How to apply
Read our guidance on applying to study in the School of Architecture, which is designed to give you the best chance of a successful application.
Applications for undergraduate courses must be made through UCAS.
Subject choices
There are no specific A-level subject requirements for our architecture undergraduate programmes. You should refer to the University's guidance on acceptable combinations of subject A-levels.
We generally advise that you select a broad range of subjects rather than a narrow selection and that you avoid studying two or three very similar subjects.
The art and design portfolio
All applicants are expected to show evidence of artistic ability and, after your UCAS application has been processed, selected applicants will be invited to electronically submit a short portfolio of art and design work. Even if you do not study an art or design subject as part of your current programme of studies, you should still be preparing original artwork to include in the portfolio submission.
The portfolio comprises no more than ten pages of your own art and design work collated into one document. It should include a variety of work, demonstrating a range of techniques (drawing, painting, collage, sculpture and printing, for example) and a range of subject matters. The portfolio must also include an original piece of work as specified by the selecting panel. The details of this piece of work will be communicated to applicants when we request the submission of a portfolio. You may add a coversheet to your portfolio as long as the file meets the requirements given in the portfolio guidance below.
You will have four weeks from the date of request to prepare your portfolio and you must submit this to us within the requested time period. Please contact us before the deadline has passed if there are valid reasons for you being unable to submit on time. We will not consider portfolios submitted after the deadline unless we have already granted you a period of extension. We are unable to provide feedback on individual portfolio submissions due to the amount of portfolios we review.
Portfolio Guidance K100 & KK13
*Applicants for the MEng Structural Engineering and Architecture (HK21) course are required to submit 6 pieces of art and design work.
Portfolio
Hear from our staff, Wei Shan Chia and Howard Evans, about what we look for in a portfolio. See examples of portfolio work and listen to current and former students explain how they approached their portfolio.
Thank you to the current and former students who were kind enough to allow us to feature their portfolio work in this video!
Personal statement
Your personal statement should be individual to you and it should reflect your enthusiasm and interest in architecture. Think about why you wish to study the subject at degree level, indicate what qualities you feel you will bring to the course and to the university, describe any achievements, skills or experience that you think are important for us to know about and explain what will you do with the knowledge that you gain.