Most Selective Highest Earnings Best Value Free Tuition UK Universities

Best Schools for Architecture

Architecture graduates earn a median of $44,489 within two years of graduation, ranking #96 out of 292 tracked majors — 25% above the median across all fields. There are 91 colleges nationwide with tracked earnings for this major, producing 3,553 recent graduates.

Where you study matters: University of Notre Dame graduates earn $57,679 while Universidad Politecnica de Puerto Rico graduates earn $18,315 — a $39,364 difference. Factors like location, employer networks, co-op programs, and curriculum focus drive this gap.

Early career salary growth is modest: Architecture graduates see an average 2% increase between year 1 and year 2 post-graduation, reflecting career advancement and skill development in the first years after college.

91
Schools
$44,489
Avg. 2yr Earnings
#96
of 292 Majors
3,553
Graduates

Public vs Private: Architecture

Public (60 schools)
$42,750
avg. 2yr earnings
Private (27 schools)
$48,501
avg. 2yr earnings

Private schools produce $5,751 more in early earnings on average for Architecture graduates. Factor in tuition difference to calculate which offers better ROI.

Architecture by State

California
11 schools
$49,396
Texas
7 schools
$43,450
New York
6 schools
$47,288
Massachusetts
5 schools
$44,972
Pennsylvania
5 schools
$50,192
Illinois
5 schools
$38,306
Florida
4 schools
$40,190
Ohio
4 schools
$40,040

Top Architecture Schools by Graduate Earnings

#1
U

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN · Private

$57,679
2yr Earnings
1yr: $58,141
Grads: 39
Acceptance: 12.4%
#2
B

Boston Architectural College

Boston, MA ·

$56,931
2yr Earnings
1yr: $56,964
Grads: 52
Acceptance: N/A
#3
C

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA · Public

$55,884
2yr Earnings
1yr: $55,714
Grads: 114
Acceptance: 29.8%
#4
C

California State Polytechnic University-Pomona

Pomona, CA · Public

$55,286
2yr Earnings
1yr: $56,226
Grads: 71
Acceptance: 73.7%
#5
U

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA · Private

$55,286
2yr Earnings
Acceptance: 50.8%
#6
O

Oklahoma State University-Main Campus

Stillwater, OK · Public

$55,286
2yr Earnings
1yr: $51,285
Grads: 38
Acceptance: 70.9%
#7
D

Drexel University

Philadelphia, PA · Private

$54,576
2yr Earnings
1yr: $56,215
Grads: 58
Acceptance: 77.5%
#8
T

The University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX · Public

$54,570
2yr Earnings
1yr: $51,821
Grads: 51
Acceptance: 29.1%
#9
A

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, CA ·

$53,810
2yr Earnings
Acceptance: N/A
#10
C

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA · Private

$53,775
2yr Earnings
1yr: $44,216
Grads: 32
Acceptance: 11.4%
#11
L

Lawrence Technological University

Southfield, MI · Private

$53,608
2yr Earnings
Acceptance: 80.3%
#12
C

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY · Private

$53,358
2yr Earnings
1yr: $52,794
Grads: 21
Acceptance: 8.2%
#13
R

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Troy, NY · Private

$52,316
2yr Earnings
1yr: $52,282
Grads: 58
Acceptance: 58.5%
#14
A

Auburn University

Auburn, AL · Public

$52,107
2yr Earnings
1yr: $50,456
Grads: 30
Acceptance: 50.5%
#15
M

Mississippi State University

Mississippi State, MS · Public

$52,107
2yr Earnings
1yr: $51,686
Grads: 30
Acceptance: 76.3%
#16
S

Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY · Private

$52,107
2yr Earnings
1yr: $55,145
Grads: 52
Acceptance: 41.7%
#17
K

Kennesaw State University

Kennesaw, GA · Public

$52,107
2yr Earnings
1yr: $51,349
Grads: 58
Acceptance: 69.2%
#18
V

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Blacksburg, VA · Public

$51,960
2yr Earnings
1yr: $53,246
Grads: 75
Acceptance: 57.0%
#19
U

University of Miami

Coral Gables, FL · Private

$51,690
2yr Earnings
1yr: $50,674
Grads: 31
Acceptance: 18.5%
#20
U

University of California-Berkeley

Berkeley, CA · Public

$51,273
2yr Earnings
1yr: $52,215
Grads: 81
Acceptance: 11.7%
#21
G

Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus

Atlanta, GA · Public

$50,856
2yr Earnings
1yr: $52,288
Grads: 17
Acceptance: 16.5%
#22
R

Rhode Island School of Design

Providence, RI · Private

$50,439
2yr Earnings
1yr: $39,281
Grads: 19
Acceptance: 13.8%
#23
C

California College of the Arts

San Francisco, CA · Private

$50,231
2yr Earnings
1yr: $57,344
Grads: 27
Acceptance: 73.4%
#24
U

University of Oregon

Eugene, OR · Public

$50,141
2yr Earnings
1yr: $47,136
Grads: 64
Acceptance: 85.1%
#25
W

Wentworth Institute of Technology

Boston, MA · Private

$50,105
2yr Earnings
1yr: $46,837
Grads: 36
Acceptance: 85.4%
#26
I

Iowa State University

Ames, IA · Public

$50,060
2yr Earnings
1yr: $49,768
Grads: 71
Acceptance: 89.1%
#27
P

Pratt Institute-Main

Brooklyn, NY · Private

$50,000
2yr Earnings
1yr: $51,033
Grads: 101
Acceptance: 53.2%
#28
U

University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus

Norman, OK · Public

$49,962
2yr Earnings
1yr: $51,626
Grads: 28
Acceptance: 76.5%
#29
N

Northeastern University

Boston, MA · Private

$49,840
2yr Earnings
Acceptance: 5.7%
#30
U

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA · Private

$49,437
2yr Earnings
1yr: $50,964
Grads: 35
Acceptance: 10.0%
#31
U

University of Washington-Seattle Campus

Seattle, WA · Public

$49,136
2yr Earnings
1yr: $43,109
Grads: 38
Acceptance: 42.5%
#32
W

Woodbury University

Burbank, CA · Private

$49,064
2yr Earnings
1yr: $46,734
Grads: 66
Acceptance: 72.9%
#33
N

North Carolina State University at Raleigh

Raleigh, NC · Public

$49,019
2yr Earnings
1yr: $53,848
Grads: 17
Acceptance: 39.9%
#34
U

University of Houston

Houston, TX · Public

$49,019
2yr Earnings
1yr: $47,319
Grads: 82
Acceptance: 69.5%
#35
I

Illinois Institute of Technology

Chicago, IL · Private

$48,988
2yr Earnings
1yr: $47,606
Grads: 84
Acceptance: 55.4%
#36
N

New York Institute of Technology

Old Westbury, NY · Private

$48,823
2yr Earnings
1yr: $48,542
Grads: 29
Acceptance: 78.1%
#37
T

Thomas Jefferson University

Philadelphia, PA · Private

$48,087
2yr Earnings
Acceptance: 86.1%
#38
D

Drury University

Springfield, MO · Private

$47,650
2yr Earnings
1yr: $46,890
Grads: 19
Acceptance: 58.9%
#39
N

New Jersey Institute of Technology

Newark, NJ · Public

$47,611
2yr Earnings
1yr: $47,564
Grads: 101
Acceptance: 66.9%
#40
M

Marywood University

Scranton, PA · Private

$47,260
2yr Earnings
1yr: $46,378
Grads: 50
Acceptance: 83.7%
#41
T

Temple University

Philadelphia, PA · Public

$47,260
2yr Earnings
Acceptance: 82.9%
#42
T

The University of Tennessee-Knoxville

Knoxville, TN · Public

$47,260
2yr Earnings
1yr: $46,245
Grads: 59
Acceptance: 46.0%
#43
T

Texas A&M University-College Station

College Station, TX · Public

$47,260
2yr Earnings
1yr: $38,352
Grads: 64
Acceptance: 63.2%
#44
L

Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College

Baton Rouge, LA · Public

$46,924
2yr Earnings
1yr: $45,056
Grads: 23
Acceptance: 74.0%
#45
S

Southern California Institute of Architecture

Los Angeles, CA · Private

$46,790
2yr Earnings
1yr: $43,818
Grads: 29
Acceptance: 82.7%
#46
U

University of Maryland-College Park

College Park, MD · Public

$46,087
2yr Earnings
1yr: $46,586
Grads: 57
Acceptance: 44.8%
#47
U

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Charlotte, NC · Public

$45,852
2yr Earnings
1yr: $48,368
Grads: 39
Acceptance: 80.2%
#48
U

University of Arizona

Tucson, AZ · Public

$45,696
2yr Earnings
1yr: $48,852
Grads: 48
Acceptance: 85.7%
#49
M

Miami University-Oxford

Oxford, OH · Public

$45,584
2yr Earnings
1yr: $45,264
Grads: 31
Acceptance: 82.1%
#50
U

University of Virginia-Main Campus

Charlottesville, VA · Public

$45,584
2yr Earnings
1yr: $45,865
Grads: 45
Acceptance: 16.9%

Showing top 50 of 91 schools. View all or filter by state above.

Majors with Similar Earnings

Biology Technician/Biotechnology Laboratory Technician $45,597 Curriculum and Instruction $45,570 Housing and Human Environments $45,482 Architectural Sciences and Technology $45,453 Mathematics $45,352 Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education $44,205

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best school for Architecture?
University of Notre Dame ranks #1 for Architecture with median graduate earnings of $57,679 within two years. There are 91 schools nationwide offering this major with tracked earnings data.
How much do Architecture graduates earn?
Architecture graduates earn an average of $44,489 within two years of graduation. This is 25% above the median across all majors. Earnings range from $18,315 to $57,679 depending on the school.
How hard is it to get into a top Architecture program?
The average acceptance rate across Architecture programs is 62.4%. The most selective program is at Northeastern University with a 5.7% acceptance rate. Competitive programs value strong math/analytical skills and relevant coursework.
Is a public or private school better for Architecture?
Private Architecture programs average $48,501 in early earnings vs $42,750 at public schools. Private schools lead in earnings, but cost significantly more — calculate net price before deciding.

Data updated June 2026. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are median 2 years after graduation for bachelor's degree holders.

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