Admissions

New Students

New Students applications will be considered in two cycles for the Fall and the Spring terms. No admissions for the Spring term will be considered after the end of the previous Fall term.

Students with Excellent/Good standing will be automatically accepted, on a first-come first-served basis, according to quota. Students with Passing standing will be placed on a Waiting List, to be finalized at the end of the Admission Period.

All new applicants should have a passing general average during the last 3 years of high school according to the following guidelines:

Applicants to SArD will be considered based primarily on the following criteria:

For a comprehensive list of requirements, refer to this table.

Architecture Requirements

Lebanese Students holders of the Lebanese Baccalaureate

  1. Students must have completed and obtained the Lebanese Baccalaureate, or its equivalence approved by the Ministry of Higher Education in the following areas: General Science (GS), Life Science (LS), Economics and Sociology (ES) or Literature and Humanities (LH).
    Note: For students with Economics and Sociology (ES) or Literature and Humanities (LH), a set of remedial courses in Math and Physics will be required.
  2. Students should have passing general average for their High School Grades 10 and 11 with a minimum of 10% above their school’s average.
  3. Students should have a passing grade average for Math and Physics with a minimum of 10% above their school’s average.

International Students holders of the International Baccalaureate (IB):

  1. Students must have completed and obtained the International Baccalaureate with a High level Math and a Standard level Physics.
  2. Students should have passing general average for their High School Grades 10 and 11 with a minimum of 10% above their school’s average.

International Students holders of the General Certificate of Education (GCE)

  1. Students must have completed and obtained two Advanced levels or equivalence to include an Advanced level in Math and an Advanced Subsidiary level in Physics.
  2. Students should have passing general average for their High School Grades 10 and 11 with a minimum of 10% above their school’s average.

International Students declaring major after their Freshman year

Students must have completed their Freshman Science requirements with a minimum passing grade of ‘C+’ in all of the required Math and Physics and a General Point Average (GPA) of minimum 2.5

Fashion Design, Fine Arts, Graphic Design and Interior Design Requirements

Lebanese Students holders of the Lebanese Baccalaureate

  1. Students must have completed and obtained the Lebanese Baccalaureate, or its equivalence approved by the Ministry of Higher Education in the following areas: General Science (GS), Life Science (LS), Economics and Sociology (ES) or Literature and Humanities (LH).
  2. Students should have passing general average for their High School Grades 10 and 11 with a minimum of 10% above their school’s average.

International Students holders of the International Baccalaureate (IB)

  1. Students must have completed and obtained the International Baccalaureate.
  2. Students should have passing general average for their High School Grades 10 and 11 with a minimum of 10% above their school’s average.

International Students holders of the General Certificate of Education (GCE)

  1. Students must have completed and obtained two Advanced levels or equivalence [recommended that one AS is in Arts with its portfolio].
  2. Students should have passing general average for their High School Grades 10 and 11 with a minimum of 10% above their school’s average.

International Students declaring major after their Freshman year

Students must have completed their Freshmen Arts or Freshman Science requirements with a minimum General Point Average (GPA) of 2.5.

Freshman Students

Freshman students currently enrolled at LAU may apply to declare a major in any of the SArD majors, after completing the Freshman Requirements [see University Admissions Policy], provided they satisfy the specific requirements for each major. Students who have totally completed the freshman program requirements have to submit a petition to declare their major.

Freshman Students seeking to enter into the Architecture major must be enrolled as Freshman Science and should complete MTH 101, MTH 102 and PHY 111 with a minimum grade of C+ in each, and a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5

Freshman Art students seeking to enter into Architecture may apply on condition that they have completed the Math and Physics Freshman Science requirements during their Freshman year [prior to joining the program] with a minimum grade of C+ in each, and a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5.

Students seeking to enter in, Interior Design, Fashion Design, Graphic Design or Fine Arts may complete either Freshman Arts or Freshman Science programs, with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5.

NOTE: Approval of Declaration of Major petitions is NOT guaranteed if the student has fulfilled the requirements, but will depend on the availability of openings in the desired major [if the class sections at the appropriate level are full, the application may NOT be accepted]

For a comprehensive list of requirements, refer to this table.

Change of Major for Students within SArD

Students enrolled in any major within SArD may petition to change to any other major [Architecture, Fashion Design, Graphic Design, Interior Design, or Fine Arts], after completing the Change of Major requirements set by the School.

Petitions for Change of Major will ONLY be dealt between terms after grades are posted.

NOTE: Approval of Change of Major is NOT guaranteed if the student has a good GPA, but will depend on the availability of openings in the desired major [if the class sections at the appropriate level are full, the application will NOT be accepted].

For a comprehensive list of requirements, refer to this table.

Architecture requirements

  1. Students should have fulfilled the New Students applicant’s requirements.
    Note: For students with Math and Physics deficiency a minimum grade of C+ is required in each of the Math and Physics remedial courses.

  2. Students should have completed a minimum of 24 credits of Foundation courses

  3. A minimum GPA of 3.00 is required

Fashion Design, Fine Arts, Graphic Design and Interior Design requirements

To change to any of these majors, Students should complete a minimum of 12 credits of Foundation Courses, with passing grades.

Change of Major from Other Majors [within LAU]

Students enrolled in other majors within LAU may petition to change major after completing a minimum of 24cr. at LAU. However, such students will be considered as New Students, given the fact that they would have to re-enroll at the First Year level [Foundation], and they would have to submit all the information requested from New Students.

Petitions for Change of Major will ONLY be dealt between terms after grades are posted.

NOTE: Approval of a Change of Major is NOT guaranteed even if the student meets all the requirements specified, but will depend on the availability of openings in the desired major [if the class sections at the appropriate level are full, the application will NOT be accepted]

For a comprehensive list of requirements, refer to this table.

Architecture Requirements

  1. Students should have fulfilled the New Students applicant’s requirements.
    Note: For students with Math and Physics deficiency a minimum grade of C+ is required in each of the Math and Physics remedial courses.

  2. Students should have completed a minimum of 24 credits at LAU before applying

  3. A minimum GPA of 2.35 is required

Note:  Students might be allowed to take Foundation courses until they complete the 24 required credits to apply for a Change of Major.
In such case, the GPA requirement will be the same as for SArD students: GPA ≥3.00, after completing a minimum of 24 credits.

Fashion Design, Fine Arts, Graphic Design and Interior Design Requirements

  1. Students should have completed a minimum of 24 credits at LAU before applying
  2. A minimum GPA of 2.35 is required

Transfer Students from Other Universities

  1. Applicants to any SArD major entering at the First Year level with less than 24 credits of transferable credits will be considered as New Students, to be evaluated among the pool of New Students [see section 1]. All applicants should have obtained at their previous university a cumulative GPA or equivalent average of ≥2.5 [≥75/100]
  2. Applicants to any SArD major coming from a non-SArD program with more than 24cr of transferable credits will be studied on a case by case: Information on school/college grades, diplomas and other information would be required for proper evaluation. All applicants should have obtained at their previous university a cumulative GPA or equivalent average of ≥2.5 [≥75/100].
  3. Applicants to any SArD major coming from a design program with more than 24 credits of transferable credits will be studied on a case by case: Information on school/college grades, diplomas and other information would be required for proper evaluation, following the below criteria:
    • All applicants should have obtained at their previous university a cumulative GPA or equivalent average of ≥2.5 [≥75/100]
    • Each applicant would be required to submit an A-4 size portfolio [NO MODELS], showing ALL projects completed at the original institution in DESIGN STUDIOS and TECHNICAL COURSES, properly labeled and separated by categories [see portfolio requirements].
    • All transfer students requesting to transfer Design Studio courses will have their portfolio reviewed by a department committee in order to determine transfer equivalencies. Studio Projects will be evaluated according to different criteria than regular courses: studio work would receive appropriate transfer equivalence; provided that the student received a passing grade on these studios at the original institution, and that the content/quality of the studio in question is comparable.
    • NOTE: Only 1st and 2nd year design studio courses would be considered for transfer, no design studio course from the 3rd year and above would be transferred.
      • Architecture: 2.5 years
      • Interior Design: 2 years
      • Fashion Design: 2 years
      • Graphic Design: 1 year
      • Fine Arts: 1 year

  4. Applicants to the Bachelor of Architecture (B. Arch.) program coming from a non-accredited program with more than 24 credits of transferable credits will be studied on a case by case: Information on school/college grades, diplomas and other information would be required for proper evaluation, following the below criteria:

    • All applicants should have obtained at their previous university a cumulative GPA or equivalent average of ≥2.5 [≥75/100]
    • Each applicant would be required to submit an A-4 size portfolio [NO MODELS], showing ALL projects completed at the original institution in DESIGN STUDIOS and TECHNICAL COURSES, properly labeled and separated by categories [see portfolio requirements].
    • All transfer students who completed Design Studio courses prior to joining LAU will have their portfolio reviewed by a departmental committee in order to determine transfer equivalencies. The studio work will be evaluated according to specific standards in compliance with NAAB Conditions for Program and Student Criteria; in addition to the requirement that the studio work in question is comparable in content and quality and received a passing grade at the original institution. You may check the equivalence form here.
    • NOTE: Only 1st and 2nd year design studio courses would be considered for transfer, no design studio course from the 3rd year and above would be transferred.

NOTE: Approval of Transfer is NOT guaranteed even if the student meets all the requirements specified, but will depend on the availability of openings in the desired major [if the class sections at the appropriate level are full, the application will NOT be accepted]

For a comprehensive list of requirements, refer to this table.

Returning Students

Students who left the school for personal reasons, may apply to return to the program in which they were originally enrolled, within the following conditions:

  1. Students who left SArD for less than two years are allowed to return without any conditions and to follow their original contract sheet.
  2. Students who left SArD for more than two years are allowed to return, but are required to follow the new contract sheet, if it has been modified since they left.