Prospective Transfer Students

As a nationally top-ranked program, Cal Poly is a great place for transfer students to pursue their five-year Bachelor of Architecture (BARCH) degree. Prospective students should meet the University transfer selection criteria and be prepared to enter the third year of Cal Poly’s Architecture program.

Admission to Cal Poly’s Architecture Department BARCH is a two-stage competitive process. In the first stage University Admissions screens all applications using transfer selection criteria and checks that applicants have received a "C" or better in the Required Coursework. Please see https://www.calpoly.edu/admissions/transfer-student/selection-criteria for more information about selection criteria. If the criteria for this stage has been met, your portfolio is reviewed by the Architecture Department Admissions Committee. The Committee reviews the digital portfolio and digital transcripts along with other criteria to determine which students are best prepared to enter the program’s third year.

All questions regarding the admissions process, or notification should be directed to the University Admissions Office at admissions@calpoly.edu or 805-756-2311.

For questions about transferring to Cal Poly Architecture, please set up an appointment with Clare Olsen, Assistant Department Head, using the following link: https://calendly.com/clareolsen/appointment.

Portfolio Guidelines

A digital portfolio of your student work is required for your transfer application. You should organize your work to demonstrate your growth in the areas of architectural knowledge, skills, and design ability. The portfolio should cover the span of your college career up until the time of their portfolio submission and present the work in an organized and well-designed manner. For full consideration, portfolios should adhere to the guidelines below.

Portfolios should focus on design studios and technical courses equivalent to Cal Poly’s first year design (ARCH 131,132 and 133), second year design (ARCH 251, 252 and 253), and second year technology (ARCH 241, 242, and 207). We're interested in seeing process work as well as finished work, but 1-3 pages should suffice for each course.

Organize your work in a manner that helps us understand the courses you took, that are equivalent to Cal Poly’s. Remember that design is important to us, so the way you present your work will be taken into consideration in your selection.

The portfolios will be scored based on the categories of Portfolio Layout and Graphics, Drawing Communication, Text Descriptions, Design Creativity and Rigor, and Technical Competence. Please see the examples below of strong transfer application portfolios from Cal Poly Architecture alumni.