SoA Change of Major

Application Materials for Bachelor of Arts in Architecture Program

Fall 2026 Admission Cycle: Current UNC Charlotte Students Seeking a Change-of-Major

The Fall 2026 admissions cycle for current UNC Charlotte students seeking a change-of-major is now open. Our process is designed to evaluate creativity and critical thinking, not professional skills. Undergraduate applicants to our program are neither required nor expected to have any particular skills or knowledge base because we provide our students with everything they need to pursue their interest in architecture. Our admissions process is therefore designed to evaluate curiosity, rigor, ambition, and passion, not an applicant’s exposure to specific architectural skills.

In order to request a change-of-major into Architecture, current UNC Charlotte students must use their UNC Charlotte email account to complete this Google Form, which includes the submission of four items:

Exercise 1: Lines on Paper
Exercise 2: Paper Compositions
Exercise 3: Video Analysis
Resumé

Note: requests for access to the Google Form from personal email accounts will be denied; students must use their UNC Charlotte email account to complete the form.

GPA requirement: no current UNC Charlotte student will be considered for admission into the program until early 2026, after Fall 2025 grades have been posted. All students seeking a change-of-major into the Architecture program must have a minimum GPA of 3.25 by that time in order to be considered. Students with a GPA below 3.25 after Fall 2025 will be automatically denied.

High School/Transfer Transcripts: for students with less than 30 credits earned in residency at UNC Charlotte by the end of the Fall 2025 semester, high school and/or transfer-institution transcripts will be evaluated in addition to their UNC Charlotte transcripts (the admissions committee has access to these transcripts).

In the below tabs, please see instructions for completing each of these items, instructions for how to submit the items on through the Google Form, and FAQs for the application process.

Fall 2026 Admissions and Deadlines Calendar for Change-of-Major Applicants

July 1, 2025

SoA Change-of-Major application cycle for Fall 2026 opens
Spring 2026 admission is not available

Fall 2025 & Spring 2026 (multiple dates)

Open houses, Q&A sessions, application workshops, and student-led tours of the SoA available
In-person and virtual options available throughout the cycle
Dates to-be-announced later this summer

January 1, 2025 (11:59 pm)

Deadline for Round 1 of the change-of-major admissions process (initial decisions announced by February 1, 2026)
Applicants who miss this deadline will be considered for Round 2 of the process and notified on a rolling basis before April 1, 2026

February 1, 2026 (11:59 pm)

Deadline for Round 2 of the change-of-major admissions process
Final Deadline for Fall 2026
Applicants who miss this deadline may be considered after May 1, if space allows

Spring 2026 (multiple dates)

Admitted student events for applicants admitted to the SoA
In-person and virtual options available throughout the cycle

April 1, 2026

All applicants notified of their decision no later than this date
Some applicants may receive a notification earlier than this date on a rolling basis

May 1, 2026

Deadline for admitted applicants to complete their change-of-major process
Seats offered to admitted applicants will be rescinded if that process is incomplete

Instructions for Exercise 1: Lines on Paper

Prepare a stack of blank white paper (letter-size or tabloid-size printer paper is acceptable, but you may also use art paper; avoid paper with lines or grids). Make several drawings composed entirely of lines, using different types of pens and pencils (different colors and/or thicknesses). You may orient the paper horizontally or vertically.

Experiment with different techniques (long lines, short lines, many lines, few lines, using a ruler, drawing freehand, using different types of instruments, orientating the paper differently, etc)
Try different approaches on different sheets

Only one rule: be non-representational ... use lines to make abstract compositions, like the examples above by artist Sol Lewitt, not pictures of things. For example, do not draw a picture of a landscape or a house.

Make at least ten drawings, and select two that allow you to reflect on the effects of differences and similarities between different approaches to the exercise.

In about 100-200 words, write a reflection on your creative process while you were drawing and on how you selected the two drawings. Consider the following questions, or anything else that occurs to you:

What types of differences are evident in the two drawings you selected?
Do subtle or obvious differences appeal to you more?
How did applying different approaches to different drawings affect your creativity?
Did you find yourself being intentional or spontaneous during the process; in other words, did you make a plan and stick to it, or let the process lead you tp unexpected results?

Important: there are no right answers to this creative exercise. Don’t overthink your drawings or your reflection, or try to predict what we want. We simply want to see how you work and to hear how you think.

Prepare for Submission

Use a flatbed scanner or a scanning app on your smartphone to create digital images of your chosen drawings.
Create a one-page file in Google Docs, Microsoft Word, or a similar program (letter-size or tabloid-size, horizontal or vertical orientation).
Insert the scans and enter your written reflection into that single-page file.
Export the file as a single-page PDF; name the file "YourLastname_Exercise1.pdf"

Consider the layout of the page carefully, and make sure your images are scan-quality (don't just take pics with your phone).

Instructions for Exercise 2: Paper Compositions

Using white cardstock paper (any size; 100 lb weight recommended for easier handling), make several 3D compositions by folding and/or cutting sheets of the cardstock in different ways.

Experiment with different techniques (one sheet, multiple sheets, different size sheets, folding-only, folding-and-cutting, varying complexity, etc)
Try different approaches for different compositions

This technique is similar to origami, but with a significant difference: the space that your paper composition defines is as important as the paper itself. In other words, don't think of the paper composition as simply a sculpture or an object. Also consider the space around the paper that is being defined your folding and cutting.

Make at least ten compositions, and select two that allow you to reflect on the effects of differences and similarities between different approaches to the exercise.

In about 100-200 words, write a reflection on your creative process while you were forming the compositions and on how you selected the two compositions. Consider the following questions, or anything else that occurs to you:

What types of differences are evident in the two compositions you selected?
Do subtle or obvious differences appeal to you more?
How did applying different approaches to different compositions affect your creativity?
Did you find yourself being intentional or spontaneous during the process; in other words, did you make a plan and stick to it, or let the process lead you tp unexpected results?

Important: there are no right answers to this creative exercise. Don’t overthink your compositions or your reflection, or try to predict what we want. We simply want to see how you work and to hear how you think.

Prepare for Submission

Place one of your chosen compositions on a simple background (like a black sheet on a table, or like the examples provided).
Take several photographs of the composition.
Select two photos of the composition that, together, effectively communicate its 3D qualities.
Repeat that process for your other chosen composition, so that you have four photos total (two of each of your chosen compositions).
Create a one-page file in Google Docs, Microsoft Word, or a similar program (letter-size or tabloid-size, horizontal or vertical orientation).
Insert the images of your compositions and enter your written reflection into that single-page file.
Export the file as a single-page PDF; name the file "YourLastname_Exercise2.pdf"

Consider the layout of the page carefully, and make sure your images do not include distracting backgrounds.

Instructions for Exercise 3: Video Analysis

Go to a space outside of your home that strikes you as a powerful and/or effective space. Your chosen space may be a room, a building, a neighborhood, a street, a park, a city, or any space that you’ve experienced and can visit again. Take videos of the space from different perspectives, capturing the specific qualities that strike you as powerful and/or effective.

Consider how to include people in your footage (you, your friends, or the general public), in order to communicate how the space is occupied or used. Not every clip needs to have people in it, but make sure to capture some footage of people in the space. The films of Ila Bêka and Louise Lemoine are great examples of how to show the life of a space (the image above is a still from their film series Homo Urbanus).

Edit your footage into a one-minute video analysis of the space, using your own voice as the narrator. In your analysis, identify why you selected the space and be specific about the qualities that strike you as powerful and/or effective. Consider discussing a balance of objective/physical qualities (size, form, color, light, texture, etc) and subjective/social qualities (how it feels and how it is used).

The maximum length of the video is 60 seconds! Videos longer than 60 seconds will not be viewed. Be mindful of how you use the time you have, and give special consideration to how you begin and end the video (your first and last impressions!).

Try to make a well-crafted and carefully made video, but we are not expecting professional-quality videos. Most importantly, be yourself in your video. We want to get you to know you better through your discussion of a space.

Prepare for Submission

Upload your edited video to YouTube (you’ll need to have a free Google account to do this).
Copy and paste the URL (its web address) into a document, which you will later paste into your application portal.
Important: in YouTube's Settings, set the “Visibility” of the video either to “Public” or “Unlisted” so that anyone with the link can view the video without special permission (the “Unlisted” setting is recommended because it keeps videos hidden from the public but allows anyone with the link to view it).
Verify that your video is not set to "Private."

Note: video files cannot be uploaded to the application or emailed to the SoA. Only YouTube links are accepted.

Instructions for Resumé

Although the main University application allows applicants to upload an optional resumé, the SoA asks all applicants to submit their resumé along with the other required secondary application materials on their Future 49er Portal status page.

This resumé should include any coursework, jobs, or extracurricular activities that may help the admissions committee to evaluate an application.

Name the file "YourLastname_Resume.pdf"

Instructions for Optional Portfolio

The SoA does not require a portfolio for its secondary application process. In previous admissions cycles, about 50% of accepted applicants included an optional portfolio with their secondary materials, and about 50% of accepted applicants did not include one, meaning that the inclusion of a portfolio is neither an advantage nor an indicator of a successful application. The admissions committee looks primarily at an applicant's academic record and the required secondary application materials.

Regarding content, note that evidence of drafting coursework and/or CAD skills are considered “professional skills” that are not evaluated during our review process, as the SoA Admissions Committee looks only for evidence of creativity and critical thinking skills. Architectural drawing that is part of a creative process is more relevant, and all work included in the optional portfolio should show evidence of your creative activities, which may or may not include architectural design.

Applicants who wish to include a portfolio with their application are asked to include creative work follow these guidelines:

PDF format (must be a single file with multiple pages, not multiple files)
Page size: Letter (8.5” x 11”) or Tabloid (11” x 17”), either vertical (portrait) or horizontal (landscape) orientation
Page limit: no more than 10 pages, including covers
File size limit: 20 MB maximum

Submission Instructions

Submit your items using the Google Form, following the file-naming instructions and the prompts on the form.

FAQs

When will I be notified of the SoA's decision?

Current UNC Charlotte applicants who submit their materials by January 1, 2026, (Round 1) will be notified by February 1.

Current UNC Charlotte applicants who submit their materials by February 1, 2026, (Round 2) will be notified by April 1.

What is the acceptance rate for the program?

The SoA does not publish its acceptance rates because acceptance rates from previous cycles are not necessarily relevant to the current cycle, as the size and qualifications of applicant pool change year-to-year. Additionally, the size of the program changes year-to-year based on institutional variables and pedagogical developments.

Does the program have quotas for internal change-of-major applicants?

No, the SoA does not have quotas. Change-of-major applicants are evaluated alongside external applicants for the same seats in our first-year class.

Will any specific courses or extracurricular activities help my application?

No, the admissions committee will look primarily at your application exercises, your general academic performance, and your overall extracurricular activities. No specific classes or types of extracurricular activities are valued more than others.

Can I submit my application materials via email or by using a link to a cloud server?

No, all secondary materials must be submitted through the Google Form.

What if I submit my application materials shortly after the Round 1 deadline?

Your application will be considered for Round 2.

What if I submit my application materials shortly after the final application deadline?

Your application will not be considered for Fall 2026 unless space becomes available after May 1, 2026.

How long should I spend on these exercises?

We suggest that you spend no more than a couple of hours on Exercise 1 and Exercise 2 (for a total of about 4 hours). For Exercise 3, we suggest that you spend about two hours capturing footage and about another two hours editing it.

I’m not sure I understand the point of the exercises, can you explain more, so that I know I am doing them right?

Our exercises are not tests or tricks, and there are many “right” ways to do them, including ways we don’t expect and can’t predict. Read (and re-read) the instructions carefully, do some practice experiments, and then just have some fun with them. We are looking for passion and potential, and we understand that critical thinking is an open-ended practice that different people do in different ways. We are open to your interpretations of our exercise instructions.

I’ve never made a video before, so how do I do Exercise 3 without any experience?

Video making is easier than it may seem. Use a smartphone to capture footage, and any basic editing software that comes with your computer to do the editing. Online tutorials can teach you the basics, which is all that is needed (we are not expecting professional-quality videos). Videos communicate a lot of information, even when they are done by amateurs.

Do you have tips for photographing, scanning, and/or manipulating digital images?

- - If you don’t have access to a flatbed scanner, use a scanning app linked to your smartphone camera instead of the camera app itself (this will produce a more scan-like image).
  - When photographing or scanning images, be sure that they are well-positioned, well-lit, in-focus, centered, and appropriately cropped (if needed).
  - Use a neutral-color backdrop for your work (avoid patterns or bright colors).
  - All images should be sized at least 1024 X 768 pixels (landscape) or 768 X 1024 pixels (portrait). Smaller sized images may not exhibit necessary detail; larger may be difficult to upload.
  - All images should have a resolution of 72 dpi/ppi (dots/pixels per inch).
  - Save JPEG files as “Quality 10” images using a “Baseline Standard” option.
  - Always save an original copy of your image and create a back-up of each to ensure that you always have a record of your work.

Does submitting the optional portfolio increase my chances of admission?

No, the SoA Admissions Committee is not looking for any specific type of experience in their applicants, and it gives the same full consideration to all applicants who complete the required secondary materials. Additionally, in previous cycles, our records show that half of our accepted students did submit a portfolio, and half of them did not.

What are the format guidelines for the optional portfolio?

- - PDF format; name your file: “Lastname_SoA_portfolio.pdf” (must be a single file)
  - Page size: Letter (8.5” x 11”) or Tabloid (11” x 17”), either vertical or horizontal orientation
  - Page limit: no more than 10 pages, including covers
  - File size limit: 20 MB maximum

What are the links to the SoA’s and UNC Charlotte's various websites?