Also in Georgia: All fashion schools in Georgia · Fashion merchandising schools in Georgia · Fashion marketing schools in Georgia
Six Georgia colleges report a fashion design program to the U.S. Department of Education. Two are public, the University of Georgia and Georgia Southern. Four are private: SCAD, Brenau University, Clark Atlanta University and American InterContinental University. This page compares their costs, explains how each design program works, and covers Georgia’s HOPE and Zell Miller awards.
Georgia fashion design at a glance
- 6 colleges offer fashion design, all at the bachelor’s level.
- Art and design school: SCAD, with fashion BFA programs in Savannah and Atlanta. No portfolio is required to apply.
- Lowest yearly cost after grants: University of Georgia, $13,636.
- Jobs: 120 fashion designers work in Georgia, with a median wage of $78,340 (BLS, May 2025).
Fashion Design programs in Georgia
| School | City | Type | Tuition (in-state) | Average net price | Program focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Georgiafederal data | Athens | Public | $11,492 | $13,636 | Design and merchandising |
| Georgia Southern Universityfederal data | Statesboro | Public | $6,022 | $16,785 | Design and merchandising |
| Brenau Universityfederal data | Gainesville | Private | $35,520 | $17,968 | Design and merchandising |
| American InterContinental University-Atlantafederal data | Atlanta | Private | $13,297 | $18,490 | Design |
| Clark Atlanta Universityfederal data | Atlanta | Private | $30,270 | $38,626 | Design and merchandising |
| Savannah College of Art and Designfederal data | Savannah | Private | $42,665 | $50,165 | Design and merchandising |
Source: tuition and average net price (yearly cost after grants, for students receiving federal aid) from College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education, retrieved November 1, 2026. Program lists: IPEDS completions, 2022-23 and 2023-24. Each “federal data” link opens that school’s record.
What it costs
6 colleges in Georgia report a program covering fashion design. Net price, what students actually pay after grants, ranges from $13,636 at University of Georgia to $50,165 at Savannah College of Art and Design, with a median of $18,229 a year. Net price includes living costs, so students who live at home usually pay less. Published tuition, admission rates and earnings for every Georgia school are on our guide to fashion schools in Georgia.
Studying in Atlanta? Clark Atlanta, American InterContinental and SCAD’s Atlanta location are in the city. Our guide to fashion schools in Atlanta covers them in more detail.
The six programs, school by school
Savannah College of Art and Design (Savannah and Atlanta)
SCAD offers a B.F.A. in fashion at both locations, plus minors in menswear, costume design, fashion journalism and fashion photography. Students take part in annual runway shows, and the SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film in Atlanta draws on a collection of more than 1,000 garments. SCAD says its students have interned at Chanel, Nordstrom and Vogue (SCAD fashion).
Portfolio: Not required. SCAD says “Portfolios and auditions are not required for undergraduate admission,” but it strongly encourages one for scholarship consideration (SCAD first-year admission).
Cost: $42,975 a year in 2026-27 tuition, or $14,325 a quarter, the same for all students (SCAD tuition). It has the highest cost after grants on this list.
University of Georgia (Athens)
UGA’s Fashion Merchandising degree has a Product Development and Design emphasis, which covers fashion design, product development and sourcing. Demand is high, so students apply to the emphasis after two introductory courses, with five examples of their work. Applications open in September and February (UGA Product Development and Design).
Cost: 2026-27 tuition is $5,067 per semester for Georgia residents and $15,902 for out-of-state students, before fees. Some out-of-state students win awards that cover the full difference.
Georgia Southern University (Statesboro)
Georgia Southern offers a B.S. in Fashion Merchandising and Apparel Design with an apparel design emphasis on its Statesboro campus. Every student completes a semester-long internship, and an optional study tour visits Atlanta and New York City (Georgia Southern fashion). No separate portfolio or program admission is listed. It has the lowest published in-state tuition on this list in federal data, $6,022 a year.
Clark Atlanta University (Atlanta)
Clark Atlanta, a private HBCU, offers a B.A. in Fashion with a concentration in fashion design or merchandising. Students apply under the university’s general admission rules, with no portfolio listed. Study tours visit London, Milan and Paris (CAU fashion). 2026-27 tuition is $27,962 a year, plus $3,578 in fees.
Brenau University and American InterContinental University
Brenau, a private university in Gainesville, appears in federal data with design and merchandising graduates. We could not open its program pages, so check its current fashion design degree and portfolio rules directly. American InterContinental University’s 2025 catalog lists a Fashion Design and Marketing B.F.A., but not which campus offers it (AIU catalog). Its graduation rate in federal data is 19%, the lowest on this list.
Public, private or community college?
The 2 public colleges on this list average $15,210 a year in net price, against $31,312 for the 4 private ones. The lowest-priced private option, Brenau University, still averages $17,968, so private study in fashion design usually costs more even after aid. None of these programs is at a two-year college, so students who want to save money can take general education courses at a local community college first and transfer into one of the universities above.
Design or merchandising?
Most Georgia programs combine the two. SCAD is the most design-focused, built around studio work and collections. UGA, Georgia Southern and Clark Atlanta let you choose a design emphasis inside a degree that also covers merchandising. If you want buying, brand management or retail work, UGA’s Fashion Brand Management emphasis and Georgia Southern’s online merchandising option are the main public choices.
Paying for it: HOPE and Zell Miller
Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship helps residents with tuition at Georgia colleges. To qualify from high school, you need a 3.0 HOPE GPA and four rigor credits (GAfutures HOPE). HOPE pays toward tuition for up to 15 hours at public colleges and up to 12 hours at private ones. The Zell Miller Scholarship is a larger tuition award for students with a 3.7 HOPE GPA and an SAT of 1200 or ACT of 25 (GAfutures Zell Miller).
Georgia is a full member of the Academic Common Market, so a resident may pay in-state tuition for an out-of-state public program that no Georgia public university offers (SREB). Because UGA and Georgia Southern teach apparel design, check with Georgia’s ACM coordinator before counting on it.
Fashion design jobs in Georgia
| Job | Jobs in Georgia | Median pay in Georgia | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fashion designers | 120 | $78,340 | $80,960 |
| Buyers and purchasing agents | 15,710 | $74,530 | $77,710 |
Georgia has far more buyer and purchasing jobs than fashion designer jobs. Carter’s, the children’s clothing company, has its head office in Atlanta.
Nearby options
Auburn University in Alabama offers an Apparel Design and Production Management B.S. NC State’s Fashion and Textile Design B.S. asks for a portfolio by November 1. See fashion schools in Alabama and fashion design schools in North Carolina.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest fashion design program in Georgia?
University of Georgia in Athens has the lowest net price on this list, $13,636 a year.
How many Georgia colleges offer fashion design?
6 colleges on our list offer a program covering fashion design, 2 of them public.
Do I need a portfolio for a fashion design program?
Most bachelor’s design programs ask for a portfolio or review one during the first year, while community college programs usually admit without one. Check each school’s requirements.
How we built this page
Schools come from U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions in fashion and apparel design. Costs, tuition and the table come from the College Scorecard, retrieved November 1, 2026. Net price is the average paid after grants by students who receive federal aid. Program details, portfolio rules and 2026-27 tuition were checked on each school’s own site, linked above. Job figures are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025. See our methodology.