California has more fashion schools than any other state: 49 colleges report design, apparel, or merchandising programs to the U.S. Department of Education, and the state’s community college system makes it the cheapest place in America to start a fashion education — published tuition at dozens of campuses runs $1,124–$1,700 a year. The market also just went through its biggest shakeup in decades: FIDM, LA’s most famous fashion school, closed in March 2025 and lives on as ASU FIDM. The comparison below covers every current option on cost, size, and focus. Data updated July 2026.
Compare All 49 Fashion Schools in California
| School | City | Type | Tuition/yr | Net price/yr | Enrollment | Program focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Valley CollegeSaratoga campus with a $3,423 average net price. | Saratoga | Public | - | $3,423 | 6,416 | Design & Textiles |
| Antelope Valley Community College DistrictLowest published tuition in the state: $1,124 in-state. | Lancaster | Public | $1,124 | $3,860 | 11,534 | Design & Textiles |
| El Camino Community College DistrictTorrance campus. Net cost ($5,968) runs above the sticker once housing counts. | Torrance | Public | $1,144 | $5,968 | 19,210 | Design & Textiles |
| San Diego Mesa CollegeSan Diego campus. Net cost ($5,814) runs above the sticker once housing counts. | San Diego | Public | $1,146 | $5,814 | 16,098 | Design + Merch |
| San Diego Miramar CollegeSan Diego campus. Net cost ($3,337) runs above the sticker once housing counts. | San Diego | Public | $1,146 | $3,337 | 11,271 | Design & Textiles |
| Fullerton CollegeFullerton campus. Net cost ($6,134) runs above the sticker once housing counts. | Fullerton | Public | $1,150 | $6,134 | 17,121 | Design & Textiles |
| Cypress CollegeCypress campus. Net cost ($4,606) runs above the sticker once housing counts. | Cypress | Public | $1,150 | $4,606 | 13,354 | Merchandising |
| Allan Hancock CollegeSanta Maria campus. Net cost ($5,383) runs above the sticker once housing counts. | Santa Maria | Public | $1,156 | $5,383 | 8,052 | Design & Textiles |
| Irvine Valley CollegeIrvine campus. Net cost ($2,090) runs above the sticker once housing counts. | Irvine | Public | $1,156 | $2,090 | 10,286 | Design + Merch |
| Saddleback CollegeMission Viejo campus. Net cost ($4,152) runs above the sticker once housing counts. | Mission Viejo | Public | $1,156 | $4,152 | 17,684 | Design + Merch |
| Santa Monica CollegeSanta Monica campus. Net cost ($2,779) runs above the sticker once housing counts. | Santa Monica | Public | $1,156 | $2,779 | 21,440 | Design & Textiles |
| MiraCosta CollegeOceanside campus. Net cost ($7,339) runs above the sticker once housing counts. | Oceanside | Public | $1,158 | $7,339 | 10,278 | Merchandising |
| Pasadena City CollegePasadena campus. Net cost ($3,864) runs above the sticker once housing counts. | Pasadena | Public | $1,180 | $3,864 | 21,466 | Design & Textiles |
| Santa Ana CollegeSanta Ana campus. Net cost ($3,133) runs above the sticker once housing counts. | Santa Ana | Public | $1,180 | $3,133 | 22,485 | Design & Textiles |
| San Joaquin Delta CollegeStockton campus. Net cost ($2,407) runs above the sticker once housing counts. | Stockton | Public | $1,180 | $2,407 | 15,781 | Design & Textiles |
| Chaffey CollegeRancho Cucamonga campus. Net cost ($5,672) runs above the sticker once housing counts. | Rancho Cucamonga | Public | $1,184 | $5,672 | 18,132 | Design & Textiles |
| Monterey Peninsula CollegeMonterey campus. Net cost ($11,373) runs above the sticker once housing counts. | Monterey | Public | $1,188 | $11,373 | 5,624 | Design & Textiles |
| Los Angeles Trade Technical CollegeTraining garment-district workers since 1925. Fashion design and technology degrees blocks from LA's apparel wholesale core. | Los Angeles | Public | $1,238 | $12,323 | 9,998 | Design & Textiles |
| Los Angeles Valley CollegeValley Glen campus. Net cost ($12,152) runs above the sticker once housing counts. | Valley Glen | Public | $1,238 | $12,152 | 12,601 | Design & Textiles |
| West Los Angeles CollegeCulver City campus. Net cost ($9,634) runs above the sticker once housing counts. | Culver City | Public | $1,238 | $9,634 | 7,284 | Merchandising |
| College of AlamedaAlameda campus. Net cost ($8,496) runs above the sticker once housing counts. | Alameda | Public | $1,258 | $8,496 | 4,487 | Design & Textiles |
| Skyline College7,620-student campus in San Bruno, netting $1,738 a year. | San Bruno | Public | $1,272 | $1,738 | 7,620 | Merchandising |
| American River CollegeSacramento campus. Net cost ($7,999) runs above the sticker once housing counts. | Sacramento | Public | $1,288 | $7,999 | 25,621 | Design & Textiles |
| Sacramento City CollegeSacramento campus. Net cost ($6,614) runs above the sticker once housing counts. | Sacramento | Public | $1,288 | $6,614 | 17,657 | Design & Textiles |
| Los Medanos CollegePittsburg campus. Net cost ($7,443) runs above the sticker once housing counts. | Pittsburg | Public | $1,312 | $7,443 | 7,320 | Merchandising |
| Santa Rosa Junior CollegeSanta Rosa campus. Net cost ($6,331) runs above the sticker once housing counts. | Santa Rosa | Public | $1,318 | $6,331 | 15,080 | Design & Textiles |
| Canada CollegeLowest average net price in the state: about $32 a year after grants. | Redwood City | Public | $1,332 | $32 | 5,175 | Design & Textiles |
| Fresno City CollegeFresno campus. Net cost ($8,069) runs above the sticker once housing counts. | Fresno | Public | $1,334 | $8,069 | 21,251 | Design & Textiles |
| Reedley CollegeReedley campus. Net cost ($6,814) runs above the sticker once housing counts. | Reedley | Public | $1,334 | $6,814 | 5,504 | Design & Textiles |
| Southwestern CollegeChula Vista campus. Net cost ($12,671) runs above the sticker once housing counts. | Chula Vista | Public | $1,344 | $12,671 | 18,614 | Merchandising |
| Cuesta CollegeSan Luis Obispo campus. Net cost ($12,124) runs above the sticker once housing counts. | San Luis Obispo | Public | $1,350 | $12,124 | 7,180 | Design & Textiles |
| Palomar CollegeSan Marcos campus. Net cost ($5,763) runs above the sticker once housing counts. | San Marcos | Public | $1,354 | $5,763 | 17,712 | Design & Textiles |
| Butte CollegeOroville campus. Net cost ($5,520) runs above the sticker once housing counts. | Oroville | Public | $1,356 | $5,520 | 8,890 | Design + Merch |
| Mt San Antonio CollegeWalnut campus. Net cost ($6,490) runs above the sticker once housing counts. | Walnut | Public | $1,364 | $6,490 | 26,140 | Design & Textiles |
| Orange Coast CollegeCosta Mesa campus. Net cost ($7,203) runs above the sticker once housing counts. | Costa Mesa | Public | $1,392 | $7,203 | 16,091 | Design + Merch |
| College of the SequoiasBased in Visalia; students average $480 a year after grants. | Visalia | Public | $1,394 | $480 | 11,562 | Design + Merch |
| Ventura CollegeLocated in Ventura; certificate-level training with no standard published tuition. | Ventura | Public | $1,426 | - | 10,150 | Design & Textiles |
| Sierra CollegeIn-state and out-of-state students pay the same $1,446. | Rocklin | Public | $1,446 | $7,245 | 14,122 | Design & Textiles |
| Long Beach City CollegeLong Beach campus. Net cost ($6,202) runs above the sticker once housing counts. | Long Beach | Public | $1,556 | $6,202 | 22,427 | Design & Textiles |
| City College of San FranciscoSan Francisco campus. Net cost ($6,906) runs above the sticker once housing counts. | San Francisco | Public | $1,696 | $6,906 | 17,348 | Design + Merch |
| California State University-FresnoFresno campus with a $7,000 average net price. | Fresno | Public | $7,350 | $7,000 | 21,605 | Design & Textiles |
| California State University-Long BeachThe biggest school on this list, with 35,924 students in Long Beach. | Long Beach | Public | $7,350 | $10,440 | 35,924 | Design & Textiles |
| California State Polytechnic University-PomonaThe only TAPAC-accredited apparel program on the West Coast, with retailing, production, and textiles options. | Pomona | Public | $7,780 | $11,531 | 25,042 | Design + Merch |
| San Francisco State UniversitySan Francisco campus. Net cost ($12,278) runs above the sticker once housing counts. | San Francisco | Public | $7,950 | $12,278 | 18,639 | Design & Textiles |
| California State University-SacramentoBased in Sacramento; students average $9,338 a year after grants. | Sacramento | Public | $8,018 | $9,338 | 28,350 | Design & Textiles |
| University of California-DavisThe UC option: design coursework alongside textile science, at a $14,741 average net. | Davis | Public | $16,774 | $14,741 | 32,253 | Design & Textiles |
| Academy of Art UniversitySan Francisco's big private art school. Note the $40,613 net runs above the sticker. | San Francisco | Private | $30,736 | $40,613 | 3,587 | Design + Merch |
| Point Loma Nazarene UniversityBased in San Diego; students average $38,729 a year after grants. | San Diego | Private | $46,250 | $38,729 | 3,188 | Merchandising |
| Woodbury University779-student college in Burbank, netting $33,692 a year. | Burbank | Private | $47,056 | $33,692 | 779 | Merchandising |
Showing 49 of 49 schools
Best Fashion Schools in California: Three Standouts
Cal Poly Pomona
The strongest credential in the state: Cal Poly Pomona’s Apparel Merchandising and Management B.S. is the only TAPAC-accredited apparel program on the West Coast (one of just nine in the country), with tracks in fashion retailing, apparel design and production, and textiles, plus a footwear design minor. Students run a boutique and produce a fashion line as part of the polytechnic model. In-state tuition is $7,780 with an $11,531 average net.
Los Angeles Trade-Technical College
The garment district’s own school. LATTC’s fashion programs date to 1925, when downtown manufacturers funded apparel training at the old Frank Wiggins Trade School; today it teaches fashion design and fashion technology — construction, draping, pattern making, grading — blocks from the wholesale core, with the Sharon Tate Costume Collection as a design archive. Published tuition: $1,238 in-state.
Academy of Art University — San Francisco
The state’s big private art school, with fashion design and merchandising among its programs and 3,587 students. Go in with clear eyes on cost: the $30,736 sticker becomes a $40,613 average net once housing is counted — the classic private art school pattern.
Fashion Design Schools vs. Fashion Merchandising Schools in California
The fashion design side runs through Cal Poly Pomona, UC Davis (design plus textile science), the CSU campuses at Long Beach, Fresno, and Sacramento, and LA Trade-Tech — with Otis College reporting under general art codes and worth comparing directly for a private design BFA. Nearly every community college on the list covers fashion merchandising and retail coursework; the dedicated option is the state’s ring of fashion marketing programs. The Art Institutes’ California campuses and FIDM are both gone — a reminder to verify any private school’s current status before paying a deposit.
How Much Does Fashion School Cost in California?
Three clean tiers. Community colleges: $1,124–$1,700 published, with many netting under $6,000 — Irvine Valley ($2,090), San Joaquin Delta ($2,407), and Santa Monica ($2,779) lead. CSU campuses: $7,350–$8,018 in-state, netting $7,000–$12,300. Privates: Academy of Art, Woodbury, and Point Loma run $30,700–$47,100 published, netting $33,700–$40,600. The classic California path is two years at a $1,200-tuition community college, then a transfer to Cal Poly Pomona or a CSU.
Fashion Schools in California: FAQs
What happened to FIDM?
The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, for decades LA's best-known fashion school, officially closed in March 2025. Its programs live on as ASU FIDM, a fashion school within Arizona State University's Herberger Institute that operates in downtown Los Angeles and Phoenix. Because it now reports under ASU in Arizona, it doesn't appear in this California table.
What is the cheapest fashion school in California?
California's community colleges are the cheapest fashion education in America: published tuition runs $1,124-$1,700 in-state at dozens of campuses, and several net out under $4,000 a year after aid, including Irvine Valley ($2,090), San Joaquin Delta ($2,407), and Santa Monica College ($2,779), per U.S. Department of Education data.
Which California schools are best for fashion design?
Cal Poly Pomona runs the only TAPAC-accredited apparel program on the West Coast; UC Davis covers design with textile science; CSU Long Beach, Fresno, and Sacramento all report apparel tracks; and LA Trade-Tech has trained garment-district designers since 1925. Otis College reports under general art codes, so compare it directly if a private design BFA is the goal.
How much does fashion school cost per year in California?
Three tiers: community colleges at $1,100-$1,700 published tuition (often under $6,000 net), the CSU campuses at $7,350-$8,018 in-state (nets of $7,000-$12,300), and the privates - Academy of Art, Woodbury, Point Loma - at $30,700-$47,100 published with nets from $33,700 to $40,600.
Is Los Angeles a good place to study fashion?
LA is the largest apparel manufacturing center in the US, and the schools reflect it: LA Trade-Tech sits blocks from the wholesale district, and a ring of community colleges (Santa Monica, Pasadena, El Camino, Mt. San Antonio) feed the industry at community-college prices. The gap left by FIDM's closure is now served mainly by ASU FIDM downtown.
Fashion Schools in Nearby States
More California guides: Fashion Marketing Schools in California
How we built this list: schools identified via U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS program data (CIP 19.09 apparel & textiles, CIP 52.19 fashion merchandising), retrieved July 11, 2026. Program details verified against school websites. Tuition is the published annual rate; net price is the average paid after grants by federal aid recipients. Spot an error? Tell us and we’ll fix it.