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Best Schools for Architecture in 2026

66 schools ranked by DegreeWorth Score · Updated 2026

These are the top schools offering Architecture, ranked by DegreeWorth Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Architecture graduate earns $45,895/yr across 66 schools.

Programs Ranked

Avg Earnings

$45,895/yr

Avg DW Score

49/100

AI Risk

High

52% task exposure

All Architecture Programs Ranked

Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.

#	School	DW Score	Earnings	ROI
1	California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Pomona, CA · Public	67 66–68	$57,514/yr	24.9x
2	Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA · Public	66 65–67	$56,477/yr	30.0x
3	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA · Public	65 64–66	$60,634/yr	16.5x
4	University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC · Public	63 62–64	$51,558/yr	22.3x
5	Iowa State University Ames, IA · Public	62 61–63	$54,957/yr	15.7x
6	Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS · Public	62 61–63	$53,679/yr	16.8x
7	Auburn University Auburn, AL · Public	61 60–62	$53,146/yr	14.0x
8	The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX · Public	61 60–62	$56,327/yr	13.8x
9	University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR · Public	60 60–61	$51,080/yr	16.4x
10	Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL · Public	60 61–62	$46,551/yr	32.0x
11	University of Houston Houston, TX · Public	60 59–61	$49,388/yr	16.4x
12	University of Arizona Tucson, AZ · Public	59 58–60	$55,109/yr	12.0x
13	University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA · Public	59 59–61	$50,917/yr	12.5x
14	Ball State University Muncie, IN · Public	59 58–60	$57,603/yr	13.4x
15	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA · Public	59 58–60	$56,708/yr	11.0x
16	Boston Architectural College Boston, MA · Private nonprofit	57 56–58	$55,079/yr	7.5x
17	University of Oregon Eugene, OR · Public	57 56–58	$51,933/yr	10.5x
18	Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Atlanta, GA · Public	56 55–57	$48,863/yr	12.6x
19	University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD · Public	56 56–57	$46,347/yr	13.5x
20	University of Idaho Moscow, ID · Public	55 56–56	$44,215/yr	16.7x
21	The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, TN · Public	55 54–56	$50,365/yr	11.0x
22	University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA · Public	55 54–56	$50,809/yr	11.4x
23	North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC · Public	54 53–55	$57,034/yr	15.0x
24	Texas A & M University-College Station College Station, TX · Public	54 54–55	$45,431/yr	11.9x
25	University of Virginia-Main Campus Charlottesville, VA · Public	54 53–55	$51,740/yr	7.7x
26	University of Florida Gainesville, FL · Public	53 57–54	$40,542/yr	23.4x
27	Clemson University Clemson, SC · Public	53 53–55	$49,983/yr	9.5x
28	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI · Public	53 55–54	$43,014/yr	14.6x
29	Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA · Public	52 54–53	$42,400/yr	13.1x
30	University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Cincinnati, OH · Public	51 52–52	$44,598/yr	10.7x
31	South Dakota State University Brookings, SD · Public	51 54–52	$41,781/yr	15.4x
32	Drury University Springfield, MO · Private nonprofit	50 49–51	$54,723/yr	4.0x
33	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred Alfred, NY · Public	50 50–51	$49,192/yr	12.9x
34	Keene State College Keene, NH · Public	49 51–51	$43,448/yr	10.1x
35	The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX · Public	49 53–50	$40,166/yr	12.9x
36	University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus Denver, CO · Public	48 55–49	$37,707/yr	16.2x
37	University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN · Private nonprofit	48 47–49	$62,957/yr	2.1x
38	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN · Public	47 50–48	$42,029/yr	9.1x
39	Woodbury University Burbank, CA · Private nonprofit	46 46–48	$49,410/yr	3.1x
40	Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Carbondale, IL · Public	46 48–47	$43,248/yr	9.7x
41	Wentworth Institute of Technology Boston, MA · Private nonprofit	46 46–47	$47,797/yr	3.3x
42	University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE · Public	46 52–47	$38,750/yr	13.7x
43	Drexel University Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit	46 45–48	$57,730/yr	2.1x
44	Marywood University Scranton, PA · Private nonprofit	46 45–47	$48,650/yr	3.3x
45	Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ · Public	45 52–46	$37,918/yr	12.7x
46	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY · Private nonprofit	45 44–46	$54,334/yr	2.0x
47	University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY · Public	45 52–46	$37,622/yr	13.6x
48	The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX · Public	45 51–46	$39,181/yr	14.3x
49	Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX · Public	45 51–46	$39,060/yr	12.1x
50	Dunwoody College of Technology Minneapolis, MN · Private nonprofit	44 44–46	$52,877/yr	4.2x
51	University of Miami Coral Gables, FL · Private nonprofit	43 42–44	$61,071/yr	1.8x
52	Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit	42 42–43	$47,542/yr	2.3x
53	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI · Public	42 48–43	$38,998/yr	8.5x
54	University of Central Florida Orlando, FL · Public	39 46–40	$37,389/yr	13.7x
55	The Catholic University of America Washington, DC · Private nonprofit	38 39–39	$44,615/yr	2.1x
56	University of Kentucky Lexington, KY · Public	38 45–39	$37,078/yr	9.6x
57	Morgan State University Baltimore, MD · Public	38 48–39	$26,282/yr	18.1x
58	Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH · Public	38 48–39	$34,723/yr	11.1x
59	Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH · Public	38 47–39	$35,370/yr	10.6x
60	Judson University Elgin, IL · Private nonprofit	37 40–38	$41,033/yr	3.7x
61	Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce Ponce, PR · Private nonprofit	37 39–38	$17,819/yr	21.2x
62	Portland State University Portland, OR · Public	36 48–37	$32,678/yr	12.3x
63	University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA · Private nonprofit	33 40–34	$37,556/yr	2.3x
64	University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL · Public	32 42–33	$27,525/yr	9.8x
65	Roger Williams University Bristol, RI · Private nonprofit	32 40–33	$36,750/yr	3.0x
66	Universidad Politecnica de Puerto Rico Hato Rey, PR · Private nonprofit	25 29–26	$20,080/yr	10.2x

Methodology

Programs are ranked by DegreeWorth Score, which combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), AI automation resilience (based on OpenAI and academic research), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (10-year projected earnings vs. 4-year tuition).

Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best school for Architecture?

Based on our DegreeWorth Score, California State Polytechnic University-Pomona ranks #1 for Architecture with a score of 67/100 and graduate earnings of $57,514/yr.

How much do Architecture graduates earn?

Across 66 schools, Architecture graduates earn an average of $45,895/yr in their first year. The highest-earning program reports $62,957/yr.

Is Architecture a good major for AI resistance?

Architecture has an average AI task exposure of 52%, rated "High". This field has significant AI exposure. Check individual program pages for scenario analysis.

Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Last updated 2025.