These are just my opinion after having studied Fashion Design and also a Master’s degree in Paris, France. I think my criteria also applies even if you want to go to another city or country.
For me, I would select first the place where I would study and whether I could potentially work and live there. Because, the industry is more willing to hire people who studied from the same place. I would also consider the culture and the lifestyle since I have that life outside school.
I mentioned also the following in the video below:
Accreditation
check the RNCP levels of the diploma or certificate that you will get at the end of your course. If you can ask a sample from the previous year, that would be great. It has come to my attention that not all schools are actually accredited and they are hoping foreigners would not care so much about it. This accreditation should be recognized by the government.
Reputation
Is this school known for creativity? For production? See if those are inline with your own goals. Perhaps it is also too early to tell what your career goals are. For me, I just want to go to the most popular fashion school in France.
The Program
Later on, my main consideration is the type of degree that I would get; I really want a 2 years program for a masters degree and some schools offer a shorter one. Do you want to say you finished your degree in a shortcut? Two years means 24 months for me, anything less is out of the question.
The Tuition Fee
Ok, this one I just remembered now, fashion schools are super expensive. I think my entire budget just went to the tuition fee. You have to also consider renting a place, your food and school expenses. Especially for fashion design you have to purchase a lot of fabrics and accessories. I thought it’s easy, I could just get a part-time job; Until I learned that the schedule of my classes changes each week. I think partly because the teachers are also working part-time, so they had to manage based on their schedule as well. The work is almost impossible as places expect a regular time schedule each week. Also, do not hesitate to ask for deferred payment method if you really are having difficulties; I was in the same boat and I was even a bit ashamed as most of my classmates have already paid for the entire school year and here I am just able to afford it in smaller chunks. Only to learn, that I am not the only one; Phew!
I am sharing the rest of the video here, if you have any more questions about this topic, simply ask on my social media. Thank you.