Source: Courtesy Image

Global Fashion School Rankings 2015

Central Saint Martins

London, United Kingdom

The internationally-renowned centre for arts and design education has one of the most established reputations in fashion education, scoring the highest in influence in our global survey. Fashion-related BA and MA courses range from fashion design, to communication and promotion, to journalism. Admission is extremely competitive and the international student body exceptionally diverse. Student comments identified that peer-to-peer learning was an intrinsic part of the school experience. Students ranked the school’s teaching resources highly, however, CSM performed below average in the diversity and international perspective of its curriculum, and in its provision of marketing, business and sustainability education. In addition, students said that they felt unprepared for the industry and over 40 percent said they failed to find related employment within six months of graduation at both the BA and MA level. CSM’s continuing ability to identify and nurture excellence is beyond doubt — currently, over half of London Fashion Week designers are CSM graduates, while its alumni include a number of the most influential names in fashion.

Select Year

1st

Undergraduate, Fashion Ranking 2015

Full-time fashion students

746

International students

48%

Student : Teacher ratio

29:1

Tuition: Domestic/intl

$14k/$24k

Acceptance rate

6%

6.4% for BA Fashion, 6.3% for BA Fashion Communications

Graduation Rate

99%

Courses Offered

Undergraduate:
BA (Hons) Fashion: Fashion Design with Knitwear, BA (Hons) Fashion: Fashion Design with Marketing, BA (Hons) Fashion: Fashion Design Menswear, BA (Hons) Fashion: Fashion Design Womenswear, BA (Hons) Fashion: Fashion Print, BA (Hons) Fashion Communication: Fashion History and Theory, BA (Hons) Fashion Communication: Fashion Journalism, BA (Hons) Fashion Communication: Fashion Communication and Promotion

2nd

Graduate, Fashion Ranking 2015

Full-time fashion students

99

International students

31%

Student : Teacher ratio

24:1

Tuition: Domestic/intl

$6k/$13k

Acceptance rate

8%

8.3% for MA Fashion, 25.6% for MA Fashion Communication

Graduation Rate

99%

Courses Offered

Graduate:
MA Fashion: Womenswear, MA Fashion: Menswear, MA Fashion: Textiles for Fashion, MA Fashion: Knitwear, MA Fashion Communication: Fashion Critical Studies, MA Fashion Communication: Fashion Journalism, MA Fashion Communication: Fashion Communication and Promotion, Graduate Diploma Fashion

Student & Alumni Comments

"The school system is created by the students accepted, more than the organisation around it. The students themselves had to work very independently from the teaching; hence we used each other to bounce off from. Today we keep in touch because of the “one to one” student interaction not because of anything organised by the college."

Alumni

"Everyone learns from the students, not from the teachers. Saint Martins really teaches you how to research and design a collection independently."

Alumni

"The students attending the school are incredible and teach and push each other to achieve great things. There is an incredibly creative energy in the school."

Alumni

"Saint Martins is one of the few places that can actually teach design rather than just skills."

Alumni

"The level of criticism is harsh, but the purpose is always to push students forward. The tutors get so excited watching someone pick himself up and dust himself off and that shows how much they do care."

Alumni

"Brilliant school, brilliant exposure, zero help afterwards. Based on your own intuitions to get a job, no agencies or industry links provided."

Alumni

"It's one of the most prestigious schools in the world when it comes to fashion, just that in itself opened a lot of doors for me. There is a lot of controversy around the training at Saint Martins though, like the fact that we didn't have one single technical class or business course throughout our BA. If you want to have that, you are told you can go somewhere else."

Alumni

"Brilliant experience. Tutors are of a very high calibre with relevant experience from the industry or still working within industry. Being exposed to designers, journalists and institutions while on an MA course has been invaluable, giving an insight and advice on what to expect once out of college. Tutors are very good at recognising potential and pushing students to produce their best work. Students are very talented and its inspiring to be a part of this group. The MA course feels like a bridge between the college and industry which is exactly how it should be, preparing us for the future."

Alumni

Full Undergraduate, Fashion Ranking

The Business of Fashion's global fashion school rankings aim to provide an objective assessment of the top undergraduate and graduate fashion programmes around the world.

Full Graduate, Fashion Ranking

The Business of Fashion's global fashion school rankings aim to provide an objective assessment of the top undergraduate and graduate fashion programmes around the world.