Majors

Best Colleges for Architecture, by Earnings

88 of the colleges we track award a bachelor's degree in Architecture, about 3,790 degrees a year. Across the 56 that report earnings, graduates make a median of $67,191 four years after finishing.

Rank	College	State	Median earnings, 4 years out	Degrees a year	Acceptance rate
1	University of Notre Dame	IN	$82,983	54	11.3%
2	California State Polytechnic University-Pomona	CA	$76,969	120	75.2%
3	University of Texas at Austin	TX	$76,808	47	26.6%
4	North Carolina State University	NC	$76,695	25	41.7%
5	University of California-Berkeley	CA	$76,679	106	11%
6	Pennsylvania State University	PA	$76,181	43	60.6%
7	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute	NY	$75,551	56	63.5%
8	Northeastern University	MA	$74,540	4	5.2%
9	Carnegie Mellon University	PA	$73,439	11	11.7%
10	Drexel University	PA	$72,915	43	79.4%
11	University of Nevada-Las Vegas	NV	$72,468	32	96.2%
12	Auburn University	AL	$72,420	60	45.9%
13	Georgia Institute of Technology	GA	$71,292	52	14.1%
14	Kennesaw State University	GA	$70,752	48	69.2%
15	University of Houston	TX	$70,616	108	73.9%
16	University of Oklahoma	OK	$70,383	23	76.6%
17	University of Virginia	VA	$70,213	72	16.8%
18	Drury University	MO	$70,134	29	57.6%
19	Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University	FL	$69,874	6	20.6%
20	The Catholic University of America	DC	$69,838	43	82.8%
21	Mississippi State University	MS	$69,699	49	77.6%
22	University of Washington	WA	$69,515	91	39.1%
23	Louisiana State University	LA	$69,029	40	73.3%
24	The University of Tennessee-Knoxville	TN	$68,765	72	41.6%
25	University of Maryland	MD	$68,527	132	44.8%
26	University of Arkansas	AR	$67,955	84	74.3%
27	University of Florida	FL	$67,399	88	24.2%
28	University of North Carolina at Charlotte	NC	$67,204	49	79.6%
29	Marywood University	PA	$67,178	50	60.6%
30	University of Cincinnati	OH	$65,449	71	85.3%
31	North Dakota State University-Main Campus	ND	$65,148	55	95%
32	University of Michigan	MI	$65,015	68	15.6%
33	University of Central Florida	FL	$64,826	43	40.1%
34	Florida Atlantic University	FL	$64,730	3	66.1%
35	Texas A&M University	TX	$64,643	103	57.4%
36	Clemson University	SC	$63,892	74	38.3%
37	Texas Tech University	TX	$63,871	142	72.7%
38	Judson University	IL	$63,846	24	47.6%
39	Southern Illinois University-Carbondale	IL	$63,104	18	86.9%
40	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee	WI	$62,803	99	90.7%
41	University of Nebraska-Lincoln	NE	$62,700	1	87.5%
42	Prairie View A & M University	TX	$62,540	44	79.3%
43	University of Kentucky	KY	$62,383	10	92.9%
44	Portland State University	OR	$62,349	30	90.9%
45	The University of Texas at Arlington	TX	$62,345	96	79.9%
46	University of Minnesota	MN	$62,246	103	79.8%
47	University at Buffalo	NY	$61,525	75	74.2%
48	Keene State College	NH	$61,304	34	90.3%
49	Arizona State University	AZ	$60,297	141	89.9%
50	Morgan State University	MD	$59,586	28	82.2%
51	Kent State University at Kent	OH	$59,299	94	86.3%
52	Norwich University	VT	$58,534	14	74.4%
53	The University of Texas at San Antonio	TX	$57,778	97	86.8%
54	University of Illinois Chicago	IL	$56,975	86	77.3%
55	University of New Mexico-Main Campus	NM	$48,424	55	95.2%
56	Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce	PR	$45,710	20	98.1%

32 more colleges award this degree but have no earnings figure, usually because the program is small.

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Frequently asked questions

Which college has the highest-paid Architecture graduates?

University of Notre Dame ($82,983), California State Polytechnic University-Pomona ($76,969), University of Texas at Austin ($76,808), North Carolina State University ($76,695), University of California-Berkeley ($76,679) report the highest median earnings four years after graduation.

How much do Architecture majors make?

The median across 56 colleges is $67,191 four years after graduation. By college it runs from $45,710 to $82,983.

Which colleges have the biggest Architecture programs?

By bachelor's degrees awarded in a year: Texas Tech University (142), Arizona State University (141), University of Maryland (132), California State Polytechnic University-Pomona (120), University of Houston (108).

Does a higher-earning program mean a better program?

Not on its own. Earnings reflect where graduates live, what jobs they take, and who enrolled in the first place, as well as the teaching. The figures cover only graduates who received federal financial aid, and small programs are left out, so a college missing from this list may still have a strong department.

Source: College Scorecard, Most Recent Data by Field of Study (U.S. Department of Education), 2026-06-10 release, federal program category "Architecture". Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal financial aid, working and not enrolled, four years after a bachelor's degree.