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2023 Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools

112 Colleges
$49,602 Avg Salary
$25,146 Avg Student Debt

In 2020-2021, 17,325 people earned a degree or certificate in architecture and related services, making the major the #29 most popular in the United States.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

The Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 112 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

The following schools top our list of the Best Architecture & Related Services Colleges.

#1

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN

Our 2023 rankings named University of Notre Dame the best school in the United States for architecture and related services students. Located in the large suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

On average, architecture and related services graduates from Notre Dame take out $24,500 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Architecture & Related Services at University of Notre Dame Report

Out of the 112 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Massachusetts Institute of Technology landed the # 2 spot on the list. MIT is a large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Cambridge.

Full Architecture & Related Services at Massachusetts Institute of Technology Report

#3

Yale University

New Haven, CT

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Yale University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools list. Located in the city of New Haven, Yale is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

Full Architecture & Related Services at Yale University Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools list. Georgia Tech is a very large public school located in the large city of Atlanta.

While working on their degree, architecture and related services majors at Georgia Tech accumulate an average of around $30,750 in student debt.

Read full report on Architecture & Related Services at Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus

#5

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Tech. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools list. Virginia Tech is a very large public school located in the small city of Blacksburg.

Architecture & Related Services majors at Virginia Tech take out an average of $31,000 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $799.

Read More…

#6

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA

Harvard University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best architecture and related services programs. Located in the midsize city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

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University of California - Berkeley landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best architecture and related services programs. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that architecture and related services majors at UC Berkeley take out is $15,000.

Read full report on Architecture & Related Services at University of California - Berkeley

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools ranking. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Architecture & Related Services majors at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo take out an average of $20,187 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $454.

Full Architecture & Related Services at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Report

Newschool of Architecture and Design came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools ranking. Newschool of Architecture and Design is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of San Diego.

On average, architecture and related services graduates from Newschool of Architecture and Design take out $39,668 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Architecture & Related Services at Newschool of Architecture and Design

#10

New York University

New York, NY

New York University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools list. Located in the city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

Full Architecture & Related Services at New York University Report

#11

Rice University

Houston, TX

Rice University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Houston, Rice is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

Read full report on Architecture & Related Services at Rice University

North Carolina State University landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best architecture and related services programs. Located in the large city of Raleigh, NC State is a public school with a fairly large student population.

On average, architecture and related services graduates from NC State take out $22,875 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#13

Drexel University

Philadelphia, PA

Drexel University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for architecture and related services students. It came in at #13 on the list. Drexel is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.

On average, architecture and related services graduates from Drexel take out $31,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Architecture & Related Services at Drexel University Report

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools ranking. RPI is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Troy.

The average amount in student loans that architecture and related services majors at RPI take out is $31,000.

Read full report on Architecture & Related Services at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

With a ranking of #15, The University of Texas at Austin did quite well on this year’s best schools for architecture and related services students. Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public school with a very large student population.

Architecture & Related Services majors at UT Austin take out an average of $21,000 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $266.

Read More…

University of Southern California came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools ranking. USC is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

On average, architecture and related services graduates from USC take out $21,750 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $551.

Full Architecture & Related Services at University of Southern California Report

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Architecture/Urban Planning students that almost earned our Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools award.

Rank College Location
17 University of Virginia - Main Campus Charlottesville, VA
18 University of Miami Coral Gables, FL
19 University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD
20 Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY
21 University of Washington - Seattle Campus Seattle, WA
22 Auburn University Auburn, AL

View the Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools for a specific region near you.

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

Major Annual Graduates
Architectural Sciences & Technology 6,781
General Architecture 4,982
Urban & Regional Planning 2,419
Landscape Architecture 905
Environmental Design 741
Interior Architecture 728
Real Estate Development 420
Architecture (Other) 202
Architectural History 147

Related Major Annual Graduates
Computer & Information Sciences 254,454
Engineering 198,468
Biological & Biomedical Sciences 177,778
Engineering Technologies 85,188
Mathematics & Statistics 52,396

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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 Lorenzo Cafaro.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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