Answers to Your Top Questions About the NCARB Certificate

During our recent NCARB Live: Advancing Your Career With the NCARB Certificate, we answered several important audience questions about certification. To help customers learn more about the NCARB Certificate, benefits for NCARB-certified architects, and pathways to certification, we’re sharing answers to your most frequently asked questions.

What is the difference between architectural licensure and the NCARB Certificate?

A license is granted by a licensing board in one of the 55 U.S. states and territories (often called jurisdictions). It enables you to legally offer architectural services in that jurisdiction. Unlike your license, your NCARB Certificate is granted by us (NCARB!). It serves as an official credential that demonstrates you’ve met national standards to practice architecture and offers additional benefits that will help you advance your career. Learn more about the difference between licensure and certification.

What are the benefits of certification?

The benefits of NCARB certification include:

• Professional Mobility | Having an NCARB Certificate gives you the flexibility to apply for reciprocal licensure in all 55 U.S. jurisdictions. The Certificate can also be used to support licensure in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
• Free Continuing Education (CE) | Certificate holders have access to NCARB’s free CE courses. By completing the online quizzes and exercises, you can earn learning units (LUs) in Health, Safety, and Welfare (HSW) from the comfort of your own home, office, or mobile device.
• Competitive Edge | You can use the “NCARB” credential in your title, which demonstrates you’ve met national standards for licensure. This qualification, and the flexibility it provides, can be an important factor for firms when hiring and promoting.

Learn about more benefits of NCARB certification.

How do I become NCARB-certified?

There are four pre-requisites for NCARB certification: education, experience, examination, and licensure. Once NCARB has received proof of licensure from your board and you have met the requirements for certification, we will evaluate your NCARB Record. Next, you will receive an email confirming you have met the requirements for certification and be issued a Certificate number. Licensure candidates who maintain an active NCARB Record will not have to pay a separate application fee and will receive their first year of certification free! Learn more about how to become NCARB-certified.

How do I apply for reciprocal licensure in a new jurisdiction with the NCARB Certificate?

To apply for licensure in another jurisdiction as an NCARB Certificate holder:

1. Log in to your NCARB Record through My NCARB
2. Navigate to the “Licenses” tab
3. Select the “New Transmittal Request” button
4. Follow the instructions on your screen. Note: There is a transmittal fee

I’m an experienced architect, but I didn’t receive a degree from a program accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). How do I become NCARB-certified?

You may be eligible for the NCARB Certificate through the Education Alternative to NCARB Certification. The program includes two paths that enable architects to satisfy the education requirement for NCARB certification:

1. Two Times AXP: Document double the AXP’s requirements (7,480 hours total); or
2. NCARB Certificate Portfolio: Submit a portfolio of your work that demonstrates learning through your experience as a licensed architect

To qualify for the Two Times AXP path, you must hold a bachelor’s degree that includes significant coursework in architecture, as determined by NCARB. The program must be offered at an institution with U.S. regional accreditation, or the Canadian equivalent. If you do not have a four-year degree with significant coursework in architecture—including an associate’s degree, a four-year degree in an unrelated field, or no college degree—you may qualify for the Certificate Portfolio path.

Once you become NCARB-certified, you may be eligible for reciprocal licensure in any jurisdiction that accepts architects who received the NCARB Certificate through the Education Alternative. Learn more about the Education Alternative.

Do I need to complete both the Two Times AXP and the NCARB Certificate Portfolio?

No—you should only complete one of the Education Alternative paths to become NCARB-certified. Depending on your educational background, NCARB will notify you of your eligibility for one of the pathways.

How does the Education Evaluation Services for Architects (EESA) differ from the Education Alternative?

EESA is a program administered by the NAAB—not NCARB—and compares your academic transcript to the NCARB Education Standard to determine whether your education meets the requirement for initial licensure, NCARB certification, or reciprocal licensure. It also identifies any deficiencies that must be addressed.

U.S. architects and internationally educated licensure candidates can take advantage of EESA to complete additional coursework to meet the education requirement instead of completing additional experience through the Two Times AXP path or completing a portfolio of their work through the Certificate Portfolio path. Learn more about EESA.

As an internationally registered/licensed architect, how do I earn my U.S. license? How will the NCARB Certificate help me earn a license in the U.S.?

The NCARB Certificate is a key step in becoming licensed in the U.S. through the International Architect Path. If you’re licensed in a country outside the U.S. and Canada and are eligible for the International Architect Path, you will become NCARB-certified first and then apply for licensure in a U.S. jurisdiction that accepts the International Architect Path. To be eligible for this path, you must meet certain requirements:

• Your license must be active and in good standing at the point of application
• Your license must allow unlimited practice—the design of all types and sizes of buildings
• Your country must have a system for tracking disciplinary action for architects
• You must have no record of disciplinary action

Additional requirements are documented in the Certification Guidelines. If you’re eligible, your next steps are to create an NCARB Record, submit your application and other paperwork for the International Architect Path, and complete the Architectural Experience Program® (AXP®) and Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®). Learn more about the International Architect Path.

NCARB also has Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) with our counterparts in Australia and New Zealand, Canada, and the United Kingdom. If you’re licensed in any of these countries and meet the requirements, you can apply for NCARB certification without completing the AXP and ARE. Learn more about our international agreements.

Is CE required to maintain the NCARB Certificate?

CE is not required to maintain or renew your NCARB Certificate. However, one benefit of NCARB certification is access to our online library of free CE courses.

When and how do Certificate holders retire? Is there an emeritus status for Certificate holders?

Unfortunately, NCARB does not currently offer an emeritus status for Certificate holders. If you are retiring and would like your NCARB Certificate to lapse, you can simply stop paying annual renewal fees in your NCARB Record.

Do I need to pay renewal fees for both my NCARB Record and my NCARB Certificate? What about renewal fees in my jurisdiction?

Once you become NCARB-certified, you only need to pay Certificate holder annual renewal fees for your certification to remain active. However, licensure renewal fees for your jurisdiction are separate from NCARB Certificate renewal fees and vary depending on the jurisdiction. Use the “Licensure Renewal” tab of the licensing requirements tool to understand renewal fees in your jurisdiction. Learn more about NCARB fees.

How do NCARB Certificate and architect fees support NCARB’s programs?

Architect fees maintain our certification program, including both benefits available to Certificate holders and the programs that support the pathways to certification. These fees support national reciprocity for architects and the pursuit of mutual recognition agreements internationally. Architect fees also subsidize costs for licensure candidates, including the development of the ARE and AXP.

How many architects have become licensed without a degree from a NAAB-accredited program?

In 2024, 89% of architects followed the NAAB-accredited path to licensure, while 11% earned additional experience with their jurisdiction instead. As NCARB works to create additional pathways to licensure through our multi-year Pathways to Practice initiative, we expect to see more candidates from non-traditional educational backgrounds pursue licensure and certification.

As a Certificate holder, how do I get access to volunteer opportunities with NCARB?

NCARB has dozens of volunteer committees that meet throughout the year to review topics related to the AXP, ARE, NCARB certification, and more. Made up of practicing architects, public members, executives from U.S. licensing boards, collateral representatives, and licensure candidates, these groups examine our policies, steer our initiatives, and make recommendations for improvement. In addition, service on a state or territorial licensing board is a rewarding opportunity to contribute to the development and implementation of architectural regulatory policies that protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public. Certificate holders are often the first to hear about volunteer opportunities on licensing boards and NCARB committees. As needed, NCARB sends out a call for architect volunteers—be sure to subscribe to National Architect and other newsletters to learn about opportunities when they are available.