Undergraduate · UCL Architecture
UCL's Architecture BSc at the Bartlett asks for AAB or 36 IB points, names no required subjects, and builds its selection around a digital portfolio that you submit only when UCL asks for it. If you are then invited, the interview is online by Zoom. UCL's page also says that from 2028 an undergraduate architecture degree will no longer be an essential requirement for registration as an architect, which matters for anyone planning the long route. Everything cycle-specific here is UCL's wording for 2027 entry, taken from a page UCL labels as a saved copy; nothing below is a confirmed 2028 requirement.
Official information · last verified for 2027 entry
Taken from UCL's Architecture BSc course page (a saved copy that UCL labels as possibly not showing recent changes) and read on 31 October 2026. For a normal 2028-entry application, made in 2027, every requirement below is last verified for the previous cycle and may change; UCL's 2028-entry requirements and dates are awaiting publication.
The A-level grades are AAB, with no specific subjects but a comprehensive portfolio of creative work required upon invitation at application stage. At least two A level subjects should be from UCL's preferred list. GCSEs: English Language and Mathematics at grade C or 4.
The IB requirement is 36 points, with a total of 17 points in three Higher Level subjects and no Higher Level score below 5. No specific subjects are required.
Once UCL has established that you meet or are likely to meet the entry requirements, it will contact you to request a digital portfolio. Please do not send it unless requested.
You may then be invited to interview. If so, it will be conducted online using Zoom.
The course is validated by RIBA and gives exemption from RIBA Part 1 on graduation. UCL says that from 2028 onwards a Part 1 undergraduate degree will not be an essential requirement for registration.
Official sources
Read on 31 October 2026 on UCL's Architecture BSc course page (a saved copy that UCL labels as possibly not showing recent changes), which describes 2027 entry. UCL's list of preferred A level subjects, its selection and portfolio guidance pages, fees and additional-costs figures, the contextual-offer details and the 2028-entry values were not read or are not stated. UCL labels the page read as a saved copy that may not show recent changes.
The course
UCL says the Architecture BSc builds your approach to architecture and design through studio-based learning, where you test and develop ideas through drawing, model-making and portfolio building, supported by lectures and seminars on how architecture connects to people, place and society. The first year has five compulsory modules centred on studio Design Projects, with lectures and workshops on environmental, structural and material design technology, the making of cities and the history of cities and their architecture. From the second year you join one of the Bartlett Design Units, small studio communities led by practising architects and specialist tutors, each with its own agenda linking architecture to subjects such as craft, film, history, philosophy and science. Most of the course is taught through design projects and assessed through the design portfolio.
Is it for you?
UCL says the course is for students interested in space, design and the role architecture plays in shaping society and the environment, with a keen interest in arts and sciences, motivated to learn through creative exploration and critical thinking.
you want to learn architecture by designing and making, in a studio, with a portfolio at the centre of your assessment.
you want to compare different structures and routes. The Cambridge Architecture and Design guides in this series set out their own requirements, and nothing here transfers to them.
your interest is studying or making art rather than designing buildings. Oxford and Cambridge History of Art and Oxford Fine Art have their own guides.
Reading the offer
The A-level grades are AAB, with no specific subjects required. UCL does say that at least two A level subjects should be from its list of preferred A level subjects, which was not read for this guide, so check it. The IB requirement is 36 points with a total of 17 in three Higher Level subjects and no Higher Level score below 5. The GCSE requirement is English Language and Mathematics at grade C or 4. UCL names the portfolio among the entry requirements, but it is requested after UCL has established that you meet, or are likely to meet, the grade requirements.
The portfolio
UCL says it will contact you to request a digital portfolio of your design or creative work and give you instructions on how to prepare it. It asks you not to send a portfolio unless requested, and says it need not be part of your initial application. The work must be your own: a portfolio is evidence of how you see and think. Because UCL gives its own instructions when it asks, the most useful preparation before then is to keep your sketchbooks, models and project notes in good order and to develop work you can explain.
Interview and registration
If you are invited to interview, UCL says it will be conducted online using Zoom. On registration, UCL's page says that the usual UK route to becoming an architect includes accredited undergraduate study, postgraduate study, practical experience and a final examination before registering with the Architects Registration Board, and that from 2028 onwards an undergraduate degree in architecture (Part 1) will not be an essential requirement for registration. It adds that the UCL course is validated by RIBA and gives exemption from RIBA Part 1 on graduation. Readers planning a long route should read the ARB's own student information before deciding.
A decision framework
This is Avandy's own framework, not UCL's.
Interviews and portfolios turn on being able to say why you made choices. Pick one piece and explain its decisions.
UCL describes 30 to 35 hours a week of project work alongside taught sessions. Think about whether that rhythm suits you.
Registration is changing. Read the ARB's guidance before you decide how many years of study you want to commit to.
Planning for 2028 entry
Applying for 2028 entry means applying in 2027, under rules UCL has not yet published for that cycle. Each item below carries one of two labels. Last verified for 2027 entry means UCL published it for the previous cycle and it may change. Awaiting publication for 2028 entry means UCL has not yet published it.
These are the best guide to what to prepare. UCL has not confirmed them for 2028 entry.
Check UCL's Architecture course page for the 2028-entry values when they appear.
Keep your own design and creative work organised and explainable, check the preferred subjects list, and read the ARB's information on the changing route.
Support
Avandy provides independent academic and admissions support. It is not affiliated with University College London 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 to the actual requirements of each course. For this course Avandy's support is limited to understanding the requirements, comparing routes and planning the timetable. Avandy does not create, edit, select or improve any applicant's portfolio or design work, and a portfolio must be the applicant's own work. No outcome is promised.
Questions
AAB at A level with no specific subjects, or 36 IB points with 17 points in three Higher Level subjects and no Higher Level score below 5, plus a portfolio requested on invitation. This is UCL's wording for 2027 entry.
UCL names no required subjects, though at least two A level subjects should be from its preferred list. A portfolio is required upon invitation.
Only when UCL asks. It says it will contact you once it has established that you meet or are likely to meet its entry requirements, and asks you not to send one earlier.
You may be invited to interview, which UCL says is conducted online using Zoom.
UCL's page says the course is RIBA validated and gives exemption from RIBA Part 1, and that from 2028 a Part 1 undergraduate degree will not be an essential requirement for ARB registration. Read the ARB's own information.
No. They are UCL's wording for the 2027 application cycle. Check the course page again when UCL publishes its 2028-entry requirements.
Students and families
Tell us about the student's curriculum, their own design and creative work and where they are in their portfolio planning, the universities on the list, and the intended year of entry. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to prepare.
