I’m currently doing year 12 in Australia and considering going over to the US for uni. What are some good universities worth applying to if I want to study Architecture?.
I’m currently predicted for a 99.4 ATAR (top 0.6% in Australia) and planning to take the SATs in October.
@anon10234263, There are two paths to an architecture degree in the US.
Bachelor OF Architecture (BArch)
This program is usually 5.0 years. Upon completion you would be eligible to begin the process of becoming a licensed architect in the US. About 40 colleges offer the BArch. Basically, they fall into three groups: Schools of architecture that are situation at full-service universities, technical schools and art schools. All follow the same general curriculum but some are more focused on process and technology, some on design. There are highly rated schools in all categories. The most highly rated are very selective. Look at Design Intelligence for ratings.
Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BS) IN architecture PLUS a Master of Architecture (MArch)
These two degrees can take from 5.0 to 7.5 years to complete. There are many, many choices and combinations available. If you’re not 100% sure about a career in architecture then the BA/BS+MArch is the best route, though it takes longer and often costs more.
In order to narrow in on your options:
What is your financial situation? Financial aid for the BArch, BS/BA is available to international students but is limited. The MArch can be a very expensive degree as aid is unpredictable.
Will you be able to submit a portfolio? This would include examples of artwork of different media (especially drawing) not necessarily architectural. Some schools require (or recommend) a portfolio, some do not.
Where do you see yourself practicing architecture, in Australia, in the US, somewhere else?
$25,000 USD at best so I’ll probably need aid somewhere along the line so the need-blind schools are appealing but I don’t think I have much of a chance getting into them.
For portfolios I mess around on sketch up alot but I don’t think that I can count them as one.
If you are serious about studying in the US then you’ll have to do some serious research into the different degrees available and the different aid policies of the schools that offer them.
I wouldn’t focus on need-blind vs need-aware. (None of the handful of schools that are need-blind for internationals offers the BArch anyway.)
Plenty of need-aware schools provide financial aid to internationals. Some offer only need-based aid; some also offer merit aid. Some guarantee to meet demonstrated need, most do not. Since you’ll require a significant amount, you’ll need to understand the differences.
The individual schools’ websites and Common Data Sets are a good place to start researching.
I would also note that architecture and civil engineering are two separate degree paths so you need to make that decision upfront too.
If you decide to go for a BArch then you should compile a portfolio. This will widen the list of schools that you can apply to. The schools’ websites provide information on what they’re looking for.
Another approach would be to get your undergraduate degree in architecture or engineering in Australia then an MArch in the US. Many architects who are not US citizens take this route.
To get your budget below $25K/year, you will need a full tuition scholarship or very close to it. To get that much in merit aid, you’ll have to apply to schools where you are near the top of their applicant pool.
Some schools do give need-based aid to international students; but you’ll need to ascertain whether your “demonstrated need” will qualify you for enough aid. I’d suggest running the Net Price Calculators for Cornell and Rice, which do give need-based aid to internationals and do have a BArch programs (but as you say, also practice need-aware admissions for internationals). This will at least give you an idea of the best case scenario as far as whether you qualify for enough need-based aid to make such schools affordable.
You might consider schools with architectural engineering programs. These will be four year engineering programs (rather than a 5-year BArch) but will give you more of an architectural focus than a general CivE program. For example, U of Alabama has an ABET accredited architectural engineering program, and they are known for giving generous merit to high-stat international as well as domestic applicants: http://cce.eng.ua.edu/undergraduate/architectural-engineering/ Private U’s with potential to give enough merit and/or need-based aid, and an architectural engineering major, include U of Miami and WPI. (Not sure if you could get enough aid at these schools or not, but it’s worth running the NPC’s to see how it might look.) Also check out U of Cincinnati’s program, which has particularly strong co-op opportunities (which could allow you to get work experience in the US): B.S. in Architectural Engineering Degree | University of Cincinnati Their maximum international scholarship of $25K/year would bring the total cost down to $21K/year, so there’s a shot at its being affordable.
You might look at Cal Poly Pomona. I mention it because my cousin’s son chose it over some other schools with highly regarded architecture programs that he was accepted into. I’m not exactly sure why he chose CPP, but I’m guessing cost had something to do with it.
I was going to suggest the Cal Poly schools, but there’s no way around the out-of-pocket being at least $45K/year. (CPP can be a bargain for students from other western states in the US, because it’s part of the WUE consortium, but that won’t help an international applicant.) 45K is great compared to full-pay private, but not great compared to OP’s budget.
What about Kent State?
B.Arch, good merit aid. Honors college.
Your ATAR should guarantee you admission anywhere you want though, so why the US?
we are in the middle of the US - farmland - but there are a few good schools that offer architecture around here. I don’t know the costs; but i do know that the midwest US often has lower prices than the coasts, and these schools often offer scholarships.
I would look at Kansas State University (often on the design intelligence list as a top school) Iowa State University; and University of Kansas. University of Arkansas might be an option too. For Architectural Engineering - thats quite a bit different than architecture. . . . but i happen to know two kids who recently graduated with that degree from University of Nebraska Omaha who are doing really well. Good luck!
**my own daughter studied architecture in a 4/2 program. She’s headed to the east coast for grad school and it is extremely expensive 
But her undergrad was relatively cheap. we’ve had lots of thoughts and guidance from posters on this board.
I realized last year that I might have a shot at some of the institutions (That offer better programs than in Australia). Being from Tokyo originally and now living in a comparatively smaller city I just have the urge to go somewhere else as well.
Do you know your budget?
I was an architectural engineering major because I wanted to focus on the structural design of buildings. I didn’t care about site design, highways, wastewater plants, etc.
As others have noted, architecture and structural engineering are VERY different fields. Yes, it’s possible to double major, but it’s the very rare individual who is proficient in both. It was an option at the University of Texas at Austin and I knew of only one person during my study there who succeeded in it.
To give you a better idea, I graduated with high honors in Arch E, but I made a B one semester and a C the other in the two architectural design classes I took. I’m just not artistic!
You might want to job shadow a structural engineer and an architect to see which field you like. Good luck! I think either choice would be excellent. Construction is a fascinating business. It’s really cool to see “my” buildings around town.
(One other thought - do you use the metric system? I think it would be really tough to go from metric to imperial units with building dimensions. You should start studying that. I wish the US would switch. I’m so tired of adding lengths such as 5’-7 9/16” and 32’-10 7/8”, ha.)
Another issue is that the most prestigious institutions (that your ATAR may make you think of) often do not offer the B.Arch and some may not be the best for Civil Engineering or Architectural Engineering.
Yeah my prior research was poor now that I think of it. Fell into the hole of getting carried away with name and prestige.
Some top names for Engineering include Purdue, Cal Poly, WPI… along with most flagship and Tech universities (Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Penn State, UMaryland, UMinnesota, UF…)
Obviously look at the tracks offered at Vanderbilt, Cornell, Olin, etc, but keep in mind “general” rankings are not necessarily the best when looking for specific disciplines.
(In addition, check out HarveyMudd - tough admit with exacting standards for its students, but your ATAR seems to indicate you’re not afraid of rigor, hard work, and learning lots of things. HMC does include a lot of non Engineering classes so it might appeal to someone interested in Architecture. In the US, Engineering is very technical, with few electives.)
Also, on this forum, look for the “red pill/blue pill” discussion. It’s wholly subjective but it will show you a range of perspectives on the way Engineering can be taught, learned, practiced.
Clarification….”need blind” relates to admissions. This means that the college doesn’t consider your financial need when reviewing your application for admission. Need blind is NOT related to financial aid awards.
You must be thinking of colleges that “meet full need for all”. That’s different. For international students, there are only 5 (highly competitive colleges) that meet full need for all international students AND are need blind for admissions.
Why do you need to come to the U.S. to study architecture? Are there colleges in Australia that offer this major that likely are within your price point!
Yes, you need schools that will either meet full need for internationals, or offer a combination of need-based and merit aid that will add up to a full-need-met offer. Need-blind would be nice, but you’re highly qualified so even if it’s harder to get accepted under a need-aware policy, you will still have a good chance at many schools because you’re such a strong applicant. The important thing is to get enough aid at the ones you do get into.
You could still go to grad school for architecture after doing an undergrad degree in engineering, and in the meantime you’d be highly employable. If you don’t have a strong preference and are up for the rigor of an ABET engineering program, I’d lean toward the engineering route because it’s the quickest path to a marketable degree, and it doesn’t burn any bridges. You could make good money and gain valuable experience for a few years and then go back for your MArch if you still wanted to, and I imagine you’d end up highly in demand with the dual credential (which as MaineLonghorn says is relatively rare). OTOH a BArch will require five years of school (not 5 years total including a year of paid co-op, like Cincinnati engineering would be), and breaking into architecture with a BArch is harder and less lucrative than getting a job as an engineer. (A BArch at Rice is actually six years, including a paid preceptorship year - it’s a phenomenal program though.) And at that point the engineering path would be hard to recapture, because you wouldn’t have the kind of undergrad background that would qualify you to go straight into an engineering masters program.
However, if you would find it more rewarding to spend long hours in the studio learning the craft of architecture, vs. long hours on problem sets and engineering labs, then follow that preference.
(Cincinnati has both, so the recommendation to chase merit there stands either way! They’re also a top school for Industrial Design fwiw.)
That said, there’s no law that says you can only apply to one kind of program. You can apply to different programs at different schools, and decide once you see what your options are. Have you run the NPC’s for Rice and Cornell to see whether need-based aid would make them affordable?
Note that many (not all) of the top rated BArch programs — EG Cornell, Rice, Syracuse, Pratt, RISD — require applicants to submit a design portfolio. The strength of the portfolio is a major factor in admissions and financial aid distribution.
I believe that most of the top rated tech schools do not require a portfolio for BArch admissions nor do many other schools of architecture — EG the Cal Polys, Virginia Tech, Penn State, the Kansas schools, Tulane, Notre Dame, U of Miami. There are several others. Requirements are fluid so you really need to check one by one.
Only a few BS+MArch programs require a portfolio. Most do not. The BS/BA+MArch route is good for students who lean towards architecture but are not ready to commit to the intensity of a BArch.
I think what @MaineLonghorn meant was that it’s extremely difficult and rare to get degrees in architecture and engineering simultaneously. It’s actually quite common for people with undergraduate engineering degrees to get MArchs and this can be a lucrative career path.
Lastly, net price calculators are often not reliable for international families, I think because of variable exchange rates, costs of living, tax rates and overall transparency. Having said that, schools of architecture DO give financial aid to internationals. It’s just hard to anticipate what you might be eligible for so you need to cast a wide net.
That’s interesting - I don’t personally know anyone who has an undergraduate engineering degree and an MArch. That’s hard for me to comprehend. Such different talents and skill sets required for the two fields (although a lot of architects seem to think that they possess structural design ability which we rarely find to be the case).
Consider University of New Mexico. UNM offers a BAA in architecture and has a well ranked program (#22 out of 127 programs in the US) It’s ranked 3rd for best affordability for architecture studies.
https://saap.unm.edu
UNM also offers degrees on Civil Engineering, Construction Engineering and Construction Management.
https://civil.unm.edu/programs-and-degrees/undergraduate/index.html
UNM offers an International Amigo Scholarship-- which is guaranteed scholarship based upon your stats.
https://geo.unm.edu/admission/undergraduate/scholarships/amigo.html
International students can attend UNM for in-state costs.
Tuition, fees. housing, meals is about $18/year.
International students are required to buy school-sponsored health insurance which is an additional $3K.
There is an international airport in ABQ, although there are no direct flights from ABQ to Australia. (D and SIL lived in Sydney until Covid.) Dallas or Los Angeles are the closest airports with direct flights to Oz.