SoA Secondary Application

Secondary Application Materials for Bachelor of Arts in Architecture Program: Fall 2027 Admission Cycle

Freshmen and Transfers (entering UNC Charlotte for the first time in Fall 2027)

Application to the Bachelor of Arts in Architecture degree at the School of Architecture (SoA) is a two-part process.

Part One - UNC Charlotte Application

Applicants to UNC Charlotte interested in studying Architecture must declare "Architecture" as their intended major in their general application (using one of the portals described on the Undergraduate Admissions page). Once that declaration is made, they will receive messages in their Future 49er Portal with instructions for the second part of the application.

Part Two - SoA Application

For the SoA secondary application process, prospective students must complete and submit the four items listed below. The tabs below include instructions for completing these exercises and submitting them on your Future 49er Portal status page.

Exercise 1: Aggregations
Exercise 2: Thresholds
Exercise 3: Reflections
Resumé
Optional Portfolio

The exercises do not have "right" answers, but they do have specific instructions, so read these carefully.

These exercises are designed to evaluate curiosity, rigor, ambition, and passion - not specific abilities or knowledge. We are looking for students who are eager to explore and to challenge themselves, regardless of their current skills and experiences. We will provide our students with what they need to pursue their interest in architecture, from a foundational understanding to specialized training. The application exercises expose prospective students to the creative processes that students at the SoA execute throughout their education.

WARNING regarding the use of Artificial Intelligence: We understand that applicants enter our exercise prompts into Artificial Intelligence engines, and we strongly discourage that practice. When applicants use AI engines, we see many versions of the same “solutions” given by those engines, which makes it more difficult to evaluate creativity and critical thinking. It is obvious to us when applicants use AI and when they do not, and we place far greater value on original work compared to work generated by an AI engine.

FALL 2027 ADMISSIONS TIMELINE

Deadlines & Calendar for Freshmen and Transfers (entering UNC Charlotte for the first time in Fall 2027)

August 1, 2026: Admissions Cycle Opens!

Application instructions for Fall 2027 admission posted on our website.

November 1, 2026 (11:59 pm)

Early Action application deadline for freshmen applicants for Fall 2027 for all primary materials required by UNC Charlotte
Freshmen applicants who miss this deadline may be considered after regular admissions, not Early Action.
Transfer students and current UNC Charlotte students seeking a change-of-major are ineligible for Early Action (see below)

November 15, 2026 (11:59 pm)

Early Action deadline for all secondary, part two application materials required by the School of Architecture (SoA)
Applicants who miss this deadline may be considered after regular admissions, not Early Action.

December 21, 2026

Early Action decisions released by the UNC Charlotte Admissions office.

January 1, 2027 (11:59 pm)

Priority deadline for transfer students and current UNC Charlotte students seeking a change-of-major.
Applicants in these cohorts who complete their secondary, part two application materials by this date will be notified on a rolling basis beginning in January 2027.

February 1, 2027 (11:59 pm)

Final application deadline for Fall 2027 cycle for all primary materials required by UNC Charlotte all applicant types.

February 15, 2027 (11:59 pm)

Final deadline for all secondary, part two application materials required by UNC Charlotte and the SoA; all applicant types.

April 1, 2027

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, 2027

Deadline for admitted applicants to submit their "Intent to Enroll" decision
Seats offered to admitted applicants to the SoA will be rescinded if no intention is declared
If space allows, new secondary, part two application will be accepted

INSTRUCTIONS FOR EXERCISE 1: AGGREGATIONS

Exercise Prompt:

Architecture is often made from simple parts that are repeated, connected, and assembled into larger spatial systems. In this exercise, you will investigate how a commonplace paper object can become the basis for a spatial construction.

Choose a mundane object made entirely of paper—such as an index card, coffee filter, paper plate, paper cup, or paper towel tube.

Design a connection that allows multiple objects to join together. Through repetition and variation, construct an aggregation that creates an interior, enclosure, threshold, or other spatial condition.

Exercise Parameters:

Select one everyday object made entirely of paper and use a minimum of 20 identical objects.
Design one repeatable connection that joins identical copies of your chosen object. Do not use tape, glue, string, staples, or additional fastening materials.
Photograph your completed aggregation from at least three viewpoints that clearly communicate the connection, the overall system, and the spatial qualities of the assembly.

Submission Instructions:

Place your final 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.
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 with appropriate captions or descriptions.
Consider the layout of the page carefully, and make sure your images do not include distracting backgrounds.
Export the file as a single-page PDF.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR EXERCISE 2: THRESHOLDS

Exercise Prompt:

Architecture shapes how we move between spaces and how we recognize boundaries between them. A threshold marks a transition from one spatial condition to another. Thresholds may be obvious and definitive, like a door between the inside and outside of a building, or subtle and suggestive, like a change in material, light, sound, or scale.

Identify a threshold condition that you encounter outside of your house or apartment and create a video, no longer than 30 seconds, that documents and analyzes how you experience it. Use moving images, recorded sound, and your own voice to communicate the spatial qualities that make the threshold significant. Your video should demonstrate careful observation of your surroundings while also revealing something about how you perceive and experience space. Note: A smartphone and basic editing software are sufficient to complete this exercise. We are evaluating your ideas, observations, and ability to communicate spatial experiences—not your filmmaking experience or access to equipment.

Exercise Parameters:

Look and Scale: Observe and record your threshold from different viewpoints, distances, and angles. Experiment with framing, lighting conditions, movement, and the presence or absence of people to reveal different spatial qualities of the threshold. Include at least one person as a scale figure to help viewers understand the size of the space relative to someone who occupies it. The scale figure can be yourself or others and you may include several scale figures.

Listen and Analyze: Pay attention to how sound contributes to your experience of the threshold. Record sounds at the threshold or in other locations and consider how they can be combined with your images. Include a brief voiceover, in your own voice, that communicates what you observe about the threshold and why it is significant. Be concise and allow the other sounds in your video to be heard.The use of background music is not allowed.

Edit and Iterate: Combine your images, recorded sounds, and voice into a final video of no more than 30 seconds. Consider pacing, sequence, and juxtaposition. Pay attention to how the video begins and ends. Experiment with different approaches to recording and editing before completing your final video. Return to the threshold, test different ways of capturing it, and revise your edit as you discover new ways to communicate its spatial qualities.

Submission Instructions:

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. Video files cannot be uploaded to the application or emailed to the SoA.
Important: Verify that your video is not set to "Private." 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).

INSTRUCTIONS FOR EXERCISE 3: REFLECTIONS

Exercise Prompt:

After you complete exercises one and two, compose a 100 to 150-word written reflection on your experience completing the two exercises.
In your reflection, describe the qualities of the final result, and reflect on what you learned during the iterative process about creativity and discovery. Explain one or more of the decisions that contributed to your final versions. Compare the two types of media and processes of making - the analog model building and the digital filmmaking.
AI may (or may not) be used to edit your text, but it may not be used to generate the text. All text will be analyzed to determine the extent of its reliance on AI.

Submission Instructions:

Create a one-page file in Google Docs, Microsoft Word, or a similar program (letter-size, horizontal or vertical orientation).
Export the file as a single-page PDF.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR RESUME

Although the main University application allows applicants to upload an optional resumé, the SoA asks all applicants to submit their resumé along with the required exercises as part of the 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.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR OPTIONAL PORTFOLIO

The SoA does not require a portfolio for its secondary application process. 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 SUMMARY

Secondary materials must be submitted on your Future 49er Portal. Go to your status page, and look for the "Application Checklist" section. The checklist marks what you have completed with a green check and what you still to complete with a red "x" (see example below).

For Exercise 1, Exercise 3, and the Resume:

Using the pull down menu in the Upload Materials section, select the appropriate item
Browse for your computer files to find the correct PDF, then click upload
Note that you need to upload your resume here, even if you already uploaded it with your main application (just upload the same file again to get the green check!)

For Exercise 2:

Enter the YouTube link of your video in the text field, and then click submit.
Remember to set the “Visibility” of the video either to “Public” or “Unlisted” so that anyone with the link can view the video without special permission.
Note that it may take up to 20 minutes for the YouTube link to be processed before that item is marked as complete with a green check (please don't submit the link again while you wait).

SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE ADMISSIONS FAQS

Please see our FAQs at the bottom of the SoA's Undergraduate Programs website for application-related FAQs