Guides for North Carolina: Fashion design schools in North Carolina · Fashion merchandising schools in North Carolina
North Carolina fashion schools at a glance (2026)
- 7 colleges offer fashion design, apparel or merchandising programs: 5 public universities and 2 private colleges.
- Lowest yearly cost after grants: UNC Greensboro, $12,291.
- Public universities after grants: $12,291 to $16,880 a year.
- Design pick: NC State’s Wilson College of Textiles. Merchandising pick: UNC Greensboro. Private pick: Meredith College.
Seven North Carolina colleges report graduates in fashion design, apparel and textiles, or fashion merchandising to the U.S. Department of Education. Five are public universities with in-state tuition under $9,000 a year. The table below compares all seven on tuition, yearly cost after grants, admission, graduation and earnings.
Compare the 7 Fashion Schools in North Carolina
| School | City | Type | Tuition/yr | Yearly cost after grants | Admit rate | Grad rate | Median earnings | Program focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina Central Universityfederal data | Durham | Public | $6,733 | $16,708 | 87% | 44% | $46,956 | Design & TextilesBachelor's |
| East Carolina Universityfederal data | Greenville | Public | $7,438 | $16,880 | 89% | 63% | $60,387 | MerchandisingBachelor's |
| Appalachian State UniversityApparel design and merchandising in Boone, up in the Blue Ridge mountains.federal data | Boone | Public | $7,642 | $16,082 | 90% | 73% | $57,488 | Design + MerchBachelor's |
| University of North Carolina at Greensborofederal data | Greensboro | Public | $7,731 | $12,291 | 89% | 57% | $53,402 | Design + MerchBachelor's, master's, doctorate |
| North Carolina State UniversityHome of the Wilson College of Textiles, the only college in North America dedicated to textiles.federal data | Raleigh | Public | $8,815 | $16,486 | 42% | 85% | $77,810 | Design + MerchBachelor's |
| Meredith CollegeRaleigh women's college with a fashion merchandising and design B.S. and a Paris summer program.federal data | Raleigh | Private | $47,448 | $22,801 | 74% | 71% | $54,417 | Design + MerchBachelor's |
| High Point UniversityPrivate university in the city that hosts the country's biggest home furnishings market.federal data | High Point | Private | $49,146 | $41,019 | 75% | 73% | $73,547 | MerchandisingBachelor's |
Showing all 7 schools
Studying in Raleigh-Durham? Our guide to fashion schools in Raleigh-Durham compares NC State’s Wilson College, Meredith and NCCU on cost and portfolio rules, plus the state’s textile employers, Triangle rent and buses.
Best Fashion Schools in North Carolina: Five Standouts
NC State University, Wilson College of Textiles (Raleigh)
NC State has two fashion degrees in its Wilson College of Textiles. The BS in Fashion and Textile Design has fashion design and textile design concentrations. The BS in Fashion and Textile Management covers brand management and product development. The college calls itself the only college in North America devoted to textiles, with 68 labs on Centennial Campus.
Portfolio: Design applicants send 10 images of recent work and an essay through SlideRoom by November 1. New design students start in the fall only (NC State design application).
NC State is the most selective school on this list (42% of all applicants admitted) and has the highest graduation rate (85%), both figures for the whole university. 2026-27 tuition and fees are $4,623 per semester for North Carolina residents and $17,480 for non-residents, before health insurance (NC State rates).
UNC Greensboro
UNCG’s BS in Consumer, Apparel, and Retail Studies has three concentrations: Apparel Design, Retailing and Consumer Studies, and Retail Management. Retail Management can be taken fully online. The program is accredited by TAPAC, the textile and apparel accreditor.
Admission: No portfolio is needed to enter. Design students build one in a required portfolio course. The Apparel Design and Retailing concentrations require a 6-credit internship.
Apparel design students can show their own line at THREADS, an event in downtown Greensboro. UNCG has the lowest yearly cost after grants on this list, $12,291. 2026-27 tuition and fees are $7,864 a year for residents and $25,347 for non-residents (UNCG tuition).
Appalachian State University (Boone)
App State offers a BS in Apparel Design and Merchandising with a required marketing minor. Students do a for-credit internship and can join a yearly field trip to New York City.
Portfolio: There is no portfolio at admission. Students take a sophomore portfolio review, held in spring only, and must pass it to stay in the major.
Students in the advanced design studio show their collections at the annual Apparel Design and Merchandising Showcase in Boone. 2026-27 tuition and fees are $4,200 per semester for residents and $13,630 for non-residents (App State tuition).
Meredith College (Raleigh)
Meredith is a women’s college with a fashion program in two tracks, fashion merchandising and fashion design. Students can earn six credits in a summer program in Paris. They can also spend a fall semester at the Paris American Academy on a scholarship.
Meredith’s tuition is $49,170 a year for 2026-27 (Meredith tuition). Grants bring the average yearly cost down to $22,801.
High Point University
High Point’s BS in Fashion Merchandising is a merchandising degree, not a design degree. A local internship is required in the fall of senior year. Students can also work at the High Point Furniture Market. 2026-27 tuition and fees total $50,628 (High Point costs). At $41,019 after grants, it is the most expensive option on this list.
Fashion Design vs. Merchandising in North Carolina
Design. Five schools teach fashion or apparel design: NC State, UNC Greensboro, Appalachian State, North Carolina Central and Meredith. North Carolina Central’s BS in Fashion, Apparel and Textile Design has an apparel design concentration and has the lowest in-state tuition on the list. NC State is the only one we found that asks for a portfolio at admission. See our guide to fashion design schools in North Carolina.
Merchandising. NC State, UNCG, App State and Meredith teach merchandising alongside design. East Carolina and High Point teach merchandising only. East Carolina’s degree is a BS in Interior Design and Fashion Merchandising, with a fashion merchandising concentration and two required internships. See fashion merchandising schools in North Carolina.
How Much Does Fashion School Cost in North Carolina?
Look at the yearly cost after grants, not just tuition. That figure is the average a student on federal aid pays for a full year, including housing and food, after grants. North Carolina has no community college on this list.
| Type of school | Yearly cost after grants |
|---|---|
| Public universities (5) | $12,291 to $16,880 |
| Private colleges (2) | $22,801 to $41,019 |
The five public universities are close together. All five charge under $9,000 a year in in-state tuition, and their cost after grants falls within about $4,600 of each other.
Paying for Fashion School in North Carolina
- Next NC Scholarship. For North Carolina residents at UNC System universities and community colleges. It pays at least $5,000 a year at a public university and at least $3,000 at a community college. You need a Student Aid Index of 7,500 or less and household income of $80,000 or less. File the FAFSA by June 1 for priority; there is no separate form (CFNC).
- NC Need-Based Scholarship. For North Carolina residents at private colleges in the state. The amount varies. Students with a Student Aid Index of 15,000 or less can qualify, and the award comes automatically when you list a qualifying school on the FAFSA (CFNC).
- NC Promise. The $500-a-semester tuition plan applies only at Elizabeth City State, Fayetteville State, UNC Pembroke and Western Carolina. None of them is on this list.
- Academic Common Market. North Carolina left it in 2011 (SREB). North Carolinians can’t use it for in-state rates at fashion programs in other Southern states.
Routes: Transfer and Online
None of North Carolina’s community colleges appears on this list. Students who start at one can use the Next NC Scholarship there, then transfer. Plan the timing for App State’s design track: transfer students must start a summer course sequence to reach the sophomore portfolio review in their first spring.
For students who can’t relocate, UNCG’s Retail Management concentration is fully online. Out-of-state online degrees are compared in our online fashion degrees guide.
Fashion Careers in North Carolina
BLS figures from May 2025:
| Job | Jobs in North Carolina | Median pay in North Carolina | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fashion designers | 460 | $74,990 | $80,960 |
| Buyers and purchasing agents (all industries) | 14,290 | $75,880 | $77,710 |
Design jobs are few, but they pay close to the national median. (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics)
The state’s textile and apparel companies include:
- Kontoor Brands, owner of Wrangler and Helly Hansen, in Greensboro (it sold Lee to Authentic Brands Group in November 2026)
- Unifi, maker of REPREVE recycled fibers, in Greensboro
- Hanes, long based in Winston-Salem and part of Canada’s Gildan since December 2025
UNCG says its apparel design graduates have gone on to jobs at Hanesbrands and Kontoor Brands, among others.
Fashion Schools Near North Carolina
We found no tuition discount for North Carolinians at these schools, and the Academic Common Market doesn’t apply. 2026-27 prices:
- SCAD (Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia) offers a BFA in fashion. Tuition is $42,975 a year for everyone (SCAD tuition).
- Virginia Tech (Blacksburg) has a fashion merchandising and design major. Out-of-state tuition and fees are $40,180 a year (Virginia Tech).
- University of South Carolina (Columbia) has a retailing BS with a fashion merchandising concentration. Non-resident tuition is $19,050 per semester. Some of its non-resident scholarships lower that to the $6,144 in-state rate (USC tuition).
- University of Tennessee (Knoxville) has a retail and merchandising management BS with a fashion retailing concentration. Out-of-state tuition is $31,672 a year plus $2,806 in fees (UT costs).
- University of Georgia (Athens) has a fashion merchandising degree. Out-of-state tuition is $15,902 per semester, before fees (UGA tuition).
More North Carolina guides: Fashion Design Schools in North Carolina
Closed and Ended Fashion Programs in North Carolina
- The Art Institute of Charlotte and The Art Institute of Raleigh–Durham have closed. News reports in July 2018 said both campuses were closing (Art Institutes closed-school page).
- Mars Hill University no longer lists a fashion major on its website (checked October 2026). It still awarded fashion marketing degrees in May 2025 (Mars Hill majors).
- Johnson & Wales University now offers its Fashion Merchandising and Retailing BS at its Providence campus and online, not in Charlotte (JWU catalog). North Carolinians can still take it online.
Fashion Schools in North Carolina: FAQs
What is the cheapest fashion school in North Carolina?
By yearly cost after grants, UNC Greensboro is lowest at about $12,291, per U.S. Department of Education data. By published in-state tuition, North Carolina Central University is lowest. All five public universities on our list charge under $9,000 a year in in-state tuition.
Is NC State good for fashion?
NC State's Wilson College of Textiles offers a BS in Fashion and Textile Design and a BS in Fashion and Textile Management. The college calls itself the only college in North America devoted to textiles. Design applicants submit a portfolio and essay by November 1, and new design students start in the fall.
Do North Carolina fashion schools require a portfolio?
NC State requires a portfolio of 10 images for its design degree at admission. Appalachian State reviews portfolios in the spring of sophomore year, and students must pass to stay in the major. UNC Greensboro has no entry portfolio; design students build one in a required course.
Which North Carolina schools offer fashion design?
NC State, UNC Greensboro, Appalachian State, North Carolina Central and Meredith College teach fashion or apparel design. East Carolina and High Point teach fashion merchandising, not design.
Can I study fashion online in North Carolina?
UNC Greensboro's Retail Management concentration in Consumer, Apparel, and Retail Studies is fully online. Johnson & Wales University also offers its Fashion Merchandising and Retailing BS online.
How much do fashion designers earn in North Carolina?
The median wage for fashion designers in North Carolina was $74,990 in May 2025, close to the U.S. median of $80,960, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The state had about 460 fashion design jobs. Buyers and purchasing agents earned a median of $75,880.
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). NC State reports its fashion degrees under other design codes, so we added it after checking its catalog. We left out programs that the school’s own site shows have ended. Tuition, cost after grants, admit rate, graduation rate and earnings come from College Scorecard, retrieved October 31, 2026. Program names, portfolio rules and 2026-27 tuition rates were checked on each school’s own site the same day. See our methodology. Spot an error? Tell us and we’ll fix it.