Best Value Colleges for Architectural History and Criticism
Schools ranked by payback period — how quickly you recoup your investment through higher earnings.
2
Schools Ranked
$39,230
Avg. Earnings
6.6 yrs
Best Payback
0
Graduates
How we calculate value: Payback = (4 years of net price) / (major earnings - $35k baseline). A 2-year payback means you recoup your investment in 2 years through higher earnings vs. not attending college.
| # | School | Major Earnings | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of San Diego San Diego, CA · Private | $52,107 | 6.6 yrs |
| 2 | DePaul University Chicago, IL · Private | $26,353 | N/A |
Payback uses earnings by major from the College Scorecard's field-of-study file, last updated June 2026, against net price from the June 2026 release. Scorecard publishes the two separately, so they are different vintages.