Established in 1918, the Otis College of Art and Design's fashion school is housed in the California Market Centre - a creative hub in downtown LA. The school provides a fashion education with an emphasis on innovation and technology. Among HR recruiters, the school achieved a higher employability ranking than average, and 88 percent of students believed they were prepared to enter the industry following their time at Otis. Student satisfaction with internship offerings was strong at 93 percent. Students were generally satisfied with the quality of both the teaching staff and the student body. The quality of the business and marketing courses offered has room to improve, with both receiving less that 40 percent approval rating from respondents. Sentiments around the alumni network were also poor, along with average results for the careers services available.
50th
Undergraduate, Fashion Ranking 2017
Full-time fashion students
126
International students
39%
Student : Teacher ratio
12:1
Tuition: Domestic/intl
$41k/$41k
Acceptance rate
17%
Graduation Rate
71%
Courses Offered
Undergraduate:
BFA Fashion Design; BFA Fashion Design - Costume Design (emphasis); BFA Fashion Design - Sustainability (minor)
Notable Alumni
Student & Alumni Comments
"I had a great experience at Otis. Overall it was a really good school and I felt that it covered most of what is needed to work in the industry. I would have liked to have had the opportunity to take more fashion-related business classes and entrepreneurial studies, as well as a general overview of digital pattern making/grading and domestic/overseas production practices. I learned these things on the job, but a bit of prep would have been nice."
"I entered Otis with no experience and a lack of overall skills and have seen such improvements. We have extensive reach to quality equipment that have benefitted my learning experience. Faculty illustrate what it is like to work as a fashion designer in most aspects. However, I did wish they taught us more about what it takes to start a own business rather than just on being employed by another. "
"The course was very tough and the teachers were very critical, but I think that it ultimately taught me a good work ethic and to be better prepared for the culture in the work force. "
"It's a prorgramme where all you think about is fashion. If you are unsure about your desired career path, I wouldn't recommend this programme, because it is intense and most of your free time is spent on working towards a specific goal. They push you hard, but if you're are ready to dive into the fashion design world, this is the place for you."
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.