BIAD Portfolio Review
Entrance into the Interior Architecture & Design Program
Students interested in majoring in Interior Architecture and Design must successfully submit a portfolio for the annual first-year review and maintain a minimum overall GPA of 2.75. The program admits approximately 20-24 students to the second year, making it a very competitive major. The Bachelor of Interior Architecture and Design (BIAD) is a professional degree, and the faculty's expectations are very high.
First Year Review
All first-year students who are considering the Interior Architecture & Design Program must enroll in IAD 1780 and participate in the First-Year Review in the Fall semester. The review assesses design skills and creativity and will consist of portfolio work from IAD 1780 and the completion of additional projects. Only students who successfully pass the first-year review and meet or exceed GPA and grade requirements will be allowed to register for second-year courses. If a student's GPA does not meet the departmental standards, they may be accepted on probation and must meet the GPA requirements before the second-year review.
Important Dates
2026 Important Dates
Kick-Off Meeting: October 13th, 2026
Applications are Due via an online submission on November 9th, 2026
Portfolios are Due via an online submission at Noon on Tuesday, November 16th, 2026
The results of the review will be sent to your USU email on December 16th-18th, 2026
Interior Architecture & Design First-Year Review 2025
Cohort Size 36
Successful Portfolios from 2025
Interior Architecture & Design First-Year Review 2018-2024
Cohort Size 24
Successful Portfolios from 2024
Successful Portfolios from 2023
| Year | IAD 2780 Enrollment | Applicants | Acceptance Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 52 | 33 | 76% |
| 2019 | 53 | 29 | 82% |
| 2020 | 65 | 48 | 67% |
| 2021 | 67 | 39 | 69% |
| 2022 | 96 | 52 | 46% |
| 2023 Spring | 98 | 65 | 36% |
| 2023 Fall | 98 | 72 | 34% |
| 2024 Fall | 98 | 67 | 34% |
| 2025 Fall | 81 | 70 | 51% |
RM Compare
The program uses ‘Adaptive Comparative Judgment’ (ACJ), a digital tool for assessing student work and design portfolios. ACJ involves a panel of assessors or judges who make comprehensive comparisons through paired comparisons in multiple rounds, resulting in a rank order from “best’ to “worst.’ This method is more reliable than rubrics, which are often difficult to interpret and less consistent (Buckley, Seery, and Kimball, 2022). Developed at Goldsmiths, University of London, this valid, online, portfolio-based assessment method has a reliability coefficient of 0.95—comparable to standardized tests—by applying the Thurstone-Pollitt Law of Comparative Judgments. Still relatively new to the U.S., it has been used over 30,000 times across Europe and Asia (Veon and Brooks, 2023). This approach allows viewers to assign scores or rankings rather than making direct, holistic judgments. Research and evaluation of ACJ are often discussed at international conferences and published in scholarly journals (Kimball, 2022). It rewards and assesses innovative thinking and risk-taking while remaining fair to all students. This digital portfolio review system relies on statistical results and keeps applicants' identities confidential. It also enables students, faculty panels, alumni, and jurors to access work from any location.