IPAL offers a dynamic, innovative path to licensure for students who are dedicated to becoming an architect. By integrating the opportunity to gain the real-world experience necessary to complete the AXP and ensuring that each IPAL student can take all six divisions of the ARE, students who graduate from IPAL options can be eligible for licensure soon after graduation.
"Since the IPAL option was launched in 2016, there have been 26 students participating in the program, which accelerated many students' AXP and ARE processes. Two students were able to pass all ARE divisions and completed AXP requirements before graduation. Those two students were among the first five IPAL students in the nation to achieve licensure shortly after graduation."
—North Carolina State University
Benefits of Being an IPAL Student
By integrating the education, experience, and examination requirements of licensure, IPAL helps students prepare for life after college by:
- Connecting education to current architectural practice
- Jumpstarting their careers with work experience and networking
- Making students eligible for licensure after graduation by completing licensure requirements
- Opening up career opportunities through a faster path to licensure
- Helping students manage the financial burden of earning a degree, both by interweaving paid employment opportunities around academic requirements and by qualifying them for higher paying positions
“IPAL was appealing because I could maintain full-time employment, earn all of my experience hours, and sit for the ARE while in school. I enjoyed every minute of my experience in the program.”
—2018 IPAL Graduate Justin Jablonski
If you are considering enrolling in one of the 28 IPAL options available, be sure to read these FAQs before you get started.
