The best fashion schools in the US for 2026, ranked on federal data: 1. University of Georgia, 2. Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), 3. University of Delaware, 4. Indiana University Bloomington, 5. Florida State University. We scored all 105 US colleges that award at least 10 fashion bachelor’s degrees a year on four things you can check: how many fashion students they graduate, graduation rate, graduates’ earnings and cost after grants. The full table, the method and every source are below.
This is not a reputation list. Famous design schools such as Parsons, Pratt and RISD rank lower here because they cost $48,000 to $51,000 a year even after grants. We show where each of them lands, and why, further down.
The 20 Best Fashion Schools in the US (2026)
| # | School | State | Fashion programs | Fashion graduates a year | Graduation rate | Median earnings | Cost after grants | Admitted | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Georgia | GA | Design and merchandising | 80 | 89% | $77,246 | $13,636 | 38% | 90.2 |
| 2 | Fashion Institute of Technology | NY | Design and merchandising | 722 | 81% | $72,055 | $16,514 | 60% | 86.7 |
| 3 | University of Delaware | DE | Design and merchandising | 74 | 79% | $83,800 | $16,337 | 71% | 84.9 |
| 4 | Indiana University Bloomington | IN | Design | 90 | 80% | $70,105 | $16,003 | 78% | 83.2 |
| 5 | Florida State University | FL | Design | 56 | 86% | $68,225 | $8,605 | 24% | 83.1 |
| 6 | CSU Long Beach | CA | Design and merchandising | 100 | 70% | $69,554 | $9,426 | 46% | 83.0 |
| 7 | Cal Poly Pomona | CA | Design and merchandising | 58 | 68% | $77,464 | $9,404 | 75% | 80.6 |
| 8 | UT Austin | TX | Design | 48 | 89% | $81,694 | $18,554 | 27% | 79.2 |
| 9 | The Ohio State University | OH | Design and merchandising | 69 | 87% | $67,080 | $17,269 | 61% | 77.2 |
| 10 | Auburn University | AL | Design and merchandising | 96 | 82% | $73,273 | $25,424 | 46% | 77.0 |
| 11 | Marist University | NY | Design and merchandising | 127 | 80% | $84,453 | $42,789 | 57% | 76.9 |
| 12 | Iowa State University | IA | Design and merchandising | 78 | 76% | $67,568 | $18,517 | 89% | 74.5 |
| 13 | Arizona State University | AZ | Design and merchandising | 70 | 68% | $69,111 | $14,694 | 90% | 73.9 |
| 14 | Texas Christian University | TX | Merchandising | 58 | 86% | $77,334 | $35,045 | 44% | 72.3 |
| 15 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | WI | Design | 18 | 90% | $80,330 | $16,600 | 45% | 72.2 |
| 16 | University of Missouri | MO | Design and merchandising | 54 | 76% | $69,958 | $21,142 | 78% | 70.0 |
| 17 | University of Rhode Island | RI | Design and merchandising | 56 | 73% | $73,439 | $22,469 | 72% | 69.7 |
| 18 | Washington State University | WA | Design and merchandising | 44 | 62% | $72,280 | $13,462 | 87% | 67.7 |
| 19 | Thomas Jefferson University | PA | Design and merchandising | 50 | 70% | $78,311 | $25,555 | 81% | 67.4 |
| 20 | University of Arkansas | AR | Design and merchandising | 73 | 71% | $63,588 | $17,571 | 74% | 67.4 |
The Top 20, School by School
1. University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia · Design and merchandising · score 90.2
UGA’s Fashion Merchandising degree (B.S.F.C.S.) has two emphases: Fashion Brand Management, and Product Development and Design. The design emphasis takes an application after two introductory courses, with five examples of your work (UGA TMI). It has the highest graduation rate in the top five, 89%, and a low cost after grants for a flagship, $13,636 a year. Georgia residents pay $5,067 a semester in 2026-27 tuition, before fees (UGA Bursar), and HOPE and Zell Miller scholarships can cut that further.
Compare: Georgia fashion schools · federal data.
2. Fashion Institute of Technology
New York City · Design and merchandising · score 86.7
FIT is by far the biggest fashion school in the country, with about 722 fashion bachelor’s graduates a year. It is part of SUNY, so New York residents pay public tuition: $2,895 a semester for an associate degree and $3,585 for a bachelor’s in 2026-27 (FIT catalog). Students earn an associate degree first, then move into a BFA or BS. The Fashion Design AAS asks for a portfolio. Read our FIT profile.
Compare: New York fashion schools · federal data.
3. University of Delaware
Newark, Delaware · Design and merchandising · score 84.9
Delaware’s Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies runs two B.S. majors: Fashion Design and Product Innovation, and Fashion Merchandising and Management (UD). The design major does not require a portfolio. Median earnings ten years after starting are $83,800, the highest in the top five (all majors). 2026-27 tuition and fees are $18,290 for Delaware residents and $45,020 for everyone else (UD costs).
Compare: Delaware fashion schools · federal data.
4. Indiana University Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana · Design · score 83.2
IU offers a Fashion Design B.A. through the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design (IU), and graduating students show their work at a spring fashion show. 2026-27 tuition and fees are $12,142 for Indiana residents and $42,702 for non-residents (IU cost of attendance). After grants, the average cost is $16,003 a year.
Compare: Indiana fashion schools · federal data.
5. Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida · Design · score 83.1
FSU’s B.S. in Fashion, Merchandising, and Product Development is taught in the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship. It is a business and product degree, not a studio design degree, and an internship is required. It has the lowest cost after grants in the top 20, $8,605 a year, and admits 24% of applicants. Florida residents pay $215.55 per credit hour in 2026-27 (FSU tuition).
Compare: Florida fashion schools · federal data.
6. CSU Long Beach
Long Beach, California · Design and merchandising · score 83.0
CSULB’s B.A. in Fashion Merchandising and Design has a design option and a merchandising option, and the program lists no portfolio (CSULB). About 100 students finish a fashion bachelor’s here each year. California residents pay CSU tuition of $6,838 a year plus CSULB fees of $1,910 (CSULB costs), and the average cost after grants is $9,426.
Compare: California fashion schools · federal data.
7. Cal Poly Pomona
Pomona, California · Design and merchandising · score 80.6
Cal Poly Pomona’s B.S. in Fashion Design Technology and Management has three specializations: fashion retailing, apparel design and production, and textile technology and sustainability (Cal Poly Pomona). It is accredited by TAPAC and mixes classwork with internships, with Los Angeles close by. Its median earnings, $77,464, are among the highest of any public school on this list.
Compare: California fashion schools · federal data.
8. UT Austin
Austin, Texas · Design · score 79.2
UT Austin has one degree, the B.S. in Textiles and Apparel, with merchandising, product development and design, and honors tracks (UT catalog). There is no entry portfolio. It admits only 27% of applicants, the second-lowest rate in the top 20 after FSU, and graduates 89%. Seniors show their collections in a student-run fashion show held since 1970.
Compare: Texas fashion schools · federal data.
9. The Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio · Design and merchandising · score 77.2
Ohio State’s Fashion and Retail Studies B.S. has a merchandising track and a product development track. It is a business-side degree, not a studio design degree, and it requires an internship. New Ohio residents pay $7,025 a semester in 2026-27 tuition and fees, frozen for four years (Ohio State fees). It graduates 87% of students.
Compare: Ohio fashion schools · federal data.
10. Auburn University
Auburn, Alabama · Design and merchandising · score 77.0
Auburn’s Department of Consumer and Design Sciences offers a B.S. in Apparel Design and Production Management and a B.S. in Apparel Merchandising (Auburn). About 96 students finish a fashion bachelor’s each year, and students stage a runway show every spring. It graduates 82% of students; the average cost after grants is $25,424.
Compare: Alabama fashion schools · federal data.
11. Marist University
Poughkeepsie, New York · Design and merchandising · score 76.9
Marist (Marist College until January 2025) offers a Fashion Design BFA and a fashion merchandising degree (Marist). Design seniors show at Silver Needle Runway, a student-run show held since 1984, and the Marist in Manhattan program places students in New York internships. It has the highest median earnings in the top 20, $84,453 (all majors), but it is also the most expensive: $42,789 a year after grants.
Compare: New York fashion schools · federal data.
12. Iowa State University
Ames, Iowa · Design and merchandising · score 74.5
Iowa State’s Fashion Design and Merchandising major has four options: Creative and Technical Design, Product Development and Innovation, Merchandising and Retail Analytics, and Fashion Communications. Every student completes a supervised internship (Iowa State catalog). The average cost after grants is $18,517 a year.
Compare: Iowa fashion schools · federal data.
13. Arizona State University
Tempe, Phoenix and Los Angeles · Design and merchandising · score 73.9
Arizona State’s fashion school has been called ASU FIDM since 2023 and teaches in downtown Phoenix and Los Angeles (ASU News). The Arizona Promise Program covers tuition and fees for qualifying Pell-eligible Arizona residents. See our ASU FIDM profile.
Compare: Arizona fashion schools · federal data.
14. Texas Christian University
Fort Worth, Texas · Merchandising · score 72.3
TCU teaches fashion merchandising only, with no design track. Its published tuition is $63,590, but grants bring the average cost down to $35,045 a year. It graduates 86% of students, one of the highest rates in the top 20, and median earnings are $77,334 (all majors).
Compare: Texas fashion schools · federal data.
15. University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, Wisconsin · Design · score 72.2
UW-Madison’s B.S. in Textiles and Fashion Design has a fashion sequence and a textiles sequence, and every student completes an internship of at least 150 hours (UW-Madison guide). Students with a 3.0 GPA can apply to spend their senior year at FIT in New York. It is the smallest program in the top 20, about 18 graduates a year, but its graduation rate is 90%.
Compare: Wisconsin fashion schools · federal data.
16. University of Missouri
Columbia, Missouri · Design and merchandising · score 70.0
Mizzou’s B.S. in Textile and Apparel Management has two emphases: Apparel Product Development, and Apparel Retailing and Digital Merchandising (Mizzou TAM). Students build experience through field study and internships. The average cost after grants is $21,142 a year.
Compare: Missouri fashion schools · federal data.
17. University of Rhode Island
Kingston, Rhode Island · Design and merchandising · score 69.7
URI’s Textiles, Fashion Merchandising and Design department sits in the College of Business and keeps a textile gallery; internships and study abroad are typical (URI). Students from Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont can get the New England regional tuition rate for this major (URI regional tuition).
Compare: Rhode Island fashion schools · federal data.
18. Washington State University
Pullman, Washington · Design and merchandising · score 67.7
WSU’s Department of Apparel, Merchandising, Design and Textiles offers a B.A. with an Apparel Design or a Merchandising major (WSU AMDT). Students show their work at the AMDT Fashion Show each spring. At $13,462 a year after grants, it is one of the cheapest four-year options in the top 20.
Compare: Washington fashion schools · federal data.
19. Thomas Jefferson University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · Design and merchandising · score 67.4
Jefferson, the former Philadelphia University, offers a B.S. in Fashion Design on its East Falls campus (Jefferson). Seniors can show a capstone collection at the annual fashion show, and students work on industry-sponsored projects. Tuition is $49,450, but the average cost after grants is $25,555.
Compare: Pennsylvania fashion schools · federal data.
20. University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, Arkansas · Design and merchandising · score 67.4
The University of Arkansas’s degree is Apparel Merchandising and Product Development. It is not a classic design BFA, but product development covers the design side, from creating garments to sourcing and testing them. Arkansas residents pay $10,916 in 2026-27 tuition and fees (U of A).
Compare: Arkansas fashion schools · federal data.
Where the Famous Design Schools Rank
Lists built on reputation put Parsons, Pratt, RISD and SCAD at the top. On cost and outcomes they land lower, mostly because a year costs $48,000 to $51,000 after grants, against about $8,600 to $43,000 for the top 20. That does not make them weak schools. If you get a large scholarship, the cost gap can close. Here is where each lands among the 105 colleges we scored.
| Rank | School | Fashion graduates a year | Graduation rate | Median earnings | Cost after grants | Why it ranks here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | Cornell University | 22 | 95% | $113,531 | $33,934 | Ivy League; the best earnings on our list ($113,531), but a small fashion program (about 22 graduates a year) and a $33,934 cost after grants. |
| 30 | Drexel University | 22 | 78% | $92,338 | $37,529 | Very high earnings ($92,338), but a small program, about 22 graduates a year, and a $37,529 cost after grants. |
| 31 | Parsons School of Design (The New School) | 239 | 69% | $64,471 | $48,163 | The most famous name in American fashion, and the third-largest fashion program by graduates. A $48,163 cost after grants pulls it down. |
| 33 | Syracuse University | 19 | 82% | $85,054 | $43,336 | Strong graduation rate and earnings (82%, $85,054), but a small program and a $43,336 cost after grants. |
| 45 | Rhode Island School of Design | 18 | 90% | $69,341 | $50,513 | Highly selective, with a 90% graduation rate. Apparel Design is a small program, about 18 graduates a year, and costs $50,513 after grants. |
| 46 | Pratt Institute | 48 | 74% | $63,115 | $48,876 | A $48,876 cost after grants and middling earnings ($63,115) outweigh its size. |
| 50 | LIM College | 112 | 47% | $69,579 | $41,549 | Teaches only the business of fashion. Graduation rate is 47% and the cost after grants is $41,549. |
| 55 | Savannah College of Art and Design | 234 | 70% | $51,635 | $50,165 | The fourth-largest fashion program by graduates, but its $50,165 cost after grants includes housing, and earnings are $51,635. |
| 56 | Kent State University | 332 | 57% | $51,178 | $20,294 | The second-largest fashion program in the country, about 332 graduates a year. Lower earnings ($51,178) and graduation (57%) pull it down. |
| 58 | Otis College of Art and Design | 32 | 62% | $70,469 | $50,943 | A $50,943 cost after grants is the main drag. |
| 85 | Columbia College Chicago | 82 | 49% | $48,427 | $36,529 | A 49% graduation rate and $48,427 earnings. |
| 91 | Academy of Art University | 90 | 34% | $44,567 | $41,747 | A 34% graduation rate, the lowest among well-known design schools, and $44,567 earnings. |
| Not ranked | School of the Art Institute of Chicago | Reports fashion graduates only at the graduate level, so its undergraduates can’t be measured the same way. | ||||
| Not ranked | NC State Wilson College of Textiles | Reports its fashion and textile design graduates under textile codes outside the fashion codes we use. | ||||
| Not ranked | Istituto Marangoni Miami | Not in federal college data, so there are no federal cost or outcome figures. | ||||
| Not ranked | Community colleges | This ranking covers bachelor’s degrees. Two-year programs, such as the Miami Fashion Institute at Miami Dade College, are compared in each state guide. | ||||
Profiles: Parsons · LIM College · Academy of Art University. Every other school is compared with its local alternatives in its state guide.
How to Use This Ranking
- You want to design clothes. Check that the program is a design degree, not merchandising. In the top 20, Indiana, Marist, Jefferson and Delaware’s design major are studio design programs; FSU, Ohio State and TCU are business-side. Our fashion design schools by state pages list every design program.
- You want the business side. Merchandising degrees at UGA, FSU, Ohio State, TCU and the large state universities lead to buying, planning and product development jobs.
- Cost matters most. In-state tuition at a public university in the top 20 usually beats a private school, even after private grants. Starting at a community college and transferring cuts the cost further.
- Your state isn’t here. Most states have at least one solid program. Find yours in our state guides.
How We Ranked
Who is included. Every US college that reported an average of at least 10 bachelor’s graduates a year in fashion design, apparel or fashion merchandising (first major, IPEDS completions for 2022-23 and 2023-24) and has graduation, earnings and cost data in College Scorecard. That gives 105 colleges. Programs that have ended are left out.
What we measured.
- Program size (30%): fashion bachelor’s graduates a year. A bigger program usually means more courses, faculty, studio space and industry ties.
- Graduation rate (25%): the share of students who finish within 150% of normal time, which is six years for a bachelor’s.
- Earnings (25%): median earnings ten years after starting college.
- Cost after grants (20%): the average yearly cost after grants and scholarships, including housing and food. Lower is better.
How scores work. For each measure, a school gets the share of the 105 colleges it equals or beats. The four shares are weighted and added, giving a score out of 100. We tested four other weightings, including all four measures equal. Each time, between 17 and 19 of these 20 schools stayed in the top 20.
Limits. Graduation rate, earnings and cost are federal figures for the whole college, not just fashion students. Cost after grants is the average for students who get federal aid. We do not measure reputation, faculty, alumni networks or portfolio quality, so visit, ask about internships and look at graduates’ work. Admission rates are shown but not scored.
Sources
- IPEDS Completions survey, U.S. Department of Education, 2022-23 and 2023-24 files.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education, retrieved November 1, 2026. Each school’s page is linked above.
- Program details and 2026-27 tuition: each school’s own website, linked in its entry.
- Full process: our methodology.