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 2023 rankings named California State Polytechnic University - Pomona the best value school in California for architecture and related services students. Cal Poly Pomona is a very large public school located in the 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.
Full Architecture & Related Services at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Report
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public school with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are $10,195 per 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.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also is in the top 5% of our Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California ranking.
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The excellent programs at University of California - Berkeley helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best architecture and related services schools in California. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a fairly 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 also made our Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California list, coming in at #3.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UCLA are $13,258 a year.
UCLA 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.
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The excellent programs at University of California - Davis helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best architecture and related services schools in California. Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UC Davis are $14,645 a year.
UC Davis also claimed a spot on our Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
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University of California - Irvine ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California list. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public college with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UC Irvine are $13,775 per year.
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With a ranking of #7, Newschool of Architecture and Design did quite well on this year’s best value schools for architecture and related services students. Newschool of Architecture and Design is a 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 in-state 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.
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With a ranking of #8, University of Southern California did quite well on this year’s best value schools for architecture and related services students. USC is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at USC are $61,503 per 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.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, USC also is in the top 10% of our Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California ranking.
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Woodbury University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value architecture and related services programs. Located in the city of Burbank, Woodbury is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Woodbury undergraduate students pay an average of $43,418 in in-state tuition and fees each 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.
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California College of the Arts came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California ranking. California College of the Arts is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of San Francisco.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at California College of the Arts are $52,312 a year.
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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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