20 Best Architecture schools in California, US

Updated: March 02, 2025

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in California ranked based on their research performance in Architecture. A graph of 423K citations received by 8.45K 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: 12%
Receiving Aid: 61%
Average Aid: $25,951
Enrollment: 45,699

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: $17,998

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles

For Architecture

#7 in the United States

#7 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 10%
Average SAT: 1495
Average ACT: 34
Net Price: $41,496

4. University of California - Irvine

Irvine

For Architecture

#8 in the United States

#8 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 26%
Receiving Aid: 71%
Average Aid: $21,533
Enrollment: 36,582

5. University of California-San Diego

San Diego

For Architecture

#11 in the United States

#12 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 25%
Receiving Aid: 70%
Average Aid: $24,176
Enrollment: 42,376

6. University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles

For Architecture

#12 in the United States

#13 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 9%
Receiving Aid: 60%
Average Aid: $22,441
Enrollment: 46,678

7. California Institute of Technology

Pasadena

For Architecture

#32 in the United States

#35 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 3%
Net Price: $23,397
Receiving Aid: 68%
Average Aid: $60,201

8. University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara

For Architecture

#44 in the United States

#51 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 28%
Receiving Aid: 58%
Average Aid: $21,732
Enrollment: 26,068

9. University of California - Davis

Davis

For Architecture

#53 in the United States

#63 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 42%
Receiving Aid: 58%
Average Aid: $21,258
Enrollment: 39,707

10. Naval Postgraduate School

Monterey

For Architecture

#60 in the United States

#73 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 23%
Enrollment: 2,600
Male:Female: 79:21
Founded: 1909

11. University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz

For Architecture

#84 in the United States

#101 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Receiving Aid: 71%
Average Aid: $21,564
Enrollment: 19,764

12. San Jose State University

San Jose

For Architecture

#89 in the United States

#106 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 80%
Receiving Aid: 67%
Average Aid: $11,311
Enrollment: 36,062

13. University of California - Riverside

Riverside

For Architecture

#94 in the United States

#111 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Receiving Aid: 75%
Average Aid: $21,566
Enrollment: 26,426

14. University of California - San Francisco

San Francisco

For Architecture

#115 in the United States

#137 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 13%
Enrollment: 3,126
Male:Female: 35:65
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: 30%
Receiving Aid: 60%
Average Aid: $12,707
Enrollment: 22,485

16. Newschool of Architecture and Design

San Diego

For Architecture

#147 in the United States

#173 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Net Price: $50,190
Receiving Aid: 91%
Average Aid: $7,452

17. Santa Clara University

Santa Clara

For Architecture

#157 in the United States

#185 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 44%
Average SAT: 1420
Average ACT: 32
Net Price: $49,651

18. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach

For Architecture

#178 in the United States

#208 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 47%
Receiving Aid: 82%
Average Aid: $10,512
Enrollment: 40,278

19. San Diego State University

San Diego

For Architecture

#181 in the United States

#211 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Receiving Aid: 95%
Average Aid: $5,459
Enrollment: 39,241

20. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

Pomona

For Architecture

#203 in the United States

#234 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 74%
Receiving Aid: 78%
Average Aid: $10,441
Enrollment: 26,848

Closest to California states to learn Architecture

State	Universities Unis	Best university country rank Best uni rank
Oregon	3	86
Utah	3	40
Washington	3	10
Colorado	6	33
Kansas	2	75
Texas	12	14
Oklahoma	3	143
Missouri	4	51
Louisiana	3	106
Wisconsin	2	18
Illinois	8	9
Indiana	5	20
Michigan	7	6
Tennessee	5	48
Alabama	4	109
Ohio	13	15
Georgia	5	5
North Carolina	6	34
Virginia	7	24
Pennsylvania	8	1
Florida	9	26
District of Columbia	4	70
Maryland	5	21
New York	16	17
New Jersey	5	16
Connecticut	3	37
Massachusetts	10	3
Rhode Island	2	67

Closest to California states to learn Architecture

Art & Design subfields in California