On-Campus Portfolio Review

The School of Architecture highly recommends applicants to register for an on-campus portfolio review.  If you select this option, you will come to the Carnegie Mellon campus to receive a personal review of your work with Architecture faculty in addition to an introduction to our School.  You will be able to ask questions and engage with an admission director, students, faculty and staff within the School of Architecture.

On-campus reviews for Regular Decision are held in January, but Early Decision applicants have a session reserved for mid-November.  Regular Decision applicants must be registered by January 1 (or November 1 for Early Decision applicants) to receive an on-campus portfolio review. Appointments are limited, so please register as soon as possible.

On-Campus Review Portfolio Format

Applicants registered for an on-campus review are asked to bring with them on the day of their registered review a printed copy of their portfolio of creative work conforming to the following portfolio guidelines and formatting standards:

Size: Fixed dimensions of 8.5” x 11”, single-sided pages, all vertically oriented or all horizontally oriented.
Quality: All work must be presented in the form of high quality images/photographs, photocopies or prints; no original work, please. WEBSITES, CD/DVDs OR SLIDES WILL NOT BE EVALUATED.
Length: Your portfolio will consist of a title page, a table of contents pages and 10 pages of actual work (one work per page); the portfolio will total 12 pages in its entirety.

  • The Cover page includes your given name (as it appears on official documents such as a passport), address, email and telephone number(s). Additionally, indicate the date and time of your review.
  • The Contents page includes a sequential listing for each of the 10 works; a title, original size, date, media and maximum 20-word description. Indicate whether the work was done for a class, collaboratively or independently.
  • The remaining 10 pages of your portfolio will showcase creative works of your choice, one work per page. Some examples only of potential submissions include, but are not limited to the following:

Freehand drawing: These must be original works from life (not pictures) or your imagination, therefore, no reproductions. Sketchbook pages scanned to one or more pages is strongly recommended.

2-D design such as collage, digital work, graphics, painting, photography, printmaking, etc. Work should not be copied from an image you found. Applicants should avoid submitting technical drafting as part of the portfolio.

3-D design such as architectural models, ceramics, furniture, textiles, metalwork, sculpture, woodwork, etc. Use proper lighting techniques to document and present your 3-D work.

Other works of your choice such as artistic/graphic interpretations of music and/or performance, literature (poetry, prose, script), etc. Do not include digital media or recordings.


Register here for an on campus portfolio review.