As prospective architecture students begin to navigate the road to architecture school, they usually are bombarded with many great qualities that architecture school has to offer: demanding, creative, and very rewarding. What prospective students fail to realize is that there is more to architecture school than just tuition fees and how these extra fees can pile up throughout the course of a student’s time at architecture school.
As the student progresses through their years in architecture school, costs can add up over time. Instead of all hitting the student at the same time, there are many situations in which costs can increase significantly as the student and project progress and mature in complexity. Understanding the typical costs for a program before entering can help a student choose the school that will be the best fit for them and also allow for creation of a financial plan to cover needed expenses before classes even begin.
Looking Beyond the Tuition Price
Students can also expect to pay for items outside of tuition, including university fees, tools and software for the the completion of architectural assignments, books and academic resources, and living costs. Some architecture programs include costs for site visits, museum and gallery exhibitions, and workshops or study tours in the overall program fees.
Effective planning for funding architecture school involves a combination of resources that can collectively cover the full cost of attendance. Most students start by researching and applying for various scholarships, grants, and even some financial aid from family and personal savings. Some students are also able to participate in work-study programs or take advantage of federal financial aid. If these resources do not cover the entire cost, students can also look into private loans for college. It is very important to compare the rates, the fees, the repayment terms, and even the requirements for when they require a cosigner before making any borrowing decisions. It is also wise to only borrow the amount of money that will cover the remainder of your funding gap.
The Cost of Tools and Technology
Technology is a very important medium for the modern-day architecture student. Many architecture students today require a powerful laptop to run a variety of computer-aided design (CAD) software, rendering software, modeling software, and image and photo editing software. An entry-level laptop may not be powerful enough to run some of these programs, so students need to consider purchasing a more powerful laptop in order to meet their needs.
Even software can be expensive for students, and it is a good idea for applicants to investigate which programs are provided on the university’s computers and if there are any computer labs. Find out too how long these are open for outside of regular teaching time. Many architecture students find themselves spending a great deal of time in at university in the term time in order to complete projects. Often the longest period of time is spent on major projects, and that is also the time when there is the least time to take on part-time employment in order to continue to study. The funding for the study of architecture, therefore, cannot be seen as merely the sum of annual costs but also needs to take account of how the annual costs might vary over time.
Model making is a discipline that requires expensive materials in order to produce high-quality work. These include cardboard, timber, acrylic sheets, foam, various adhesives, cutting tools, and laser-cutting services. Although at first each item can seem very expensive, the cost soon mounts up when considered over the duration of several years, particularly for those taking a 3-year course in architecture.
Planning for Time as Well as Money
Studying architecture also means spending long hours in the studio to work on individual and group projects. As these can be near deadlines, it will be very difficult to also get time for part-time work. You will therefore have to build up a fund to fall back on for emergencies such as replacing model parts or computer breakdowns. Even a relatively small amount will help here and will prevent you from having to cancel work on a project at short notice because of unforeseen extra expenses for materials.
Students should also leave room in their budget for those periods when other than normal hours are required in the studio. Having an emergency fund to draw on when necessary can cushion unexpected costs of models, computer repair, or extra printing required to complete a project on time. These unexpected expenses can cause a lot of stress if not accounted for in a student’s budget.
Comparing Programs More Carefully
While it is the total tuition fees charged by each program that are often most easily comparable, it is the total cost to study in different cities that needs to be compared. Students may encounter higher costs for things like housing, traveling, and daily life in high-cost cities. On the other hand, students may encounter lower costs to acquire computers, drawing software, etc. at campuses that have excellent facilities.
When comparing the cost of tuition at different architecture schools, consider including the costs of accommodations and other expenses such as food, transportation, university fees, textbooks, and more. In addition, it is also wise to investigate the different resources that a university has to offer its students. For example, the number of computer labs and the hours in which they are open. Also, the number of different tools and software that the university offers to its students. It is also wise to research the length of the program and the university’s accreditation, as well as the opportunities that are available for students to complete internships and the statistics for the number of graduates that find work after completing the program.
Architecture school is an investment. We have outlined some of the ‘hidden’ costs involved in studying architecture and hope that by doing so prospective students can gain a better understanding of what they can expect to spend and plan accordingly. Our hope is that by gaining this insight, students can really get the most out of their time at architecture school, focusing on their development as future architects without the worry of constant surprise at additional costs.
