Atlanta is the fashion capital of the American Southeast, but its fashion economy looks very different from New York’s. It is built around wholesale, retail and apparel company headquarters, a large film and television production industry that needs costume and wardrobe staff, and a strong music and celebrity styling scene. For students, the city offers fewer fashion schools than New York or Los Angeles, much lower living costs, and real opportunities on the business, wholesale and styling sides of the industry.
Fashion schools in and near Atlanta
Costs below are published annual tuition and the average net price after grants from U.S. Department of Education data, as listed in our Georgia fashion schools guide.
| School | Location | Type | Tuition (in-state) | Average net price | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia State University | Downtown Atlanta | Public | $8,664 | $15,931 | Merchandising |
| University of Georgia | Athens, about 70 miles east | Public | $11,450 | $13,936 | Design and merchandising |
| Brenau University | Gainesville, about 55 miles northeast | Private | $34,027 | $18,924 | Merchandising |
| Savannah College of Art and Design | Savannah, with an Atlanta location | Private | $41,630 | $49,430 | Design and merchandising |
Inside the city, Georgia State University is the main option, with a downtown campus and in-state tuition of $8,664. The University of Georgia in Athens has the lowest net price among the state’s universities on our list and a long-established fashion merchandising program in its College of Family and Consumer Sciences. The Savannah College of Art and Design is the region’s dedicated art and design school; its federal data is reported for the whole college, and its net price is the highest in the state. Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, farther south, has the lowest published tuition in Georgia at $6,022.
The industry around the schools
Atlanta’s fashion economy has four parts. The first is wholesale: AmericasMart Atlanta is one of the largest wholesale marketplaces in the country, and its apparel markets bring brands and boutique buyers to the city several times a year, creating showroom and market work for students. The second is corporate: several apparel and retail companies are headquartered in the metro area, including the shapewear brand Spanx and the children’s clothing company Carter’s, along with regional offices of national retailers. The third is film and television: Georgia’s production industry employs costume designers, wardrobe supervisors and assistants on productions throughout the year. The fourth is music and entertainment, which supports a large community of celebrity and editorial stylists.
For a student, that mix makes Atlanta stronger for merchandising, wholesale, styling and costume careers than for high-fashion design. The fashion styling schools guide explains how stylists build careers outside New York and Los Angeles, and the fashion merchandising degree guide covers the business roles.
Getting started in Atlanta’s industry as a student
The most direct way in is through market weeks. Showrooms at AmericasMart hire temporary staff during apparel markets to write orders, model samples and help buyers, and students who do this well are often asked back and introduced to brand representatives. Retail head offices in the metro area take merchandising and planning interns, usually from Georgia’s public universities. For costume and wardrobe careers, productions filming in Georgia hire wardrobe production assistants, and starting as a day player on a production is a common first step; sewing and alterations skills make you far more useful on set. For styling, assisting established local stylists on music video, editorial and commercial shoots is the usual route, and a portfolio of test shoots built with photography students is what gets you that first call.
Whichever direction you choose, plan your internships early. Atlanta’s fashion community is smaller than New York’s, which makes reputation and personal recommendations even more important.
What it costs to live here
Atlanta is far cheaper to live in than New York or Los Angeles, although rents have risen and the city is car-dependent outside the core. Students at Georgia State can use MARTA rail downtown. The savings on housing are the strongest financial argument for studying fashion in Atlanta: a student paying in-state tuition at Georgia State or the University of Georgia and living affordably can finish a degree with far less debt than a peer in a coastal fashion city.
Is studying fashion in Atlanta worth it?
For Georgia residents interested in merchandising, wholesale, retail management, styling or costume work, yes: public tuition, a lower cost of living and a real local industry make Atlanta one of the best-value fashion cities in the country. For students set on designing for major runway labels, Atlanta is a weaker base, and New York is still where most of those jobs are; the New York City guide compares. Out-of-state students should weigh Georgia’s out-of-state tuition against the public programs in their own state, or consider an online merchandising degree, compared in the online fashion degrees guide.
Frequently asked questions
What fashion schools are in Atlanta?
Georgia State University is the main public university in the city with a fashion program. The University of Georgia in Athens and Brenau University in Gainesville are within driving distance, and the Savannah College of Art and Design has an Atlanta location.
Is Atlanta good for fashion jobs?
It is strongest for wholesale, retail and corporate merchandising, styling, and film and television wardrobe work, and weaker for high-fashion design.
What is the cheapest way to study fashion in Georgia?
In-state tuition at a public university, such as Georgia Southern, Georgia State or the University of Georgia, is the cheapest route on our list.