I think this may have been @bgbg4us.
This is the situation at some of the in-state publics in Louisiana, like U. of Louisiana - Lafayette and Louisiana Tech. I believe both of those have an 18-month program for their architecture undergrads who go on to continue their study at the same university. I suspect that undergrads who switch to a different university would probably receive offers of 2-years, at best, at other M. Arch programs.
Thanks, yes, this is the poster I was thinking of. Her daughter did her MArch at RISD from a Midwest college according to this. I imagine RISD is pretty difficult to get into, but definitely can see that there and most others she was offered a 2 year MArch. I think she may have named the one that offered 3 years in another post.
Thank you all so much! The admissions representative giving the presentation said that one must stay with the same school quite declaratively, so much so that my son and I both made note of it, but it makes sense that this is school dependent, certainly related to the undergraduate courses and how well they align with the MArch program, and may have been for Syracuse only. They also were using it as a rationale for why one would choose the BArch over another path. I appreciate all of your ongoing clarification! It helps! I can appreciate that the process may be more streamlined at one school for both BS and March vs. the opportunity to learn at another institution with different perspectives (and a possibly longer path to degree). Also, very interesting about the AP courses being counted for undergraduate but not necessarily the graduate program!!
Nowhere on the Syracuse MArch admissions page does it state that they only admit those students coming out of a Syracuse program. Iām not doubting what you heard but it wouldnāt be the first time someone giving an information session declared something false. Trust but verify. 
EDIT: Thinking about this more itās possible they meant that when youāre admitted to the School of Architecture you donāt have the ability to easily transfer to - say - the School of Journalism. Syracuse, and many other schools, admits the student to the School within the broader University and it can be challenging if not impossible to transfer out of that specific School. When it comes to BArch programs most schools will tell you āDonāt try to get admitted to a program with a higher admit rate and then think you can transfer into BArch because you wonāt be able toā.
Totally possible we misheard or misunderstood, so I appreciate the help through this forum. We also didnāt see anything on their website that indicated this. The admissions rep did speak separately about the second point, i.e. apply to BArch if thatās your intended major.
I think for us personally, yes if you were planning to stay at one school it makes more sense just to do BArch. Also depends on the focus. At this point my kid, for example, likes the Boulder program because of its breadth within environmental design (they really enjoyed the urban design project they did at their summer workshop), but other kids may prefer to be more focused on just architecture. Or they may prefer schools with a 4-year arch major but more gen ed requirements to get a broader general education (this is not my kid and one school has been crossed off the list for this). Iām inclined to think it makes sense to apply across a range of options and narrow in when one has decision options.
Yes, certainly agree with applying to a range of options. My hope in doing the background research and reading is to avoid any major missteps due to lack of understanding. I think for S26, he may really enjoy and require a wider focus to provide him with clarity on his path forward. D22 applied to too many schools, in hindsight, so trying to be more strategic this time around, and include more likely schools.
Since youāve all been so lovely and helpful, we have nice news of two early acceptances for S26 for pre-architecture! Still trying to narrow down the rest of the list!
Thatās awesome! Are you able to share the schools?
Sure, of course-Iowa State and Arizona State. He understands there is a year of core design and then further requirements for admission into architecture as a major, but that may allow some exploration. He could see himself at these two schools; I think Arizona wins on climate. Any updates for your C26?
C26 is in at ASU as well. My understanding is that it is not a pre-architecture year as such (like UoA or UMN), but that you have to meet a minimum GPA in the core courses to progress to the next year. No other applications in yet. Although ASU is/was a safety, another possible school is probably getting scratched off the list with āIād rather go to ASU than go thereā.
Yes, you are correct! I believe a 3.0 GPA is what we read for progression at ASU. Iowa State requires a similar GPA but also a portfolio review. While their website indicates that they try to place students in their major of choice, admission chance after the first year is definitely something he will ask about if it becomes a top contender. Congrats to C26!! So nice to have that one in the bag.
For an architecture student, the climate control inside the studio spaces may be more important than the weather outside, lol.
Congrats on having two great options locked in already!
Iāll remind him of that!! And thank you again!
Iām late to the thread, but congrats on the early acceptances! 
Has he figured out which other schools he wants to apply to?
Well, weāve definitely failed at the short list and keep adding schools, as itās difficult to know which are targets and reaches. The supplemental essays are a lot of bonus work, and each school that requests one wants the portfolio in a slightly different format. We think U of Miami is the big reach and probably out of reach financially, which he knows, Drexel, Hobart and William Smith, UC Boulder, and U of Tennessee are hopefully targets academically, and a few rolling admission admits already, including Ball State, which we didnāt discuss on this thread but seems to have a good reputation for a medium Midwest school (and their BArch students pass the exams higher than the national average). Weāre in a bit of a dead zone for any new admissions info, as the EA schools will start releasing admission decisions in Jan/Feb of next year, which always feels endless.
I feel you on this. We added Pitt, not knowing if itās a target or a reach for architecture. I wish C26 would add more but there are self-imposed geographical constraints.
Itās an incredible struggle with any of the majors that are substantially more restrictive than the broader school data suggests. It ends up in a shotgun approach and likely far more applications than you might otherwise target - and when those applications likely include additional supplements, either questions or portfolio.. talk about time intensive! In hindsight I probably would have steered S23 in slightly different direction on a few schools but at the end of the day you can pick only one and you hope that come April, thereās a good one thatās an acceptance.
I wouldnāt get too focused on this. Out of the B.Arch/M.Arch programs they are going to work in a firm in which they - over the course of several years - do their practical time and study/take the various tests. My understanding through the school information sessions are that many of the larger Architecture firms have structured programs when they hire new associates. Does Ball State feed Arch firms that have slightly better ātesting programsā - quite possible - but itās not like the students are taking the tests right after graduation.
I wanted to further emphasize this. Many graduates spend years (sometimes over a decade) in practice before taking the licensing exams. They are hard to fit in and life gets in the way. Some never bother throughout their entire careers. The reason is that only one architect (typically the principal of the firm) actually stamps the drawings and takes the professional responsibility. The employees do not have to be licensed. A sole proprietor would usually need to be licensed to practice, but many residential ādesignersā do not have to be licensed either in most states. Long story short, the license exam pass rate is not a meaningful statistic to gauge the quality of a particular program.
Thanks to you and @Mashinations I thought we had stumbled upon useful info with the board pass rates, but alas! It makes sense, it is just very difficult for someone not yet in this field and his mom to make sense of which programs might be the āgood one" and best for him. Do you think he should try to pick a school in an area where he may want to live in the long run? The rolling admission schools offer merit aid, which puts them into serious contention in my mind, as he could possibly graduate with no or minimum debt. Thanks, as always, for the information!