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Fashion Schools in Minneapolis-St. Paul: Costs and Industry Guide

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

Minneapolis-St. Paul is home to Target, whose headquarters is on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis. Target sold $15.7 billion of apparel and accessories in 2025. The Twin Cities’ fashion schools match that retail focus: a large public university with apparel design and retail degrees, a private women’s university with design and merchandising majors, and a hands-on community college program downtown.

This guide compares the three, the local industry and the cost of living. For every Minnesota program, see our Minnesota fashion schools guide.

Fashion schools in Minneapolis-St. Paul

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.

School Location Type Tuition (in-state) Average net price Focus
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities St. Paul campus Public $18,482 $17,330 Design
St. Catherine University St. Paul Private $53,214 $19,090 Design and merchandising
Minneapolis College Downtown Minneapolis Public $6,396 $18,418 Design

The main programs

University of Minnesota Twin Cities

The University of Minnesota’s College of Design, on its St. Paul campus, offers a BS in Apparel Design. Space is limited: the university prefers a GPA of at least 2.50 and reviews every qualified applicant as a whole. The 120-credit degree includes a required internship and mentor experience and ends with a capstone shown to the industry; graduating designers present their collections at a senior fashion showcase. The college also offers a BS in Retail and Consumer Studies, renamed from Retail Merchandising in 2023, which leads to jobs in buying, visual merchandising, product development and brand management, with internships at stores and corporate offices.

St. Catherine University

St. Kate’s in St. Paul offers a BS in Creative and Technical Fashion Design and a BS in Merchandising and Retail Analytics. Both require a professional internship, and design students finish a portfolio course. Students produce Katwalk, a fashion show the university has held for more than 20 years. These majors are in St. Kate’s College for Women, which admits students who identify as women. Tuition for 2026-27 is $26,944 a semester, and the full on-campus cost of attendance is $71,872 a year before aid.

Minneapolis College

Minneapolis College, formerly Minneapolis Community and Technical College, is on Hennepin Avenue downtown. Its Fashion Design Technologies program offers a 60-credit AAS degree, a 35-credit diploma and a certificate, and graduating students show capstone collections at an annual fashion show. Tuition is $193.85 a credit in 2026-27, or $225.35 for fashion courses, and the college estimates $6,738 a year in tuition and fees for full-time study.

The industry around the schools

Target’s headquarters is at 1000 Nicollet Mall, and the company says its sourcing offices in 13 countries support the design, development and manufacturing of its products, with a focus on its own brands. For students, Target is the largest local employer for buying, planning, product development and merchandising. Mall of America in Bloomington, opened in 1992 and visited by about 32 million people a year, adds retail management and visual merchandising jobs.

Minnesota also has long-running makers. Red Wing Shoes, founded in 1905, still makes boots in Red Wing, and Faribault Mill has made wool blankets and accessories in Faribault since 1865. Women’s clothing chain Christopher & Banks filed for bankruptcy in 2021 and planned to close most or all of its stores.

Jobs and pay

Buyers and purchasing agents in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area earned a median of $82,710 in May 2025, above the national median of $77,710, and about 8,090 work in the area. Fashion designer jobs are rare: the federal survey counts only about 80, with a median of $46,150, far below the national $80,960. With so few jobs, that figure can swing a lot from year to year, but it shows that the Twin Cities pay best in buying and merchandising. Our fashion merchandising degree guide explains those jobs.

What it costs to live here

The Twin Cities are cheaper than most of the cities we cover. HUD’s fiscal 2026 fair market rent for the Minneapolis-St. Paul area is $1,242 a month for a studio and $1,405 for a one-bedroom.

Metro Transit charges a flat $2 for local buses and light rail at all hours. Riders with low incomes can join the Transit Assistance Program and pay $1 a ride. University of Minnesota students can get a semester transit pass, the U-Pass, through the university.

Transfer routes and aid

The Minnesota Transfer Curriculum is a general education package that transfers as a whole to any public Minnesota college or university, so Minneapolis College students can carry it to the University of Minnesota. Fashion studio courses are a separate question, so ask the College of Design which ones it accepts.

Minnesota residents with family income under $80,000 can get free tuition through the North Star Promise, which covers up to 100% of tuition and fees left after other grants at public colleges, including Minneapolis College and the University of Minnesota, but not private colleges such as St. Kate’s. The Minnesota State Grant’s 2026-27 tuition and fee maximums are $7,340 for two-year programs and $18,071 for four-year programs. Students from Wisconsin and North Dakota can get reduced tuition through reciprocity agreements; South Dakota’s agreement with Minnesota ended after the 2023-24 year.

Is studying fashion in Minneapolis-St. Paul worth it?

For buying, merchandising and product development, yes. Target alone makes the Twin Cities one of the strongest places to start a corporate retail career, buyer pay is above the national median, and rent is moderate. For Minnesota residents, the North Star Promise can make the University of Minnesota or Minneapolis College tuition-free. Students set on fashion design careers should note how few local design jobs there are and compare Chicago and New York.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest way to study fashion in the Twin Cities?

Minneapolis College’s Fashion Design Technologies program, at about $6,738 a year in tuition and fees, or free for Minnesota residents who qualify for the North Star Promise.

Is St. Kate’s fashion program open to men?

No. Its fashion majors are in the College for Women, which admits students who identify as women.

Does the University of Minnesota still offer retail merchandising?

Yes, under a new name: the BS in Retail and Consumer Studies.

Where else should I look?

Compare fashion schools in Wisconsin, fashion schools in Chicago and our other city guides.

Sources

What changed on this page

  • November 2026: city guide published.