The 2025 edition of NCARB by the Numbers provides an inside look at how licensure candidates are building competency in areas of architecture that are essential for protecting the public’s health, safety, and welfare. Focusing on education and experience as the ways most candidates develop these competencies, this year’s publication shares key insights about licensure candidates navigating education requirements and gaining experience as part of the Architectural Experience Program® (AXP®).
To develop core licensure competencies, candidates typically earn a degree from a program accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) and complete the Architectural Experience Program® (AXP®). However, 11% of new architects in 2024—approximately 400 practitioners—chose to earn additional experience in lieu of earning a degree from a NAAB-accredited program.
Though this is a small proportion of practitioners, that proportion is typically higher in jurisdictions where a degree from a NAAB-accredited program isn’t required for initial licensure. On average, 20% of new architects don’t hold a degree from a NAAB-accredited program in states that offer additional licensure pathways.
As more states adopt additional pathways to initial licensure, NCARB expects to see an increase in the number of new architects who follow non-traditional pathways. 
Through our Pathways to Practice initiative, NCARB is working to expand access to licensure outside of the traditional 5-7 years of higher education required for a NAAB-accredited degree.
Regarding the AXP, the average time to complete the experience program fell for the first time since the onset of the pandemic. Candidates who completed the AXP in 2024 took an average of 4.8 years to complete the program, 1 month faster than those who finished in 2023. While not a significant decrease, this could signal that the impact of COVID-19 is beginning to fade from the experience program.
About NCARB by the Numbers
The findings in NCARB by the Numbers are pulled from NCARB’s database of nearly 126,000 licensure candidates and architects, making this annual report the most comprehensive source for licensure statistics.
Learn more about trends on the path to licensure in the 2025 edition of NCARB by the Numbers!
