Colleges like jargon. This articles aims to explain it all.

An example of a cover page from a BArch application portfolio.

If you’re applying to a Bachelor of Architecture (BArch) program, chances are you’ll need to submit an architecture school portfolio. This is more than just a collection of drawings. It’s a visual narrative of your creativity, thinking process, and design potential. In this guide, we’ll break down the BArch portfolio requirements for four of the top architecture schools in the U.S. for the 2025 application cycle: Cornell, Rice, USC, and Syracuse.

This article was written for 2026 entry admissions. It is possible that these requirements will change for further admissions cycles. It’s also possible that these requirements may change for the 2026 entry application cycle, so make sure to check each college’s website, and not all relevant websites may be listed in this article so make sure to do your own searches. This article is written for the purposes of deciphering portfolio requirements in a more general sense. 

Cornell University – College of Architecture, Art, and Planning (AAP)

Cornell’s BArch program is highly competitive, and the portfolio is a core part of their review process.

Portfolio Requirements:

• Cornell’s relevant web page
• Submit via SlideRoom through Cornell AAP
  • As you progress through the Common App, instructions to upload to SlideRoom will appear.
• Include 15–20 slides
  • This is a standard amount of slides for a portfolio. A ‘slide’ could be a page taken from a consolidated/single PDF portfolio, or a slide could stand alone amongst a series of unrelated slides. The former would be more suitable, given the information in the next bullet point. You’d upload slides as single uploads (not as a consolidated/single PDF).
• No more than two slides per project
  • So, potentially, around eight projects. A project has a beginning, middle, and end. What was the brief/intention, what did you do, and what do you think about all of it? Ideally these questions would be addressed through the images and captions you include on your slides.
• Each slide must include a caption with intent, method, and materials used
  • Practical information comes first. Your reflectivity comes second. Set the scene for us, and then get reflective. For example: ‘I wanted to draw how martial artists move through the space at my local dojo. I made three graphite drawings (10cm x 20cm), each with different line types. I made one oil painting (50cm x 70cm) to consolidate the spatial information of all three drawings. The painting is good for this reason and bad for these reasons…’
• Strong emphasis on freehand drawing (sketches and refined pieces)
  • Analogue work (as opposed to digital work) is key. It shows how you intuitively think through visual issues. 
• May include mixed media: painting, sculpture, photography, digital work
  • Across your projects, make sure you have a range of media. But if you’re not skilled in, say, painting, then don’t feel the need to include poor quality paintings. It’s a balance of skill and range. 
• Images must be clear and professionally presented
  • If an image on your slide is falling off the edge, or if you took a blurry photo of a sculpture, you will be disadvantaged. And take care to keep your image resolutions high. 

Rice University – School of Architecture

Rice seeks students with strong creative and intellectual potential to their very selective program. 

Portfolio Requirements:

• Rice’s relevant web page
• Submit as a single PDF, max 15MB, no more than 10 A4 pages
  • A fairly short, single document. 10 pages is not a lot, so make sure to be very selective with work included. Perhaps just three or so projects.
• Rice has an application portal where you’d upload the work after submitting your Common Application. 
• Content can include any form of visual or creative work
  • Schools, including Rice, want to see work that is inherently architectural but not Architecture with a capital A. Meaning the work could be considered more artistic, but speaks to architectural themes such as space, material, form, light, fabrication methods, design representation, etc. Schools prefer this kind of work from applicants because if you come to the school with preconceived notions of what you think architecture is all about, then the school has to ask themselves ‘do we want to essentially unteach this person their preconceptions on architecture?’ The answer is usually no, and you may not make it through admissions.

University of Southern California (USC) – School of Architecture

USC evaluates your creative interests and communication skills through a portfolio and video supplement.

Portfolio Requirements:

• USC’s relevant web page
• Submit via SlideRoom with the Common Application
  • Unlike Rice, you may have to upload your portfolio along with your Common Application, instead of waiting for an upload link to arrive after you make the submission in the Common App.
• ‘The portfolio submission should consist of a minimum of 6 and up to 12 digital file uploads’
  • Unlike Rice, USC asks for 6 to 12 separate digital file uploads. Depending on their specific wording, you could take your Rice portfolio (or one similar) and extract each page into 10 individual pages, as JPEG files. Or their wording may suggest that you take 6 to 12 key images from your set of work, and upload them without any accompanying text or layouts. In cases like this, it depends on the precise wording at the time of your submission.
• Include a Writing + Video Supplement:
  • Two short written responses (200 words each)
  • One horizontal video (30–60 seconds) answering a creative prompt
    • Pre-covid, colleges used to invite students to interview. Nowadays it’s more common to see these video requests instead. Colleges want to get a sense of how eloquent and motivated you are. This usually comes through in how you talk through your work. A student who looks into the camera, talks with determination, shows a level of openness and awareness, and is obviously interested in the work they’ve made will do very well. They want to see students who have something to bring to the table and are open and ready to have energetic discussions. 

Syracuse University – School of Architecture

Syracuse uses the portfolio to gauge your visual and creative aptitude. While design-specific work is welcome, it’s not required.

Portfolio Requirements:

• Syracuse’s relevant web page
• Submit through the Syracuse Applicant Portal after submitting the Common App
• Portfolio acts as a visual personal statement
  • In other words, it’s important to have the questions ‘Why architecture? Why you?’ figured out, ideally months in advance, so that your work speaks to your skills and motivations. For instance, you might be a martial artist. Does that play into your interest in architecture? If so, do you have drawings of perhaps how martial artists move through space? This should apply to all your portfolios, for all schools. 
• Show evidence of creative thinking, not just polished outcomes
  • They want a single PDF upload, like Rice, so this is your chance to have very clear beginnings, middles and ends to projects over a few pages. From sketches, to process work, to final outcomes. ‘Creativity’ is broad. Your work might be generally more artistic than design-oriented.
• Can include: drawings, paintings, sculpture, design projects…
• ‘12-24 high-quality reproductions of your best and most recent art work’
  • In your single PDF upload (if applicable), you would contain 12-24 high quality reproductions of your work. Meaning, the images (reproductions) that form the projects in your portfolio should be high quality and made ideally within the last year or so. As an example, you might have a 12 page portfolio (which would be reasonable) with a few images per page, covering three or four different projects. They will not count your images, but if you obviously have thousands of images jammed over your pages then there would be an issue. Notice the use of ‘art work.’ You can use this term simply to mean ‘visual work.’

Advice

Here are some key points to follow:

• Start early: Building an architecture portfolio takes time, especially for first-time applicants. It’s good to start making this visual work at least 18 months before deadlines (use the summers of your high school to get started on some independent artistic projects).
• Tell a story: Your portfolio should reflect your personal motivations, skills and interests, and how these land in the arts and other creative fields. 
• Focus on fundamentals: Freehand drawing, as a basic skill, is emphasized across all four schools. Schools need to see your raw skills in drawing, and how you translate between the second and third dimension. This is key to becoming an architect. If you don’t have those skills, consider signing up to some life drawing classes. Photograph or scan all the drawings you make – they will come in handy later.
• Show your process: Admissions officers want to see how you think, not just polished outcomes.

In most top-tier architecture schools, your BArch application portfolio carries as much weight (if not more) than your GPA or test scores. It provides tangible evidence of your curiosity, commitment, and creative instincts. Admissions officers look for students who are visually literate, interested in design and the visual arts, and intellectually ambitious.

The portfolio is your opportunity to make a memorable impression. Treat it as your first architecture project.