Also in Minnesota: All fashion schools in Minnesota · Fashion design schools in Minnesota
Minnesota punches above its weight in retail. It is home to one of the largest retailers in the country and to the country’s largest shopping mall, and its two fashion merchandising programs, at a technical college in Alexandria and a private university in Saint Paul, are routes into that industry. This page compares every Minnesota merchandising program on cost after grants.
Fashion Merchandising programs in Minnesota
| School | City | Type | Tuition (in-state) | Average net price | Program focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Catherine Universityfederal data | Saint Paul | Private | $53,214 | $19,090 | Design and merchandising |
| Alexandria Technical & Community Collegefederal data | Alexandria | Public | $6,530 | $19,595 | Merchandising |
Source: tuition and average net price (yearly cost after grants, for students receiving federal aid) from College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education, retrieved November 1, 2026. Program lists: IPEDS completions, 2022-23 and 2023-24. Each “federal data” link opens that school’s record.
What it costs
2 colleges in Minnesota report a program covering fashion merchandising. Net price, what students actually pay after grants, ranges from $19,090 at St. Catherine University to $19,595 at Alexandria Technical & Community College, with a median of $19,342 a year. Net price includes living costs, so students who live at home usually pay less. Published tuition and the full list of Minnesota schools are on the Minnesota fashion schools guide, and the national fashion merchandising directory lets you compare these programs with options in neighbouring states, which can be cheaper even at out-of-state rates.
Programs to look at first
Alexandria Technical & Community College, in Greater Minnesota, has the lower published tuition of the two, $6,530 a year, though its average cost after grants ($19,595) is close to St. Catherine’s. St. Catherine University in Saint Paul is the private option, where aid brings a high sticker price down substantially.
Public, private or community college?
The one public college on this list averages $19,595 a year in net price, against $19,090 for the one private college. The exception worth noticing is St. Catherine University, where aid brings the net price down to $19,090, below the public average.
Before you apply in Minnesota
Alexandria’s merchandising program is a two-year associate, so students who want a bachelor’s should plan the transfer from the start. Minnesota State colleges and universities share a transfer pathway system. Ask each college which retailers its students intern with; in the Twin Cities, store and head-office internships are the usual route into buying and planning.
Retail careers in Minnesota
Target is headquartered in Minneapolis, where its buying, planning, product design and development teams create much of what it sells, including its own apparel brands. The Mall of America in Bloomington is one of the biggest retail destinations in the country and a large employer of store and visual merchandising staff. For a merchandising student, the Twin Cities offer an unusually direct path from a store job to corporate buying and planning without moving to a coast.
Studying fashion merchandising online
Merchandising is the part of fashion that works best online, and several accredited public universities offer complete online merchandising bachelor’s degrees, with published prices that compare well with private tuition. They are compared in the online fashion degrees guide; the trade-off is that online students must arrange internships themselves.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest fashion merchandising program in Minnesota?
St. Catherine University in Saint Paul has the lowest net price on this list, $19,090 a year.
How many Minnesota colleges offer fashion merchandising?
2 colleges on our list offer a program covering fashion merchandising, 1 of them public.
What jobs does a fashion merchandising degree lead to?
Assistant buyer, merchandise planner, allocation analyst, product developer and retail management roles. The fashion merchandising degree guide covers pay and prospects.