2026 Best Value Fashion Design Schools in the New England Region
[Fashion Design](/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/design-and-applied-arts/fashion-design/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong fashion design education at a price that pays off.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 6 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for fashion design students.
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2026 Best Value Fashion Design Schools in the New England Region
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the fashion design degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Fashion Design Schools
For return on investment in fashion design, no school beat University Of Massachusetts Dartmouth this year. Located in the suburb of North Dartmouth, University Of Massachusetts Dartmouth is a moderately-sized public university. Students from in state pay about $15,612 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $32,567. Fashion Design graduates carry a median of $27,000 in student loans. Fashion Design graduates of University Of Massachusetts Dartmouth earn a median of $29,660 early in their careers. Set against $27,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 91% of applicants are accepted.
Massachusetts College Of Art And Design came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best value fashion design schools. Massachusetts College Of Art And Design is a mid-sized public school located in the city of Boston. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $15,400, while out-of-state students pay about $43,400. Fashion Design graduates carry a median of $22,500 in student loans. Early-career fashion design graduates make about $24,706. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Massachusetts College Of Art And Design admits about 76% of applicants.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Lasell College earned it the #3 place for fashion design. Lasell College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Newton. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $27,040. Fashion Design graduates carry a median of $27,000 in student loans. Early-career fashion design graduates make about $29,661. That is a strong return on a $27,000 median debt. The acceptance rate is 81%.
Maine College Of Art came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the best value fashion design schools. Located in the city of Portland, Maine College Of Art is a small private not-for-profit university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $42,942. Typical student debt for fashion design graduates is $27,000. Soon after graduation, fashion design degree recipients from Maine College Of Art generally make around $29,001. Set against $27,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 76%.
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 6 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 3 ranked schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
