Ok hey guys!!! I’ve seen so many posts on this site from people who need information and now I’m one of them lol. So I know CCers must hate when posters ask them to recommend colleges but I neeeeedd help lol. I’ve been searching for schools since the start of summer and I’m an international student. Currently looking at rice, tulane, cornell, wustl, uo, notre dame, umiami, syracuse and howard for architecture. Waiting on act scores from the september test but in the mean time please advise me of schools that have a good architecture programme (barch/arch major) and have good aid for internationals. Thanks in advanceeeee 
:))
How much can you and your family afford? Other Stats beside your ACT such as GPA/EC’s/awards?
wowza thanks for the speedy response. not sure how much my family can contribute but 4.0 gpa. Started a club in the 11th grade and was vice president, president of my sport house at school, painted some murals and stuff, started my own business selling my art, selected as a big sister twice, invited to write for the school newspaper, choir member, lots of volunteer stuff. for awards I’ve done a few art competitions, been on the honour roll since 2009, won some school awards for placing first in subjects, won some regional awards for placing first in subjects, chosen as a beadle for class for 4 years.
You really need to figure out the money part before moving ahead with the college search process.
https://educationusa.state.gov/find-advising-center
Contact the counselors at the advising center that is closest to where you live. They are the experts on this. They can tell you which colleges and universities in the US have admitted students like you in recent years, and whether or not those student received any financial aid or scholarship money.
The US has only 48 accredited BArch programs by my count. Look up their financial aid policies for international students. The bad news is that you’re unlikely to get much, if any, financial aid at the public universities, and many of the private universities like USC and RPI also do not give financial aid to international students.
Note that BArch programs require 5 years rather than the typical 4 for bachelor’s degrees.
Public
Alfred State College
Auburn University
Cal Poly Pomona
Cal Poly SLO
City College of The City University of New York
Florida A&M University
Florida Atlantic University
Iowa State University
Kennesaw State University
Louisiana State University
Mississippi State University
New Jersey Institute of Technology
North Carolina State University
Oklahoma State University
Pennsylvania State University
Southern University and A&M College
University of Arizona
University of Arkansas
University of Houston
University of North Carolina-Charlotte
University of Oklahoma
University of Oregon
University of Tennessee-Knoxville
University of Texas-Austin
Virginia Tech
**Private **
Boston Architectural College
California College of the Arts
Carnegie Mellon University
Cooper Union
Cornell University
Drexel University
Howard University
Illinois Institute of Technology
Marywood University
NewSchool of Architecture & Design
New York Institute of Technology
Philadelphia University
Pratt Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rhode Island School of Design
Rice University
Southern California Institute of Architecture
Syracuse University
Tuskegee University
University of Miami
University of Notre Dame
University of Southern California (USC)
Woodbury University
An alternate path is to study something else as an undergraduate – architectural studies, art history, engineering, design, what have you – and then pursue a MArch degree. You have a lot more options for undergraduate studies if you choose this route, but it takes a bit longer.
You aren’t planning to try to find a job in the US after your graduation are you?
Job prospects in architecture are not good. I have a friend’s daughter who attends USC’s program. She is hopeful, but knows that the outlook is not good.
Plan on returning to your country after graduation.
Would your family have about 30K/year for 4 years (120K)?
A solution would be to start at a good community college (Cuesta, primarily, but also Foothills, DeAnza, Diablo Valley…) and transfer to Cal Poly SLO’s program. The CC’s COA would cost you about 25K/year for two years and SLO, which has one of the best programs in the US, would be about 32-35K,so all in all it’d be manageable if your parents had planned on 30K/year.
You didn’t give us an idea of your parents’ budget: I do realize this may seem an impossible amount in many countries but for other families it’s doable.
@alistu, I would agree that you need to clarify your financial needs before you can proceed with your list. Financial aid for internationals is complicated. It’s difficult to generalize on which colleges offer “good” aid to internationals because the amount received is often directly related to the individual student’s financial situation.
So your first questions are how much can you afford? And how much need-based aid are you likely to be eligible for?
Some of the schools you list also offer merit aid to internationals, but these scholarships are extremely competitive and only go to exceptional students. Need-based aid is easier to predict, but, again, how much you get depends on how much the college determines that you need. Co-op programs as offered by Northeastern and Cincinnati are also a good way to control costs.
Another point to consider is the strength of your portfolio for the schools that require them for admissions. If they are required (or recommended) then they will be a significant factor in admissions and especially in allocation of merit aid.
You also need to think about where you may end up after you get your degree. Architecture licensing requirements vary from country to country. In most states of the US you need a BArch or MArch to begin the licensing procedure. In your home country the rules may be different.
I think your list is fairly balanced and comprehensive, but without knowing your financial situation it’s difficult to judge whether you have covered your financial needs.