Bachelor of Architectural Studies: Portfolio Package (Fall 2026)

We’re excited that you’re considering applying to our Bachelor of Architectural Studies (BAS) program at Carleton’s Azrieli School of Architecture & Urbanism. This guide outlines everything applicants need to know about applying, from the basics of the program’s three majors to portfolio instructions and submission process.

Applicants must submit a complete portfolio by March 5, 2026 to be considered for admission.

Application overview: 4 steps to apply

Step 1: Learn about the BAS program: Familiarize yourself with our three majors: Conservation & Sustainability, Design, and Urbanism. Consider which option best aligns with your interests and goals. Learn more about the BAS majors

Step 2: Apply to Carleton University: You must apply to Carleton’s Bachelor of Architectural Studies and receive a Carleton ID number to submit your portfolio. Apply well in advance of the March 1 deadline.

Step 3: Register on SlideRoom: Create an account at asoaau.slideroom.com. The ASAU SlideRoom portal opens in mid-December.

Step 4: Submit your portfolio via SlideRoom: Follow the detailed instructions below to prepare and upload your portfolio and additional documents to SlideRoom.

BAS majors at a glance

• Conservation & Sustainability (C&S) addresses architectural preservation, adaptive reuse, and the transformation of the built environment. Engaging community values, heritage issues, and sustainability principles, students work to repurpose existing buildings, historic districts, and landscapes.

• Design focuses on new buildings, programs, and environmentally responsive architecture, learning through drawing, making, and community-engaged projects. Courses include disability studies, Indigenous practices, and topics of social justice.
• Urbanism explores architecture at the scale of the city and the larger built environment, designing within the complex network of forces – climate, technology, politics, infrastructure, economics, etc. – that shape our buildings, communities, and landscapes.

Note: Applicants are asked to submit only one portfolio, even if applying to more than one major.

Portfolio requirements

*Please read the requirements below carefully as portfolio requirements change every year

Applicants must include the following in their submission:

1. Applicant information:
   • Your full name (applicant’s name as used on your Carleton application)
   • Your Carleton ID number (nine digits, starts with 100 or 101)
   • Personal anecdote (Max. 150 words)
     What is one thing the committee should know about you? Please share a story, passion, or experience that helps us understand who you are. This gives the admissions committee a chance to meet you and see you as an individual.
   •  Preferred major (Max. 150 words)
     Tell us why you chose Conservation & Sustainability, Design, or Urbanism, and what inspires you about the area of study within the BAS program.
2. Short essay (250–300 words)
   Tell us about what themes emerge from the works you have submitted for your portfolio, discussing 2–3 of your submitted pieces. What ideas drove the work? What was your process? How might the work evolve further? What compelled you across your work and projects, and what development/arc can be seen across your submitted works?
   • The themes discussed can be about method or subject matter. Addressing ideas such as materiality, medium, explorations of tone/depth, colour, scale, or concepts of space, including borders, land, development, and nature, etc., there is no limitation as to what the theme(s) can be.
   • Please include details as to why these themes emerged, how you have addressed them, why they are compelling to you, and why they became a focus of your work. Applicants can address precedents of work/other artists who have inspired the work if applicable.
3. Portfolio – Required images (4 images)
   Applicants must submit 4 pieces of original work for their portfolios. However, as listed below, applicants can submit up to a total of 8 pieces.
   
   We ask that the contents of the portfolio relate to one another through a theme of your choice (either method-based or subject matter). You may include any work that best showcases your creative interests and skills. We suggest applicants think creatively and at different scales (object, room, building, city, territory).
   • Applicants can include any media that can be submitted as a still image as part of their portfolio and are encouraged to showcase a diversity of skills. Possible portfolio pieces might include:
     • Drawing/sketching
     • Collage/mixed media
     • Conceptual work
     • Models/3-Dimensional work
     • Painting
     • Craft (such as pottery, glass blowing, jewelry, furniture, fashion, sculpture, metal work, etc.)
     • Digital drawing/graphic design
     • etc.
   • A diversity of mediums/methods is always recommended; however, we emphasize that only your best work should be submitted.
   • Applicants are strongly encouraged to include process work, such as sketchbook pages, studies, and visual references, to demonstrate evidence of their creative thinking and development. This process material can either be submitted as a dedicated image (e.g., a layout of sketchbook pages or exploratory studies), or integrated into a final image layout using smaller insets, thumbnails, or side-by-side comparisons that show progression.
   • Curate your images. We will evaluate the portfolio as individual pieces but also as a whole.
   • SlideRoom allows you to include a title and description for each image. Please annotate each image in SlideRoom with:
     • A title
     • A very brief description noting medium and original size (if applicable). *Please save longer descriptions of process and intention for your short essay.

Please review the note below that further outlines the expectations of the portfolio for your application.

4. Declarations
   • Academic Integrity Declaration
     All applicants must sign the declaration on SlideRoom indicating all work submitted is their own and original. See note below that offers a guideline around copyright and AI in your application.
   • Self-Identification Declaration (optional)
     You will have the opportunity to self-identify as a member of an equity-deserving group in SlideRoom.
     • If you select that you identify as Indigenous, you must provide proof of Indigenous Identity. Applicants can view the list of accepted documents that can be used for this verification here: https://admissions.carleton.ca/indigenousdocuments.

Notes on the portfolio and technical tips

• Important: No videos, PowerPoints, or web links are accepted. Only uploaded JPEG images can be reviewed as part of the portfolio submission. No external links will be followed.
• The work included should be recent in order to reflect your most advanced skills. Please only submit your highest quality work to the portfolio.
• The admissions committee is generally not looking for portfolios composed entirely of drafting, AutoCAD, or other technical work. We highly recommend students refrain from including this kind of work and focus more on other creative practices and demonstrating their rigour and skills through other forms of craft.
• Applicants are allowed to submit up to 8 pieces, but each submitted piece can, if the applicant chooses, be a composition of several images (to showcase process work etc). Use this option with the intention to show process work, or to submit a series of images that relate to one another.
• Applicants should photograph their work in natural light, avoiding distortion, and ensure the images are high resolution.
• Keep layouts simple. Avoid decorative frames or fonts. Your work is the most important.
• Show us your creative process and ideas.

Academic integrity, copyright & AI use

Before submitting any written or visual work, make sure it adheres to the plagiarism and copyright guidelines below.

• All submitted work must be your own. Work that is submitted as a part of the application must be original work created by the applicant. If submitted work is found to have been copied from another creator or generated by AI, the work and student will be disqualified from consideration for the program. 
• Plagiarism: presenting someone else’s work or ideas as your own is a serious academic offence. In a visual portfolio, this includes copying artwork, including images of work that are not yours, tracing online sources, or presenting collaborative work as individual. If your work references the work of another artist/creator, you must cite this source and ensure the final product is still an original idea. If a classroom assignment involves any copying of another creator/artist’s work, even if it’s just to practice and learn, please do not enter these works as a part of your portfolio. Work submitted as a part of your application must be original.
• The use of AI-generated images or content is not allowed. Work that looks like it was created with tools such as Midjourney, DALL·E, or other generative software will be disqualified. Our emphasis is on your ideas, your creativity, and your process. We will review for originality. AI technologies can aid in the artistic process during the creation of an entry, such as brainstorming, but we do not permit and will deem ineligible any entries for which the final product is AI-generated. This rule extends not just to visual work, but also to any submitted written work. Applicants should write in their original voice and refrain from using AI to generate text, essays, or descriptions.
• Please note that all submissions will be vetted through various platforms and methods for plagiarism and the use of AI.

How to submit via SlideRoom

1. Go to asoaau.slideroom.com and create an account (Approx. $10 USD fee applies, and a credit card is required. Please note: your credit card will be charged once you submit your portfolio.)
2. Fill out all required fields (full name as per your Carleton University application, Carleton Id number, etc.)
3. Upload your materials:
   • Written documents should be uploaded as PDFs
   • Images for the portfolio should be uploaded as JPGs, named Image_1 through Image_8
4. Submit all application materials before the deadline.
   • Do not submit more than once.
   • The school’s application system will receive many applications 24 hours before the deadline which can slow down the online portal: please submit early to avoid any issues.
   • You can make changes to your portfolio up until the moment you submit. After submission, no changes can be made.

Prerequisites and admission decisions

• If you are completing high school requirements in the summer (Math or Physics) you will not receive an admission offer until all academic requirements are complete, and Admissions Services has received your final grade reports. You may be considered for a space on the waiting list.
• Applicants must submit English Language Test results before March 1, 2026.
• Submissions will be assessed carefully and in a timely fashion. Due to the high volume of applications and the competitive nature of the selection process, the school aims to provide a decision before the end of April 2026.

Contact us

If you have questions, please contact the Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism by telephone at +1 613-520-2875 or by email at architectureundergrad@carleton.ca.

Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism website: (https://architecture.carleton.ca/academic-programs/bachelor-of-architectural-studies-bas)

We invite interested applicants to join us for our Architecture Open House this fall – more information will be posted to https://admissions.carleton.ca/events.