Also in Nebraska: All fashion schools in Nebraska
Nebraska now has one fashion design program: the Associate in Applied Science in Fashion Design at Metropolitan Community College in Omaha. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s fashion department, which offered an apparel design bachelor’s degree, is no longer accepting new students. This page covers Metro’s program and the nearest bachelor’s programs in design that Nebraska students can attend, including the ones with a regional tuition discount.
Nebraska fashion design at a glance
- 1 college offers a program covering fashion design: Metropolitan Community College, Omaha.
- Yearly cost after grants: $3,811 at Metro.
- Ended: UNL’s Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design, after a Board of Regents vote on Dec. 5, 2025.
- Discounts nearby: UW-Stout’s Midwest rate and South Dakota State’s resident rate are open to Nebraska students.
Fashion Design programs in Nebraska
| School | City | Type | Tuition (in-state) | Average net price | Program focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Community College Areafederal data | Omaha | Public | $3,420 | $3,811 | Design |
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
One college in Nebraska reports a program covering fashion design. Net price, what students actually pay after grants, is $3,811 a year at Metropolitan Community College Area. Net price includes living costs, so students who live at home usually pay less. Our guide to fashion schools in Nebraska covers the state’s other options, and the national fashion design directory lists programs in every state.
Metropolitan Community College (Omaha)
Metro’s Associate in Applied Science in Fashion Design teaches basic design principles, entrepreneurial skills and the knowledge needed to work as a fashion designer. Students work with design professionals who take part in Omaha Fashion Week. The college lists careers in creating and making original apparel and accessories, assisting established designers, working in retail and showing work in local and national fashion shows.
Federal data lists Metro’s tuition at $3,420 a year for in-state students and $5,018 for out-of-state students. As an applied associate degree, it prepares students for work. If you plan to go on to a bachelor’s, ask the four-year school which Metro courses it will accept before you start.
Public, private or community college?
Every college on this list is public, averaging $3,811 a year in net price, so Nebraska residents can study fashion design without paying private tuition.
What happened at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
On Dec. 5, 2025, the University of Nebraska Board of Regents voted to eliminate the programs in UNL’s Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design. Its B.S. had options in apparel design, merchandising, communications and textile science. The department says it is no longer accepting new students and is giving current students pathways to finish their degrees (UNL department page). UNL still appears in recent federal graduate data, so you may see it on other college lists. It is not included above.
Bachelor’s programs Nebraska students can consider
With UNL closed to new students, a Nebraska student who wants a four-year design degree will need to leave the state. These are the closest options in our data.
- University of Wisconsin-Stout: students in its B.S. in Fashion Design & Development prepare a final collection, and the annual Stout Fashion Show is a runway showcase of student work. Nebraska residents qualify for UW-Stout’s Midwest Tuition and MSEP rate, estimated at $15,898 a year in tuition and fees for 2026-27 (UW-Stout tuition).
- South Dakota State University: SDSU offers a Fashion Studies and Retail Merchandising B.S. New freshmen and transfers from Nebraska pay the South Dakota Advantage rate, the same $273 per credit hour as residents in 2026-27 (SDSU tuition). The program leans toward merchandising, so ask how much design coursework it includes.
- Kansas State University: K-State’s Fashion Studies B.S. has a fashion design specialization and lets students study at FIT in New York. We did not find a regional discount for Nebraska residents.
- Iowa State University: its Fashion Design and Merchandising major has a Creative & Technical Design option and a required internship. Iowa is not in the Midwest Student Exchange Program, so non-resident tuition applies.
Through the Midwest Student Exchange Program, participating public colleges charge Nebraska students no more than 150% of their in-state tuition for selected programs. Check each school’s list before applying, because not every program is included. See our guides to fashion schools in Kansas, Iowa and fashion design schools in Missouri for more.
Paying for it
The Nebraska Opportunity Grant is the state’s only need-based aid program. It goes to Nebraska residents with high financial need who attend eligible Nebraska colleges. In 2024-25 the average grant was $1,823, and the state says student need far exceeds the money available, so file the FAFSA early.
Fashion jobs in Nebraska
The BLS does not publish a count or a median wage for fashion designers in Nebraska, which usually means there are very few. Buyers and purchasing agents, a common path for merchandising graduates, number about 2,850 in the state, with a median pay of $74,950 in May 2025 (BLS OEWS). Across the U.S., fashion designers earn a median of $80,960.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest fashion design program in Nebraska?
Metropolitan Community College Area in Omaha has the lowest net price on this list, $3,811 a year.
How many Nebraska colleges offer fashion design?
One college on our list offers a program covering fashion design, and it is 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.
Can I still study fashion design at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln?
Not as a new student. The Board of Regents voted on Dec. 5, 2025 to eliminate the department, and it is no longer accepting new students. Current students have pathways to finish their degrees.
Is there a fashion design bachelor’s degree in Nebraska?
Not for new students. Metro’s associate degree is the only fashion design program still enrolling, so a bachelor’s means studying in a nearby state such as Wisconsin, South Dakota, Kansas or Iowa.
Do Nebraska students get a tuition discount in other states?
Some do. UW-Stout charges its Midwest Tuition and MSEP rate to Nebraska residents, and South Dakota State charges its resident rate to new students from Nebraska.
Schools identified via U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions (fashion/apparel design CIP 50.0407, apparel and textiles 19.09). Tuition and average net price are from College Scorecard, retrieved November 1, 2026, the same figures as our Nebraska guide. Program details and 2026-27 rates were checked on each school’s site on November 1, 2026. See our methodology. Spot an error? Tell us.