LIM College is a small private college in Midtown Manhattan that teaches one thing: the business of fashion. It does not teach fashion design. Instead it offers degrees in fashion merchandising, marketing, management and related fields, built around required internships in New York companies. In December 2025 it was acquired by the Japan Educational Foundation, the owner of the ESMOD fashion school in Paris, and it continues to operate under its own name in New York. This profile covers its programs, cost, admissions and outcomes from U.S. Department of Education data, and who it suits.
Fashion programs
LIM’s undergraduate degrees are business degrees with a fashion focus. Fashion merchandising is its largest program: in the 2024-25 academic year it awarded 85 bachelor’s degrees and 20 associate degrees in fashion merchandising, according to federal completions data. Alongside merchandising it offers programs in fashion marketing, management, visual merchandising and fashion media, and graduate programs in fashion business and retail management.
LIM also runs a fully online associate of applied science in fashion merchandising and management, taught asynchronously in 7.5-week courses with six start dates a year, covering fabric for fashion, merchandising concepts and practices, sustainability and visual communication. It is one of the few online fashion associate degrees from a fashion-specialist college, and it is compared with other online programs in the online fashion degrees guide.
The internship model
LIM’s main selling point is how much industry work is built into the degree. Bachelor’s students complete internships during their studies and a senior work project in which they work in the industry rather than in classes. Because the college is in Midtown, those placements can be at brand head offices, showrooms, department stores, media companies and agencies across Manhattan. For merchandising and marketing jobs, where internships are often what gets graduates hired, this is the strongest argument for paying private-college tuition.
Cost
Federal data lists LIM’s undergraduate tuition and fees at $33,504 for 2024-25, and an average net price after grants of $40,305 for 2023-24. The net price includes New York living costs, which are the biggest variable: students who can commute from home pay far less than the average. LIM does not publish online tuition on its program page, so online applicants should ask for the full cost of the associate degree in writing.
Admissions
LIM admitted 96% of applicants for fall 2024, so admission is accessible for most students with a high school diploma. There is no portfolio requirement, since the degrees are business programs. The college is small, with 1,467 students in fall 2024, most of them undergraduates.
Outcomes
Federal data shows a graduation rate of 51% for students who began in fall 2018, measured within 150% of normal time, and a first-year retention rate of 73% for full-time students. College Scorecard reports median earnings of $69,579 ten years after starting at LIM, across all of its programs. The completion and retention figures are close to the national average for private four-year colleges with open-leaning admissions, but lower than FIT’s. Ask LIM which companies hired its most recent graduates and in what roles; a business-of-fashion college should be able to answer in detail.
Studying in Midtown
LIM’s buildings are in Midtown Manhattan, within walking or subway distance of many brand head offices, the department store flagships on Fifth Avenue and Herald Square, and the showrooms of the Garment District. That location makes it practical to hold an internship and attend classes in the same week. It also means New York living costs: LIM offers student housing, but students who cannot live at home should compare its residence costs with the net price figure above before deciding.
Who LIM suits
- Students certain they want the business side of fashion, such as buying, merchandising, marketing or brand management, and who want to be in New York for it.
- Students who learn best through work experience and want internships built into every stage of the degree.
- Students who prefer a small college where everyone is studying the same industry.
Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone who wants to design clothes. LIM does not offer fashion design; compare FIT and Parsons.
- New York residents who qualify for FIT’s public tuition in fashion business management, which costs far less.
- Students outside New York who mainly want a merchandising degree online at the lowest price; Arkansas State and ASU FIDM publish lower prices for full bachelor’s degrees.
Questions to ask before applying
- Which companies hosted internships and hired graduates from your intended program in the last two years?
- What will the net price be for you after LIM’s own scholarships, and how does it compare with FIT for your residency?
- How are internships arranged, and are they paid?
- Has anything changed in programs or tuition since the 2025 acquisition? LIM has said its programs, tuition structure and staff continue.
How LIM compares
For fashion business in New York, the usual comparison is FIT, which is public and much larger. Every New York option is compared on cost in the New York fashion schools guide, and the fashion merchandising degree guide explains the jobs these degrees lead to.
Frequently asked questions
Does LIM College teach fashion design?
No. LIM focuses entirely on the business of fashion: merchandising, marketing, management and related fields.
Who owns LIM College?
The Japan Educational Foundation completed its acquisition of LIM in December 2025. LIM continues to operate independently in New York under its own name.
Can I study at LIM online?
Yes. Its associate of applied science in fashion merchandising and management is offered fully online.