West Virginia University: laptop requirements
Yes — a conforming laptop is required. West Virginia University (BS Interior Architecture only) publishes a minimum specification students are required to meet: 32GB RAM.
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The published specification
Operating system: Windows 10 64-bit (or newer)
Processor: 14th gen Intel Core (i9 or better) or AMD Ryzen (7 or better)
Memory (RAM): 32GB minimum
Storage: 512 GB or higher required; Solid State Drive (SSD) recommended — as stated on the cited web page. NOTE: the linked Class-of-2028 policy PDF instead states "Solid State Drive (SSD) – 1 TB or higher". See verify_note.
Graphics: "Discrete" Graphics Card – 8 GB min; >18,000 PassMark G3D Points required (e.g. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, AMD Radeon RX 7900M, etc.)
Warranty: 3 Year On-site / In-home Parts and Repairs Service Recommended (listed under "Additional Hardware Recommendations", not required)
What this specification rules out
"the interior architecture program strongly advises against the purchase of a Mac" — REVIT and Enscape are not available for macOS and running them requires additional purchase of Windows 11 Pro and Parallels Desktop, at additional cost and with reduced performance.
Also listed on the same page
Video Card Driver: OpenGL version 4.6 or higher. Display: FHD (1920 x 1080) or better. Ports: HDMI, DisplayPort 1.2 or newer, and USB 3.0 or newer; Headset. NIC/Ethernet Card: Wireless 802.11N or 802.11AX required. External Mouse: 3 Button Scroll-Wheel required. Security: Cable Lock Strongly recommended.
Source
Taken from West Virginia University's own published page: https://creativeartsandmedia.wvu.edu/school-of-art-and-design/resources/bs-interior-architecture-computer-requirements — stated for Class of 2028 (policy issue date May 2024; the document states it "will be updated for the Class of 2029 by May 16, 2025"). Verified 2026-08-25. Specifications change every intake, so confirm against that page before you buy.
Laptops that meet this specification
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West Virginia University laptop requirements: common questions
Does West Virginia University require students to have a laptop?
Yes — a conforming laptop is required. West Virginia University (BS Interior Architecture only) publishes a minimum specification students are required to meet: 32GB RAM.
What laptop specification does West Virginia University publish?
West Virginia University (BS Interior Architecture only) publishes 32GB RAM, on Windows 10 64-bit (or newer). It is a minimum, not a target. Confirm against the source page before buying.
What does West Virginia University's specification rule out?
"the interior architecture program strongly advises against the purchase of a Mac" — REVIT and Enscape are not available for macOS and running them requires additional purchase of Windows 11 Pro and Parallels Desktop, at additional cost and with reduced performance.
Where does this West Virginia University laptop specification come from?
West Virginia University's own published page at https://creativeartsandmedia.wvu.edu/school-of-art-and-design/resources/bs-interior-architecture-computer-requirements, stated for Class of 2028 (policy issue date May 2024; the document states it "will be updated for the Class of 2029 by May 16, 2025"). Verified 2026-08-25. Specifications change every intake.
Packing for West Virginia University
A laptop is one line on a longer list. See the full West Virginia University dorm packing list for bedding, storage and the rest of move-in.