PAFA School vs Fashion Institute of Technology

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) and Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) stand out as premier institutions offering specialized education in the arts and fashion, respectively. While both schools share a commitment to creative excellence, they differ in several key aspects. PAFA, with an acceptance rate of 58%, emphasizes traditional fine arts disciplines, while FIT, with an acceptance rate of 48%, focuses on fashion, design, and business. PAFA's student body is predominantly female (70%), while FIT's is more evenly distributed (53% female, 47% male). Both schools boast impressive graduation rates, with PAFA at 85% and FIT at 80%. To help you make an informed decision about your education, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting these and other key differences between PAFA and FIT. Explore the table to discover which institution aligns best with your academic goals and aspirations.

	Fashion Institute of Technology	Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Overview
Location	New York, New York	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	86.0%	84.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	51.7%	83.6%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $100	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $60
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	4,706	122
Total number of admissions given out	2,432	102
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,262	10
Yield rate	51.9%	9.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $38,163 Out of state: $48,743	$66,804
Average net price	$8,637	$29,925
Tuition	In state: $5,290 Out of state: $15,870	$38,926
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $21,200 Meal plan: $5,800
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	53.0% Average amount $8,521	100.0% Average amount $29,528
Students receiving federal student loan	29.0% Average amount $5,268	61.0% Average amount $5,864
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $14,663	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	7,908 Men 16.7% Women 83.3%	121 Men 24.0% Women 76.0%
Graduate students	242 Men 14.9% Women 85.1%	57 Men 21.1% Women 78.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	41.0%	N/A
International students	10.9%	6.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,200	37
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New York New Jersey California Florida Pennsylvania	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Business Communication and Journalism Family and Consumer Sciences Communications Technology	Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	4:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	82.1%	47.2%
Dropout rate	8.5%	33.3%
Transferred out	8.9%	16.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,667 Year 2: $45,889 Year 3: $53,713 Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,868 Year 2: $42,458 Year 3: $52,154 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,104 Year 2: $41,689 Year 3: $51,045 Apparel and Textiles (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,008 Year 2: $43,638 Year 3: $49,445 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,289 Year 2: $41,076 Year 3: $47,750 Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $25,549 Year 2: $29,374 Year 3: $43,094 Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $19,884 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $40,670 Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $34,526 Year 3: $38,223 Design and Applied Arts (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $18,128 Year 2: $17,461 Year 3: $35,215 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,754 Year 2: $22,329 Year 3: $33,231	Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,722 Year 2: $19,749 Year 3: $28,395 Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $27,413 Year 2: $22,764 Year 3: $26,502

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Fashion Institute of Technology

FIDM-Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising-Los Angeles