Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Find Schools Near

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

80 Ranked Colleges
3,736 Degrees Awarded
$8,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Architecture Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $30-$48k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 5,051 people earned their degree in general architecture, making the major the 111th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, general architecture graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $46,998 and had an average of $41,356 in loans still to pay off.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 3,736 general architecture graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 80 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general architecture. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general architecture programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

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

More Ways to Rank General Architecture Schools

The architecture school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k”.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most 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 General Architecture (Income $30-$48k)

#1

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, Massachusetts
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k. MIT is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s architecture degrees to qualified students.

MIT also took the #3 spot in our “Best General Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for MIT is $1,820 for Bachelor’s Degree Architecture students whose families make $30-$48k.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on General Architecture at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

#2

Yale University

New Haven, Connecticut
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Yale University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Yale University is a private not-for-profit institution located in New Haven, Connecticut. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Yale not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best General Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Yale is $1,647 for bachelor’s degree architecture students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. 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.

Full Yale University General 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 not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best General Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UPenn is $4,833 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full University of Pennsylvania General Architecture Report

#4

Princeton University

Princeton, New Jersey
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Princeton University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Princeton, New Jersey is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s architecture degrees to 16 students in 2019-2020.

Princeton also made our “Best General Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for Princeton is $2,044 for Bachelor’s Degree Architecture students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. 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.

Read full report on General Architecture at Princeton University

Out of the 80 schools in the Best Value Architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Columbia University in the City of New York landed the #5 spot on the list. 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 not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best General Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $4,287 for Bachelor’s Degree Architecture students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Columbia University in the City of New York.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Columbia General Architecture Report

#6

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, Indiana

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. This fairly large school is located in Notre Dame, Indiana, and it awarded 36 bachelors’s architecture degrees in 2019-2020.

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

The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Notre Dame General Architecture Report

#7

Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri

Washington University in St Louis landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. 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 Washington University in St Louis is $6,248 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 94%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on General Architecture at WUSTL

#8

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida

University of Florida ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Florida is a large school located in Gainesville, Florida that handed out 88 bachelors’s architecture degrees in 2019-2020.

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

The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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.

Full UF General Architecture Report

University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school handed out 64 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s architecture students in 2019-2020.

UW Seattle also made our “Best General Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #14. The yearly cost to attend UW Seattle is $7,467 for bachelor’s degree architecture students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UW Seattle General Architecture Report

#10

Northeastern University

Boston, Massachusetts

Northeastern University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Northeastern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Northeastern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best General Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $12,823 for Bachelor’s Degree Architecture students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Northeastern.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, 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 97%.

Read more about General Architecture at Northeastern

#11

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, Michigan

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 70 bachelors’s architecture degrees in 2019-2020.

U-M also took the #25 spot in our “Best General Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend U-M is $5,887 for Bachelor’s Degree Architecture students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about General Architecture at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

#12

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California

University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #12. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 97 bachelors’s architecture degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also made our “Best General Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $9,130 for Bachelor’s Degree Architecture students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UC Berkeley.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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%.

Read more about General Architecture at UC Berkeley

#13

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, Virginia

University of Virginia - Main Campus came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Charlottesville, Virginia, this large public school awarded 63 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s architecture students in 2019-2020.

University of Virginia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best General Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $11,696 for Bachelor’s Degree Architecture students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 full report on General Architecture at University of Virginia

#14

North Carolina State University

Raleigh, North Carolina

North Carolina State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Raleigh, North Carolina, this large public school handed out 30 degrees to qualified bachelors’s architecture students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NC State, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best General Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for North Carolina State University is $9,887 for bachelor’s degree architecture students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full NC State General Architecture Report

#15

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large public school handed out 106 degrees to qualified bachelors’s architecture students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $8,418 for bachelor’s degree architecture students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UMN Twin Cities.

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 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities General Architecture Report

Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Georgia Tech is a large public school situated in Atlanta, Georgia. It awarded 32 bachelors’s architecture degrees in 2019-2020.

Georgia Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best General Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus is $11,454 for Bachelor’s Degree Architecture students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about General Architecture at Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus

#17

University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, Maryland

University of Maryland - College Park came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UMCP is located in College Park, Maryland and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 87 bachelors’s architecture degrees to qualified students.

UMCP did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best General Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UMCP is $12,128 for bachelor’s degree architecture students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 95%.

Read full report on General Architecture at UMCP

#18

University of Central Florida

Orlando, Florida

With a ranking of #18, University of Central Florida did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. UCF is a large school located in Orlando, Florida that handed out 42 bachelors’s architecture degrees in 2019-2020.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, 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 92%.

Full University of Central Florida General Architecture Report

Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Columbus, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s architecture degrees to 87 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State University - Main Campus is $10,037 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 94%. 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%.

Full Ohio State General Architecture Report

#20

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #20, Carnegie Mellon University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Carnegie Mellon is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It awarded 11 bachelors’s architecture degrees in 2019-2020.

Carnegie Mellon also took the #9 spot in our “Best General 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 student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, 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%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on General Architecture at Carnegie Mellon

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #21. Located in San Luis Obispo, California, this large public school handed out 31 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s architecture students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree architecture students whose families make $30-$48k list, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best General Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $14,680 for Bachelor’s Degree Architecture students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about General Architecture at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

#22

Texas A&M University - College Station

College Station, Texas

Texas A&M University - College Station did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #22. Texas A&M College Station is a large school located in College Station, Texas that handed out 114 bachelors’s architecture degrees in 2019-2020.

Texas A&M College Station not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best General Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. 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.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Texas A&M College Station General Architecture Report

#23

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

University of California - Los Angeles ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 22 bachelors’s architecture degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $9,254 for bachelor’s degree architecture students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Full UCLA General Architecture Report

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a large school located in Pomona, California that handed out 88 bachelors’s architecture degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly Pomona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best General Architecture Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. 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 student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full California State Polytechnic University - Pomona General Architecture Report

#25

University of Houston

Houston, Texas

University of Houston landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Architecture Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Houston is a large school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 73 bachelors’s architecture degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UH is $9,925 for bachelor’s degree architecture students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about General Architecture at UH

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