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Fashion buyer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a fashion buyer. Fashion buyers usually study specialized sales and merchandising, graphic design, or business. 71% of fashion buyers hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 258 real fashion buyer resumes to see exactly what fashion buyer education sections show.
The most common colleges for fashion buyers are the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Fashion Institute of Technology.
There are also many online fashion buyer courses to help get the education required to be a fashion buyer.
What education do you need to become a fashion buyer?
What degree do you need to be a fashion buyer?
- Bachelor's, 71%
- Associate, 20%
- High School Diploma, 4%
- Master's, 3%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a fashion buyer?
- Graphic Design, 15%
- Business, 13%
- Marketing, 13%
- Other Majors, 39%
Most common colleges for fashion buyers
| Fashion buyer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Fashion Institute of Technology | 17.39% |
| Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising-San Francisco | 8.70% |
| Boston University | 6.52% |
| University of California - Davis | 6.52% |
| Arizona State University | 4.35% |
Best majors for fashion buyers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Specialized Sales And Merchandising | 20.0% |
| 2 | Graphic Design | 14.7% |
| 3 | Business | 13.3% |
| 4 | Marketing | 12.7% |
| 5 | Fine Arts | 4.7% |
Best colleges for fashion buyers
The best colleges for fashion buyers are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Boston University.
A fashion buyer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for fashion buyers. 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 fashion buyers.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
3. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
4. University of Akron
Akron, OH • Private
In-state tuition
$11,463
Enrollment
13,676
5. Ball State University
Muncie, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,896
Enrollment
15,529
6. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
7. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
8. Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$5,740
Enrollment
7,938
9. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
10. University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI • Private
In-state tuition
$10,555
Enrollment
30,360
20 best online courses for fashion buyers
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Top 10 most affordable universities for fashion buyers
The most affordable schools for fashion buyers are SUNY Farmingdale, fashion institute of technology, and baruch college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for fashion buyers 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 fashion buyers.
1. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
2. Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$5,740
Cost of attendance
17,864
3. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
4. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
5. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
6. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
7. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
8. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Cost of attendance
16,915
9. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
10. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for fashion buyers
The hardest universities for fashion buyers to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Boston University.
Some great schools for fashion buyers 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 fashion buyers 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. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
4. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
5. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
6. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
8. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
9. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
Admissions rate
39%
SAT average
1,367
10. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,338
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for fashion buyers
The easiest schools for fashion buyers to get into are University of the Incarnate Word, oklahoma wesleyan university, and mount saint mary's university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a fashion buyer 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 fashion buyers.
1. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
3. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
4. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
5. Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,059
6. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
7. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
8. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
9. Ursuline College
Pepper Pike, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,102
10. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
Average fashion buyer salary by education level
| Fashion buyer education level | Fashion buyer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $62,103 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $53,155 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $61,872 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $53,268 |
Fashion buyer education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025