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Best Architecture Colleges in California (2026)

Updated

This page lists 10 Architecture programs in California by median earnings of Architecture graduates four years after completing. University of Southern California ranks 1st on this list and reports a six-year completion rate of 92%.

Across the 6 schools with a reported completion median, earnings after completing range from $77,401 to $31,305, with a median of $58,348. For 3 of the listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one.

The list includes 5 public and 5 private nonprofit institutions. California State University-Sacramento posts the lowest average net price at $9,338.

University of California-Berkeley ranks 4th on Azimuth's composite ranking among the 1,467 public and private nonprofit four-year institutions Azimuth ranks nationally.

The ranked list

10 schools in list order
RankSchoolMedian Architecture EarningsAverage net priceNet price, families under $30KAdmission rate
1University of Southern California · Los Angeles, CA$93,713$32,740$13,5169.8%
University of Southern California ranks 1st on this list and posts a six-year completion rate of 92%.

Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Real Estate Development (100 graduates), Architectural Sciences and Technology (70 graduates), Architecture (7 graduates)

2Art Center College of Design · Pasadena, CA$77,401$48,661$39,64574.5%
Art Center College of Design reports $77,401 in median earnings for its Architecture graduates four years after completing.

Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Architectural Sciences and Technology (22 graduates)

3California State Polytechnic University-Pomona · Pomona, CA$73,961$11,531$7,85175.2%
A public university in Pomona, California State Polytechnic University-Pomona shows median earnings of $73,961 for its Architecture graduates four years after completing.

Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Architecture (107 graduates), Landscape Architecture (66 graduates), City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning (37 graduates)

Highest four-year median earnings by program: Architecture ($76,969), City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning ($72,704), Landscape Architecture ($69,790)

4University of California-Berkeley · Berkeley, CA$72,108$13,481$5,31111.0%
University of California-Berkeley carries an average net price of $5,311 for families earning under $30,000.

Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Architecture (113 graduates), Environmental Design (19 graduates), Landscape Architecture (18 graduates)

Highest four-year median earnings by program: Architecture ($76,679)

5California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo · San Luis Obispo, CA$63,064$16,665$7,52931.3%
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo admits 31% of applicants and graduates 86% of its students within six years.

Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Architectural Sciences and Technology (180 graduates), City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning (36 graduates), Landscape Architecture (27 graduates)

Highest four-year median earnings by program: Landscape Architecture ($68,795)

6California State University-Sacramento · Sacramento, CA$61,410$9,338$6,50194.0%
With an average net price of $9,338, California State University-Sacramento reports median earnings of $61,410 for its Architecture graduates four years after completing.

Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Interior Architecture (49 graduates)

Highest four-year median earnings by program: Interior Architecture ($61,410)

7University of San Francisco · San Francisco, CA$55,286$41,431$31,53761.7%
University of San Francisco reports median earnings of $55,286 for its Architecture graduates two years after completing.

Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Architecture (25 graduates)

8University of San Diego · San Diego, CA$52,107$30,365$15,58652.4%
Graduating 84% of its students within six years, University of San Diego carries an average net price of $30,365.

Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Architectural History, Criticism, and Conservation (17 graduates)

9Woodbury University · Burbank, CA$40,484$33,692$28,81581.7%
Woodbury University ranks 961st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and admits 82% of applicants.

Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Architectural Sciences and Technology (67 graduates), Interior Architecture (9 graduates)

10University of California-Los Angeles · Los Angeles, CA$31,305$12,548$5,5799.0%
University of California-Los Angeles reports median earnings of $31,305 for its Architecture graduates two years after completing, alongside an admission rate of 9%.

Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Architecture (34 graduates)

How this list is ordered

Schools are ordered by the median earnings of their Architecture graduates four years after completing, or two years for programs that report only a two-year figure, highest first. The figure captures federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled after completing. For 3 of the 10 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The figures cited on this page cover the 6 schools with a reported completion median. The spread from University of Southern California to the lowest listed earner is $46,096.

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