Useful information on the admission procedure
What does it take to become a spatial designer?
First and foremost, interest, curiosity and enthusiasm for everything to do with space. Are you a ‘space lover’? Then Spatial Design is the right place for you - and the door to the degree programme is already wide open. Previous knowledge is an advantage, but the degree programme will teach you everything you need to know. You come with what you know and we build on that together.
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What previous education do you need?
There are many ways to study Spatial Design. Of course, the combination of school-leaving certificate and preliminary course is the gold standard. But there are also other ways to be admitted to the admission procedure. In exceptional cases, one of the admission requirements - i.e. Matura or preliminary course - can be waived. If this applies to you, you can be admitted to the admission procedure sur dossier (read under ‘sur dossier’ what this means).
What you must have in any case, however, is an upper secondary level qualification, i.e. a grammar school baccalaureate, a vocational baccalaureate or a specialised baccalaureate. Another option is a design apprenticeship in a profession related to the Spatial Design degree programme - for example, an apprenticeship as a 3D polydesigner, structural or interior designer, mediamatician or graphic designer is a very good basis for studying Spatial Design - with or without a vocational baccalaureate. It is important to know that we first have to check your documents in order to assess whether you fulfil the admission requirements. It is therefore advisable to contact us in advance and ask, for example, whether your apprenticeship is considered a related discipline.
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How does the admission procedure work?
Overview of the admission procedure:
- The first step is to register for the admission procedure. You can register from November 1, 2025. The registration deadline is February 15, 2026. If your application is received after the registration deadline, we can only consider it if there are still places available.
- Shortly after the registration deadline, i.e. from February 20, 2026, the homework assignment will be available online.
- You complete the homework assignment – you have approximately 4 weeks to do so.
- You submit the homework assignment together with your portfolio, your letter of motivation, and your resume between March 16, 2026 (starting at 9:00 a.m.) and March 19, 2026 (5:00 p.m.).
- We review your application documents and decide whether to invite you for an interview. If so, you will receive an invitation with the date and time by April 15, 2025.
- The interview will take place on site between April 20 and April 24, 2025, or between April 27 and April 29, 2025. The interview will last 30 minutes. Christophe Merkle (lecturer in spatial design), Isabel Tobler (assistant in spatial design), and the program director will also be present at the interview.
- If the interview goes well, we will recommend you for admission.
- You will receive the admission decision by May 6, 2025.
- Then it's up to you: You decide whether you want to accept the place and actively inform us of your decision by May 13, 2025.
- You will begin your studies in September of that year.
Good to know: You can also find all the data and further information in the information sheet on the admission procedure. You can download this on the facts page.
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When and where can you register for the admission procedure?
You can register online from November 1, 2025. You will then find the corresponding registration button on the Spatial Design homepage.
Good to know: The registration fee is CHF 200 and you must pay this in order to finalise your registration.
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What must your application contain?
You apply with your portfolio, letter of motivation and CV as well as your homework assignment. You will receive your homework once you have registered for the admission procedure - but only after the application deadline.
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What must be included in the portfolio?
Your portfolio is your business card. You show what you can do, what you have created in your life so far and what you are proud of. This can range from drawings, 3-dimensional objects or models to photos or videos. You don't have to submit objects or models - photos of them are enough. And you can upload videos to a platform such as YouTube or Vimeo and link them in your portfolio.
You can show a wide variety of techniques in your portfolio or limit yourself to a few and go into more depth. We are happy to leave it up to you how extensive you want to make your portfolio - depending on how many works you want to show and what seems important to you.
If you haven't yet studied spatial design and are still interested in the programme, it's not so bad. You can live out your love of space in the homework assignment.
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What does the homework look like and what is important?
After registering for the admission procedure, you will receive a homework assignment. This has something to do with the content of the Spatial Design degree programme. So far there have been tasks like this - two examples:
- What is your favourite place and what aspects characterise this place for you? Exaggerate one of the aspects into the fantastic and visualise it using representation techniques of your choice (drawings, models, collages, etc.)
- Find a place that you think is not well designed or where you don't like to spend time and describe what makes this place a non-place. Based on your analysis, develop a proposal for a redesign and visualise your design using the representation techniques of your choice (drawings, models, collage, etc.).
As you can see from the examples, on the one hand it is important to recognise, describe and visualise the qualities of spaces. On the other hand, you have to develop something new and visualise it spatially. You can shine with your skills, good ideas and concepts and/or with your visualisation skills.
You have about four weeks to complete the homework. You will then upload it to our application platform together with your portfolio, letter of motivation and CV by the deadline at the latest. You will then present the homework in person at the admissions interview using the document you have submitted.
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What does ‘sur dossier’ mean?
If you do not fulfil all the admission requirements, you will be admitted to the admission procedure sur dossier. Sur dossier means that your portfolio and homework must show us that you have exceptional artistic and creative talent. That may sound like a high hurdle at first. However, our experience shows that if you have a passion for spatial design, curiosity and enthusiasm, you can definitely master a sur dossier application.
A tip: study our homepage, come to a taster day, ask us questions and enjoy working on your portfolio and homework. And ask us in advance how you are doing with your previous education.
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Who can you contact with questions?
If you have any questions, please contact Barbara Mutzbauer, Head of BA Spatial Design ad interim (barbara.mutzbauer@hslu.ch).
For general questions about the admission procedure, you can also contact the Student Administration Office: aufnahmeverfahren.dfk@hslu.ch
