But will they get in at less than $40K? Well, for a semester they will. But the cost at UM is double plus.
They’d be better to apply to say - U Kansas - but then they say they’d stay in Hong Kong.
Frankly, the top architecture schools, depending on ranking - include UF (close to the budget), Va Tech, Miami, Syracuse, U Washington, Auburn, and more…..not necessarily this list provided by OP.
Of course there’s lots of lists but i’ve often read about Va Tech, Syracuse and Miami….including on this website.