How Much Does Architecture School Cost?
If you want to become an architect, attending architecture school is a must. Since a bachelor’s degree in architecture or architectural engineering can take five years to complete, it’s important to know what the tuition costs and related fees are so that you (or your parents) can prepare accordingly. The total cost will depend on whether the architectural degree is offered by a public or private institution and whether the student is attending in-state or out-of-state.
The annual cost of a bachelor’s degree in architecture ranges from $15,000 to more than $60,000 a year. This includes tuition, fees and books. Students who study in-state typically pay lower tuition compared to students studying out-of-state in public schools while in private schools, the cost of tuition, fees and books for both in-state and out-of-state students are similar.
Total cost for an undergraduate architecture degree at California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo is $21,663 annually for in-state students and $32,823 for out-of-state students. This school ranked number one in DesignIntelligence’s latest survey of the best undergraduate schools for architecture in the United States.
At number two is Cornell University in New York where the total yearly cost for a bachelor’s degree in architecture is $59,888. Rice University, another private institution ranks third in the list. The total annual cost of a bachelor’s degree in architecture there is $52,741. At the University of Texas at Austin, a public school, the cost of obtaining an architecture degree is $21,910 annually for in-state students and $45,954 for out-of-state students. Rounding out the top five of the best undergraduate architecture schools in the United States is Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. In-state total cost for an architectural degree there is $20,745 while out-of-state total cost is $35,897.
Meanwhile, Harvard University tops the list in that same survey for the best graduate architecture schools. The total yearly cost at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design is $65,278. In second place is Yale University where the total cost is about $64,000. Columbia University in New York City ranks third with a tuition cost of $24,360 per semester. The architecture graduate degree program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ranks fourth in the list. Tuition and fees for graduate students at MIT for nine months is around $43,210. Cornell University and Rice University are tied at fifth place.
At Cornell, the annual tuition cost for a master’s degree is about $47,050 while at Rice University, the tuition cost is $29,290 a year.
If you need financial help in funding your architecture degree, you can talk to the school’s financial aid office to explore possibilities of getting scholarships and grants. There are need-based and merit-based scholarships that you may be able to apply for. Also, student loans will also help you get that degree. You have to remember, that you will need to pay these off when you start working. To help finance your education and personal expenses while in architecture school, you can always look for part-time work as well.
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