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2025 Best Urban & Regional Planning Schools

44 Colleges in the United States
2,193 Urban Planning Degrees Awarded
$56,992 Avg Early-Career Salary
Urban & Regional Planning is about average in terms of popularity for degree programs. That is, it ranks #183 out of the 395 majors across the country that we analyze each year. So, you may have to do some digging around to find quality schools that offer the degree program. This list can help with that.

College Factual looked at 44 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Urban & Regional Planning Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,193 degrees in urban & regional planning annually.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Urban & Regional Planning School

Best Urban & Regional Planning Schools The urban planning program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Urban & Regional Planning rankings. For our Best Overall Urban & Regional Planning School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Urban & Regional Planning Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Urban Planning
Master's Degrees in Urban Planning
Doctor's Degrees in Urban Planning

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Urban & Regional Planning Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Urban & Regional Planning in the United States

The schools below may not offer all types of urban planning degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Schools in Urban Planning

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
43 Urban Planning Degrees Awarded
$63,583 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in urban & regional planning needs to look into University of Southern California. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were about 43 urban & regional planning students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available. Urban & Regional Planning degree recipients from University of Southern California receive an earnings boost of approximately $6,591 over the typical income of urban & regional planning graduates.

More information about a degree in urban & regional planning from University of Southern California

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
65 Urban Planning Degrees Awarded
4.6% Growth in Graduates

University of California - Los Angeles is a good choice for students pursuing a degree in urban & regional planning. UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #28 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were about 65 urban & regional planning students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the urban & regional planning degree program at University of California - Los Angeles make $12,365 more than the standard college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in urban & regional planning from University of California - Los Angeles

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
46 Urban Planning Degrees Awarded
$72,127 Median Starting Salary

Columbia University in the City of New York is a wonderful option for students pursuing a degree in urban & regional planning. Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of #15 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Columbia is a great university overall.

There were approximately 46 urban & regional planning students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent data year. Urban & Regional Planning degree recipients from Columbia University in the City of New York earn a boost of approximately $15,135 over the typical income of urban & regional planning majors.

More information about a degree in urban & regional planning from Columbia University in the City of New York

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
61 Urban Planning Degrees Awarded
3.3% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat Cornell University if you wish to pursue a degree in urban & regional planning. Located in the small city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #9 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Cornell is a great university overall.

There were roughly 61 urban & regional planning students who graduated with this degree at Cornell in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the urban planning program report average early career earnings of $49,671.

More information about a degree in urban & regional planning from Cornell University

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
75 Urban Planning Degrees Awarded
$57,276 Median Starting Salary

UW Seattle is a very large public university located in the large city of Seattle. A Best Colleges rank of #44 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UW Seattle is a great university overall.

There were roughly 75 urban & regional planning students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the urban planning program report average early career wages of $57,276.

More information about a degree in urban & regional planning from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
44 Urban Planning Degrees Awarded
$58,018 Median Starting Salary

University of Virginia is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Charlottesville. A Best Colleges rank of #35 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means University of Virginia is a great university overall.

There were about 44 urban & regional planning students who graduated with this degree at University of Virginia in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the urban planning program state that they receive average early career wages of $58,018.

More information about a degree in urban & regional planning from University of Virginia - Main Campus

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
73 Urban Planning Degrees Awarded
11.0% Growth in Graduates

Texas A&M College Station is a fairly large public university located in the city of College Station. A Best Colleges rank of #42 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Texas A&M College Station is a great university overall.

There were approximately 73 urban & regional planning students who graduated with this degree at Texas A&M College Station in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the urban planning program state that they receive average early career earnings of $50,580.

More information about a degree in urban & regional planning from Texas A&M University - College Station

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
33 Urban Planning Degrees Awarded
15.2% Growth in Graduates

UT Austin is a fairly large public university located in the city of Austin. A Best Colleges rank of #46 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UT Austin is a great university overall.

There were roughly 33 urban & regional planning students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent data year. Urban & Regional Planning degree recipients from The University of Texas at Austin get an earnings boost of around $7,199 over the typical income of urban & regional planning majors.

More information about a degree in urban & regional planning from The University of Texas at Austin

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
51 Urban Planning Degrees Awarded
9.8% Growth in Graduates

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a fairly large public university located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo. This university ranks 22nd out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 51 urban & regional planning students who graduated with this degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the urban planning program state that they receive average early career earnings of $47,832.

More information about a degree in urban & regional planning from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

10
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
32 Urban Planning Degrees Awarded
$69,502 Median Starting Salary

UF is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Gainesville. A Best Colleges rank of #56 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UF is a great university overall.

There were approximately 32 urban & regional planning students who graduated with this degree at UF in the most recent data year. Those urban & regional planning students who get their degree from University of Florida earn $12,510 more than the typical urban planning grad.

More information about a degree in urban & regional planning from University of Florida

Urban & Regional Planning by Region

View the Best Urban & Regional Planning Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

Urban & Regional Planning is one of 8 different types of Architecture & Related Services programs to choose from.

Urban Planning Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Urban & Regional Planning, General 2,193

View All Urban Planning Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Architectural Sciences & Technology 7,632
General Architecture 4,814
Landscape Architecture 926
Environmental Design 770
Interior Architecture 765
Real Estate Development 636
Architecture (Other) 262
Architectural History 129

View All Urban Planning Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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