Guides for Illinois: Fashion design schools in Illinois · Fashion merchandising schools in Illinois
Illinois fashion schools at a glance (2026)
- 9 colleges offer fashion design or merchandising programs: 5 public and 4 private.
- 8 teach fashion design and 4 teach merchandising.
- Lowest yearly cost after grants: College of DuPage, $5,165.
- Public universities after grants: $12,554 to $17,829 a year.
- Studio design in Chicago: School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Columbia College Chicago.
Nine Illinois colleges report graduates in fashion design, apparel or fashion merchandising to the U.S. Department of Education. They include two suburban community colleges, three downstate public universities, two art colleges in Chicago and two private universities. The table below compares all nine on tuition, yearly cost after grants, admission, graduation and earnings.
Compare the 9 Fashion Schools in Illinois
| School | City | Type | Tuition/yr | Yearly cost after grants | Admit rate | Grad rate | Median earnings | Program focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Rainey Harper Collegefederal data | Palatine | Public | $4,038 | $10,058 | - | 50% | $54,357 | Design + MerchCertificate, associate |
| College of DuPagefederal data | Glen Ellyn | Public | $4,680 | $5,165 | - | 24% | $51,188 | Design + MerchCertificate, associate |
| Southern Illinois University-Carbondalefederal data | Carbondale | Public | $13,544 | $12,554 | 87% | 61% | $57,388 | Design & TextilesBachelor's |
| Eastern Illinois Universityfederal data | Charleston | Public | $14,654 | $12,717 | 65% | 49% | $55,885 | MerchandisingBachelor's |
| Illinois State UniversityThe biggest public apparel program on this list, with 19,057 students in Normal.federal data | Normal | Public | $16,152 | $17,829 | 88% | 66% | $67,557 | Design & TextilesBachelor's |
| Columbia College Chicagofederal data | Chicago | Private | $37,344 | $36,529 | 89% | 49% | $48,427 | Design & TextilesBachelor's |
| Dominican Universityfederal data | River Forest | Private | $40,608 | $14,013 | 90% | 58% | $66,693 | Design + MerchBachelor's |
| Bradley Universityfederal data | Peoria | Private | $43,850 | $22,469 | 77% | 75% | $76,013 | Design & TextilesBachelor's |
| School of the Art Institute of Chicagofederal data | Chicago | Private | $58,220 | $53,331 | 77% | 67% | $47,612 | Design & TextilesMaster's |
Showing all 9 schools
Fashion Schools in Chicago
Five of the nine colleges are in Chicago or its suburbs: SAIC and Columbia College Chicago downtown, Dominican University in River Forest, and Harper College and College of DuPage in the suburbs. For neighbourhoods, living costs and the city’s fashion industry, see our guide to fashion schools in Chicago.
Best Fashion Schools in Illinois: Six Standouts
School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC)
SAIC offers a BFA in Fashion Design and a graduate MFA in Fashion, Body and Garment. Students use its Fashion Resource Center, a hands-on collection of late 20th- and 21st-century designer garments, and the Art Institute of Chicago museum is one block away.
Portfolio: studio applicants send 10 to 15 of their best recent pieces. 2026-27 tuition is $59,460 a year (SAIC tuition). After grants, it is the most expensive school on this list, at $53,331 a year.
Columbia College Chicago
Columbia offers a Fashion Design BFA and a Fashion Studies BA with merchandising and product development concentrations. In its Concept to Consumer capstone, students design a product, work with local manufacturers and take it to market. 2026-27 tuition is $17,749 per semester for full-time students, plus $793 in fees.
Dominican University (River Forest)
Dominican’s fashion design major covers textile science, illustration and trends. Seniors design a themed collection and produce the Spring Fashion Show. 2026-27 tuition is $20,479 per semester, but the average yearly cost after grants is $14,013, the lowest of the private colleges on this list.
Illinois State University (Normal)
Illinois State’s Fashion Design and Merchandising major has two sequences: fashion merchandising, and fashion design and product development. Students run an annual fashion show, and the program has a design studio, a textile lab and a historic costume collection of about 2,000 pieces. No portfolio is listed. New students in 2026-27 pay $422.30 per credit hour in-state, fixed for four years.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
SIU’s B.S. in Fashion Studies has fashion design and fashion merchandising specializations. Seniors pass a portfolio review and show their work in a live fashion show. SIU’s 2026-27 estimate lists $9,833 in tuition for a full year.
Eastern Illinois University (Charleston)
EIU’s B.S. in Fashion Merchandising sits in its Department of Art + Design. Courses include fashion e-tailing, retail math, trend forecasting, apparel development and visual merchandising, and there is a fashion lab. EIU charges $356.34 per credit hour in 2026-27, plus $140.80 in fees, and every U.S. student pays the Illinois rate (EIU costs).
Also on the list: Harper College and College of DuPage offer two-year Fashion Design A.A.S. degrees, and Bradley University in Peoria teaches apparel production and merchandising.
Fashion Design vs. Merchandising in Illinois
Design. Eight schools teach design. SAIC and Columbia are studio art colleges. Illinois State and SIU are the public university options. Compare them on our page for fashion design schools in Illinois.
Merchandising. Four schools teach merchandising: Eastern Illinois, Dominican, Harper and College of DuPage. See fashion merchandising schools in Illinois.
How Much Does Fashion School Cost in Illinois?
The yearly cost after grants is the average a student on federal aid pays for a full year, including housing and food.
| Type of school | Yearly cost after grants |
|---|---|
| Community colleges (2) | $5,165 to $10,058 |
| Public universities (3) | $12,554 to $17,829 |
| Private colleges (4) | $14,013 to $53,331 |
Harper College has the lowest published tuition, $4,038 a year in-district.
Paying for Fashion School in Illinois
- FAFSA or Alternative Application. Illinois state aid uses the FAFSA, or the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid for students who can’t file the FAFSA.
- MAP Grant. The Monetary Award Program is Illinois’s main need-based grant. It helps with tuition and fees at approved Illinois colleges. File the FAFSA early.
- AIM HIGH. Illinois public universities award these state-funded grants with their own matching money, and each campus sets its own rules. At Illinois State, first-year students can get up to $2,000 a year, renewable with a 2.75 GPA (ISU AIM HIGH).
- Regional discounts. Illinois is not a member of the Midwest Student Exchange Program, so Illinois students don’t get MSEP rates in neighbouring states (MSEP).
Routes: Community College and Transfer
The cheapest path to a bachelor’s starts at Harper College or College of DuPage. Illinois State publishes course guides for Illinois community colleges and asks transfer students for at least a 2.50 GPA. Career A.A.S. courses do not always transfer, so ask the university which of your courses will count before you enroll.
Fashion Careers in Illinois
The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish fashion designer jobs or pay for Illinois. Nationally, fashion designers earned a median of $80,960 in May 2025. The business side is large: Illinois had 19,660 buyers and purchasing agents across all industries, with a median wage of $78,470 (BLS). Ulta Beauty has its headquarters in Bolingbrook.
Fashion Schools Near Illinois
Without MSEP, Illinois students usually pay out-of-state rates at public universities in nearby states, so compare each school’s own scholarships. Average yearly cost after grants, from our state guides:
- Indiana: Indiana State University ($10,103 a year after grants), Ball State ($13,877) and Indiana University Bloomington ($16,003).
- Wisconsin: UW-Madison ($16,600) and UW-Stout ($17,533).
- Missouri: Missouri State ($17,270) and the University of Missouri ($21,142).
Closed and Ended Programs
- Northern Illinois University no longer enrolls new students in its B.S. in Fashion Merchandising (NIU), so we no longer list it.
- The Illinois Institute of Art in Chicago and Schaumburg, which taught fashion design, closed at the end of 2018.
Fashion Schools in Illinois: FAQs
What is the cheapest fashion school in Illinois?
College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn has the lowest average yearly cost after grants, $5,165, and Harper College in Palatine has the lowest published tuition, $4,038 a year in-district, per U.S. Department of Education data.
What are the best fashion design schools in Illinois?
For studio design, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (BFA in Fashion Design) and Columbia College Chicago (Fashion Design BFA) are in the city. Illinois State and Southern Illinois University Carbondale are the public university options, and Dominican University is a private option in River Forest.
Do Illinois fashion schools require a portfolio?
SAIC asks studio applicants for 10 to 15 recent pieces. Illinois State lists no portfolio for admission, and at SIU the portfolio review comes in the senior year. Harper College and College of DuPage list no portfolio for their design degrees.
How much does fashion school cost in Illinois?
After grants, the average yearly cost runs from $5,165 at College of DuPage to $53,331 at SAIC. The three public universities fall between $12,554 and $17,829 a year.
Can Illinois students get reduced tuition in neighbouring states?
Not through the Midwest Student Exchange Program, because Illinois is not a member. Check each out-of-state university's own scholarships.
Does Northern Illinois University still offer fashion?
NIU says it is no longer enrolling new students in its B.S. in Fashion Merchandising, so we no longer list it.
How we built this list: schools come from U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions for 2022-23 and 2023-24. We count a school if it reported graduates in fashion/apparel design (CIP 50.0407), apparel and textiles (19.09xx), or fashion merchandising (52.1902, 52.1904). Northern Illinois is left out because its program no longer enrolls new students. Tuition, cost after grants, admit rate, graduation rate and earnings come from College Scorecard, retrieved November 1, 2026. Program details and 2026-27 tuition were checked on each school’s own site. See our methodology. Spot an error? Tell us and we’ll fix it.