Canada · 2027 entry; stage-two instructions pending
Waterloo Architecture portfolio and About You survey
Waterloo Architecture uses a two-stage process that differs from the faculty's other Engineering programs. Applicants apply through OUAC without an Admission Information Form. Selected applicants then receive access to an Architecture platform for a creative portfolio, a short-answer About You survey, and interview preferences.
Writing format
Invited digital portfolio and short-answer survey, followed by an interview
Academic integrity
Waterloo requires portfolio work to be your own, with collaborative work credited; submitting someone else's work can lead to dismissal of the application.
What to prepare
- 1Use the About You survey to explain the interests and decisions behind your own creative work, following the questions in the invitation rather than a guessed prompt.
- 2Choose recent pieces that show observation and experimentation across materials; the School encourages three-dimensional work and sketchbook process.
- 3Prepare to discuss how you made each portfolio piece and what you changed along the way, including your own contribution to any collaborative work.
How to approach the writing
- Keep the short survey distinct from the portfolio: use it to give context for choices that the images alone cannot show.
- Waterloo suggests about 10 pieces and at most 20, excluding sketchbook pages, while saying there is no fixed piece limit. Do not submit only drafting or AutoCAD drawings.
Before you submit
The published general 2027 application deadline is February 1, with documents due February 15. Waterloo's Architecture page says stage-two invitations arrive in early March and digital portfolios are due in mid-to-late March, but it still mentions a September 2026 English précis exception. Check the 2027 invitation for the précis rule, exact portfolio date, and interview instructions.
Read Waterloo School of Architecture undergraduate admissions ↗Read Waterloo 2027 application and document deadlines ↗Official source checked 2026-09-25.