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Best Value Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California

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2023 Best Value Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

11 Colleges
$28,022 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$56,106 Avg Salary

In 2020-2021, 823 degrees and certificates were awarded to architecture and related services students who went to a California college or university. This makes it the #19 most popular major in the state.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Grad Degree Search has developed this Best Value Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California ranking. 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.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for architecture and related services majors pursuing a .

$10,195 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo to be the best value school for architecture and related services students who want to pursue a degree in California. Located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are $10,195 a year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also did well on our Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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

$7,439 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California list. Cal Poly Pomona is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Pomona.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal Poly Pomona are $7,439 a year.

Read full report on Architecture & Related Services at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

$14,226 Average Tuition & Fees

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 school with a fairly large student population.

UC Berkeley undergraduate students pay an average of $14,226 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

UC Berkeley not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California list.

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$13,258 Average Tuition & Fees

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 school with a very large student population.

UCLA undergraduate students pay an average of $13,258 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

UCLA excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California list.

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$14,645 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Davis. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California list. Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public college with a fairly large student population.

UC Davis undergraduate students pay an average of $14,645 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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$13,775 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #6, University of California - Irvine did quite well on this year’s best value schools for architecture and related services students. Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UC Irvine are $13,775 a year.

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$29,427 Average Tuition & Fees

Newschool of Architecture and Design ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California list. Newschool of Architecture and Design is a small private for-profit school located in the large 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.

Full Architecture & Related Services at Newschool of Architecture and Design Report

$61,503 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Southern California ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California list. USC is a fairly 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.

USC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California list.

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#9

California College of the Arts

San Francisco, CA
$52,312 Average Tuition & Fees

California College of the Arts landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value architecture and related services programs. California College of the Arts is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Francisco.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at California College of the Arts are $52,312 per year.

Full Architecture & Related Services at California College of the Arts Report

#10

Woodbury University

Burbank, CA
$43,418 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #10, Woodbury University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for architecture and related services students. Located in the city of Burbank, Woodbury is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Woodbury are $43,418 per year.

Read full report on Architecture & Related Services at Woodbury University

Explore all the Best Value Architecture & Related Services Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 122
Oregon 141
Nevada 15
Hawaii 35

Major Annual Graduates
Architectural Sciences & Technology 3,366
Urban & Regional Planning 1,613
General Architecture 1,096
Landscape Architecture 285
Real Estate Development 223
Interior Architecture 169
Environmental Design 114
Architectural History 45
Architecture (Other) 33

Related Major Annual Graduates
Engineering 61,791
Computer & Information Sciences 60,971
Biological & Biomedical Sciences 28,851
Mathematics & Statistics 15,127
Physical Sciences 12,705

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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