Tuition and Fees

FIT is a college of the State University of New York. It receives state funding and support from the New York City Department of Education. This assistance allows the college to offer the tuition rates noted below.

All new matriculating students are required to confirm their acceptance with a nonrefundable advance tuition payment of $150 as soon as they are notified of admission. The following schedules of fees are effective for the 2024–25 academic year:

Tuition and fees are subject to change without prior notice at the discretion of the college’s Board of Trustees. Current tuition and fees are available on the FIT website at fitnyc.edu/bursar.
Tuition is charged for non-credit-bearing courses. Lectures, laboratories, and workshops are billed at different rates.

*

Tuition paid by check or money order must be in the exact amount in U.S. dollars.

Residency for Tuition Purposes

U.S. Citizens and Permanent Resident Aliens

To qualify as a New York State resident, one must have established legal residence by maintaining a domicile in New York State for a period of at least one year preceding the date of the semester.

A domicile is defined as a fixed permanent home to which one intends to return after being absent for a period of time. A person does not acquire a New York State domicile simply by being physically present in New York for a period of 12 months. A person retains a domicile until their present domicile is abandoned and another domicile is established.

In addition to the general domicile standards, students under the age of 21 and whose parents or legal guardians reside out of state must present evidence of financial independence from parents or legal guardians and an established New York State domicile in order to be designated as New York State residents for tuition purposes.

Applications for change of residency status are available at the Office of the Bursar at 333 Seventh Avenue, 15th floor, and on the FIT website at fitnyc.edu/bursar. Completed applications with supporting documents must be submitted prior to the end of the registration period for the semester for which the application is intended. Residents of any of the five boroughs of New York City must sign the residency affidavit printed on the registration form at the time of admission to the college. New York City residents who have met the New York State residency requirement by maintaining a domicile in New York State for a period of at least one year preceding the date of registration do not have to file a Certificate of Residence. New York State residents who do not reside in any of the five boroughs of New York City must file a Certificate of Residence (issued by the county in which the student resides) in order to be eligible for the in-state resident tuition rate. It is mandatory that the student present a new certificate at the beginning of each academic year. This completed certificate must be filed with the Office of the Bursar at the beginning of the term for which the certificate is intended.

Students who enroll at the college in the fall semester are required to submit a new certificate the following fall. Students who enroll after the fall semester (winter, spring, or summer) must submit a certificate at the beginning of their first semester of attendance at FIT and a new certificate at the beginning of the following fall semester. Note that individual counties have different deadline dates and may have different criteria for issuing the certificates. Notices are mailed each year to continuing FIT students who are enrolled as New York State residents, reminding them of the deadline dates, along with an application for the County Residence Certificates and instructions for completing the form. However, regardless of whether the FIT notices are received, students are responsible for submitting the completed affidavits to their respective counties and the County Residence Certificate to FIT’s Office of the Bursar at 333 Seventh Avenue, 15th Floor, or mailing it to Fashion Institute of Technology, Attn: William Martin, Office of the Bursar, 227 West 27th Street, New York, NY 10001-5992.

The County Residence Certificate is issued by the student’s County Administrative or Treasurer’s Office, not by FIT. Applications and information pertaining to the location of county offices are available at the Office of the Bursar and on the FIT website at fitnyc.edu/bursar. Application forms are also available at the county offices. Students who fail to submit a valid County Residence Certificate to the college by the deadline dates will be billed the equivalent of nonresident tuition. No exceptions will be made. New York State law requires that students who reside in New York State, outside any of the five boroughs of New York City, must file a County Certificate of Residency certified by their home county to qualify for the in-state tuition rate. New York State residents who are eligible for the in-state tuition rate but have moved from one county to another within New York State within the last six months must file for a County Residence Certificate with both counties and submit both certificates to FIT’s Office of the Bursar. Other residency requirements, county certificate applications, and other information may be obtained from the website at fitnyc.edu/bursar.

Nonimmigrant Aliens

International students with F-1 student visas are not eligible for the New York State resident tuition rate. Students with other types of visas may be eligible if they have been residents of New York State (as described above) for one year prior to the date of registration. The student must have possessed the qualifying visa for at least one year prior to the date of registration.

Tuition Payment Deadlines

Nonmatriculated students are required to pay full tuition liability at the time of registration for each semester.

Tuition due dates are determined by the college in advance of each semester and may vary from one academic year to the next. Tuition due dates for the fall semester normally occur between mid-July and early August. Tuition due dates for the spring semester normally occur between late December and early January.

All students who register after the payment due date are required to make tuition payment immediately upon registration. All students attending winter and summer sessions are required to pay full tuition liability at the time of registration.

Checks and money orders should be made payable to: Fashion Institute of Technology. Checks or money orders may be mailed to: FIT, Office of the Bursar–Cashiering Operations, Room B127, 227 West 27th Street, New York, NY 10001-5992. Student ID numbers must be indicated on payments. Students can make payments in person at the Office of the Bursar–Cashiering Operations. Payment may be made via MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover Card, personal check, or money order. Credit card payments may also be made via the college’s website. FIT no longer sends bills by mail. An email will be sent to students’ FIT email accounts when bills are ready for viewing. To view and pay, students should go to myfit.fitnyc.edu and click on Pay Student Account or View e-Bill under the Student Services tab. Students should check their FIT email regularly for important messages regarding their accounts. For more information, contact the Bursar’s Office, (212) 217-3720/3680, bursarhelp@fitnyc.edu.

Fees

¹

This insurance must be purchased by all full-time students unless evidence of other coverage is submitted. The rate shown is for domestic students.

²

Fee is charged to each student who registers for a course requiring life/fashion models and/or the use of certain specialized equipment/materials.

³

Approved by FIT’s Board of Trustees in accordance with Student Council regulations.

Nonpayment of Debts and Fines

Checks returned by a bank as unpaid for any reason will result in a returned check fee of $30 charged to the student’s account. The college reserves the right not to accept a personal check for payment under some conditions: for example, a history of prior returned checks or checks without preprinted name and address. Note that a stop-payment draft against a check is not considered an official withdrawal from the college and the student will be charged a $30 returned check fee in addition to the tuition liability.

Late payments are subject to a late fee of 1.5 percent per month on all outstanding balances. Students who fail to pay their bills or other college debts will be ineligible to register, graduate, or obtain transcripts or other services from the college. Outstanding debts may be referred to a licensed collection agency, and collection fees up to 33 1⁄3 percent may be added to the outstanding balance. If legal action becomes necessary, litigation and all court costs will be the student’s responsibility.

Students who have not satisfied their full financial obligations, exclusive of certified financial aid or tuition payment plans, by the scheduled due date may be subsequently deregistered and all previously assigned classes may be dropped. Late registration and program change fees may be assessed to students who are deregistered and wish to reenroll. Students are not guaranteed class availability if they need to reregister for courses.