The Top 10 Costume Design Schools in the World

For generations, costume design has been about sketching silhouettes and hunting down the perfect vintage piece. Today’s designers are expected to be historians, storytellers, psychologists and, increasingly, technologists. As Oscar winner Ruth E. Carter has observed, costume design is “research, character development … a little bit of everything.”

“Everything” now includes digital rendering, virtual production and AI-assisted visualization. The strongest costume design schools, however, are embracing new technology without losing sight of the fundamentals of craftsmanship. Students still need to understand period research, fabric construction and, above all, how clothing reveals character.

To compile its annual list of the world’s top 10 costume design schools, The Hollywood Reporter consulted designers, educators and industry leaders, evaluating curriculum, faculty, facilities, industry connections, alumni success and career preparation. This year’s programs stand out not because they’ve abandoned tradition; instead, they discovered smart ways to build on it.

CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF THE ARTS (CALARTS)

VALENCIA, CALIFORNIA

Walt Disney envisioned CalArts as a place where artists in different disciplines could collaborate, and nearly six decades later, that spirit still defines the school. Its roots date to the Chouinard Art Institute, whose alumni included Edith Head and Bob Mackie — a formidable costume heritage.

Today, students are as likely to find themselves designing for a video game or theme park attraction as for a film or stage. CalArts has responded by putting greater emphasis on the skills required, from advanced construction, patternmaking and millinery to wig making and fabric manipulation. Digital tools are part of the mix, but not at the expense of knowing how to draw, paint, cut, drape and build a costume by hand. “Finding the exciting space between the digital and the analog to create groundbreaking work is where the magic happens,” says director of design and production Ellen McCartney. CalArts’ long-standing ties to Disney, Universal and other studios also open doors beyond the soundstage, particularly in themed entertainment and experiential design.

TUITION BFA and MFA $62,954 each

ALUMNI Bob Mackie, Edith Head, Durinda Wood (A Mighty Wind), Barbara Inglehart (Animal Kingdom)

CARNEGIE MELLON

PITTSBURGH

Carnegie Mellon’s costume design program is grounded in conservatory training, but students also work beyond the stage in film and television. The perimeters of costume design get further broadened at the university’s Entertainment Technology Center and School of Art, with its courses on gaming, immersive media and new forms of performance.

For all its interest in technology, the program is not interested in shortcuts. “Costume design is about the human condition,” says professor Bessie F. Anathan. Adds professor Susan Tsu, “No machine can ever feel the anxieties and drives that human beings do.” Students aptly study clothing and construction but also philosophy, psychology, history and culture — all the forces that help explain characters and their arcs. Proof of concept: This year, 2009 costume design alum Ryan Park earned a Tony nomination for The Lost Boys.

TUITION BFA $69,702; MFA $38,496

ALUMNI Ann Roth (Barbie), Daniel Orlandi (Borderlands), Terry Ann Gordon (president of the Costume Designers Guild 892), Molly McGinnis (As Good as It Gets). In 2026, the school’s alumni earned a record-breaking 15 Tony nominations across eight categories.

DAVID GEFFEN SCHOOL OF DRAMA AT YALE

NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT

The program’s close relationship with Yale Repertory Theatre gives students the opportunity to carry their ideas from the design studio into rehearsal and performance. By designing for fully staged productions, they learn how a costume works on an actor, responds to movement and reads under stage lighting. Yale’s libraries, museums and academic departments provide rich resources for researching the history, art and culture of the worlds that filmmakers are creating.

Yale begins with costume design as storytelling. Led by professors Oana Botez and Toni-Leslie James, the David Geffen School’s three-year MFA program is built around collaboration, with students working closely with directors, actors, playwrights, dramaturges and fellow designers. Here, creating a costume is never a solo endeavor.

There is also a considerable financial advantage. Since David Geffen’s $150 million gift in 2021, tuition has been free for every admitted MFA student, allowing graduates to enter the profession without the shadow of post-grad debt. And another bonus? Broadway is just a train ride away from the collegiate surrounds of New Haven.

TUITION Tuition-free upon acceptance

ALUMNI Tony winners Linda Cho (The Great Gatsby), Montana Levi Blanco (The Skin of Our Teeth), Dede Ayite (Buena Vista Social Club), Catherine Zuber (The Light in the Piazza, South Pacific), Jess Goldstein (The Merchant of Venice) and Susan Hilferty (Wicked)

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DRAMATIC ART (NIDA)

SYDNEY

Studying costume design Down Under comes with an impressive legacy. Australia has launched the careers of celebrated costume designers including four-time Oscar winner and NIDA alum Catherine Martin (Moulin Rouge!, The Great Gatsby) and Edie Kurzer (Picnic at Hanging Rock).

NIDA’s costume training is built around two complementary bachelor of fine arts degrees that bring designers and makers together throughout the three-year program. Design students study costume and set design for stage and screen, developing skills in script analysis, visual storytelling, production processes and digital rendering. Their ideas are brought to life by students in the costume program who train in patternmaking, tailoring, corsetry, millinery, leatherwork, costume cutting and art finishing.

With only eight students admitted annually to design and six to costume, both programs offer highly personalized, studio-based instruction. During the final-year production season, design students see their work realized, while costume students supervise teams and pursue independent research in historical dress, construction or specialist techniques.

Even as NIDA embraces AI, virtual production and other new technologies, course leader Bob Cousins says, “Costume design is an act of empathy. As technology and AI rapidly reshape the industry, curiosity and empathy will remain the most important prerequisites for future costume designers and makers.”

TUITION $18,960 AUD per year (domestic) and $41,880 AUD per year (international)

ALUMNI Nicole Vella (costume maker on Barbie, The Little Mermaid and Batman), Deborah Riley (Game of Thrones), Gypsy Taylor (winner of the Catherine Martin Costume Design Award)

NYU TISCH SCHOOL OF THE ARTS

NEW YORK

As costume designers move into gaming, virtual production, character design and live events, NYU Tisch is widening the scope of its Department of Design for Stage and Film, even as theater and dance remain central to the program. Students use spreadsheets for budgets and costume breakdowns, along with Procreate and Photoshop to develop and present their ideas, but the work begins with the script, text analysis, research and construction. “With a solid foundation in narrative world-building through the medium of clothing,” says head of costume design Constance Hoffman, “our students emerge from our program as individual artists. In three years, they learn how to research and navigate anything they are curious about — their curiosity and drive are the most essential tools for their success.”

Two new theaters and expanded studio space give students more room to put those ideas into practice. And in New York City, Broadway, film and television productions, working designers and a far-reaching alumni network are close at hand.

TUITION MFA $82,902

ALUMNI Paul Tazewell (Wicked), Qween Jean (Cats: The Jellicle Ball), Brenda Abbandandolo (Good Night, and Good Luck), Clint Ramos (Maybe Happy Ending)

SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN (SCAD)

ATLANTA AND SAVANNAH, GEORGIA

With campuses in Savannah and Atlanta and the country’s largest university studio complex, SCAD gives costume design students the chance to work on productions while they are still in school with its Professional Production Placement program. They may design for theater, sitcoms, films and international projects, then move into electives in gaming character design, 3D printing or laser cutting. They leave with credits, contacts and a clearer understanding of how a costume department actually works.

“The biggest change has been the expansion in the volume, variety and pace of entertainment production,” says Andra Reeve-Rabb, dean of the School of Film and Acting. “The streaming boom created demand for costume professionals who can move fluidly among feature films, episodic television, commercials, live events, immersive experiences and virtual production, often while working within increasingly complex visual worlds.”

To meet those demands, students learn digital visualization, sourcing, budgeting, wardrobe supervision and production management.

The popular SCAD Savannah Film Festival, SCAD TVfest and master classes with designers including Holly Waddington, Sandy Powell, Janie Bryant and Trish Summerville are an enviable roster for any student hoping to enter the field.

TUITION BFA $42,975; MFA $43,965

ALUMNI Jo Hepburn (Pain Hustlers), Lauren Driskill (Will Trent), Anna Tringali (Luckiest Girl Alive), Kashish Chopra (The Survivor)

UCLA SCHOOL OF THEATER, FILM AND TELEVISION

LOS ANGELES

Few costume design programs can match UCLA’s combination of interdisciplinary training and direct contact with the designers shaping the industry. From its Westwood campus, just minutes from studios and production houses, the School of Theater, Film and Television brings all mediums, including digital media, together under one roof.

Led by founding director of the David C. Copley Center for the Study of Costume Design Deborah Nadoolman Landis and head of costume design Chrisi Karvonides-Dushenko, the program grounds students in costume history, cultural research, illustration, construction, textiles and material craftsmanship while expanding its training in digital rendering, 3D modeling, costume fabrication and 3D-printed accessories.

Students can design for Opera UCLA; collaborate with filmmakers, performers, directors and cinematographers; and pursue internships with such companies as Disney Live Entertainment. The Copley Center’s annual “Sketch to Screen” panel brings Oscar nominees for costume design to campus on the eve of the awards show, giving students rare insight into their process. The school’s Design Showcase West introduces graduating MFA students to industry pros, including members of the Costume Designers Guild, while the designer-in-residence program has welcomed such talents as Deborah L. Scott and Jacqueline West.

New and expanded courses include the history of couture, Black American fashion and Global Threads, an exploration of traditional and contemporary dress from cultures around the world. Together with museum and library collaborations, UCLA’s proximity to Hollywood and its emphasis on both craftsmanship and emerging tech give students an unusually wide view of where costume design has been — and where it is going.

TUITION B.A. $20,315 in-state, $59,585 out-of-state; MFA approximately $33,770 in-state, $48,872 out-of-state

ALUMNI Allison Agler (Ryan Murphy’s The Shards), Maddison Carroll (upcoming Hulu series The Land), Lauren Cucarola (assistant designer on The Pitt), Ally McGreevy (Fallout)

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA SCHOOL OF THE ARTS (UNCSA)

WINSTON-SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA

Housed within UNCSA’s School of Design and Production — a stand-alone conservatory dedicated to the performing arts and entertainment industries — the costume design and technology programs offer an immersive, production-based education. Working alongside peers in drama, dance, music and filmmaking, students contribute to fully realized productions while developing artistic and technical skills required for careers in theater, film, television, opera and themed entertainment — all to “remain competitive in the modern age,” says Michael Sharpe, associate professor of costume design. Notable alumni include two-time Tony-winning costume designer Paul  Tazewell.

TUITION BFA$6,497 in-state, $24,231 out-of-state; MFA $9,696 in-state, $24,300 out-of-state

ALUMNI Paul Tazewell (Wicked), Tricia Barsamian (Sirens), Kristen Mendez (The Gilded Age), Andja Budincich (Disclosure Day)

USC

LOS ANGELES

Few schools are better positioned to connect students with the industry than USC. Located minutes from the Los Angeles Fashion District, major studios and costume houses, the undergraduate-only program uses the city as an extension of the classroom. Alongside a rigorous foundation in draping, tailoring, construction and costume crafts, students learn industry-standard software, sustainable design practices and emerging technologies, including AI and digital prototyping, while developing artistic judgment that technology can’t replace.

USC also is redefining what a costume design career can look like. While graduates continue to pursue film, television and theater, faculty increasingly prepares students for opportunities in themed entertainment, immersive experiences, live events, fashion and virtual production. A fashion minor created with USC’s art and business schools gives students an even broader view of the industry.

Students recently designed costumes for the Trojan Marching Band’s Wicked-inspired halftime spectacular, gaining experience in costume design, music, choreography and live performance before a stadium audience. Visits from leading creatives, including designer Jonathan Anderson, and campus programs exploring fashion, identity and culture further reflect USC’s philosophy that tomorrow’s costume designers must be as intellectually curious and adaptable as they are artistically talented.

TUITION BFA $75,384

ALUMNI Megan Guthrie-Wedemeyer (Emmy nominee for 1923), Sara Fox (The Mandalorian, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series)

WIMBLEDON COLLEGE OF ARTS (UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS LONDON)

LONDON

Few places are more closely associated with period costume than England, where centuries of dress history, museum collections and a thriving film and theater industry provide an unusually rich training ground. Part of the University of the Arts London, Wimbledon College of Arts has built an international reputation for producing designers who are as comfortable researching an 18th century gown as they are working with today’s digital tools. The college has expanded its studios and production facilities in recent years, but the emphasis on the fundamentals of great costume design continues. “To remain competitive over the next decade, students need to develop the one thing technology cannot replicate: their own creativity, perspective and individuality,” says course leader Natalia Stewart.

Students collaborate with institutions including Hogarth’s House, the National Trust’s Nymans estate and London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. This year, Wimbledon also will host the U.K. Costume Symposium, bringing together designers, scholars and students to discuss the future of costume design.

TUITION B.A. (Hons) Costume for Theatre and Screen is 9,790 pounds and 30,890 pounds for international students

ALUMNI Jenny Beavan (Mad Max: Fury Road, Cruella), Caroline McCall (House of the Dragon), Tom Pye (Gentleman Jack)

This story appeared in the Sept. 9 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.