• UK admissions
  • Starter kit
  • Architecture
  • Undergraduate

Architecture
in the United Kingdom

Architecture is an interdisciplinary profession: it brings together physics and mathematics, design, art and the history of architecture, and an understanding of how people live in and use space.

In the UK, the bachelor’s degree is the first step on a longer road to becoming an architect, and admission is decided in stages: universities look at your academic performance, then your portfolio, then you at an interview.

Please enjoy our guide for students who want to study architecture at undergraduate level in the UK.

01

Academic Preparation — What to study at school & beyond

Architecture is an interdisciplinary field built on three foundations:

  1. Physics, mathematics, economics, materials science;
  2. Design, art and the history of architecture;Studio-based, for a portfolio of works
  3. Sociological, psychological and ergonomic questions — architecture for people.

We strongly recommend combining subjects from these three areas: together they give excellent preparation for an architecture degree

** The third circle is dashed because it is optional: you can build all of these skills outside your main school.

  • Mathematics and/or Physics
  • Essay-based subject: History, English Literature, Economics, Business, Geography, etc.

Co-Curricular Activities (Reading)

Books

  1. Structures: Or Why Things Don’t Fall DownJ. E. Gordon
  2. Species of Spaces and Other PiecesGeorges Perec
  3. A World History of ArchitectureMichael Fazio, Marian Moffett, Lawrence Wodehouse
  4. The Story of ArtE. H. Gombrich
  5. The Architecture of HappinessAlain de Botton
  6. Architecture: Form, Space, and OrderFrancis D. K. Ching

Magazines

Student work worth looking atRIBA President’s Medals
02

Undergraduate application timeline

SeptemberFinal year begins
By 15 OctoberCambridge track
By 18 NovemberAA School · early application**
By 25 JanuaryAll other universities**
June–JulySchool ends
  1. Summer before the final year
  2. Final year of school · Year 13 / Grade 12

** except the early application to the Architectural Association School of Architecture (AA School), by 18 November.

You don’t have to apply alongside the applicants who follow the Cambridge timeline. But if you set yourself these deadlines in advance:

  1. You will make the most of the summer before your final year of school — for example, you can build your portfolio and write all the essays you need.
  2. You won’t have the discomfort and stress of working on your application during the school year, and you can focus on your studies.
  3. You may receive responses and interview invitations from some universities a little earlier (especially if you are an international applicant).
03

What the admissions process looks like

For most public universities
  1. Stage 0Application (UCAS or specific university portal)
  2. Stage 1Academic performance
  3. Stage 2Portfolio
  4. Stage 3Interview
  5. ResultDecision

What comes after this degree?

There are many paths:

  • stay in the UK and continue along the RIBA route;
  • apply for a master’s degree in another country;
  • go to work at an architecture practice.
04

Stage 2 — Portfolio

A portfolio stays with an architect throughout their career. At the undergraduate application stage, it should show a wide range of your work: sketches and freehand drawings. You can also include photographs, paintings, drawings, models and collages at your discretion. Remember that a portfolio is not only a set of works — it is also the presentation of your creative story.

Drawing is a fundamental skill in architecture. At university, students learn the specific drawing techniques they need and how to work in software to create design projects, images and 3D models. So if you have time, it is useful to learn the basics of these techniques and programs in advance. If you don’t, you will learn them at university.

Universities do not expect to see outstanding architectural work in a student’s portfolio. On the contrary, tutors assess creativity and the potential of the skills the student can develop while studying at university.

What can a portfolio include?

  • Finished and unfinished projects
  • Sketches and freehand drawings (ink, charcoal, pencil, graphite)
  • Orthographic drawings: plans, sections and elevations
  • Life drawing and painting
  • Collages
  • Sculpture
  • Physical models
  • Film, animation, music
  • Graphic design: a logo, brochure, flyer, website — even UX/UI
  • Photography
  • Metal, wood and textile work
  • Creative writing (poetry or a short story)
  • Research (a case study)
  • Software skills — CAD and others
Good to know

Universities want to see not only the result, but also how the project was made and the reasoning behind your decisions.

How to format and submit a portfolio

Every university has its own requirements for formatting and submitting a portfolio:

  • How many pieces can you include? How many pages?
  • Does each piece need an explanation of the ideas and processes behind the project?
  • Is there a word limit for the descriptions?
  • Are there requirements for the file name? For the title page?
  • How do you submit the portfolio — as a PDF, or by uploading your work to a dedicated website?
  • Can you attach video or audio?
  • Do you need to credit other people’s work or ideas that you used?
Good to know

Read all of the portfolio requirements carefully, and remember that the ability to follow basic instructions matters a great deal.

Examples of requirements:

Portfolio requirementsLoughborough University
Portfolio requirementsManchester School of Architecture
Good to know

The easiest way to make a portfolio is in presentation software: Keynote on a Mac, PowerPoint on Windows. One slide — one piece of work, or one idea that shows a particular skill (for example, drawing or making). Build a single presentation and save it as a PDF.

How one university puts it: Loughborough

“Pieces can be from your GCSE, A-level or equivalent courses and most importantly we would like to see personal work that reflects your interests and self-motivation to be creative. We do not expect to see architecture you designed, but a selection of your best work that demonstrates your creative passions and ambitions. Ask yourself, whether your portfolio itself is a piece of design work you are proud of.”

“Subject to the quality of the work submitted in your Portfolio you will be then invited to one of our Interview days taking place between December and March. These allow us to assess academic potential beyond that provided as part of the UCAS application and assist our offer decisions.”

Loughborough University, BArch Architecture admissions process · student work on Instagram: @lboroarchitecture
Loughborough’s standard process
  1. Stage 0UCAS application
  2. Stage 1Academic performance
  3. Stage 2Electronic portfolio
  4. Stage 3Interview
  5. DecisionOffer / Reject
05

Stage 3 — Interview

Congratulations, you have been invited to interview. This is the last critical stage before the admission decision. What is the interview, what should you expect, and how should you prepare?

At the interview, admissions tutors from the university ask questions and discuss your portfolio. This helps them get to know you, your skills and interests better, and understand how well you fit. So it is important to be able to discuss your personal statement, world architecture in general, and specific pieces from your portfolio.

Timing 15–30 min an interview usually lasts 15–30 minutes
Good to know

Ideally, find someone to do a series of mock interviews with. If there is no one, then:

  1. write all the questions in a separate document;
  2. write a detailed answer to each question;
  3. learn all the answers;
  4. record them on a voice recorder;
  5. listen back and repeat.

Example questions about you

  • Tell me something more about yourself.

Example questions about your portfolio

  • Can you choose one piece of the work and reflect on its strengths and weaknesses and ways to improve it?
  • Can you choose one piece of the work and explain your inspiration or the design concept behind it?

Example questions about architecture

  • Why do you want to study architecture?
  • Which architect or building do you admire, and why?
  • Have you visited any architecture practices?
  • Do you have any work experience in architecture?
  • Is there a specific architect, or a building they designed, that inspired you?

Example questions about the university

  • Why X? Why do you want to study here?
  • Do you have any questions for us?
06

Tuition fees

UniversityFee per year*
University of Bath
£26,200
University of Cambridge
£32,064
UCL
£29,000
University of Edinburgh
£32,200
Manchester School of Architecture
£25,500

* Fees are indexed every year, so it is best to check the current figure on the university’s website.

In total £150,000 In total, a bachelor’s degree will cost around £150,000.
Good to know

Tuition fees are only the cost of teaching. You can estimate the full cost of the degree with this formula:

Tuition fees Additional study costssoftware, field trips, study abroad, etc. Living expensesaccommodation, personal expenses Other coststravel, etc.
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