Top 10 most fashionable universities

The University of Edinburgh has been named as the best place in the UK to be a fashion student, according to a new study. Beauty experts Cosmetify conducted an analysis of the top 50 universities in the UK that offer fashion courses. The report included data from each universities’ rating from thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk , along with the average salary of students in the university city once they graduate. The number of registered fashion businesses in each university city was also recorded and added to the final ranking.

Coming in second place was Heriot-Watt University, which is also located in Edinburgh, whilst the University of Leeds was ranked in third place. This means that two of the top three most fashionable universities in the UK are Scottish.

Students at the University of Edinburgh can expect an average annual salary of £25,968 in the city after graduating. This is the same salary that graduates from Heriot-Watt University are expected to have, as both institutes are based in the same place. There are also 771 registered fashion businesses in Edinburgh, which were also calculated into the index score for both universities. The University of Edinburgh was given a second-place ranking by the Complete University Guide, whilst the Heriot-Watt University was placed sixth.

There is plenty of inspiration from the textiles and fashion industry in and around Edinburgh. The city is the birthplace of a number of labels, such as Olivia Rose The Label, Hayley Scanlan and Le Kilt. Another iconic Scottish brand is Harris Tweed, which is used by many high-end fashion brands.

Alumni from the University of Edinburgh have gone on to make waves in the fashion world. Christopher Reid, a 2020 fashion graduate, was selected as one of six emerging designers by the Graduate Fashion Foundation to feature in London’s Fashion Week Digital 2021 digital showcase. Marty Bell and Tom Welsh, co-owners of the Tens Sunglasses Brand, are also graduates from the University of Edinburgh.

Modules on a fashion and textiles course often cover topics such as fashion design, fashion journalism and fashion marketing. These combined areas help students get a well-rounded view of the industry which will help prepare them when they apply for jobs after graduating.

What are the top 10 most fashionable universities in the UK?

Third on the list of most fashionable universities is The University of Leeds, which ranked fifth-place on the Complete University Guide. Students at the university can expect to earn an average of £23,304 in the city after graduating. There are also ample opportunities to find fashion-related work in Leeds as there are 870 businesses registered in the city.

Unsurprisingly, the University of Arts in London had the highest average salary for graduates. This is largely due to the high cost of living in London. Students in the London college have an estimated annual salary of £35,496, which is the highest found in the whole survey. However, the city only has 508 registered businesses in the area, which lowered the overall ranking of the University of the Arts London to fourth place. London is known throughout the world as being a fashion capital as it hosts a number of fashion events and has been the location of many famous brands throughout fashion history.

Loughborough University also has a lower number of registered fashion businesses in the city. Only 120 fashion companies are registered in Loughborough, which is the lowest amount of any city in the survey. Despite Loughborough University having been ranked first in the Complete University Guide, the low number of fashion companies pulled the overall index score down so that the university only made it to seventh place in Cosmetify’s list.

The lowest average pay of all of the cities on the list was found in Manchester. Graduates from the city’s university are estimated to make an average of £21,672 in a year. However, there are more chances of finding an industry-based job in the city as there are 1,196 registered fashion companies in Manchester.

The Complete University Guide ranked the University of Manchester in third place, although it was the city’s low average salary that prevented the university from achieving the same top three ranking in the fashionable universities ratings.

Below is a table showing the ranking of the top 10 best fashion schools in the UK. It includes the data for their University Guide ranking, the number of fashion businesses in the university city and the average salary in each city.

Rank	University	Ranking on Complete University Guide	Number of registered fashion   businesses in the area	Average salary per area	Index Score
1	University of Edinburgh	2	771	£25,968	12
2	Heriot-Watt University	6	771	£25,968	14
3	University of Leeds	5	870	£23,304	17
4	University of the Arts London	8	508	£35,496	18
5	University of Manchester	3	1196	£21,672	23
6	University of Southampton	4	467	£22,932	24
7	Loughborough University	1	120	£23,460	25
8	Ulster University	9	966	£21,804	27
9	University of the West of England  (Bristol)	16	797	£24,480	27
10	University of Dundee	7	193	£22,668	34

Other fashion schools that made the top ten list for the most fashionable universities in the UK include Ulster University, the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) and the University of Dundee. Ulster University and UWE Bristol have a joint index score of 27, whilst the University of Dundee has the lowest index score on the list at 34.

Students in Ulster University are expected to make the second-lowest average salary of £21,804. Although UWE Bristol’s average salary is higher at £24,480, the university has fewer fashion businesses in Bristol and received a lower Complete University Guide ranking than that of Ulster University.

There are 966 fashion companies that are registered in Coleraine, Northern Ireland, where Ulster University is based. This university is the only Northern Irish institute to make the most fashionable universities list. The University of Dundee, on the other hand, is the third Scottish university found on the list, after the University of Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt University.

Graduates of the University of Dundee make an average salary of £22,668 per year. There are also around 193 registered fashion companies in the city, which gives a reasonable amount of potential job opportunities in the city. The Complete University Guide gave the University of Dundee an overall ranking of seven.

UWE Bristol was the only fashion school on the list to not be ranked in the top ten universities by the Complete University Guide. The design school was ranked in 16th place, although the Bristol-based institute was rated the 9th most fashionable university in the country.

Commenting on the study, a spokesperson from Cosmetify said: “The UK has produced some of the world’s great fashion designers, so it’s encouraging to see great opportunities out there for individuals pursuing their passion for fashion. With the top two universities in this ranking, it’s clear that Edinburgh is a fashion hotspot.”

The universities included in the list are some of the top fashion schools in the world. Industry professionals offer their expertise on fashion design in world-renowned couture classes in the hopes that the students may one day find their work on display in a fashion capital such as New York City or on the catwalk in Paris fashion week. And, as we’ve seen from some of their notable alumni, many go on to great success.