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Fashion Schools in Seattle: Costs and Industry Guide

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

Seattle is an outdoor and retail fashion city. Nordstrom, Brooks Running, Filson and the outdoor co-op REI all run their businesses from the Seattle area, and Seattle Pacific University lists Nordstrom Product Group, REI, Eddie Bauer, Amazon Fashion, Tommy Bahama, Filson and Outdoor Research among the apparel companies headquartered near its campus. The city’s fashion schools are few but distinct: a hands-on community college program on Capitol Hill, a private university with separate design and merchandising degrees, and a short sewing certificate in Kirkland.

This guide compares the fashion programs in and around Seattle, the local industry and the cost of living. For every Washington program, including Washington State University and Central Washington University, see our Washington fashion schools guide.

Fashion schools in the Seattle 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, which is why the community college net prices are far above their tuition. Official 2026-27 prices are in the program notes below.

School Location Type Tuition (in-state) Average net price Focus
Seattle Central College Capitol Hill, Seattle Public $4,935 $21,132 Design
Seattle Pacific University North Queen Anne, Seattle Private $44,367 $25,419 Design and merchandising
Lake Washington Institute of Technology Kirkland, east of Lake Washington Public $10,701 $25,594 Design

The main programs

Seattle Central College

Seattle Central, on Capitol Hill, offers an Associate in Applied Science in Apparel Design and Development: 95 credits over six quarters, taught as a cohort that usually starts in fall. The program has 10,000 square feet of studio and classroom space. It includes an internship course and a portfolio course, and ends with an annual fashion portfolio show of students’ final collections. The program page lists no portfolio requirement. The program was nearly cut in 2022, until business and elected leaders pledged emergency funding. Washington residents pay $136.14 a credit in 2026-27, or $1,697.30 a quarter for 15 credits, before fees.

Seattle Pacific University

SPU, a private Christian university in North Queen Anne, offers two separate degrees in its College of Business and Technology: a BA in Apparel Design and a BA in Apparel Merchandising. Students can declare the major in their first quarter, and SPU states no portfolio requirement. An internship is recommended rather than required, and design students can take part in a student fashion show. SPU also runs a one-year liaison program with the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, through which students can earn an FIT associate degree alongside their SPU bachelor’s. Full-time tuition for 2026-27 is $45,648 a year, though grants bring the average cost down.

Lake Washington Institute of Technology

LWTech in Kirkland offers a Sewing Certificate of Completion, not a fashion design degree. It is a 15-credit program of about three months that teaches machine handling, textiles and garment construction, and it prepares students for work as tailors, dressmakers and custom sewers. It suits students who want a practical trade or a first step before a degree.

Other Washington options

For a bachelor’s at public prices, most Seattle students look across the Cascades. Washington State University in Pullman offers a BA in Apparel Design or Merchandising through its Department of Apparel, Merchandising, Design and Textiles; residents pay $14,358 in tuition and fees in 2026-27. Central Washington University in Ellensburg offers a BS in Apparel, Textiles and Merchandising, with a student-produced spring fashion show. Federal data also lists a fashion marketing certificate at Olympic College in Bremerton; we could not confirm it is offered in 2026-27, so check with the college.

The industry around the schools

Nordstrom is Seattle’s best-known fashion employer. The Nordstrom family and Mexican retailer El Puerto de Liverpool took the company private in May 2025 in a deal valued at about $6.25 billion, and it remains based in Seattle. Brooks Running’s global headquarters is in Fremont, with more than 500 Seattle-based employees, and Filson’s headquarters, flagship store and factory share one building in SODO, where it still makes products. REI gave up its Kent campus in 2020 and said its headquarters would be spread across several Seattle-area offices.

The city has lost some names too. Eddie Bauer’s Seattle office was set to close in 2026 after the operator of its stores filed for bankruptcy, though Authentic Brands Group still owns the brand. Zulily, an online retailer founded in Seattle in 2009, shut down in late 2023 and its brand was sold to a Utah company. Students should treat retail buying and planning, outdoor and athletic product development, and technical design as the main local career paths.

Jobs and pay

Fashion pay in Seattle is above the national level. In May 2025, fashion designers in the Seattle metro area earned a median of $85,220, against $80,960 nationally, although the federal survey did not publish how many work here. Buyers and purchasing agents, a much larger group, earned a median of $95,970, against $77,710 nationally. Our fashion merchandising degree guide explains the buying and planning jobs.

What it costs to live here

Seattle rent is high. HUD sets fair market rents by ZIP code in the Seattle area. For fiscal 2026 they are $2,580 a month for a studio and $2,670 for a one-bedroom on Capitol Hill near Seattle Central, $2,230 and $2,310 in Queen Anne near SPU, and $2,370 and $2,450 in Kirkland near LWTech. Many community college students live at home or share housing.

A regular bus or light-rail fare is $3.00. Riders 18 and under ride free, and adults with low incomes can get an ORCA LIFT card that cuts the fare to $1.00. Seattle Central sells students an ORCA card loaded with $250 of fare for $125 a quarter, a 50% discount.

Transfer routes and aid

Washington’s Direct Transfer Agreement lets students who finish an Associate in Arts transfer to a public university with junior standing and most general education done. Seattle Central’s apparel degree is an applied career degree, not a transfer degree, and we found no fashion-specific transfer agreement, so students aiming for a bachelor’s should ask WSU, Central Washington or SPU early which credits they accept.

The Washington College Grant gives a full award to a family of four earning $83,500 or less, and partial awards up to $139,500. The 2026-27 maximums are $5,095 at community and technical colleges, $12,700 at WSU and $6,476 at private nonprofit colleges such as SPU. Students from other Western states can apply to WSU through the Western Undergraduate Exchange, which caps tuition at 150% of the in-state rate; WSU’s WUE scholarships are worth $15,000 or $12,000 a year depending on GPA.

Closed programs

The Art Institute of Seattle, which taught fashion and design, closed abruptly in March 2019, leaving about 650 students to finish elsewhere.

Is studying fashion in Seattle worth it?

For merchandising, buying and outdoor or athletic product careers, yes: Seattle pays well and has major retail and outdoor brands within reach of campus. The trade-off is rent. Seattle Central’s associate degree is the cheapest serious start, and Washington residents who want a bachelor’s at public prices should compare WSU and Central Washington with SPU’s aid offer. Students set on high-fashion design should also compare San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest way to study fashion in Seattle?

Seattle Central College’s apparel design associate degree, at $136.14 a credit for Washington residents in 2026-27.

Does SPU require a portfolio for apparel design?

SPU states no portfolio requirement. Students can enter the major in their first quarter.

Which Seattle companies hire fashion graduates?

Nordstrom, REI, Brooks Running and Filson are the best-known local names, and SPU lists Amazon Fashion, Tommy Bahama and Outdoor Research among its nearby employers.

Where else should I look?

Compare fashion schools in Oregon, fashion schools in San Francisco and our other city guides.

Sources

What changed on this page

  • November 2026: city guide published.