduate applicants; 2+2 pathway; Eligibility; Deadlines; How to apply; Portfolio requirements; Fine Arts AAS portfolio; Fine Arts BFA portfolio; Communication Design Foundation AAS portfolio; Illustration AAS portfolio; Fashion Design AAS portfolio; Graphic Design BFA portfolio; International applicants; Transfer students; Fine Arts eligibility; Tuition 2026-27; Cost of attendance 2026-27; FIT grants. The deadlines page does not state a year; tuition is for fall 2026 and spring 2027. Check FIT’s website for the latest.