Laurentian architecture admission requirements: a 75% minimum, two Grade 12 maths, a portfolio and a statement of interest

Ontario students need one Grade 12 English U or M course, two Grade 12 4U or M math courses and three other Grade 12 U or M courses. Laurentian does not name which two maths, so any two Grade 12 4U or M math courses fit the rule.

Laurentian says the McEwen School may admit some students with only one math. Those students must take MATH 1911 or 1912 in first year. Plan both maths if you can, using our course planner.

The minimum is a 75% average in your best six Grade 12 U or M courses. Laurentian calls Architectural Studies a limited enrolment program. It says selection is based on the overall requirements, not only on grade averages.

Laurentian does not publish a cut off or acceptance rate for the BAS. Your portfolio and statement can help, but 75% is the floor. Check your number with our Top 6 average calculator.

Every applicant must send two documents. The first is a portfolio that shows your creativity and skills. The second is a statement of interest of 500 to 1,000 words. It explains why you want to study architecture and why you chose Laurentian and the McEwen School.

Both go through the McEwen School's BAS Submission Platform. Laurentian accepts electronic submissions only. The program page links to a summary of BAS admission requirements with more detail on what to include.

Ontario high school students apply on OUAC. Laurentian lists January 15 as the general deadline for Ontario high school students. Its apply page lists February 14 as the program deadline for the Bachelor of Architectural Studies.

The program page lists February 7, 2027 as the portfolio deadline. The two pages give different February dates, so send your portfolio and statement by February 7, 2027 and confirm with the school at bas@laurentian.ca. See our Ontario deadlines page.

Laurentian calls the BAS a tri cultural program that is unique in Canada. Courses include Franco Ontarian, First Nation, Métis and Inuit content, and students have access to Elders and Knowledge Carriers in Residence. Some courses, electives and work terms are offered in French.

The program focuses on design for northern Ontario, with special strength in wood and sustainable materials. Students build real objects such as ice fishing huts, canoes and saunas through design build projects. Trips to places such as Germany and Norway look at wood construction.

First year is 30 credits. Courses include Design Thinking, Sacred Places, Drawing, Indigenous Precedents, Wood Structures and two design studios on place. You also take a writing or English elective.

Classes run on the main Laurentian campus and at the McEwen School, a $30 million facility of four buildings around a courtyard in downtown Sudbury.

Second year adds Canadian Art and Architecture, Design for Climate Change, Architecture and Ecology, Building Systems and a landscape studio. Third year covers Cultural Sustainability, Settlements and Urban Morphology and Structures. Fourth year includes Building Case Studies, Writing in Architecture and Urbanism, more Structures and an integrated design studio.

Laurentian says the courses are sequenced year by year, and mandatory courses in a year must be passed to move on. You track 24 elective credits across the degree.

The BAS includes 28 weeks of paid co-op, split into two 14 week placements. The first takes place in industry or a related field. The second takes place in an architecture office or a related design field.

The first co-op course runs in the summer after first or second year. The second runs in the summer after third year. Each must be done before you move on to the next year of the program.

The BAS is a pre professional degree. It is mainly designed to lead to graduate study in the professional Master of Architecture. Laurentian says the McEwen School is now the 12th accredited architecture school in Canada.

You need at least a C in design studio courses. To be considered for Laurentian's M.Arch, BAS students need an overall GPA of at least 5.5. Students who fall short of good standing go on probation for two terms and must repeat failed required courses.

Architecture has its own rate at Laurentian. For 2026-27, Ontario students pay $9,903.18 in tuition for 30 credits. With incidental and student association fees, the total is $11,158.63. General programs cost $6,120.31 in tuition, so architecture costs more.

International BAS students pay $38,844.56 in tuition, or $41,048.01 with fees and health insurance. Laurentian notes that some courses have extra fees on top of tuition.

Laurentian gives automatic entrance awards to students coming straight from high school. No extra application is needed. The Academic Access Award gives $750 to students with a 75% to 79% average.

Students with high Grade 12 averages can receive Academic Excellence Scholarships worth up to $20,000 over four years. Laurentian does not list every average band on the page we checked, so ask the awards office for the full scale.

The 75% minimum is lower than many architecture programs, but space is limited and the portfolio and statement matter. Help your child plan both math courses and leave time in January for the portfolio.

Budget for the higher architecture tuition rate and any extra course fees. Also see the Laurentian admissions overview.