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Fashion Schools in Austin: Costs and Industry Guide

By · Reviewed by Kamila Katkauskaite (Creative Brand & Content Coordinator), November 5, 2026 · Editorial policy

Austin’s fashion industry is built on accessories, boots and outdoor brands rather than garment manufacturing. Jewelry brand Kendra Scott, founded in 2002, runs its business from two facilities in Austin; boot maker Tecovas moved its headquarters to East Sixth Street in 2024 and hires footwear designers there; and YETI, the outdoor products company, is headquartered on Southwest Parkway. The city’s fashion schools are a large public university program, a community college with design and merchandising degrees, and a merchandising degree at Texas State in San Marcos.

This guide compares those programs, the local industry and the cost of living. For every Texas program, including UNT and Texas Tech, see our Texas fashion schools guide.

Fashion schools in the Austin 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.

School Location Type Tuition (in-state) Average net price Focus
The University of Texas at Austin Central Austin Public $11,656 $18,554 Design
Austin Community College Highland Campus, North Austin Public $2,550 $2,445 Design
Texas State University San Marcos Public $11,481 $16,660 Merchandising

The main programs

The University of Texas at Austin

UT’s Division of Textiles and Apparel, part of the College of Natural Sciences, offers a BS in Textiles and Apparel. After foundation courses, students choose a merchandising track or a product development and design track. Students declare the major after passing three key courses, including a textiles course, and no portfolio is needed to get in; design students take an advanced design portfolio course before their internship, which counts as a course and runs for at least 140 hours in a regular semester.

The program is changing. From fall 2026 UT is removing some design-based classes and combining others, and the student-run capstone fashion show is being scaled back, so students who want a design-heavy degree should ask the division what the design track includes now. Tuition for 2026-27 is $5,883 a semester for Texas residents and $22,485 for nonresidents on the standard plan, or $6,867 and $25,676 on the Longhorn fixed-tuition plan. Through the Texas Advance Commitment, Texas residents with family income up to $100,000 have their tuition covered, with some support up to $125,000. Note that the Texas Fashion Collection, a well-known historic clothing archive, belongs to the University of North Texas in Denton, not UT.

Austin Community College

ACC offers an AAS in Fashion Design and an AAS in Fashion Merchandising, each 60 credit hours, plus a 24-hour certificate in each. Its fashion marketing program now runs under the merchandising name. Classes are mostly in person, the design program is accredited by the ACBSP, and some courses are taught in the ACC Fashion Incubator’s design lab, created with the City of Austin. Design students finish with a collection production capstone; merchandising students can choose an internship as their capstone. ACC’s tuition is $67 a credit hour, or $85 with fees for students living in its district. Texas residents outside the district pay an extra $201 a credit hour, and out-of-state students pay $200 a credit hour.

Texas State University

Texas State, in San Marcos south of Austin, offers a 120-hour Bachelor of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences with a major in fashion merchandising. Majors must also complete a minor in business administration or mass communication, and the degree includes an internship. A 15-hour term costs $6,129.45 for Texas residents and $12,549.45 for nonresidents in 2026-27.

The industry around the schools

Kendra Scott is the best-known local fashion employer, and it opened its first airport store at Austin-Bergstrom in January 2026. Tecovas lists design, planning and sourcing jobs at its Austin headquarters. YETI makes bags and a small apparel line, though those are only 2% of its sales. Howler Brothers, the surf and outdoor apparel brand, has its store in Clarksville. Outdoor Voices, founded in Austin, closed its stores in 2024 and now sells online under new owners.

Austin Fashion Week became a nonprofit in January 2026, and its spring 2026 shows ran May 6 to 9 with nearly 80 designers. For buying and corporate retail jobs, students also look to Dallas; see our Dallas-Fort Worth guide.

Jobs and pay

Buyers and purchasing agents in the Austin metro area earned a median of $77,150 in May 2025, close to the national median of $77,710, and about 4,340 work in the area. The federal survey does not publish a figure for fashion designers in Austin. Our fashion merchandising degree guide explains buying and planning jobs.

What it costs to live here

HUD’s fiscal 2026 fair market rent for the Austin metro area is $1,474 a month for a studio and $1,562 for a one-bedroom.

A CapMetro local ride costs $1.25, capped at $2.50 a day and $41.25 a month, and low-income riders can pay $1.00 through Equifare. UT students ride buses, MetroRapid and MetroRail free with their UT ID, and ACC students in credit classes can get a Green Pass for free rides. In San Marcos, Texas State’s Bobcat Shuttle is fare-free.

Transfer routes and aid

Texas public colleges share a common course numbering system, so ACC general education courses transfer to UT and Texas State. ACC’s published fashion transfer agreements, however, go to Texas Tech and the University of the Incarnate Word, not to UT or Texas State, so students aiming for a bachelor’s in Austin should plan their courses with both schools early.

The TEXAS Grant pays up to $5,399 a semester at public universities such as UT and Texas State in 2026-27. Community college students get the separate TEOG grant instead, up to $2,134 a semester at ACC.

Closed schools

The Art Institute of Austin, which was in Bastrop, closed in September 2023.

Is studying fashion in Austin worth it?

For merchandising, product development and accessories, yes: UT and Texas State offer public degrees with internships, and local brands such as Kendra Scott and Tecovas hire for design and planning. Design students should look closely at UT’s changing curriculum and compare it with ACC’s hands-on design degree and with other Texas design programs, including UNT’s selective BFA.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest way to study fashion in Austin?

Austin Community College, at $67 a credit hour in tuition, or $85 with fees, for students in its district.

Does UT Austin require a portfolio for fashion?

No. Students enter the Textiles and Apparel major by passing key courses. Design students build a portfolio in a course later in the degree.

Is the Texas Fashion Collection at UT Austin?

No. It belongs to the University of North Texas in Denton.

Where else should I look?

See fashion schools in Dallas-Fort Worth, the Texas guide and our other city guides.

Sources

What changed on this page

  • November 2026: city guide published.