i suppose you're talking about the undergraduate level. i haven't come across a graduate program that doesn't require portfolios from applicants. you're talking about school application right?

me either. what schools do not require a portfolio?

Yes, I am talking about for undergrad application. Say at U of O you must apply to the architecture dept. by portfolio but at Washington University you don't yet both seem to have respected programs. I could list several schools in both categories.

i think most schools require a portfolio at some point.
they might not when you apply as a first year student, but will require a portfolio to continue into the third or so year.

undergraduate schools don't require portfolios because admission is mainly based on academic performance. for those that do require portfolios, i doubt their significance in the admission process.

fakeid, why would they ask for portfolios then? i agree that grades play a part, but i also believe that your creative skill do too.

yes, i agree with you, e. what i was trying to say's that the emphasis is inclined to academic acheivements at the undergraduate level, unlike the graduate level. it's unfair to ask too much from high school grads in terms of a portfolio, but yes, schools ask for them to get an idea of applicants' creativity.

at my school, you couldn't apply to archi school until you completed a number of basic architecture classes and a minimum of 56 overall credits. this allowed you to make sure you liked studying architecture and gave you some content for your portfolio.