20 Best Architecture schools in California, US

Updated: March 15, 2026

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in California ranked based on their research performance in Architecture. A graph of 435K citations received by 8.58K academic papers made by 20 universities in California was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

Please note that our approach to subject rankings is based on scientific outputs and heavily biased on art-related topics towards institutions with computer science research profiles.

1. University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley

For Architecture

#2 in the United States

#2 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 11%
Receiving Aid: 63%
Average Aid: $29,608
Enrollment: 45,882

2. Stanford University

Stanford

For Architecture

#4 in the United States

#4 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 4%
Average SAT: 1545
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $25,078

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles

For Architecture

#7 in the United States

#7 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 10%
Average SAT: 1500
Average ACT: 34
Net Price: $43,412

4. University of California - Irvine

Irvine

For Architecture

#8 in the United States

#8 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 29%
Receiving Aid: 61%
Average Aid: $23,110
Enrollment: 37,297

5. University of California-San Diego

San Diego

For Architecture

#11 in the United States

#12 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 27%
Receiving Aid: 66%
Average Aid: $25,757
Enrollment: 44,256

6. University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles

For Architecture

#12 in the United States

#13 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 9%
Receiving Aid: 59%
Average Aid: $25,627
Enrollment: 47,335

7. California Institute of Technology

Pasadena

For Architecture

#32 in the United States

#35 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 3%
Net Price: $14,513
Receiving Aid: 70%
Average Aid: $72,373

8. University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara

For Architecture

#43 in the United States

#50 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 33%
Receiving Aid: 61%
Average Aid: $24,695
Enrollment: 26,133

9. University of California - Davis

Davis

For Architecture

#53 in the United States

#63 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 42%
Receiving Aid: 65%
Average Aid: $24,591
Enrollment: 40,065

10. Naval Postgraduate School

Monterey

For Architecture

#61 in the United States

#76 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 23%
Enrollment: 2,441
Male:Female: 79:21
Founded: 1909

11. University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz

For Architecture

#83 in the United States

#100 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 66%
Receiving Aid: 64%
Average Aid: $22,774
Enrollment: 19,938

12. San Jose State University

San Jose

For Architecture

#90 in the United States

#107 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 85%
Receiving Aid: 69%
Average Aid: $12,353
Enrollment: 37,661

13. University of California - Riverside

Riverside

For Architecture

#95 in the United States

#112 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 76%
Receiving Aid: 80%
Average Aid: $24,355
Enrollment: 26,384

14. University of California - San Francisco

San Francisco

For Architecture

#112 in the United States

#134 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 13%
Enrollment: 3,007
Male:Female: 36:64
Founded: 1864

15. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo

For Architecture

#117 in the United States

#139 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 31%
Receiving Aid: 62%
Average Aid: $14,338
Enrollment: 23,069

16. Newschool of Architecture and Design

San Diego

For Architecture

#147 in the United States

#172 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Net Price: $55,265
Receiving Aid: 88%
Average Aid: $7,862

17. Santa Clara University

Santa Clara

For Architecture

#157 in the United States

#185 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 48%
Average SAT: 1420
Average ACT: 32
Net Price: $53,883

18. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach

For Architecture

#180 in the United States

#210 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 46%
Receiving Aid: 82%
Average Aid: $11,795
Enrollment: 42,003

19. San Diego State University

San Diego

For Architecture

#183 in the United States

#213 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 36%
Receiving Aid: 62%
Average Aid: $12,053
Enrollment: 41,137

20. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

Pomona

For Architecture

#205 in the United States

#236 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Receiving Aid: 80%
Average Aid: $11,833
Enrollment: 27,636

Closest to California states to learn Architecture

State	Universities Unis	Best university country rank Best uni rank
Oregon	3	85
Utah	3	40
Washington	3	10
Colorado	6	33
Kansas	2	76
Texas	12	14
Oklahoma	3	141
Missouri	4	50
Louisiana	3	106
Wisconsin	2	18
Illinois	8	9
Indiana	5	20
Michigan	7	6
Tennessee	5	48
Alabama	4	108
Ohio	13	15
Georgia	5	5
North Carolina	6	34
Virginia	7	25
Pennsylvania	9	1
Florida	9	26
District of Columbia	4	70
Maryland	6	22
New York	16	17
New Jersey	5	16
Connecticut	3	36
Massachusetts	10	3
Rhode Island	2	67

Closest to California states to learn Architecture

Art & Design subfields in California