2023 Best Value Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Architecture & Related Services School for You
With 2,293 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, architecture and related services is the #28 most popular major in California.
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 Value Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 11 schools in California 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.
Top 10 Best Architecture & Related Services Schools
Our analysis found California State Polytechnic University - Pomona to be the best value school for architecture and related services students who want to pursue a degree in California. Cal Poly Pomona is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Pomona.
Cal Poly Pomona undergraduate students pay an average of $7,439 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, architecture and related services graduates from Cal Poly Pomona carry an average student debtload of $22,750.
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The excellent programs at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best architecture and related services schools in California. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public school with a very large student population.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo undergraduate students pay an average of $10,195 in in-state 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 excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California list.
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Out of the 11 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a very large student population.
UC Berkeley undergraduate students pay an average of $14,226 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that architecture and related services majors at UC Berkeley take out is $15,000.
UC Berkeley not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California list.
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The excellent programs at University of California - Los Angeles helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best architecture and related services schools in California. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UCLA are $13,258 a year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, UCLA also did well on our Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Architecture & Related Services at University of California - Los Angeles Report
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of California - Davis is a great value for architecture and related services students. Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public school with a fairly large student population.
UC Davis undergraduate students pay an average of $14,645 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UC Davis also is in the top 15% of our Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California ranking.
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University of California - Irvine did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for architecture and related services students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public school with a fairly large student population.
UC Irvine undergraduate students pay an average of $13,775 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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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.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Newschool of Architecture and Design are $29,427 per 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.
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University of Southern California landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value architecture and related services programs. USC is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at USC are $61,503 a year. 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.
USC also claimed a spot on our Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
Read full report on Architecture & Related Services at University of Southern California
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Woodbury University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California ranking. Located in the large city of Burbank, Woodbury is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Woodbury are $43,418 a year. The average amount in student loans that architecture and related services majors at Woodbury take out is $45,500. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $279, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on Architecture & Related Services at Woodbury University
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California College of the Arts landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value architecture and related services programs. California College of the Arts is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of San Francisco.
California College of the Arts undergraduate students pay an average of $52,312 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Architecture & Related Services at California College of the Arts
Request InformationBest Value Architecture & Related Services Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value Architecture & Related Services Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 349 |
| Oregon | 269 |
| Hawaii | 74 |
| Nevada | 78 |
More Architecture & Related Services Rankings in California
Majors Related to Architecture & Related Services
Architecture & Related Services Majors to Study
| 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 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| 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 11 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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