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2026 Best Value Costume Design Schools in the United States
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the costume design degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Costume Design Schools
Our analysis ranked Stephens College the best value for a degree in costume design in the United States. Stephens College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Columbia. Students from in state pay about $28,300 in tuition and fees. Students borrow a median of $27,000 to complete the costume design program here. Soon after graduation, costume design degree recipients from Stephens College generally make around $16,476. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 77% of applicants are accepted.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Carnegie Mellon University earned it the #2 place for costume design. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University is a large private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $65,636. Typical student debt for costume design graduates is $25,000. Early-career costume design graduates make about $21,814. Set against $25,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Carnegie Mellon University admits about 12% of applicants.
Academy Of Art University came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the best value costume design schools. Located in the city of San Francisco, Academy Of Art University is a moderately-sized private for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $30,736. Typical student debt for costume design graduates is $31,000. Early-career costume design graduates make about $36,635. Set against $31,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at California Institute Of The Arts earned it the #4 place for costume design. California Institute Of The Arts is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Valencia. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $58,996. Typical student debt for costume design graduates is $27,000. Early-career costume design graduates make about $35,156. Set against $27,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 32% of applicants are accepted.
Other Costume Design Degree Levels
Looking for a different degree level? Compare best-value Costume Design rankings across degree levels:
Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 21 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 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.
ADBLOCK #116
[Costume Design](/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/drama-and-theater-arts/costume-design/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong costume design education at a price that pays off.
