Skip to content

Best Architecture Universities In The World (2023)

Architecture is all about designing buildings for beauty, functionality, and optimization of space. The top architecture universities in the world are the best places to acquire this vital skill which can help one excel, and gain renown as an authority in this field.

Architecture is not a new endeavor; from the pyramids of Egypt, the temples of Greece, and the Coliseum of Rome; mankind has loved to build imposing structures. The most advanced schools of architecture therefore teach the students how to combine cultural building styles with their own genius, so that the present civilization can leave monuments behind for future generations to marvel at.

While all of these are famous schools of architecture, they each bring a different flavor; the building culture of their individual localities.

100 Best Architecture Universities In The World

1. Massachusetts Institute Of Technology

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, also known as MIT is one of the world’s most important hubs for the development of technology. As it turns out, Architecture is a form of technology; the technology of designing buildings. MIT was established in 1861, and has become the birth place of many of the technological innovations that humanity enjoys today.

Architecture is one of the strong points of this university; the MIT media lab is part of the School of Architecture and Planning. This lab is known for its unconventional research, especially as it comes to maximizing the use of space so as to accommodate the rising populations in the world’s major cities.

2. Carnegie Mellon University

Carnegie Mellon University was established in 1900; it is a private research university- one of the finest in the world. This university has satellite campuses in far away locations including Silicon Valley, Qatar, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Japan, China, Mexico, and Italy; as well as Kigali, Rwanda.

Carnegie Mellon University has a strong leaning towards research and development of new things; it is with that approach that Architecture is taught in this institution.

Carnegie Mellon University has made many contributions to humanity in the area of science and technology; this has resulted in the creation of new things and new markets. It is therefore a great place for the incubation of a great mind, which will create architectural designs.

3. University Of California – Berkeley

The University of California, also known as the U of C, was founded in 1868. It is perhaps the world’s most important hub of proprietary knowledge in medical research. The university is well known around the world for its accomplishments in genomics, computer science, sports, and social engineering.

This is also one of the top universities for architecture in the world; the school has over the years been involved in research to develop smart buildings with lower energy consumption.

This will enhance the chances of survival of future generations; as the world’s population continues to soar, there is need to manage resources more efficiently.

4. Stanford University

Stanford University is a private university with a strong culture of research and development. It is considered one of the most prestigious universities in the world. This university is one of the best for the technology industry; it built Silicon Valley, and continues to be one of its foremost contributors.

Architecture is all about designs- something that Stanford University excels at. Furthermore, you can expect to see the advancement of modern technology integrated in the building designs taught at Stanford.

Stanford itself has a particular architecture as per the wishes of the founders; the buildings are done in the old styles of Western Europe, with red tile roofing.

5. Georgia Institute Of Technology

Georgia Institute of Technology is a public university with a strong culture of research and development. This university was established in 1885, as a place to learn mechanical engineering. However, the institution soon commenced the study of electrical and civil engineering as well as other fields of study.

This university is one of the most selective in the country; most students see their applications turned away. This is because the university endeavors to bring in only the best prospective students to study within its walls.

The strategy has worked quite well; Georgia Institute of Technology is ranked very highly in most fields; including Aerospace Engineering, Environmental Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering.

6. University Of Oxford

The University of Oxford is one of the most prestigious institutions in England. It was established in 1096; making it one of the oldest universities in continuous operation in the world. The university is best known for the arts, and also for producing brilliant politicians. Nevertheless, it is ranked very highly for architecture, and for a dozen other sciences.

The University of Oxford has built a reputation of excellence; everything that passes through Oxford comes out great. The University of Oxford is a great place to learn the art of creating exquisite building designs.

7. Harvard University

Harvard University is perhaps America’s most prestigious university. Harvard University was established in 1636, which explains why the institution is so well respected. Harvard has produced many notable men and women in many different fields of endeavor, including politicians, artists, musicians, authors, physicists and economists.

This is one of the most sought after places of learning; the however, the university has a limited acceptance rate. Architecture is one of the courses for which this university is rated very highly. Other courses include computer science, economics, medicine, arts, and biomedical research.

8. University Of Michigan – Ann Arbor

The University of Michigan was established in 1817. It is a public university with a strong culture of research. This university has produced nine Nobel Prize winners, and thirty four Pulitzer Prize awardees. The university is also very ideological; it has produced many politicians who have held various important political positions both in America and in other countries.

The Taubman College of Architecture which is the University’s school of Architecture and Urban Planning is one of the most respected in the country- it has consistently ranked among the best. This school has over the years had some of the most admired deans in the industry.

The schools programs have been rated some of the best, especially Analysis and Planning, Sustainable Design Practices, and Construction methods and materials.

9. University Of Southern California

University of Southern California is a private research university which was established in 1880. The university has grown to quite a formidable stature as seen by the number of accolades it has garnered over the years. This university has produced 10 Nobel Laureates, one Turing Award winner, and several other notable people, in several fields of endeavors- including sports.

This is one of the highest rated universities for the study of architecture, as well as for the study of engineering, physics, computer science, economics, and so many other courses.

10. University College London

The University College London is a public research university located in London, the UK. It was established in 1826, and was instrumental in setting up many universities in the former British colonies, especially in Africa. This was the first university in London, and has been essential to the city’s academic culture.

The University College London is highly rated for the quality of education it offers; in architecture and many other fields, this is the institution of choice for many people.

Below is a more extensive list of the world’s architecture universities in the world, their locations, as well as one’s chances of getting accepted to those prestigious institutions.

Position Institution Country Acceptance Rate Average SAT
1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology United States 7% 1545
2 Carnegie Mellon University United States 17% 1510
3 University of California – Berkeley Unites States 17% 1420
4 Stanford University United States 5% 1495
5 Georgia Institute of Technology United States 21% 1450
6 University of Oxford United Kingdom 18% Enrollment

27,500

7 Harvard University United States 5% 1520
8 University of Michigan – Ann Arbor United States 26% 1430
9 University of Southern California United States 16% 1435
10 University College London United Kingdom   Enrollment

42,000

11 University of California – Los Angeles United States 14% Enrollment

44,589

12 University of Washington – Seattle United States 56% 1327
13 Delft University of Technology Netherlands 65% Enrollment

24,703

14 Polytechnic University of Milan Italy   Enrollment

43,965

15 University of Cambridge United Kingdom 21% Enrollment

22,500

16 University of Illinois at Urbana – Champaign United States 63% 1330
17 Tsinghua University China   Enrollment

48,739

18 Catholic University of Leuven Belgium   Enrollment

62,693

19 Pennsylvania State University United States 55% Enrollment

40,363

20 University of California – Irvine United States 30% 1330
21 California Institute of Technology United States 7% 1555
22 Princeton University United States 6% 1510
23 University of Toronto Canada 43% Enrollment

95,055

24 University of Melbourne Australia 70% Enrollment

49,000

25 Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich Switzerland 27% Enrollment

23,420

26 Beihang University China   Enrollment

37,500

27 University of Sheffield United Kingdom 14% Enrollment

32,500

28 Nanyang Technological University Singapore   Enrollment

33,000

29 University of Maryland – College Park United States 51% 1375
30 Technical University of Madrid Spain   Enrollment

37,500

31 University of Edinburgh United Kingdom 51% Enrollment 32,500
32 University of Sydney Australia 30% Enrollment

63,602

33 Purdue University United States 67% Enrollment 1295
34 National University of Singapore Singapore   Enrollment

30,098

35 Vienna University of Technology Austria   Enrollment

29,341

36 Polytechnic University of Turin Italy   Enrollment

32,500

37 University of Texas – Austin United States 32% 1340
38 Cornell University United States 11% 1470
39 Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne Switzerland   Enrollment

11,449

40 Columbia University United States 7% 1515
41 Polytechnic University of Valencia Spain 29% Enrollment

30,317

42 University of Pennsylvania United States 9% 1515
43 Peking University China   Enrollment

35,915

44 Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications China   Enrollment

27,500

45 Imperial College London United Kingdom 15% Enrollment

17,565

46 University of California-San Diego United States 37% 1375
47 Technical University of Munich Germany 8% Enrollment

44,000

48 Arizona State University – Tempe United States 88% 1210
49 Zhejiang University China   Enrollment

54,000

50 Shanghai Jiao Tong University China   Enrollment

47,000

51 Normal Superior School France   Enrollment

2,400

52 Sapienza University of Rome Italy   Enrollment

100,155

53 Karlsruhe Institute of Technology Germany 25% Enrollment

23,321

54 National University of Defense Technology China   Enrollment

17,500

55 Technical University of Catalonia Spain 75% Enrollment

22,397

56 University of Bologna Italy 55% Enrollment

79,999

57 MARA University of Technology Malaysia   Enrollment

45,000

58 Eindhoven University of Technology Netherlands   Enrollment

7,500

59 Lancaster University United Kingdom 19% Enrollment

12,500

60 Texas A&M University – College Station United States 63% 1270
61 University of Seville Spain 75% Enrollment

45,000

62 Harbin Institute of Technology China 45% Enrollment

45,000

63 University of New South Wales Australia   Enrollment

45,000

64 University of Amsterdam Netherlands 5% Enrollment

31,123

65 University of Manchester United Kingdom   Enrollment

42,500

66 University of Waterloo Canada 53% Enrollment

35,900

67 Islamic Azad University, Shirvan Iran 85% Enrollment

1,702,231

68 University of Cincinnati United States 76% 1225
69 University of Sao Paulo Brazil 5% Enrollment

97,964

70 University of Florida United States 31% 1375
71 University of Tokyo Japan 35% Enrollment

28,171

72 McGill University Canada 47% Enrollment

40,036

73 Indiana University – Bloomington United States 80% 1235
74 University of Southampton United Kingdom 84% Enrollment

21,335

75 University of Wisconsin – Madison United States 57% 1360
76 University of Minnesota – Twin Cities United States 70% 1350
77 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University United States 66% 1270
78 University of Colorado Boulder United States 84% 1240
79 George Mason University United States 89% 1200
80 University of Pittsburgh United States 64% 1332
81 University of Queensland Australia   Enrollment

48,771

82 University of British Columbia Canada 53% Enrollment

59,659

83 University of Technology Sydney Australia 19% Enrollment

42,500

84 University of Virginia United States 23% 1415
85 North Carolina State University – Raleigh United States 46% 1320
86 KTH Royal Institute of Technology Sweden 45% Enrollment

12,500

87 Technion – Israel Institute of Technology Israel   Enrollment

12,500

88 Darmstadt University of Technology Germany 29% Enrollment

25,840

89 RMIT University Australia   Enrollment

45,000

90 Wuhan University China   Enrollment

60,000

91 Rutgers University – New Brunswick United States 67% 1295
92 University of Lisbon Portugal   Enrollment

49,769

93 University of Florence Italy   Enrollment

45,000

94 University of Calgary Canada 15% Enrollment

33,000

95 Brown University United States 8% 1500
96 Cardiff University United Kingdom 20% Enrollment

32,500

97 University of Nottingham United Kingdom 11% Enrollment

32,500

98 Ohio State University United States 68% 1320
99 RWTH Aachen University Germany 10% Enrollment

44,517

100 University of Twente Netherlands   Enrollment

12,500

         

Related:

Closing

The world’s best architecture universities have earned their status through years of work in the field of building designs. While the world still loves to see huge monuments, built to be pleasing to the eyes, architecture is rapidly shifting towards the incorporation of technology to make life easier. This involves minimal use of energy, conservation or recycling of water, incorporation of greenery into city life, and many other features that ensure sustainable living for the benefit of humanity.