The Academy of Art University is based in the South of Market district of San Francisco, an artistic borough with many of the city's galleries, theatres and cultural attractions, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The fashion programme includes a variety of courses across fashion, costume, knitwear and textile design and has a strong reputation for resources including the workrooms, campus and technology - all scored above 80 percent for student satisfaction in our survey. Impressively, 96 percent of students were satisfied with the quality of technical skills teaching they received. However, areas for improvement include the availability of financial aid, with only 38 percent of BA students satisfied, which is low compared to other US schools in our survey. MA students scored business and marketing courses at 45 percent satisfaction rates, however, despite low scoring career services, the school has above average scores in graduate employment and recruiter sentiment.
18th
Undergraduate, Fashion Ranking 2017
Full-time fashion students
919
International students
37%
Student : Teacher ratio
12:1
Tuition: Domestic/intl
$21k/$21k
Acceptance rate
49%
Graduation Rate
43%
Courses Offered
Undergraduate:
Fashion Design; Textile Design, Knitwear Design; Fashion Journalism; Fashion Styling, Costume Design; Product Development; Fashion Merchandising; Visual Merchandising, Fashion Marketing
26th
Graduate, Fashion Ranking 2017
Full-time fashion students
343
International students
53%
Student : Teacher ratio
15:1
Tuition: Domestic/intl
$18k/$18k
Acceptance rate
74%
Graduation Rate
69%
Courses Offered
Graduate:
Fashion Design; Textile Design; Knitwear Design; Fashion Journalism; Costume Design; Product Development
Notable Alumni
Student & Alumni Comments
"The overall experience at the AAU was great. Really allowed me to develop my creative skills as a designer. Faculty was very supportive and went over-and-abov to provide a nurturing and friendly environment that made my four years in the fashion programme memorable. "
"I believe I have grown a lot over the course of my degree. I've had the opportunity to learn from teachers who have great deal of experience in the industry, not only that, being part of such a diverse class, both culturally and skill-wise, was a very good influence on my designs, ideas and visions."
"The classes were very challenging and the teachers had a lot of industry experience and were helpful in preparing me for my career. The school also encourages us to take electives that may not necessarily be related to our major but help us in broadening our portfolios and challenge us to apply new skills to our design process."
"I had a great and professional experience. The only downfall was the location in California. A lot of what I learned seemed dated once I got to NYC and into the industry."
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.