Academic Index Last updated: June 23, 2026

20 Best Universities in California for Architecture

We ranked the top 20 universities for Architecture in California based on strict academic metrics. To determine these leaders, we isolated 3.15M specialized research publications which collectively generated 160.42M citations. This targeted approach bypasses general university reputation, directly revealing the strongest programs.

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Ranking Methodology Notice

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Field of Study

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1

Berkeley

University of California – Berkeley

For Architecture

#2 in United States #2 in North America

11% Acceptance

26,133 Enrollment

1175 Avg SAT

1868 Founded

2

Stanford

Stanford University

For Architecture

#4 in United States #4 in North America

4% Acceptance

47,335 Enrollment

1545 Avg SAT

1885 Founded

3

Los Angeles

University of Southern California

For Architecture

#7 in United States #7 in North America

10% Acceptance

47,335 Enrollment

1500 Avg SAT

1880 Founded

4

Irvine

University of California – Irvine

For Architecture

#8 in United States #8 in North America

29% Acceptance

47,335 Enrollment

1500 Avg SAT

1965 Founded

5

San Diego

University of California-San Diego

For Architecture

#11 in United States #12 in North America

27% Acceptance

47,335 Enrollment

1500 Avg SAT

1960 Founded

6

Los Angeles

University of California – Los Angeles

For Architecture

#12 in United States #13 in North America

9% Acceptance

37,297 Enrollment

1500 Avg SAT

1919 Founded

7

Pasadena, CA

California Institute of Technology

For Architecture

#32 in United States #35 in North America

3% Acceptance

26,133 Enrollment

1535 Avg SAT

1891 Founded

8

Santa Barbara

University of California – Santa Barbara

For Architecture

#43 in United States #50 in North America

33% Acceptance

45,882 Enrollment

1535 Avg SAT

1921 Founded

9

Davis

University of California – Davis

For Architecture

#53 in United States #63 in North America

42% Acceptance

25,685 Enrollment

1545 Avg SAT

1905 Founded

10

Monterey

Naval Postgraduate School

For Architecture

#61 in United States #76 in North America

23% Acceptance

837 Enrollment

1335 Avg SAT

1909 Founded

11

Santa Cruz

University of California – Santa Cruz

For Architecture

#83 in United States #100 in North America

66% Acceptance

45,882 Enrollment

1535 Avg SAT

1965 Founded

12

Riverside

University of California – Riverside

For Architecture

#95 in United States #112 in North America

76% Acceptance

25,685 Enrollment

1175 Avg SAT

1954 Founded

13

San Francisco

University of California – San Francisco

For Architecture

#112 in United States #134 in North America

13% Acceptance

2,942 Enrollment

1100 Avg SAT

1864 Founded

14

Santa Clara, CA

Santa Clara University

For Architecture

#157 in United States #185 in North America

48% Acceptance

37,661 Enrollment

1420 Avg SAT

1851 Founded

15

San Diego

San Diego State University

For Architecture

#183 in United States #213 in North America

36% Acceptance

42,003 Enrollment

1125 Avg SAT

1897 Founded

16

Pomona

California State Polytechnic University – Pomona

For Architecture

#205 in United States #236 in North America

75% Acceptance

38,313 Enrollment

1525 Avg SAT

1938 Founded

17

Long Beach, CA

California State University – Long Beach

For Architecture

#180 in United States #210 in North America

46% Acceptance

38,313 Enrollment

1350 Avg SAT

1949 Founded

18

San Luis Obispo

California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo

For Architecture

#117 in United States #139 in North America

31% Acceptance

27,636 Enrollment

1175 Avg SAT

1901 Founded

19

San Jose, CA

San Jose State University

For Architecture

#90 in United States #107 in North America

85% Acceptance

22,563 Enrollment

1420 Avg SAT

1857 Founded

20

San Diego

Newschool of Architecture and Design

For Architecture

#147 in United States #172 in North America

100% Acceptance

23,453 Enrollment

1229 Avg SAT

1980 Founded