2024 Best Value Colleges for General Architecture in California
4
Ranked Colleges
335
Degrees Awarded
$19,500
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Architecture Schools in California” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 4,982 people earned their degree in general architecture, making the major the 127th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, general architecture graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $49,005 and had an average of $26,624 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 335 general architecture graduates with average earnings and debt of $53,889 and $30,859 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Architecture Schools in California” ranking analyzed 4 colleges that offered a degree in general architecture. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent general 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 general architecture program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Architecture Schools in California” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Best Value Architecture Schools in California
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Architecture Schools in California.
Top 4 Best Value Colleges for General Architecture in California
Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Architecture Schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Pomona, California, and it awarded 102 ’s architecture degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly Pomona, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best General Architecture Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly Pomona is $14,304 for california architecture students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 California State Polytechnic University - Pomona General Architecture Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #2 on our 2024 Best Value Architecture Schools in California list. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s architecture degrees to 129 students in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley also took the #1 spot in our “Best General Architecture Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $16,032 for California Architecture students per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - Berkeley General Architecture Report
Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Architecture Schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #3 spot on the list. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 26 ’s architecture degrees in 2020-2021.
UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best General Architecture Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $15,023 for california architecture students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UCLA General Architecture Report
Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Architecture Schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 11 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at USC, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best General Architecture Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for USC is $32,569 for california architecture students.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about General Architecture at University of Southern California
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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
- *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.
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