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2023 Best Value Architecture/Urban Planning Schools

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

112 Colleges
$27,906 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$49,602 Avg Salary

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.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Architecture/Urban Planning Schools ranking. This report analyzed 112 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best value programs for architecture and related services students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

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

Our analysis found North Dakota State University - Main Campus to be the best value school for architecture and related services students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. North Dakota State University is a large public school located in the midsize city of Fargo.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at North Dakota State University are $14,876 a year. On average, architecture and related services graduates from North Dakota State University take out $25,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

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

Read full report on Architecture & Related Services at North Dakota State University - Main Campus

$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 architecture and related services students. Cal Poly Pomona is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Pomona.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal Poly Pomona are $19,319 per year. After completing their degree, architecture and related services graduates from Cal Poly Pomona carry an average student debtload of $22,750.

Full Architecture & Related Services at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Report

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is a great value for architecture and related services students. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo undergraduate students pay an average of $28,105 in tuition and fees each year. 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.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also claimed a spot on our Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.

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

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas at Austin. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Architecture/Urban Planning Schools list. Located in the city of Austin, UT Austin is a public college with a very large student population.

UT Austin undergraduate students pay an average of $40,996 in tuition and fees each year. 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.

In addition to its great value ranking, UT Austin is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools list.

Read full report on Architecture & Related Services at The University of Texas at Austin

$20,622 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Architecture/Urban Planning Schools list. Located in the city of Charlotte, UNC Charlotte is a public school with a fairly large student population.

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

Read full report on Architecture & Related Services at University of North Carolina at Charlotte

With a ranking of #6, Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s best value schools for architecture and related services students. Georgia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Atlanta.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Georgia Tech are $33,964 per year. While working on their degree, architecture and related services majors at Georgia Tech accumulate an average of around $30,750 in student debt.

Georgia Tech also claimed a spot on our Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools list. It’s in the top 1% of all schools in this category.

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

$29,427 Average Tuition & Fees

Newschool of Architecture and Design landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value architecture and related services programs. Newschool of Architecture and Design is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of San Diego.

Newschool of Architecture and Design undergraduate students pay an average of $29,427 in tuition and fees each year. 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

#8

Mississippi State University

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

With a ranking of #8, Mississippi State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for architecture and related services students. Mississippi State is a fairly large public school located in the town of Mississippi State.

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

Full Architecture & Related Services at Mississippi State University Report

North Carolina State University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value architecture and related services programs. Located in the large city of Raleigh, NC State is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NC State are $29,916 per year. On average, architecture and related services graduates from NC State take out $22,875 in student loans while working on their degree.

NC State also claimed a spot on our Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

Read full report on Architecture & Related Services at North Carolina State University

#10

University of Houston

Houston, TX
$21,891 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #10, University of Houston did quite well on this year’s best value schools for architecture and related services students. UH is a fairly large public school located in the city of Houston.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UH are $21,891 per year. After completing their degree, architecture and related services graduates from UH carry an average student debtload of $27,226.

Full Architecture & Related Services at University of Houston Report

Oklahoma State University - Main Campus ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Architecture/Urban Planning Schools list. Located in the distant town of Stillwater, OSU is a public college with a very large student population.

OSU undergraduate students pay an average of $24,764 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, architecture and related services graduates from OSU carry an average student debtload of $29,425.

OSU excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools list.

Read More…

#12

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA

Virginia Tech did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for architecture and related services students. It came in at #12 on the list. Virginia Tech is a very large public school located in the small city of Blacksburg.

Virginia Tech undergraduate students pay an average of $33,857 in tuition and fees each year. 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.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Virginia Tech also did well on our Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Architecture & Related Services at Virginia Tech Report

$22,144 Average Tuition & Fees

Boston Architectural College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for architecture and related services students. It came in at #13 on the list. Boston Architectural College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Boston.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Boston Architectural College are $22,144 a year. Architecture & Related Services majors at Boston Architectural College take out an average of $52,750 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $427.

Read full report on Architecture & Related Services at Boston Architectural College

$16,806 Average Tuition & Fees

Louisiana Tech University landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value architecture and related services programs. Located in the town of Ruston, Louisiana Tech is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Louisiana Tech undergraduate students pay an average of $16,806 in tuition and fees each year. Architecture & Related Services majors at Louisiana Tech take out an average of $24,050 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Architecture & Related Services at Louisiana Tech University

With a ranking of #15, University of Nebraska - Lincoln did quite well on this year’s best value schools for architecture and related services students. UNL is a very large public school located in the city of Lincoln.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UNL are $26,720 per year. The average amount in student loans that architecture and related services majors at UNL take out is $25,708. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $358.

UNL excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools list.

Read More…

University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for architecture and related services students. It came in at #16 on the list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a fairly large student population.

UCLA undergraduate students pay an average of $43,012 in tuition and fees each year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, UCLA also did well on our Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Architecture & Related Services at University of California - Los Angeles Report

Additional Noteworthy Schools

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

Rank College Location
17 University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Norman, OK
18 University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA
19 Kansas State University Manhattan, KS
20 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI
21 Auburn University Auburn, AL
21 University of Georgia Athens, GA

View the Best Value 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.

  • 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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