College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best Fashion Design Schools

74 Colleges in the United States
3,103 Fashion Studies Degrees Awarded
Fashion Design is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #223 most popular degree program in the country. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

College Factual reviewed 74 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of fashion design. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 3,103 degrees in fashion design during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Fashion Design School

Best Fashion Design Schools The fashion studies program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Fashion Design rankings. For our Best Overall Fashion Design School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Fashion Design Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Fashion Studies
Bachelor's Degrees in Fashion Studies
Master's Degrees in Fashion Studies

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Fashion Design Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Fashion Design in the United States

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the fashion studies degrees they offer, see the list below. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

12 Top Schools in Fashion Studies

1
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In MO
27.3% Growth in Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in fashion design needs to check out Washington University in St Louis. WUSTL is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Saint Louis. A Best Colleges rank of #17 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means WUSTL is a great university overall.

There were roughly 11 fashion design students who graduated with this degree at WUSTL in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in fashion design from Washington University in St Louis

1
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In CA
143 Fashion Studies Degrees Awarded

Every student pursuing a degree in fashion design has to take a look at FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles. Located in the city of Los Angeles, FIDM Los Angeles is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

There were approximately 143 fashion design students who graduated with this degree at FIDM Los Angeles in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in fashion design from FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In OH
46 Fashion Studies Degrees Awarded

University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is a wonderful option for students interested in a degree in fashion design. Located in the large city of Cincinnati, UC is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 5th out of 96 colleges for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were approximately 46 fashion design students who graduated with this degree at UC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in fashion design from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In NY
39 Fashion Studies Degrees Awarded

It is hard to beat Pratt Institute - Main if you want to pursue a degree in fashion design. Pratt Institute is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Brooklyn.

There were about 39 fashion design students who graduated with this degree at Pratt Institute in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in fashion design from Pratt Institute - Main

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In NY
624 Fashion Studies Degrees Awarded

Fashion Institute of Technology is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in fashion design. FIT SUNY is a medium-sized public school located in the large city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of #85 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means FIT SUNY is a great school overall.

There were approximately 624 fashion design students who graduated with this degree at FIT SUNY in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in fashion design from Fashion Institute of Technology

5
New School University crest
The New School
New York, NY
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In NY
224 Fashion Studies Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of New York, New School University is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population. This school ranks 15th out of 142 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were roughly 224 fashion design students who graduated with this degree at New School University in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in fashion design from The New School

6
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In MI

Michigan State is a very large public university located in the small city of East Lansing. A Best Colleges rank of #74 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Michigan State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 20 fashion design students who graduated with this degree at Michigan State in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in fashion design from Michigan State University

7
Syracuse crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In NY
14.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Syracuse, Syracuse is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 12th out of 142 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were roughly 14 fashion design students who graduated with this degree at Syracuse in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in fashion design from Syracuse University

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In AZ
64 Fashion Studies Degrees Awarded

Located in the midsize city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #119 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means ASU - Tempe is a great university overall.

There were approximately 64 fashion design students who graduated with this degree at ASU - Tempe in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in fashion design from Arizona State University - Tempe

9
Drexel crest
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In PA
31 Fashion Studies Degrees Awarded

Drexel is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of #125 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Drexel is a great university overall.

There were approximately 31 fashion design students who graduated with this degree at Drexel in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in fashion design from Drexel University

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In CA
16.0% Growth in Graduates

Otis College of Art and Design is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large city of Los Angeles.

There were approximately 25 fashion design students who graduated with this degree at Otis College of Art and Design in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in fashion design from Otis College of Art and Design

11
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In GA
180 Fashion Studies Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Savannah, SCAD is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

There were about 180 fashion design students who graduated with this degree at SCAD in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in fashion design from Savannah College of Art and Design

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Fashion Design Schools award.

Rank College Location
12 Miami University - Oxford Oxford, OH
13 Columbia College Chicago Chicago, IL
14 Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH
15 University of Delaware Newark, DE
16 Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA
17 California College of the Arts San Francisco, CA
18 Massachusetts College of Art and Design Boston, MA

Fashion Design by Region

View the Best Fashion Design Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

One of 9 majors within the Design & Applied Arts area of study, Fashion Design has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Graphic Design 8,710
Interior Design 5,840
Visual Communications 5,765
Commercial & Advertising Art 3,597
Game & Interactive Media Design 2,692
Illustration 2,538
Industrial Design 1,792
Other Design & Applied Arts 1,336
Commercial Photography 928

View All Fashion Studies Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options