Washington, DC—On January 15, 2026, the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) implemented two programmatic changes designed to expand access to reciprocity through the NCARB Certificate: an update to the eligibility requirements for the Education Alternative to Certification and a refreshed Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) with Canada. These updates align with NCARB’s Pathways to Practice initiative by ensuring that all qualified architects, regardless of licensure pathway, have access to national and international reciprocity. 

“The NCARB Certificate provides architects with opportunities to advance their careers and expand their practice,” said NCARB President Edward T. Marley, FAIA, NCARB, LEED AP. “By removing unnecessary barriers to practice, NCARB is recognizing the high level of competency demonstrated through a variety of licensure pathways—not just traditional ones.”  

Updates to the Education Alternative

The first change—an update to the eligibility requirements for the Education Alternative to Certification pathway—retires a three-year waiting period between licensure and NCARB certification eligibility for U.S. architects without a degree from a program accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). The Education Alternative allows U.S. architects who hold a four-year architecture-related degree, a community college degree, or no post-secondary education to become NCARB-certified by demonstrating additional learning through experience. 

Currently, 18 U.S. jurisdictions offer alternative paths to initial licensure that do not require a degree from an accredited program. However, 49 allow multiple pathways for reciprocal licensure, including through NCARB’s Education Alternative pathway.

Under the Education Alternative’s previous eligibility requirements, architects must have been licensed for at least the last three consecutive years in a U.S. jurisdiction before pursuing certification—an additional time-bound requirement which did not apply to architects who hold a degree from a NAAB-accredited program.

On January 15, NCARB retired this three-year waiting period, enabling architects of all backgrounds to pursue certification immediately after licensure. The retirement of the three-year Education Alternative delay follows recent NCARB changes designed to remove time-bound restrictions that aren’t aligned with competency, including the retirement of the exam’s rolling clock policy and revisions to the experience program’s reporting requirement.

Updates to the U.S./Canada MRA

The second programmatic change that went into effect on January 15, 2026, is an updated MRA between NCARB and the Regulatory Organizations of Architecture in Canada (ROAC). The agreement is based on substantially equivalent competencies obtained at the point of licensure and accepts architects from each country who have been licensed through a variety of paths—including those who hold the NCARB Certificate through the Education Alternative or International Architect pathways.

The updated agreement also removes several barriers to reciprocity that existed in the previous agreement, including eliminating the 2,000 required hours of post-licensure experience and removing requirements related to citizenship, residency, and principal place of practice. To be eligible for reciprocal licensure under the refreshed agreement, architects must: 

  • Be licensed and in good standing in a participating jurisdiction in their home country,
  • For U.S. architects, hold an active NCARB Certificate

Both the update to the Education Alternative and the updated MRA with Canada were approved by NCARB’s member licensing boards at the organization’s 2025 Annual Business Meeting. 

To learn more about NCARB’s pathways to certification for architects who don’t hold a degree from a NAAB-accredited program, visit www.ncarb.org/certificate.

To learn more about earning a license/registration to practice architecture abroad, visit www.ncarb.org/international.

About NCARB

The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards’ membership is made up of the architectural licensing boards of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. NCARB, in collaboration with these boards, facilitates the licensure and credentialing of architects to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public. 

To achieve these goals, NCARB works with its Member Boards and volunteers to develop and facilitate standards for licensure, including the national examination and experience program. NCARB also recommends regulatory guidelines for licensing boards and helps architects expand their professional reach through the NCARB Certificate. Connect with NCARB on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube.