It depends greatly on the school. Some say they will accept both, some only accept recommendations submitted via their website (the latter being the most common). I would definitely read all the information on the program's website and the admission's website for each school to find out.

Dani Zoe,

Thank you.

I feel like recommendation forms were less common in when i applied to undergrad seven years ago. I guess I just assumed that it was interchangable if they did have them. Thanks for the reply!

Jordan,

It's true that the online rec form is new(er), but is rapidly becoming the norm in my experience.  It's just a simpler way for schools to amass and aggregate so much information into a rationalized format.  (Don't forget: for every student accepted into a program, there are possibly dozens of others rejected but who still submitted all that data needing to be processed.)

Most such forms/sites I've filled out include a place to upload a recommendation letter in addition to the specific questions asked.

Now, off to recommend someone to Michigan!  Good luck to you....

This is just anecdotal, but in my experience these kinds of things are total non-issues for quality programs, which makes sense if you think about it. Why would a great school reject a student with an awesome portfolio because they didn't use some particular recommendation method? The answer is that they won't, because they know they'll be losing a potentially great student to another program.

Especially with recommendations, though, those requirements are very flexible. Admissions committees know that professors are busy (and sometimes very unreliable), and they know that some of them are less savvy in terms of submitting letters online. However you submit your letters will almost certainly not be given a second thought.

It has been said before a million times, but the portfolio truly is the only part of the application that really matters.

Mr. Minimal,

Thanks again. I've seen alot of portfolios on here, and I suspect that mine..when finished will be viewed as "competent" but not great. not enough time, and not enough quality work developed since my interest in design was piqued.  I am coming from a completely non related background PR/AD. I am actually not worried at all about these forms for schools that want a portfolio. In fact I won't take a second thought at submitting an actual letter to those schools. However, there are a few schools that I would like to apply to that require the form and no portfolio. I am a little more concerned with them. Perhapsthe best thing to do is just submit my portfolio as a supplement, but if the portfolio is viewed as mediocre by them, it will hurt.

What programs don't require a portfolio? That sounds like a pretty substantial red flag to me.

There are a couple out there. LSU is one, Catholic in D.C. and the University of Florida has a unique four year program that merges a sort of B.Arch/M.Arch education and doesn't require one. However, if you are asking "What all" programs don't require a portfolio. There are a fair amount of other ones out there, at least a hand full more. I mostly applied to these schools not for the fact that they didn't require a portfolio alone (although that makes me feel slightly safer) but because I found some other aspect of their program compelling. I.E) Low Cost, opportunity for a lot of financial aid, close to home (Catholic) interesting study abroad options/or curriculum etc. 

Isn't the UF thing just a 4+2 program? As in, you'd get a non-accredited bachelor's degree (they call it a a Bachelor of Design in Architecture, I think) and then have to go to a 2-year graduate program for the M.Arch? If so, that's pretty common, but UF does not offer any kind of B.Arch.

Mr. Minimal,

It's call their "Core Program". Even still, I am slightly unclear as to what all this entails, but I know it is a way of further helping students from a non-related background become acclimated. 

I actually think it's a great idea; especially if you're design skills are not yet up to par, but you have shown creativity in some capacity along with strong academics. 

However, 4-4.5 years in school on top of undergraduate for a pretty mediocre salary is rough; even if you are passionate. 

Since I know some graduates of the UF undergraduate program, I was curious about this 'core' thing, so I asked around. It's a regular M.Arch I program (for students without bachelor's degrees in architecture), but they refer to it as a four-year program instead of 3.5.

Considering the premium that particular school places on pretty images (you can often tell a UF grad by their drawings; lots of ink washes and nice Photoshop renderings), I would really recommend sending in a portfolio even if they do say it's optional.

Mr. Minimal,

Thank you for your advice. It's likely that I will send in a portfolio. However, I do think that they allow for a sort of advance placement for those from an unrelated background who have design experience. I think they can enter into three year program. Students with a pre-prof arch degree can do two if portfolio is up to par, and three if it is not. I might be wrong, but that's how I remember everything being explained.