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Best Value General Architecture Schools

2023 Best Value General Architecture Schools

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

81 Colleges
$23,692 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$49,005 Avg Salary

Finding the Best General Architecture School for You

General Architecture is the #130 most popular major in the country with 4,982 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value General Architecture Schools ranking. This report analyzed 81 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best value programs for architecture students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

Top 15% Best General Architecture Schools

Our analysis found North Dakota State University - Main Campus to be the best value school for general architecture students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Located in the city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at North Dakota State University are $14,876 a year. After completing their degree, architecture graduates from North Dakota State University carry an average student debtload of $25,000.

North Dakota State University also claimed a spot on our Best General Architecture Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.

Read full report on General Architecture at North Dakota State University - Main Campus

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$19,319 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a great value for general architecture students. Located in the large suburb of Pomona, Cal Poly Pomona is a public college with a very large student population.

Cal Poly Pomona undergraduate students pay an average of $19,319 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, architecture graduates from Cal Poly Pomona carry an average student debtload of $29,000.

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$5,545 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico - Ponce helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best general architecture schools in the United States. Located in the medium-sized city of Ponce, Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico - Ponce is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico - Ponce undergraduate students pay an average of $5,545 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, architecture graduates from Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico - Ponce carry an average student debtload of $33,750.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value General Architecture Schools list. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are $28,105 per year. While working on their degree, architecture majors at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo accumulate an average of around $25,127 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $454.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also did well on our Best General Architecture Schools list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full General Architecture at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Report

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$17,690 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Kennesaw State University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value General Architecture Schools list. KSU Georgia is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Kennesaw.

KSU Georgia undergraduate students pay an average of $17,690 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, architecture majors at KSU Georgia accumulate an average of around $37,950 in student debt.

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$20,622 Average Tuition & Fees

University of North Carolina at Charlotte landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value general architecture programs. UNC Charlotte is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Charlotte.

UNC Charlotte undergraduate students pay an average of $20,622 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, architecture majors at UNC Charlotte accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.

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North Carolina State University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value general architecture programs. NC State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Raleigh.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NC State are $29,916 per year. After completing their degree, architecture graduates from NC State carry an average student debtload of $24,250.

In addition to its great value ranking, NC State is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best General Architecture Schools list.

Full General Architecture at North Carolina State University Report

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#8

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA

With a ranking of #8, Virginia Tech did quite well on this year’s best value schools for general architecture students. Located in the small city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Virginia Tech are $33,857 per year. The average amount in student loans that architecture majors at Virginia Tech take out is $31,000. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $799, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Virginia Tech also is in the top 5% of our Best General Architecture Schools ranking.

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#9

Alfred State College

Alfred, NY
$15,937 Average Tuition & Fees

Alfred State College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value general architecture programs. Located in the town of Alfred, Alfred State is a public college with a small student population.

Alfred State undergraduate students pay an average of $15,937 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, architecture majors at Alfred State accumulate an average of around $31,000 in student debt.

Full General Architecture at Alfred State College Report

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$16,806 Average Tuition & Fees

Louisiana Tech University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for general architecture students. It came in at #10 on the list. Louisiana Tech is a fairly large public school located in the town of Ruston.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Louisiana Tech are $16,806 per year.

Full General Architecture at Louisiana Tech University Report

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The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for general architecture students. It came in at #11 on the list. UT Austin is a very large public school located in the large city of Austin.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UT Austin are $40,996 a year. On average, architecture graduates from UT Austin take out $21,000 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $266.

UT Austin also claimed a spot on our Best General Architecture Schools list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.

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#12

Mississippi State University

Mississippi State, MS
$24,900 Average Tuition & Fees

Mississippi State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Architecture Schools ranking. Located in the town of Mississippi State, Mississippi State is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Mississippi State undergraduate students pay an average of $24,900 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, architecture graduates from Mississippi State carry an average student debtload of $31,000.

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Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great value schools for General Architecture students seeking value that almost earned our Best Value General Architecture Schools award.

Rank College Location
13 Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Atlanta, GA
14 University of Houston Houston, TX
15 University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Norman, OK
16 Boston Architectural College Boston, MA

General Architecture by Region

View the Best Value General Architecture Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

General Architecture is one of 8 different types of programs to choose from.

Majors Similar to Architecture

Related Major Annual Graduates
Architectural Sciences & Technology 6,781
Urban & Regional Planning 2,419
Landscape Architecture 905
Environmental Design 741
Interior Architecture 728

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 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 the rest 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Danichou.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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