We know you have questions about Pathways to Practice. Here are answers to common questions we've received:
What is Pathways to Practice?
Pathways to Practice is a multi-year initiative that will deliver a more accessible yet equally rigorous process for gaining an architect license. NCARB’s goal is to offer a modular, competency-based approach to licensure that fairly and accurately assesses an individual’s ability to practice safely and independently.
Why does the current licensure process need to change?
Competency expectations need to reflect the realities of current practice and establish an appropriate level of rigor necessary for a newly licensed individual to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public. NCARB aims to provide licensure pathways that maintain that rigor with two additional goals: reducing the social and financial impediments attached to a single path, and improving access to the profession for individuals of all career and educational backgrounds.
What is the NCARB Competency Standard for Architects?
Developed with input from thousands of practicing architects, the Competency Standard established 16 knowledge areas, skills, abilities, and behaviors—called competencies—that describe the capabilities necessary at the point of initial licensure for an individual to protect the public’s health, safety, and welfare. The NCARB Board of Directors updated the Competency Standard in June 2026 to include specific criteria for each competency.
Why create the Competency Standard?
As NCARB works to evolve the current licensure process—including the possibility of multiple pathways to licensure—it is essential that our programs share a core expectation of what competency looks like at the point of initial licensure. The NCARB Competency Standard for Architects provides that foundation and lays the groundwork for an accessible path to licensure. Learn more about the Competency Standard.
How did NCARB develop the new Competency Standard?
The NCARB Competency Standard for Architects was developed through multiple rounds of research, including input from thousands of practicing architects. As a living, adaptive document, it was most recently updated in June 2026. Learn more.
When did updates to the current AXP and ARE launch?
NCARB launched updates to the AXP in November 2025 and updates to the ARE in April 2026. Learn more about changes to the AXP and ARE.
Did candidates lose ARE 5.0 credits that transferred from ARE 4.0 as part of the April 2026 update?
No, ARE 4.0 credits that transitioned to ARE 5.0 were not impacted by the 2026 updates to the ARE. Candidates have retained all their current exam credits.
Is NCARB planning to change programs beyond the recent AXP and ARE updates?
Yes—but not for several more years. NCARB is currently studying how to best evolve the path to licensure to provide greater accessibility for licensure candidates in the years ahead. To learn more, check out NCARB’s Pathways to Practice initiative.
Will I need a degree from a NAAB-accredited program in the future?
NCARB asserts that individuals of all educational and career backgrounds should have a pathway to licensure—including those without a degree from a NAAB-accredited program. Currently, 22 licensing boards in the 55 U.S. states and territories provide additional pathways to initial licensure that don’t require a degree from a NAAB-accredited program.
NCARB continues to view accredited education as a viable way to learn about the profession and the health, safety, and welfare responsibilities of licensed architects. It is currently a requirement in most U.S. jurisdictions and is the most frequently used pathway to gaining a license today—and will likely remain so far into the future. Currently, 87% of new architects who achieve licensure have a degree from a NAAB-accredited program.
Should current candidates wait to pursue licensure until Pathways to Practice launches?
No. Current licensure candidates should continue to pursue their licensure efforts using the current AXP and ARE. The future licensure process is not anticipated to launch for several years with an approximately two-year overlap with the current process, allowing current candidates plenty of time to complete or make substantial progress on their licensure efforts. As NCARB announces future updates, we will provide resources to guide current and future candidates through the licensure process.
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