Effective January 15, 2026, NCARB will remove the current three-year waiting period between becoming licensed and receiving eligibility to apply for NCARB certification through the Education Alternative. This means that architects of all education backgrounds will be able to pursue certification through this path immediately after receiving their initial license.
What Is NCARB’s Education Alternative?
The Education Alternative to NCARB Certification provides a pathway to NCARB certification for architects without a degree from a National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB)-accredited program, including those with a four-year architecture-related degree or a community college degree, as well as those with no higher education.
Once an applicant is eligible for the Education Alternative path, they must document additional experience in place of a professional degree as part of their Certificate application. Each applicant is assigned to one of two options based on NCARB’s evaluation of their education background:
- Two Times AXP—For Architects With a Four-Year Architecture-Related Degree: To be eligible for this option, 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 meet the necessary requirements and are approved for the program, you will document two times the required hours in each of the AXP’s six practice areas—including any hours you have already reported (7,480 hours total). As a licensure candidate, you can begin recording additional experience that will count toward the Two Times AXP path upon licensure. Learn more about Two Times AXP.
- NCARB Certificate Portfolio—For Architects With Any Other Education: To be eligible for this option, you may have any education other than a four-year degree with significant coursework in architecture—including a community college degree, a non-architecture-related degree, or no college degree.
Through this option, you will submit a portfolio of exhibits that demonstrate learning through your experience as a licensed architect. The exhibits of your work may only include projects completed post-licensure. Learn more about NCARB Certificate Portfolio.
Once eligible applicants are NCARB-certified, they can become licensed in jurisdictions that normally would not accept a degree from a non-NAAB accredited program for initial or reciprocal licensure. To see if a specific jurisdiction accepts architects who have been NCARB certified through the Education Alternative, visit the Licensing Requirements Tool.
What Does This Change Mean for Architects?
Architects who don’t hold a degree from a NAAB-accredited architecture program but want to expand their practice no longer need to wait three years post-licensure to pursue NCARB certification. This change aligns with NCARB’s ongoing Pathways to Practice initiative, which seeks to expand pathways to licensure and certification for architects of all backgrounds, including those who don’t hold a degree from an accredited program.
Learn more about the Education Alternative path to NCARB Certification.
