Highest-Paying Architecture Programs
Colleges whose architecture graduates earn the most one year after finishing, across all bachelor's programs in the field.
Ranked by median earnings, 1 year after completing · 126 of 2,406 institutions report this measure · Compiled 2026-09-01
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Top schools on this list that also show up elsewhere — hop lists without leaving the trail.
#2
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN
#12
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA
#15
University of California-Berkeley
Berkeley, CA
- 1University of San FranciscoSan Francisco, CA · Private$63,005Compare nearby
- 2University of Notre DameNotre Dame, IN · Private$57,860Compare nearby
- 3Howard UniversityWashington, DC · Private$56,716Compare nearby
- 4California College of the ArtsSan Francisco, CA · Private$55,964Compare nearby
- 5Drexel UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · Private$55,770Compare nearby
- 6Auburn UniversityAuburn, AL · Public$55,338Compare nearby
- 7Art Center College of DesignPasadena, CA · Private$54,713Compare nearby
- 8University of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles, CA · Private$54,035Compare nearby
- 9Boston Architectural CollegeBoston, MA · Private$53,579Compare nearby
- 10University of Oklahoma-Norman CampusNorman, OK · Public$53,497Compare nearby
- 11Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteTroy, NY · Private$52,733Compare nearby
- 12Carnegie Mellon UniversityPittsburgh, PA · Private$52,733Compare nearby
Also on 12 other lists
- Social Sciences#2
- Business#3
- Visual & Performing Arts#3
- Multidisciplinary Studies#4
- Best Early-Career Earnings, 6 Years After Enrolling#6
- Philosophy & Religious Studies#6
- Mathematics & Statistics#8
- Physical Sciences#8
- the Highest SAT Averages#10
- Graduates Earn the Most 10 Years Out#11
- Best Student-to-Faculty Ratios#13
- Computer Science#19
- 13Pennsylvania State University-Main CampusUniversity Park, PA · Public$52,698Compare nearby
- 14New York Institute of TechnologyOld Westbury, NY · Private$52,647Compare nearby
- 15University of California-BerkeleyBerkeley, CA · Public$52,524Compare nearby
- 16North Carolina State University at RaleighRaleigh, NC · Public$52,464Compare nearby
- 17Oklahoma State University-Main CampusStillwater, OK · Public$52,420Compare nearby
- 18Wentworth Institute of TechnologyBoston, MA · Private$52,316Compare nearby
- 19Kennesaw State UniversityKennesaw, GA · Public$52,286Compare nearby
- 20Northeastern UniversityBoston, MA · Private$51,273Compare nearby
- 21Cornell UniversityIthaca, NY · Private$51,117Compare nearby
Also on 15 other lists
- Public Administration#1
- Mathematics & Statistics#11
- Psychology#11
- Communications#13
- Highest Four-Year Graduation Rates#17
- Graduates Earn the Most 10 Years Out#19
- Philosophy & Religious Studies#19
- Computer Science#20
- the Highest ACT Scores#21
- Best Earnings-to-Debt Ratio#22
- Best Early-Career Earnings, 6 Years After Enrolling#23
- Are Least Likely to Leave#23
- the Highest SAT Averages#23
- Most Selective Colleges in America#23
- Area & Ethnic Studies#25
- 22California State Polytechnic University-PomonaPomona, CA · Public$50,995Compare nearby
- 23Georgia Institute of Technology-Main CampusAtlanta, GA · Public$50,856Compare nearby
- 24Purdue University-Main CampusWest Lafayette, IN · Public$50,677Compare nearby
- 25Illinois Institute of TechnologyChicago, IL · Private$50,648Compare nearby
How this list was built
- Measure
- Median earnings, 1 year after completing — sorted highest to lowest
- Source variable
EARN_MDN_HI_1YR- Dataset
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most-Recent-Cohorts-Field-of-Study (04-17-2025 release)
- Where a college offers several architecture programs, the figure shown is the median across those programs.
- Earnings cover graduates who received federal financial aid, were working and not enrolled one year after completing, and whose highest credential is that bachelor's degree.
- 126 institutions report earnings for this field; programs with too few graduates are suppressed for privacy by the Department of Education and cannot be ranked.
A single measure is a narrow way to judge a college. Read this alongside the others, and see the methodology for what these figures do and do not capture.
Keep exploring
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- Sports at University of San FranciscoEADA programs for the #1 school on this list
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