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Fashion Schools in Miami: Costs, Swimwear and Industry Guide

By · Reviewed by Kamila Katkauskaite (Creative Brand & Content Coordinator), November 1, 2026 · Editorial policy

Miami is a fashion city built on swimwear, luxury retail and trade with Latin America. The Miami Design District holds more than 200 luxury brands, Paraiso Miami Swim Week brings buyers from more than 60 countries each spring, and Miami International Airport bills itself as the world’s largest air cargo gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean. Its fashion schools are fewer than in New York or Los Angeles, but they include a low-cost public fashion design program and the U.S. campus of an Italian fashion school.

This guide compares the fashion programs within reach of Miami, the local industry and the cost of living. For every Florida program, including Florida State University in Tallahassee, see our Florida fashion schools guide.

Fashion schools in the Miami area

Costs below are published in-state tuition and the average net price after grants, from U.S. Department of Education data. Net price includes housing and food. Istituto Marangoni Miami does not report to the federal college database, so it has no federal figures.

School Location Type Tuition (in-state) Average net price Focus
Miami Dade College (Miami Fashion Institute) Downtown Miami (Wolfson Campus) Public $2,838 $3,814 Design and merchandising
St. Thomas University Miami Gardens Private $35,780 $26,153 Merchandising
Lynn University Boca Raton, about 50 miles north Private $46,450 $43,806 Merchandising
Istituto Marangoni Miami Design District Private Not in federal data Not in federal data Design and business

Neither the University of Miami nor Florida International University offers a fashion degree. The Miami Art Institute, which taught fashion, closed on September 30, 2023.

The main programs

Miami Dade College: Miami Fashion Institute

Miami Dade College’s Miami Fashion Institute is on the Wolfson Campus in downtown Miami. It offers an Associate in Science in Fashion Design and an Associate in Science in Fashion Merchandising, each 60 credits with a fashion industry internship, plus a college credit certificate in pattern making and construction that fits inside the design degree. No portfolio is needed to enroll. Graduates show their collections each June; the 2024 show was held in the Design District with Miami Fashion Week. Florida residents pay $118.22 a credit for associate programs and non-residents pay $402.51, including fees.

Istituto Marangoni Miami

The Italian fashion school’s Miami campus is at 3704 NE 2nd Avenue in the Design District. It offers associate (AAS), bachelor’s (BS and BFA) and master’s degrees in fashion design, styling and fashion business, plus one-year vocational programs. It is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design and licensed by Florida’s Commission for Independent Education, and a portfolio is optional. It does not publish tuition on its website and does not say whether federal student aid can be used, so ask before you apply.

St. Thomas University

St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens offers a Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Merchandising and Design, with merchandising and design tracks, in its business college. The university says 100% of its fashion students complete at least one internship, and students work on Miami Fashion Week and Paraiso Swim Week. A new fashion center with a student-run retail shop opened in September 2025.

The industry around the schools

Miami’s fashion economy has three parts students can use. The first is luxury retail: the Miami Design District, north of downtown, has more than 200 global luxury brands alongside design showrooms and galleries, and it is a short ride from the Wolfson Campus. The second is swimwear and resort wear. Paraiso Miami Swim Week held its 22nd edition in May 2026 with about 100 brands, and local programs use it as a platform for student work. The third is trade: apparel is among the top goods flown from Miami International Airport to several Latin American countries, which supports sales, sourcing and distribution jobs.

Jobs and pay

Buyers and purchasing agents in the Miami metro area earned a median of $71,270 in May 2025. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish a fashion designer estimate for Miami. Across Florida, fashion designers earned a median of $43,020, well below the national median of $80,960. Design jobs here are fewer and lower paid than on the business side. Our fashion merchandising degree guide covers the buying and planning jobs.

What it costs to live here

HUD’s fair market rent for Miami-Dade County in fiscal 2026 is $1,828 a month for a studio and $1,995 for a one-bedroom, and rents downtown and in the Design District run well above that. Many Miami Dade College students live at home.

Transit is cheaper for students. Full-time college students in Miami-Dade County ride Metrorail and Metrobus at half price, and the college monthly pass is $56.25. Metromover, the free downtown people mover, stops at Miami Dade College, and the free City of Miami Trolley runs to the Design District.

Transfer routes and aid

Florida guarantees state university admission to graduates of an Associate in Arts degree, but Miami Dade College’s fashion degrees are Associate in Science degrees, so that guarantee does not apply to them directly. Students who want a bachelor’s should plan early. One option is to earn an A.A. and transfer to a state university such as Florida State, whose fashion merchandising and product development degree is taught in Tallahassee; another is a bachelor’s at St. Thomas University. Florida’s Bright Futures Medallion scholarship pays all tuition and fees for an associate degree at a Florida college such as Miami Dade, and 75% at a university.

Is studying fashion in Miami worth it?

For Florida residents, Miami Dade College is one of the best-value fashion programs in the country, and the city adds real swimwear, luxury and Latin American trade experience. The bachelor’s options in the city are limited and private, so students aiming for a four-year design degree should compare Istituto Marangoni and St. Thomas with public programs elsewhere, using the best fashion schools ranking and our state guides.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest fashion school in Miami?

Miami Dade College’s Miami Fashion Institute, with the lowest tuition and average net price of the Miami programs in federal data.

Can I use federal financial aid at Istituto Marangoni Miami?

The school does not say on its website, and it is not in the federal college database. Ask the school directly.

Does the University of Miami have a fashion program?

No. Neither the University of Miami nor FIU offers a fashion degree.

Where else should I look?

Compare New York City, Atlanta and our other city guides, or fashion design schools in Florida.

Sources

What changed on this page

  • November 2026: city guide published.