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Fashion Schools in Boston: Costs and Industry Guide

By · Reviewed by Kamila Katkauskaite (Creative Brand & Content Coordinator), November 4, 2026 · Editorial policy

Boston is a footwear and off-price retail city. New Balance, Converse, Reebok and PUMA’s North American business are all based in or next to Boston, and TJX, the parent of T.J. Maxx and Marshalls, runs its buying organization of more than 1,400 people from Framingham. Its fashion schools are small but varied: a public art college in the city, a private university with a long-running runway show, and a state university in the suburbs whose students intern at TJX and PUMA.

This guide compares the fashion programs in and around Boston, the local industry and the cost of living. For every Massachusetts program, see our Massachusetts fashion schools guide.

Fashion schools in the Boston 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. Official 2026-27 prices are in the program notes below; at MassArt and Framingham State most of the bill is fees, not tuition.

School Location Type Tuition (in-state) Average net price Focus
Massachusetts College of Art and Design Huntington Avenue, Boston Public $15,860 $26,397 Design
Fisher College Back Bay, Boston Private $36,724 $22,042 Merchandising
Lasell University Newton (Auburndale) Private $28,392 $26,341 Design and merchandising
Framingham State University Framingham, 16 miles west Public $12,220 $15,951 Design
Middlesex Community College Bedford and Lowell Public $6,168 $3,970 Merchandising

The main programs

Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt)

MassArt, a public art college at 621 Huntington Avenue, offers a BFA in Fashion Design and a two-year fashion design certificate, and describes its program as one of the oldest in the country. Graduating seniors show their collections at the annual MassArt Fashion Show. Tuition and fees for 2026-27 are $16,260 for Massachusetts residents, $36,640 for students from other New England states and, from fall 2026, New York, and $45,820 for everyone else.

Lasell University

Lasell, in Newton, offers a BA in Fashion Design and Production and a BS in Fashion Merchandising and Management. Design students must complete an internship, and each senior produces a seven-piece collection for RUNWAY, Lasell’s annual public fashion show. Tuition for 2026-27 is $30,280. The campus is about a mile from Riverside, the last stop on the Green Line D branch.

Framingham State University

Framingham State, 16 miles west of Boston, offers bachelor’s degrees in fashion design and fashion merchandising. The design major covers flat pattern, draping, tailoring and couture techniques; the merchandising major requires an internship, and students have interned at TJX, DXL Group, The Paper Store and PUMA. Tuition and fees for 2026-27 are $12,590 for Massachusetts residents, $13,075 at the New England regional rate and $18,670 for other out-of-state students.

Fisher College and Middlesex Community College

Fisher College, on Beacon Street in the Back Bay, offers a fashion merchandising concentration within its BS in Management, a short walk from Newbury Street and Copley Place. Middlesex Community College offers an associate degree in fashion merchandising that prepares students for retail and buying trainee jobs.

The industry around the schools

Boston’s fashion jobs lean toward footwear and off-price retail. New Balance’s world headquarters is at Boston Landing in Brighton, Converse’s is at Lovejoy Wharf near North Station, Reebok is headquartered in Boston, and PUMA’s North American headquarters is at Assembly Row in Somerville. These companies hire for footwear and apparel design, product development, sourcing and marketing.

TJX, which describes itself as the leading off-price apparel and home fashions retailer in the U.S. and worldwide, is headquartered in Framingham and buys from about 21,000 vendors. Its buying and allocation teams, and off-price online retailer Rue Gilt Groupe, which lists Boston among its offices, make the area a strong place to start a buying career.

Jobs and pay

Fashion pay in Boston is high. In May 2025, fashion designers in the Boston metro area earned a median of $106,630, against $80,960 nationally, and buyers and purchasing agents earned $93,010, against $77,710 nationally. Our fashion merchandising degree guide explains the buying and allocation jobs.

What it costs to live here

Boston is expensive to live in. MassArt budgets $17,386 a year for housing and food for students living off campus in 2026-27. Many students at Framingham State and Middlesex commute from home.

College students cannot get Student CharlieCards, but students at participating colleges, including MassArt, can buy MBTA passes through the Semester Pass program at 11% off. A monthly LinkPass costs $90. Massachusetts residents who receive MASSGrant aid can qualify for income-eligible fares of roughly 50% off. MassArt is at the Longwood Medical Area stop on the Green Line E branch.

Transfer routes and aid

Under Massachusetts’ MassTransfer program, courses on an approved A2B pathway transfer to state universities and UMass campuses, and community college graduates with at least a B average are admitted without an application fee or essay. Middlesex Community College students can use it to move to a state university such as Framingham State; ask both schools which fashion courses are on an A2B map before you start. Note that the University of Rhode Island’s fashion major does not offer the New England regional tuition rate to Massachusetts residents.

Closed and changed programs

Mount Ida College in Newton closed in 2018, and its fashion design students moved to UMass Dartmouth on the South Coast, which still offers a BFA in fashion design; it is outside the Boston area, so it is covered in our Massachusetts guide rather than here. Bay State College in the Back Bay closed in August 2023.

Is studying fashion in Boston worth it?

For Massachusetts residents, MassArt and Framingham State offer fashion degrees at public prices in a region where fashion pay is among the highest in the country, especially in footwear and buying. Rent is the main barrier for students moving here. Students set on high-fashion design careers should also compare New York, a few hours away.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest fashion school in Boston?

Middlesex Community College has the lowest net price for an associate degree. For a bachelor’s, Massachusetts residents pay least at Framingham State, $12,590 in 2026-27 tuition and fees, then MassArt at $16,260.

Can out-of-state students get a discount at MassArt?

Yes. Students from other New England states, and new New York students from fall 2026, pay MassArt’s New England rate, $36,640 instead of $45,820.

Which Boston companies hire fashion graduates?

New Balance, Converse, Reebok, PUMA and TJX are the biggest, mostly in footwear, product development and off-price buying.

Where else should I look?

Compare fashion schools in Rhode Island, fashion schools in Philadelphia and our other city guides.

Sources

What changed on this page

  • November 5, 2026: Corrected: UMass Dartmouth still offers a BFA in fashion design.
  • November 2026: city guide published.