2027 Honours Admissions
Now Open!
Bachelor of Architectural Studies Honours (BAS Honours) degree
Thank you for your interest in our educational institution.
Application requirements, and how to apply, are outlined on the page below. If you still have any enquiries please contact admin@sea.ac.za
Applicants must complete the application steps (online and email).
Application to the BAS (Honours) should be read in conjunction with the Student Handbook. The application requirements are listed below but it should be noted that while the South African Council for the Architectural Profession (SACAP) has endorsed our curriculum, they can only accredit our degree programme at the end of the first year of Honours graduates based on the work produced.
We consequently cannot guarantee that our Honours degree will be accredited by SACAP. Applicants should also note that at present SEA has not been given a conclusive finding on our Master of Architecture application with the Council on Higher Education and we consequently cannot guarantee that we will be able to offer this final part of the formal education of an architect. Applicants should also note that the Honours curriculum is a ‘blended’ offering which means that while our studio courses are intended to be face-to-face and on-campus, some of the lecture courses might be delivered online.
Eligibility
Graduates with an undergraduate degree in architectural studies (typically a Bachelor of Architectural Studies or equivalent), as well as those through the recognition of prior learning (RPL) route, are invited to apply. Under exceptional circumstances, SEA might consider applications from affiliated undergraduate degrees such as structural engineering or fine arts. These applicants, as well as RPL applicants, might be required to undertake a one-year bridging course or audit specific undergraduate courses prior to undertaking their BAS Honours degree.
Portfolio
All applicants are to submit a portfolio of architectural and creative work from the undergraduate studies, supplemented with some examples of work produced in practice (should that be available). This portfolio should ideally be less than 20mb in size. It should also include an example of academic writing as well as a 300 word (max) description of what aspects of architecture inspires you and what specialist interests (if any) you are developing. The last pages of the portfolio should include scans of your degree certificate, your degree transcripts, and reference letters or names of people who we might contact in reference to your application.
Application process
The applications are assessed by an application committee made up of three SEA academics. This committee can also invite applicants to a short online or face-to-face interview to assist in their adjudication. There are limited places based on available resources. The application committee can constitute a waiting list should the need arise.
The school will evaluate an applicant’s creativity in problem-solving and communication skills based on their portfolio. Those who perform well will receive an invitation for an admission interview.
All applicants must meet the specified minimum academic requirements outlined in the prospectus to be considered for placement in the BAS programme.
All applicants must download and read the institutes prospectus/handbook which outlines fees, schedule, teachers, courses, rules etc: https://sea.ac.za/web/prospectus/
Requirements
All applicants are required to complete the following steps:
Complete the online application form, submit a portfolio/creative task, provide transcripts and certificates and sign a declaration form.
All applicants are required to pay a small application processing fee of R50 (South African ZAR) via SnapScan. Details regarding the online payment process can be found below.
Please note: Applications will only be considered after payment is received.
All applicants must complete an online application form. Details regarding completion of the online application form can be found below.
Submit any or all of the portfolios that you have already made as part of your application to any school of architecture. Portfolios may include, art, photography, code, digital media etc.
If you do not have a portfolio, you must complete and submit the Creative Task portion of this application. Those who already have a portfolio are strongly encouraged to submit the creative task in addition to their portfolios.
Admission to the School of Explorative Architecture (RF) NPC requires all applicants to obtain a National Senior Certificate endorsed for degree studies, and satisfy the specified subject requirements as outlined in the School’s prospectus. If you do not have a National Senior Certificate and are currently busy graduating, you may send preliminary matric results. In addition, you may also submit National Benchmark Test results.
Please refer to the prospectus for more information about subject requirements: https://sea.ac.za/web/prospectus/
Once you have submitted your application and uploaded your Portfolio/Creative-Task you will need to sign and email the Declaration Form. This form confirms that all information submitted to SEA on your behalf is accurate, that you understand the application process, and consent to SEA retaining your information for application purposes.
Step 1 – Application Fee
All applicants are required to pay a small application processing fee of R50 (South African ZAR). All payments are received via the online payment portal (SnapScan).
To make payment please click on the link, or scan the QR code.
Click Here to Pay

Please note: Applications will only be considered after payment is received.
Step 2 – Application Form
All applicants should begin with the online application form. Please note that our institution uses Google Workspace for Education and so the form is delivered through Google.
Fill out the form below. The form will guide you through each step. Once you have completed and submitted the online form you may proceed to the Portfolio and Creative tasks.
Start Application Form
Step 3 – Portfolio
Applicants are required to submit the following as part of their application:
-
Portfolio: A curated selection of work completed during your undergraduate studies, along with a small sample of work completed in practice (if applicable).
-
The full portfolio must not exceed 100MB in file size.
-
The portfolio must include:
-
One sample of written work (e.g. an academic essay)
-
One-page motivation (maximum 300 words), outlining:
-
The type of architecture, architectural process, or specific concern you are interested in
-
Why this area is meaningful to you
-
-
Upload to Cargo
Step 4 – Transcripts
Send copies of transcripts/results to admin@sea.ac.za
Email Subject line should be “Transcripts“
- If you have not yet graduated from high-school, send your preliminary matric results.
- If you have completed the National Benchmark Test, include your NBT Registration Number in the email.
- If you have graduated from high-school, send a copy of your National Senior Certificate.
(File name should start with ‘MatricResults_’ followed by your surname, followed by your first name eg. MatricResults_Last_First.pdf and SeniorCertificate_Last_First.pdf)
Step 5 – Declaration
Declaration
Sign, Scan (photograph), and Send a copy to admin@sea.ac.za
(File name should start with ‘Declaration_’ followed by your surname, followed by your first name eg. Declaration_Last_First.jpg)
You are done!
If you successfully finished all 5 steps then your application to the School of Explorative Architecture is complete.
Thank you for your interest in our school…We look forward to exploring the future with you!
Please, don’t forget to send copies of the following to admin@sea.ac.za
- Copy of South African ID or foreign passport
- Copy of any resumes/cv to date
- Copies of certificates and transcripts
- A signed copy of the declaration (step 4).