Costume designer education requirements

Q: What degree do you need to be a costume designer?

To be a costume designer, a bachelor's degree in costume design or fashion design is recommended. There are associate degree programs that will provide you with the basic qualifications to begin working, but holding a bachelor's degree will make it much easier for you to get hired. Along with the educational requirements for costume designers, talent and experience are crucial. Any chance to work as an intern during your studies will be extremely worthwhile. This will help you to build your portfolio and gain on-the-job experience. An apprenticeship , if available, can be helpful as well. Most costume designers will first begin working for small productions, with university or regional theaters. Then, you will want to move to Broadway or off-Broadway productions to gain more experience in a higher field. Then, after gaining experience and networking, with a bit of luck, you can transition into film and television.

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a costume designer. Costume designers usually study graphic design, theatre, or fine arts. 72% of costume designers hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 2,183 real costume designer resumes to see exactly what costume designer education sections show.

The most common colleges for costume designers are the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Fashion Institute of Technology.

There are also many online costume designer courses to help get the education required to be a costume designer.

What education do you need to become a costume designer?

What degree do you need to be a costume designer?

The most common degree for costume designers is bachelor's degree, with 72% of costume designers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 14% and associate degree degree at 8%.

Bachelor's, 72%

Associate, 14%

Master's, 8%

High School Diploma, 5%

Other Degrees, 1%

What should I major in to become a costume designer?

You should major in graphic design to become a costume designer. 29% of costume designers major in graphic design. Other common majors for a costume designer include theatre and fine arts.

Graphic Design, 29%

Theatre, 25%

Fine Arts, 10%

Specialized Sales And Merchandising, 5%

Other Majors, 31%

Most common colleges for costume designers

Costume designers often get their degrees at Fashion Institute of Technology, Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising-San Francisco, and Savannah College of Art and Design. Here are the most common colleges for costume designers in the US based on their resumes.

Costume designer common college	Percentages
Fashion Institute of Technology	18.47%
Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising-San Francisco	10.36%
Savannah College of Art and Design	9.46%
Columbia College Chicago	5.41%
American InterContinental University	4.95%

Show more common costume designer colleges

Best majors for costume designers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Graphic Design	28.8%
2	Theatre	24.9%
3	Fine Arts	9.7%
4	Specialized Sales And Merchandising	5.1%
5	Business	4.1%

Show more common costume designer majors

Best colleges for costume designers

The best colleges for costume designers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Cornell University.

A costume 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 costume 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 costume 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 costume designers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for costume designers

The most affordable schools for costume designers are Florida State University, university of florida, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for costume 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 costume 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 costume designers

The hardest universities for costume designers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Cornell University.

Some great schools for costume 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 costume 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

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

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

SAT average

1,517

5. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

6. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

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

SAT average

1,465

10. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for costume designers

The easiest schools for costume 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 a costume 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 costume 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 costume designer salary by education level

Costume designers with a Associate degree earn more than those without, at $70,267 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, costume designers earn a median annual income of $69,211 compared to $51,519 for costume designers with an High School Diploma degree.

Costume designer education level	Costume designer salary
High School Diploma or Less	$51,519
Bachelor's Degree	$69,211
Some College/ Associate Degree	$70,267

Costume designer education FAQs

What degree do you need to be a costume designer?

What is the best college for Costume Designers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common arts, entertainment, sports, and media questions.

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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