In this article, we take a look at the top 50 undergraduate architectural school rankings by licensure exam division pass rates, as well as the top 100 graduate architecture program rankings by the same metric.
Composite average pass rates for schools offering an NAAB-accredited BArch degree.
Rank | School | Pass Rate |
|---|---|---|
1 | University of Notre Dame | 77% |
2 | University of Oregon | 72% |
3 | Virginia Tech | 71% |
4 | Carnegie Mellon University | 70% |
5 | Rice University | 69% |
6 | Tulane University | 69% |
7 | University of Texas at Austin | 69% |
8 | Penn State | 67% |
9 | University of Tennessee | 66% |
10 | North Carolina State University | 65% |
11 | Cornell University | 64% |
12 | Ball State University | 63% |
13 | Auburn University | 62% |
14 | Mississippi State University | 62% |
15 | Oklahoma State University | 62% |
16 | Iowa State University | 62% |
17 | Louisiana State University | 62% |
18 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | 62% |
19 | Marywood University | 61% |
20 | Cal Poly San Luis Obispo | 61% |
21 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 61% |
22 | University of Arkansas | 60% |
23 | Drexel University | 59% |
24 | Drury University | 58% |
25 | Syracuse University | 58% |
26 | University of Maryland | 58% |
27 | Rhode Island School of Design | 57% |
28 | University of Arizona | 57% |
29 | National Average | 55% |
30 | University of Southern California | 53% |
31 | Boston Architectural College | 52% |
32 | Illinois Institute of Technology | 52% |
33 | University of Louisiana at Lafayette | 52% |
34 | University of Miami | 50% |
35 | University of Oklahoma | 50% |
36 | California College of the Arts | 48% |
37 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | 47% |
38 | Pratt Institute | 47% |
39 | Kennesaw State University | 46% |
40 | Cal State Pomona | 45% |
41 | New School of Architecture and Design | 45% |
42 | Southern California Institute of Architecture | 43% |
43 | University of Houston | 43% |
44 | Florida A&M | 42% |
45 | The City College of New York | 41% |
46 | Academy of Art University | 39% |
47 | New York Institute of Technology | 37% |
48 | Woodbury University | 32% |
49 | Florida Atlantic University | 31% |
Composite average pass rates for schools offering a NAAB-accredited MArch degree.
Rank | School | Pass Rate |
|---|---|---|
1 | Princeton University | 81% |
2 | University of Notre Dame | 77% |
3 | University of Virginia | 77% |
4 | Yale University | 77% |
5 | MIT | 73% |
6 | University of Washington | 73% |
7 | University of Oregon | 72% |
8 | Harvard University | 72% |
9 | Virginia Tech | 71% |
10 | Kent State University | 71% |
11 | University Massachusetts Amherst | 71% |
12 | Carnegie Mellon University | 70% |
13 | Norwich University | 70% |
14 | Portland State University | 70% |
15 | University of Hartford | 70% |
16 | University of Minnesota | 70% |
17 | Rice University | 69% |
18 | Tulane University | 69% |
19 | University of Texas at Austin | 69% |
20 | University of Cincinnati | 69% |
21 | Judson University | 68% |
22 | Montana State University | 68% |
23 | Penn State | 67% |
24 | Northeastern University | 67% |
25 | University of Tennessee | 66% |
26 | University of Colorado, Denver | 66% |
27 | North Carolina State University | 65% |
28 | Clemson University | 65% |
29 | Ohio State University | 65% |
30 | University of California, Berkeley | 65% |
31 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | 65% |
32 | Cornell University | 64% |
33 | Miami University | 64% |
34 | Roger Williams University | 64% |
35 | University of Colorado | 64% |
36 | Washington State University | 64% |
37 | Ball State University | 63% |
38 | Texas A & M University | 63% |
39 | University of Kansas | 63% |
40 | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | 63% |
41 | Iowa State University | 62% |
42 | Louisiana State University | 62% |
43 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | 62% |
44 | University at Buffalo, SUNY | 62% |
45 | University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign | 62% |
46 | University of Michigan | 62% |
47 | Cal Poly San Luis Obispo | 61% |
48 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 61% |
49 | Columbia University | 61% |
50 | Kansas State University | 61% |
51 | North Dakota State University | 61% |
52 | University of Kentucky | 61% |
53 | University of Idaho | 60% |
54 | University of Utah | 59% |
55 | Drury University | 58% |
56 | Syracuse University | 58% |
57 | University of Maryland | 58% |
58 | Georgia Tech | 58% |
59 | Washington University in St.Louis | 58% |
60 | Rhode Island School of Design | 57% |
61 | University of Arizona | 57% |
62 | Lawrence Technological University | 57% |
63 | University of California, Los Angeles | 57% |
64 | University of Pennsylvania | 57% |
65 | Catholic University | 56% |
66 | University of Illinois at Chicago | 56% |
67 | National Average | 55% |
68 | University of Detroit - Mercy | 55% |
69 | Wentworth Institute of Technology | 55% |
70 | Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture | 54% |
71 | School of Art Institute of Chicago | 54% |
72 | Southern Illinois University Carbondale | 54% |
73 | Temple University | 54% |
74 | University of Southern California | 53% |
75 | University of New Mexico | 53% |
76 | Boston Architectural College | 52% |
77 | Illinois Institute of Technology | 52% |
78 | University of Louisiana at Lafayette | 52% |
79 | Philadelphia University | 52% |
80 | Andrews University | 51% |
81 | Morgan State University | 51% |
82 | University of Florida | 51% |
83 | University of Miami | 50% |
84 | University of Oklahoma | 50% |
85 | Louisiana Tech University | 49% |
86 | Texas Tech University | 49% |
87 | California College of the Arts | 48% |
88 | Arizona State University | 48% |
89 | University of Hawaii at Manoa | 48% |
90 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | 47% |
91 | Pratt Institute | 47% |
92 | Savannah College of Art and Design | 47% |
93 | Cal State Pomona | 45% |
94 | New School of Architecture and Design | 45% |
95 | Southern Polytechnic State University | 45% |
96 | University of South Florida | 45% |
97 | University of Texas at Arlington | 45% |
98 | University of Texas at San Antonio | 45% |
99 | Southern California Institute of Architecture | 43% |
100 | University of Houston | 43% |
101 | Florida A&M | 42% |
102 | University of Nevada, Las Vegas | 42% |
103 | The City College of New York | 41% |
104 | Academy of Art University | 39% |
105 | Woodbury University | 32% |
106 | Howard University | 32% |
107 | Florida International University | 29% |
All the data used was pulled from NCARB’s ARE 5.0 Pass Rates by School . No trained statisticians were used for this ranking, and we make no claims of scientific validity. We simply culled data from publicly available sources, averaged it, and rank-ordered it.
School licensure pass rates were derived from the average pass rates for each of the six architecture licensure exams averaged over four years (2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020), so 24 cells in total (six exams times four years). If a school had more alumni taking CE than PjM over those four years, or more taking exams in 2019 than 2020 (as most did because of COVID closures) our data would not have reflected that anomaly. We averaged the CE division pass rates with the PjM division pass rates (and all the others) and weighted each exam division and year as equal.
We used “missing teeth” in the data as a proxy for “a school is too small or too new to have useful data.” The vast majority of schools had data for each exam, each year. Those that didn’t were left off this survey.
While NCARB has found that candidates with graduate degrees, on average, pass exams at a +4% rate relative to candidates with only undergraduate architecture degrees, the school-level data that NCARB provides for programs that offer both undergraduate and graduate degrees does not differentiate between the pass rates of the school’s undergraduates and graduates. Therefore, if a university offers both degrees, the overall pass rates for all degrees were reported in each list. Only NAAB accredited programs were included in this ranking.
No matter where your program sits within architectural school rankings, utilizing a focused study course for the ARE 5.0 will properly prepare any would-be architect for the exam.
Amber Book was created by Michael Ermann, AIA, a licensed architect and tenured full professor in Virginia Tech’s School of Architecture + Design (number three on the undergraduate ranking). He was the first person to pass all six ARE 5.0 divisions and enjoys hosting ARE Building Systems prep courses for those in practice. Enroll in Amber Book’s multi-exam course today to best prepare for the ARE 5.0.
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