Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Architecture (Income $30-$48k)

78 Ranked Colleges
3,668 Degrees Awarded
$8,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $30-$48k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 4,967 people earned their degree in architecture, making the major the 124th most popular in the United States.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 3,668 architecture graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 78 colleges that offer a degree in architecture. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent architecture programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the architecture program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Architecture Schools

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree architecture students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Architecture (Income $30-$48k)

#1

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, Massachusetts
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. MIT is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

MIT not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Massachusetts Institute of Technology is $1,820 for bachelor’s degree architecture students whose families make $30-$48k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Architecture at MIT

#2

Yale University

New Haven, Connecticut
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Yale University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k. Yale is a fairly large school located in New Haven, Connecticut that handed out 22 bachelors’s architecture degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree architecture students whose families make $30-$48k list, Yale has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $1,647 for bachelor’s degree architecture students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Yale.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Yale University Architecture Report

#3

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#10 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Pennsylvania is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It awarded 16 bachelors’s architecture degrees in 2019-2020.

UPenn also took the #10 spot in our “Best Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $4,833 for Bachelor’s Degree architecture students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Pennsylvania.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 1.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Architecture at UPenn

#4

Princeton University

Princeton, New Jersey
#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Princeton University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k. This medium-sized school is located in Princeton, New Jersey, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s architecture degrees in 2019-2020.

Princeton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Princeton is $2,044 for Bachelor’s Degree architecture students whose families make $30-$48k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Architecture at Princeton

#11 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Columbia University in the City of New York. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k. Columbia University in the City of New York is a large private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 17 bachelors’s architecture degrees in 2019-2020.

Columbia also made our “Best Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia University in the City of New York is $4,287 for bachelor’s degree architecture students whose families make $30-$48k.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Architecture at Columbia University in the City of New York

#6

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, Indiana
#1 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, University of Notre Dame did quite well on the 2022 Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Notre Dame, Indiana is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s architecture degrees to 36 students in 2019-2020.

Notre Dame also took the #1 spot in our “Best Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Notre Dame is $15,609 for bachelor’s degree architecture students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 0.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Notre Dame Architecture Report

#7

Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri

Washington University in St Louis ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Saint Louis, Missouri, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s architecture degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend WUSTL is $6,248 for bachelor’s degree architecture students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Architecture at Washington University in St Louis

#8

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida

With a ranking of #8, University of Florida did quite well on the 2022 Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. UF is located in Gainesville, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 88 bachelors’s architecture degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Florida is $4,069 for bachelor’s degree architecture students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Architecture at University of Florida

#13 in overall quality

University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. UW Seattle is a large school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 64 bachelors’s architecture degrees in 2019-2020.

UW Seattle did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $7,467 for bachelor’s degree architecture students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Architecture at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

#10

Northeastern University

Boston, Massachusetts
#14 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, Northeastern University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 33 degrees to qualified bachelors’s architecture students in 2019-2020.

Northeastern also took the #14 spot in our “Best Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northeastern is $12,823 for Bachelor’s Degree architecture students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Northeastern Architecture Report

#11

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, Michigan
#24 in overall quality

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. U-M is a large public school situated in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 70 bachelors’s architecture degrees in 2019-2020.

U-M did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #24 on our “Best Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $5,887 for bachelor’s degree architecture students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Architecture Report

#12

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California
#5 in overall quality

University of California - Berkeley landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 97 bachelors’s architecture degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Berkeley is $9,130 for bachelor’s degree architecture students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read more about Architecture at UC Berkeley

#13

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, Virginia
#7 in overall quality

University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Virginia is a large public school situated in Charlottesville, Virginia. It awarded 63 bachelors’s architecture degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Virginia also made our “Best Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for University of Virginia - Main Campus is $11,696 for bachelor’s degree architecture students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Architecture at University of Virginia

#14

North Carolina State University

Raleigh, North Carolina
#20 in overall quality

North Carolina State University landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Raleigh, North Carolina, and it awarded 30 bachelors’s architecture degrees in 2019-2020.

NC State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend North Carolina State University is $9,887 for bachelor’s degree architecture students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Architecture at North Carolina State University

#15

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well in the 2022 Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #15. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 106 bachelors’s architecture degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for UMN Twin Cities is $8,418 for bachelor’s degree architecture students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Architecture Report

#16

University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, Maryland
#18 in overall quality

University of Maryland - College Park came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in College Park, Maryland, this large public school awarded 87 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s architecture students in 2019-2020.

UMCP also made our “Best Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #18. The yearly cost to attend UMCP is $12,128 for bachelor’s degree architecture students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Architecture at University of Maryland - College Park

#17

University of Central Florida

Orlando, Florida

University of Central Florida landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Central Florida is located in Orlando, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 42 bachelors’s architecture degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $7,847 for Bachelor’s Degree architecture students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Central Florida.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.

Read more about Architecture at University of Central Florida

Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #18. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a large school located in Columbus, Ohio that handed out 87 bachelors’s architecture degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus is $10,037 for bachelor’s degree architecture students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read more about Architecture at Ohio State University - Main Campus

#19

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
#9 in overall quality

Carnegie Mellon University landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Carnegie Mellon University is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 bachelors’s architecture degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Carnegie Mellon, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Carnegie Mellon University is $13,782 for bachelor’s degree architecture students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Architecture at Carnegie Mellon

#12 in overall quality

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a large public school situated in San Luis Obispo, California. It awarded 31 bachelors’s architecture degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also took the #12 spot in our “Best Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $14,680 for Bachelor’s Degree architecture students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Architecture at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

#21

Texas A&M University - College Station

College Station, Texas
#19 in overall quality

With a ranking of #21, Texas A&M University - College Station did quite well on the 2022 Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Texas A&M University - College Station is located in College Station, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 114 bachelors’s architecture degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas A&M College Station, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Texas A&M University - College Station is $13,270 for Bachelor’s Degree architecture students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Architecture at Texas A&M College Station

#22

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

With a ranking of #22, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2022 Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s architecture degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $9,254 for Bachelor’s Degree architecture students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Full UCLA Architecture Report

#22 in overall quality

With a ranking of #23, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on the 2022 Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a large public school situated in Pomona, California. It awarded 88 bachelors’s architecture degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly Pomona also took the #22 spot in our “Best Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $9,630 for bachelor’s degree architecture students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read full report on Architecture at Cal Poly Pomona

#24

University of Houston

Houston, Texas

University of Houston ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Houston, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s architecture degrees to 73 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $9,925 for bachelor’s degree architecture students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UH.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read more about Architecture at UH

The University of Texas at San Antonio landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in San Antonio, Texas, and it awarded 80 bachelors’s architecture degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,109 for Bachelor’s Degree architecture students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UTSA.

Read more about Architecture at The University of Texas at San Antonio

Notes and References

References

  • 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 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Danichou.

Featured Architecture / Urban Planning Schools

Find Schools Near You