Applicants submit the online form on the course page. Every undergraduate applicant answers a seven-question questionnaire, each answer up to 500 characters, and uploads a CV with a covering letter. Fashion Design applicants add a portfolio; Fashion Business applicants write an essay on five inspirations from the fashion industry, in words and images. Every applicant is then interviewed. Fashion Design and Fashion Business run for four years, taught in English, at €18,000 a year.
- City
- Florence
- Programmes
- Fashion Design, Fashion Business and others
- Length
- 4 years
- Language
- English
- Selection
- Questionnaire, portfolio or essay, interview
- Fee
- €18,000 a year
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How the application works
- 01
The course form
Applications go through the form on the chosen course’s page. Polimoda advises using a computer or tablet and preparing documents in advance; it takes about half an hour.
- 02
CV and covering letter
The CV is uploaded with a covering letter, as a file of up to 30 MB.
- 03
The questionnaire
Seven questions, each up to 500 characters: how the fashion world is changing; an advertising campaign of your choice, naming brand and photographer; a recent collection by a well-known designer; what fashion means to you; your plans; why this course; why Polimoda.
- 04
Portfolio or essay
Design and art direction applicants upload a portfolio. Business applicants write an essay on five inspirations from the fashion industry (designers, artists and so on) in words and images.
- 05
The interview
After the application, the Orientation Office emails to arrange an interview. After a positive result the applicant pays and completes online registration.
What this means for an international applicant
The questionnaire is the part applicants most underestimate. Seven short answers show whether the applicant knows the industry: whether they can name a campaign’s photographer, read a collection, and justify a choice in a few lines. That takes months to learn, not a week before the deadline.
On academic requirements Polimoda says little: a secondary school leaving certificate or equivalent. How the status of a particular programme affects recognition of the degree and the student visa process for an applicant from an eleven-year school system is something we check, programme by programme, before applying.
What Polimoda reads in an application
The Fashion Design portfolio is an overview of previous work, not a set brief. The school publishes no scoring rubric, so the interview is decisive: the work is discussed with the applicant.
The Fashion Business essay tests fashion culture rather than management knowledge: the five inspirations have to be chosen with purpose and connected to what the applicant wants to do.
How much Polimoda costs
Fashion Design and Fashion Business: €18,000 a year, as stated on the course pages. The programmes run for four years.
Polimoda awards a number of scholarships each year, each worth several thousand euros; the terms are published in its financial aid section.
Housing in Florence, materials and insurance are extra.
Common mistakes
- Answering the questionnaire with general remarks about loving fashion instead of specific names, campaigns and collections.
- Budgeting for three years, as at most Italian schools: these programmes last four.
- Preparing the portfolio but not the interview, where the work has to be explained.
Who it suits
- An applicant who knows the industry well and is ready to discuss it in English.
- Those who prefer Florence to Milan and want four years taught in English.
- If a shorter programme and a state-recognised degree matter, compare Polimoda with NABA and IED in Milan.
How this school compares: portfolio, set tasks, interview, language and fees at 13 schools in Italy, the UK, France and the US in the EDMONT Fashion Admissions Matrix.Fashion Admissions Matrix 2027