What Is The Cost Of FE Exam: A Complete Analysis

How much does the FE exam cost?

This question must constantly revolve around your mind if you decide to take the FE exam.

Right?

If so, then you have come to the right place!

Because in this article, we will do an in-depth analysis of the cost of the FE exam, the additional state charges, and other relevant expenses. 

So keep reading to find out what amount of money you will have to spend for taking the FE exam. 

How Much Does the FE Exam Cost?

In general, the cost of FE exam is $175, which is directly payable to NCEES® during the process of registration. However, multiple factors contribute to the overall FE exam cost

These include:

  • Accommodation expenditures
  • Travel expenditures 
  • Reference material expenditures
  • Review course expenditures 

In addition:

Some states may call for separate application submission as a part of their approval process. This may lead you to pay an additional application price to take the FE exam

The US States with Extra Test Fees

The NCEES® FE exam cost will be no more than $175 until and unless you are a resident of the following US states, which require an extra FE exam fee as mentioned below: 

  • Illinois: It demands 107 dollars as an extra fee, payable to the state board.
  • Massachusetts: It requires extra charges of 136 dollars to the board of the state. 
  • Minnesota: If you are not enrolled in a degree or have already graduated, then this state only requires 25 dollars as an additional NCEES® FE exam fee
  • New Hampshire: Depending upon the schedule of the fee, it requires a minimum of 150 dollars or even more as an additional fee.
  • New York: It only demands an additional fee of 70 dollars if you possess a degree that is foreign or not ABET-accredited.
  • Mississippi: It asks for an extra fee of only 25 dollars.
  • Puerto Rico: This state may ask for an extra cost for the process of exam registration. You can contact their testing administrator Didaxis for further details.

For convenience, you can use the following table to find out the total cost of the FE exam in your state, including the extra state fees if required:

Name of StateOriginal FeeExtra FeeTotal Fee
Alabama175 dollars175 dollars
Arizona175 dollars175 dollars
Alaska 175 dollars175 dollars
Arkansas175 dollars175 dollars
Colorado175 dollars175 dollars
California175 dollars175 dollars
Connecticut175 dollars175 dollars
Delaware175 dollars175 dollars
District of Columbia175 dollars175 dollars
Florida175 dollars175 dollars
Guam175 dollars175 dollars
Georgia175 dollars175 dollars
Hawaii175 dollars175 dollars
Idaho175 dollars175 dollars
Illinois175 dollars107 dollars282 dollars
Indiana175 dollars175 dollars
Lowa175 dollars175 dollars
Kentucky175 dollars175 dollars
Kansas175 dollars175 dollars
Louisiana175 dollars175 dollars
Maryland175 dollars175 dollars
Maine175 dollars175 dollars
Massachusetts175 dollars136 dollars311 dollars
Michigan175 dollars175 dollars
Minnesota175 dollars25 dollars (only if not enrolled/graduated)175 dollars (200 dollars if you’re not enrolled/graduate)
Mississippi175 dollars25 dollars200 dollars
Montana175 dollars175 dollars
Missouri175 dollars175 dollars
Nebraska175 dollars175 dollars
Nevada175 dollars175 dollars
New Hampshire175 dollars150 dollars325 dollars
New Mexico175 dollars175 dollars
New Jersey175 dollars175 dollars
New York175 dollars70 dollars (if you have non-ABET or foreign degree)175 dollars (245 dollars if you have non-ABET or foreign degree)
North Dakota175 dollars175 dollars
North Carolina175 dollars175 dollars
Northern Mariana Islands175 dollars175 dollars
Ohio175 dollars175 dollars
Oregon175 dollars175 dollars
Oklahoma175 dollars175 dollars
Pennsylvania175 dollars175 dollars
Puerto Rico175 dollarsNot knownMore than 175 dollars
Rhode Island 175 dollars175 dollars
South Dakota175 dollars175 dollars
South Carolina175 dollars175 dollars
Tennessee175 dollars175 dollars
Texas175 dollars175 dollars
Utah175 dollars175 dollars
Vermont175 dollars175 dollars
Virginia175 dollars175 dollars
Virgin Islands175 dollars175 dollars
Washington175 dollars175 dollars
West Virginia175 dollars175 dollars
Wisconsin175 dollars175 dollars
Wyoming175 dollars175 dollars

Additional Expenses 

Apart from the extra FE exam fees in the table mentioned above, the cost of the FE exam may vary depending on one’s personal choices and expenditures. 

Let’s go through them one by one:

Calculator

Out of the few items you can take into the test center, a calculator is the one on which you will have to spend money. NCEES® only allows three types of calculators.

Here is a table showing the three NCEES® approved calculators along with their costs:

BrandModelCost

Casio
fx-115
fx-991
$12–$15
$15–$20

Hewlett Packard
HP 33s
HP 35s
$30–$35
$35–$40

Texas Instruments 
TI-30X
TI-36X
$8–$18$
$9.95–$21

So, the cost to take the FE exam will be approximately reach up to $195–$200, including the calculator.

Travel Cost 

If the location of your test center is far from you, it adds up to your expenses as you’ll roughly have to pay $80–$100 to get to the test center. 

So, your total cost of the FE exam might go up to around $275–$300. 

Hotel Cost

If you live far away from the test center, you must accommodate yourself. The hotel expenses will cost you around $150-200$, increasing the total FE exam cost to about $425–$500.

Preparation Materials Cost

Suppose you opt to invest in educational books, notes, and reference materials to prepare for the FE exam. In that case, they will cost up to $100–$150, raising the total FE test cost to around $525–650.

Online Course Subscription Cost

Lastly, if you plan to purchase an online FE review course, you’ll have to shell out nearly  $300–$500, causing the total cost of the FE exam to go up to around $825–$1150. 

Conclusion

In a nutshell, the cost of the FE exam is $175 on the lower end of the spectrum and $1150 or more on the higher one. The overall FE exam cost depends upon your distance from the test center, your state’s additional fee, and whether or not you’ll buy the preparation materials and review courses. 

We hope you found this article helpful. Do let us know in the comments section if we missed anything. We will answer your queries as quickly as possible.

wasim-smal

Licensed Professional Engineer in Texas (PE), Florida (PE) and Ontario (P. Eng) with consulting experience in design, commissioning and plant engineering for clients in Energy, Mining and Infrastructure.