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Apparel designer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an apparel designer. Apparel designers usually study graphic design, specialized sales and merchandising, or fine arts. 66% of apparel designers hold a bachelor's degree, and 23% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 751 real apparel designer resumes to see exactly what apparel designer education sections show.
The most common colleges for apparel designers are the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Fashion Institute of Technology.
There are also many online apparel designer courses to help get the education required to be an apparel designer.
What education do you need to become an apparel designer?
What degree do you need to be an apparel designer?
- Bachelor's, 66%
- Associate, 23%
- Master's, 4%
- High School Diploma, 3%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become an apparel designer?
- Graphic Design, 59%
- Fine Arts, 6%
- Business, 5%
- Other Majors, 23%
Most common colleges for apparel designers
| Apparel designer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Fashion Institute of Technology | 20.74% |
| Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising-San Francisco | 10.37% |
| The Art Institute of Portland | 9.63% |
| New York School of Interior Design | 5.93% |
| FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising | 5.93% |
Best majors for apparel designers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Graphic Design | 58.9% |
| 2 | Specialized Sales And Merchandising | 6.7% |
| 3 | Fine Arts | 6.0% |
| 4 | Business | 5.0% |
| 5 | Apparel And Textiles | 4.8% |
Best colleges for apparel designers
The best colleges for apparel designers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Cornell University.
An apparel designer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for apparel designers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become apparel designers.
1. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
2. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
3. University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI • Private
In-state tuition
$10,555
Enrollment
30,360
4. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Enrollment
32,072
5. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
6. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
7. University of California - Davis
Davis, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,402
Enrollment
30,698
8. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
9. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
10. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Enrollment
33,495
20 best online courses for apparel designers
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Top 10 most affordable universities for apparel designers
The most affordable schools for apparel designers are Florida State University, university of florida, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for apparel designers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for apparel designers.
1. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
2. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Pomona, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,353
Cost of attendance
21,302
6. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
7. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
8. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
9. Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$5,740
Cost of attendance
17,864
10. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Cost of attendance
25,275
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for apparel designers
The hardest universities for apparel designers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Cornell University.
Some great schools for apparel designers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for apparel designers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
4. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,517
5. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
6. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
7. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
8. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
9. Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, PA • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,465
10. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for apparel designers
The easiest schools for apparel designers to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, mount saint mary's university, and wayland baptist university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an apparel designer without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for apparel designers.
1. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
2. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
3. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
4. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
5. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
6. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
7. Centenary University
Hackettstown, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
67%
SAT average
987
8. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
9. Rochester University
Rochester Hills, MI • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,002
10. Clarke University
Dubuque, IA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
1,058
Average apparel designer salary by education level
| Apparel designer education level | Apparel designer salary |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or Less | $61,961 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $85,078 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $86,472 |
Apparel designer education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025