Undergraduate · Cambridge Architecture
Cambridge's Architecture course asks for an admission assessment at every College, submitted artwork before interview and a portfolio at interview, and it now leads to a four-year integrated MArch. Few subjects need a portfolio of this kind, and much of the preparation happens before the UCAS form is sent. This guide is written for families planning 2028 entry. Everything cycle-specific in it was last verified for 2027 entry, so treat it as the best guide to preparation and not as the 2028 requirement.
Official information · last verified for 2027 entry
Taken from Cambridge's official Architecture course page and read on 21 October 2026. For a normal 2028-entry application, made in 2027, every requirement below is last verified for the previous cycle and may change; Cambridge's 2028-entry requirements are awaiting publication.
The minimum offer is A*AA at A level, or 41-42 points with 776 at Higher Level in the IB. Some Colleges ask for specific subjects and others do not; Cambridge recommends Mathematics, Art and Design and Physics for a strong application.
There is an admission assessment at all Colleges for this course, and you do not need to register in advance.
You submit your own artwork as a PDF of up to 6 A4 pages and less than 15MB. The images should, at least in some way, reflect material you might bring to interview as part of your portfolio. Applicants to St John's also submit one piece of teacher-marked written work.
If invited to interview you bring and show a portfolio of recent work. Cambridge says it does not have to include architectural work such as plans or sections: it wants to see your interests, experience and ability in the visual and material arts. Portfolio requirements vary between Colleges.
The course is a 3-year BA (Hons) or a 4-year MArch, full time, with UCAS code K100. After 3 years on the MArch course students can leave with a BA (Hons) or progress to the 4th year without applying for a separate postgraduate course.
Official sources
Read on 21 October 2026 on Cambridge's Architecture course page, which describes entry in 2027 or deferred entry in 2028. The 2025 applicant numbers quoted in the guide are history, not a requirement. College-level requirements and assessment formats were not read.
The course
Cambridge says students usually spend 2 days a week in the studio, where they have their own dedicated design space and are set projects that require models and drawings. Studio work accounts for 50% of overall marks each year, and Cambridge says students will not usually be able to re-take assessments. The page says the route to becoming an architect is changing following a review by the Architects Registration Board, and that Cambridge's 4-year integrated master's (MArch) is designed to meet the ARB's updated requirements. Check the ARB website for the current position.
Reading the offer
Cambridge's minimum offer is A*AA, or 41-42 IB points with 776 at Higher Level. The page also says Colleges differ.
Some Colleges ask for specific subjects to apply to Architecture and others do not. Cambridge recommends Mathematics, Art and Design and Physics for a strong application, so check the College pages for the Colleges on your list.
Cambridge says some Colleges may ask for higher grades or an A* in a particular subject, and that some set extra conditions for most or all offers.
Cambridge's page says most Architecture students who studied A levels and started in 2018, 2019 and 2023 achieved at least A*A*A, and that around 90% took Art and Design plus Mathematics, Physics or both. It describes this as common patterns, not favoured combinations.
The artwork and the portfolio
The artwork and the interview portfolio are linked but not identical.
You submit your own artwork before interview, as a PDF of up to 6 A4 pages and less than 15MB in size. The images should reflect, at least in some way, material you might bring to interview.
If invited, you bring and show a portfolio of recent work. It does not have to include plans or sections. Cambridge wants something that illustrates your interests, experience and ability in the visual and material arts, such as drawings, paintings, sculpture or photography. Three-dimensional work can usually be shown through photographs.
Portfolio requirements can vary between Colleges and your College will tell you what to include. St John's also asks for one piece of teacher-marked written work.
Context
Cambridge's page shows 9 applications per place and 65 accepted for the 2025 cycle. Those are historical figures about a past cohort. They are not a requirement and they do not predict any individual result.
Planning for 2028 entry
Applying for 2028 entry means applying in 2027, under rules Cambridge has not yet published for that cycle. Each item below carries one of two labels. Last verified for 2027 entry means Cambridge published it for the previous cycle and it may change. Awaiting publication for 2028 entry means Cambridge has not yet published it.
These are the best guide to what to prepare. Cambridge has not confirmed them for 2028 entry.
Check Cambridge's course page and your College's page for the 2028-entry values when they appear.
Build a body of varied visual work over the next year, choose subjects with the recommended list in mind, and keep dated copies of the work you may submit.
Support
Avandy provides independent academic and admissions support. It is not affiliated with Cambridge or any of its colleges or departments. Preparation sits within the Avandy Trinity Advisory Model: a Strategic Admissions Consultant, a PhD-level Academic Mentor and a Subject-specific Tutor working within one advisory plan. Support is tailored to the student, and no outcome is promised.
Questions
A*AA at A level, or 41-42 points with 776 at Higher Level in the IB. This is Cambridge's wording for entry in 2027.
Yes. There is an admission assessment at all Colleges for this course, and you do not need to register in advance.
Yes. You submit your own artwork before interview, as a PDF of up to 6 A4 pages and less than 15MB in size.
No. Cambridge says it does not have to include architectural work such as plans or sections. It wants to see your interests, experience and ability in the visual and material arts.
Cambridge says some Colleges ask for specific subjects and others do not. It recommends Mathematics, Art and Design and Physics for a strong application.
No. They are Cambridge's wording for entry in 2027. Check the course page again when Cambridge publishes its 2028-entry requirements.
Students and families
Tell us about the student's curriculum, the visual work they already have, and the intended year of entry. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to prepare.
