Product and industrial design schools
Schools that list industrial, product or object design programmes, with each one’s published portfolio, English, tuition and deadline.
11 schoolsUnited States · Australia · Japan · France · United Kingdom · ItalyNot a ranking
What to compare between product and industrial design schools
Product design applicants are usually asked for sketching, prototypes and evidence of making.
Some programmes sit close to engineering, others to craft or fine art. The department name signals which.
Bachelor degrees may be BA, BDes, BFA or BSc depending on the school.
The schools
11 entries, ordered by search demand
| School | Degrees | Portfolio (key points) | International tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island School of DesignProvidence, United States | BFA, BArch; MFA, MA, MArch, MDes, MAT, MS | Submit 12-20 recent works via SlideRoom, accessed after the Common Application; direct-observation drawing/sketching is recommended; up to 3 research or preparatory sheets may be included… | USD66,460/year (2026-27 academic year); same tuition for international and domestic students. Also an… |
| Savannah College of Art and DesignSavannah, GA / Atlanta, GA, United States | BFA / BA / B.Des (among others); MA / MFA / MDes (among others) | A portfolio is not required for undergraduate admission; however, submission is strongly recommended to compete for achievement scholarships. Portfolios are submitted via SlideRoom and must… | 2026–27 undergraduate full-time tuition: annual tuition $42,975 ($14,325 per quarter, 3 courses per quarter… |
| School of Art & Design, UNSW SydneySydney, Australia | Bachelor of Fine Arts (Program 4830) / Bachelor of Design (Program 4825); Master of… | UNSW Portfolio Entry Early Conditional Offer Scheme: for domestic Australian students only. Category A degrees (including Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Design) require a cover letter… | Bachelor of Design 2026 indicative: full first-year fee AU$49,500, complete-degree fee AU$158,000; Bachelor… |
| Musashino Art UniversityTokyo, Japan | BFA (Faculty of Fine Arts / Faculty of Design); MFA (Master's programme) / MA | Special selection for international students: the Departments of Japanese Painting, Oil Painting (Painting course / Graphic Arts course) and Sculpture must submit a portfolio (A4-size… | For 2027 entrants: admission fee 260,000 yen; annual tuition 1,270,000 yen (635,000 x 2 terms); those with… |
| Tama Art UniversityTokyo, Japan | BFA (Faculty of Fine Arts); MFA (pre-doctoral course) | The international-student selection requires submission of work / portfolio, varying by discipline: Japanese Painting (about one work of around 50-gou, submitted on interview day)… | 2027 academic year tuition: admission fee ¥230,000; annual tuition ¥1,247,000; facility fee ¥350,000… |
| École nationale supérieure des Arts DécoratifsParis, France | Licence (first year of the Licence, first cycle); Master (Diplôme de l'ENSAD, 4th year /… | First year: anonymous digital application comprising (1) a 'création réalisée à domicile' PDF of up to 5 pages (20 MB) plus optional 1-minute audio / video (50 MB); (2) a personal-works… | €458 per year (2025-2026) plus CVEC €105; the same for all nationalities. CROUS scholarship holders are… |
| Royal College of ArtLondon, United Kingdom | MA / MFA / MArch / MRes / MPhil/PhD | Digital portfolio, specific to the programme applied for. General guidance: School of Communication & Design (incl. Architecture, Communication, Design) should include both finished… | £39,250 (Overseas and EU) for Service Design MA, September 2027 entry (representative; varies by programme).… |
| School of the Art Institute of ChicagoChicago, United States | BFA, BA; MFA, MA, MArch, MDes, MS, Low-Residency MFA | Submit 10–15 best and recent works, uploaded via SlideRoom within the Common Application; no media restrictions, no set topic; images .jpg/.gif/.png (72 dpi, no side exceeding 600 px)… | $59,460/year (30 credits), 2026–27 academic year; $1,982 per credit. Also includes technology fee… |
| ArtCenter College of DesignPasadena, CA, United States | BFA / BS; MFA / MS / MDes | Portfolio must be specific to the applied major. Requirements vary by major, e.g.: Entertainment Design (Concept) requires a 20–25 page portfolio; Fine Art requires 15–20 works; Graphic… | Full Time Undergraduate Tuition (per term): $28,681 (Fall 2026 through Summer 2027 academic year); plus… |
| Politecnico di Milano – School of DesignMilan, Italy | Laurea (equivalent to Bachelor of Science); Laurea Magistrale (equivalent to Master of… | Undergraduate design programmes admit via the TOLD entrance examination (Test del Design); no portfolio is required, and admission is based on the entrance exam result. | Non-EU students not holding a scholarship (highest band) pay €3,943.04 per year (2026/27 academic year, 46–74… |
| RMIT University - School of Art / School of DesignMelbourne, Australia | Bachelor of Fine Arts (BP201, School of Art) / Bachelor of Design (e.g. BP203 Animation… | Bachelor of Fine Arts selection task: two applicant statements (each up to 100 words) plus choosing 1–3 majors and stating the first-preference reason (up to 100 words) plus creative works… | Bachelor of Fine Arts 2027 tuition AU$43,200/year; Bachelor of Design (Animation and Interactive Media) 2027… |
Requirements are summarised from each school’s admissions pages, usually for the undergraduate route where one exists; the school page has both levels in full with sources. Master’s routes are compared on Masters programmes.
Which are the best product and industrial design schools?
There is no single best school for product and industrial design; this page does not rank. It lists the 11 catalogued schools whose own websites name product and industrial design among their programmes, with what each officially asks for, so you can judge fit by portfolio, language, cost and deadline.
Do product and industrial design schools require a portfolio?
Most of the schools listed here ask for one, but the format, size and upload platform differ. Some, such as programmes that select by entrance exam, do not. The portfolio column below is taken from each school’s admissions page.
Which product and industrial design school fits your work?
Tell Yixiaoliu what you make, your English scores and budget; it will weigh the schools above against them and point you to each official page.
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