Getting to know the schools and learning which school is best for your interested program is very important. Here we listed 10 architecture schools in the US that are the best for students to study. Ranking can be always subjective, so there is no first or second place in this list. It really depends on which school is more suitable for you considering the course offered, location, competitiveness, tuition fee, and much more.
#10 Cooper Union – New York, NY
Cooper Union is a private non-profit school located in Manhattan, New York. It is ranked as one of the most prestigious private institutions in the world with a public mission: to prepare bright, creative, and ambitious students to apply their talent and expertise to make impactful contributions worldwide.
In the year 2022-2023, the school has 892 undergraduate students, and 59 graduate students. It is a small community which means each student will get better attention from the school and professors. It also provides great resources for the study being located in the city of Newyork. On the other hand, the living expenses can be very high.
Acceptance rate: 18% Graduation rate: 88%
The tuition for one academic year is $44,550 before the half-tuition scholarship
The Cooper Union awards all admitted undergraduate students a half-tuition scholarship currently valued at $22,275 per school year. After applying for need-based financial aid, students may be provided additional aid to help cover tuition, room and board, and other related expenses. Limited merit scholarships are also available for selected students.
#9 Pratt Institute – Brooklyn, NY
The Architecture department is on Pratt’s Brooklyn campus. Pratt Institute is a top-ranked private school emphasizing creative fields, being academically excellent as well as adaptable to both in-person and online learning. Learning at Pratt can experience being a part of a collaborative, interdisciplinary, research- and inquiry-based education that prepares you to be successful in creative fields and professional practices.
Pratt Institute has approximately 4300 students with 94% of them being full-time students.
Acceptance rate: 49% Graduation rate: 72%
The acceptance rate for Pratt Institute is relatively high compared to other schools. However, its graduation rate is lower so its competitiveness can be high.
The tuition for one academic year is: $51,754
As a student at the School of Architecture, you’ll build the skills and knowledge you need to respond to these complex and evolving challenges in a uniquely versatile, innovative, and ethical way. There are also many clubs, organizations, and activities on campus as there are students at Pratt. The green spaces are core to the Pratt experience. Its main campus Brooklyn is a peaceful neighborhood with very convenient transportation to Manhattan.
#8 University of Southern California – Los Angeles, CA
University of Southern California (USC) is a leading private research university located in Los Angeles. LA is a global center for arts, technology, and international business. USC is very diverse offering extensive opportunities for interdisciplinary studies and collaboration with the leading professional industry.
University of Southern California (USC) has over 49,000 enrolled students with two primary campuses.
Acceptance rate: 16% Graduation rate: 92%
The tuition for one academic year is: $59,260
USC Architecture lecture series includes presentations followed by debates and discussions, providing a stimulating environment for the exploration of ideas that permeate the culture at the school. Speakers are a mix of new and established designers representing all of the school’s disciplines, ensuring students, faculty, and guests receive access to a variety of thought-provoking themes and ideas.
#7 Columbia University – New York, NY
Being an Ivy League school, Columbia University is one of the world’s most important centers of research. It recognizes the importance of its location in New York City and seeks to link its research and teaching to the vast resources. It has academic relationships with many countries and regions.
Columbia University has over 30,000 students with 79% of them being full-time.
Acceptance rate: 7% Graduation rate: 96%
With a below 10% of acceptance rate, it is very difficult to get accepted into Columbia University.
The tuition for one academic year is: $57,864
Although Columbia University is a very prestigious school, living in New York can be very expensive. USC’s Architecture curriculum introduces design at a variety of scales, acknowledging that integrated design thinking is effective for problem-solving at any scale and in any discipline.
#6 Virginia Tech – Blacksburg, CA
Virginia Tech University is a public research university with its main campus in Blacksburg. It is an inclusive community of knowledge, discovery, and creativity dedicated to improving the quality of life.
Virginia Tech University has over 37,000 students on and off the main campus with a 14:1 student-faculty ratio.
Acceptance rate: 66% Graduation rate: 84%
The tuition for one academic year is: $14,174 for In-state tuition and $33,857 for Out-of-state tuition
The College of Architecture, Arts, and Design at Virginia Tech is a global leader in architecture, visual art, design, and performing arts. Beyond the classroom, Virginia Tech prioritizes hands-on experience through research, study abroad experiences, internships, and student organizations that expand skills and broaden horizons.
#5 University of Texas – Austin, TX
The University of Texas is a public research university in Austin, Texas. With dozens of museums, libraries, centers, institutes, and special venues spread across the campus and the city, it is a great place to stay focused on learning and research.
The University of Texas has over 52,000 diverse students on and off the main campus with 3,000 teaching faculty.
Acceptance rate: 29% Graduation rate: 83%
The tuition for one academic year is: $11,752 for In-state tuition and $40,996 for Out-of-state tuition
The Architecture Program at The University of Texas at Austin values intellectual pursuits and cultural relevance in architectural production. Architecture is a situated practice and realizes meaning through its recognition of social, aesthetic, cultural, and technical contexts.
#4 Syracuse University – Syracuse, NY
Syracuse University is a private research university that has five award-winning study abroad centers and international programs in 60 countries to choose from where students gain a global perspective that lasts a lifetime
Syracuse University has over 21,322 students in total combining graduate and undergraduate students.
Acceptance rate: 69% Graduation rate: 83%
The tuition for one academic year is: $57,591
Syracuse university provides limitless educational pathways. It has five year BArch curriculum that is well integrated, beginning with a sequence of design classes introducing fundamental design concepts and skills. Courses in technical and structural design, history, and theory complement a broad variety of open elective courses that may be taken in other colleges on campus.
#3 Rice University – Houston, TX
William Marsh Rice University is a private research university in Houston, Texas. It is often ranked among the most prestigious institutions in the United States by major institutional publications.
Rice University has a total of 4,247 students in undergraduate programs and 3,567 students in graduate programs
Acceptance rate: 11% Graduation rate: 95%
The tuition for one academic year is: $52,895
Rice University has the smallest professional degree program situated within a top research university, allowing individual attention to the breadth of study afforded by a major university. It has a 5-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio and encourages a close-knit community that provides both undergraduates and graduates with thoughtful instruction, particularly in the studio setting.
#2 Rhode Island School of Design – Providence, RI
Rhode Island School of Design is a private art and sign school in the Providence of Rhode Island. It is one of the best art institutions in the nation. It is also affiliated with Brown University, which two institutions share social and community.
Rhode Island School of Design has a total of 2,621 enrollment in undergraduate programs and graduate programs combined. The student-to-faculty ratio is 9:1.
Acceptance rate: 20% Graduation rate: 89%
The tuition for one academic year is: $56,435
Nationally accredited (NAAB) and internationally recognized, RISD’s undergraduate program in Architecture leads to a professional degree: the Bachelor of Architecture. The program prepares students to enter the profession by first addressing the knowledge required for making architecture and second, by underscoring the complexities of the discipline and the responsibilities inherent in practicing architecture.
#1 Cornell University – Ithaca, NY
Cornell University is a private Ivy League and statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. Cornell was founded with the intention to teach and make contributions in all fields of knowledge
Cornell University has a total of 23,620 students, 14,693 are undergraduates, and 8,292 are graduate students.
Acceptance rate: 9% Graduation rate: 95%
The tuition for one academic year is: $62,456
Architecture at Cornell’s College of Architecture, Art, and Planning (AAP) is about creative and critical design practices that make a lasting impact – balancing rigorous research and scholarship, responsibility for our natural and built environments, and reimagining the world at every scale to build a just and sustainable future for all.
If you are interested in applying to any of the above schools for architecture, or you have other schools in mind that are not on this list, you will need to prepare one to two years ahead of time to make sure you meet all the admissions requirements when it comes to application date. Aside from your academic scores, the most important requirement the schools look at is your portfolio work. Your portfolio is a very straightforward way to show the schools who you are, how passionate you are to their program, how much is your commitment, what are your thoughts and mindset and why you want to pursue your career in this field. It is a test of your artistic abilities, creativity, and most importantly, your potential. If you currently have little to no artistic experience and abilities, you will need to find an art portfolio prep studio to start learning as early as possible. Learning art requires time to improve and the better your artistic abilities, the better you can present your portfolio to the schools.
New York Art Studio has more than 20 years of experience in art portfolio preparation with an unbeatable track record and admission data. With their unique personalized approaches, our portfolio preparation students accomplished remarkable results in their admissions with merit scholarships ranging from $33,000 to $94,000.
One of the benefits of their portfolio program is each student will be guided with a tailored curriculum based on skill level, and goal. With our one-to-one personalized instruction that caters to what needs to be done to make a winning portfolio for your chosen school and major and what colleges are looking for, students with/without previous art experience have made outstanding top-tier college admissions results. This one-on-one approach has proven effective for art colleges’ admission. With challenging project ideas and instruction from experts, students are experimenting, challenging their ideas, and refining them to find the best solution in an inspiring environment.
