The Best Universities to Study Fashion

Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), a higher education data platform, has released its annual ranking of the best universities in the world. In the field of art and design, the Royal College of Art in London takes first place.

The QS World University Rankings 2023 include a total of 1,594 institutions, including 103 new ones. The rankings are constructed based on five indicators: academic reputation, reputation with employers, publication dates, H-index – a means of measuring the productivity and influence of a professor or an academic department – ​​and international research network – the ability of institutions to diversify the geography of their international research network through partnerships.

In the field of art and design, the English capital takes first place with two institutions: the Royal College of Art and the University of the Arts London (UAL). Both universities offer specializations in fashion. UAL ranks second in the QS World University Rankings for the second year in a row.

The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) is the third best university for art and design. Founded in 1877, this US university is one of the oldest in the country. Their range of training includes, among other things, a BFA in Apple design.

Fourth place is taken by another US university: The New School. This organization brings together several faculties, including the Parsons School of Design in New York.

European fashion universities in the rankings

The École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs (ENSAD) is the first French school of fashion and art to be included in the ranking. The Parisian institution ranks 37th, while 40th place is also occupied by a French institution offering a degree in fashion design. The École Nationale Supérieure de Création Industrielle, ENSCI Les Ateliers, has a degree in Textile Design. The university is known for its innovative approach to design education, which is based on “its innovative approach to design education based on diversity in student profiles, individual programs and project work and project-based learning,” according to the school’s description.

Also of note is the Savannah College of Art and Design, an American art and fashion school that has a branch in France’s Luberon Valley. She ranks 16th.

Aalto University in Finland ranks sixth. In recent years, the university has attracted attention mainly through the participation of its graduates in the International Festival of Fashion, Photography and Fashion Accessories in Hyères. Some of them have already won awards at the festival, including Sofia Ilomen, winner of the Mercedes-Benz Eco Collection 2021 award. Design Academy Eindhoven is also in the top 10.

In Germany, three universities made it into the ranking in the field of ‘Art & Design’, namely the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK) in 31st place, the Bauhaus University Weimar made it into the top 100 and the Technical University of Berlin is in 158th place at least still among the top 200 worldwide.