Note: This blog was last updated on August 20, 2025.
NCARB is making several changes to the Architectural Experience Program® (AXP®), effective November 18, 2025. These updates allow the program to better reflect the capabilities necessary at the point of initial licensure as an architect and address common administrative impediments faced by candidates on the path to licensure—including the experience program’s reporting requirement.
Learn more about the new reporting requirement and how it may impact your licensure journey.
The Current Reporting Requirement
Under the current requirement, candidates must report all experience within eight months of earning it for 100% credit, and within five years for 50% credit; any experience older than five years does not receive any credit.
The New Reporting Requirement
Under the new policy—effective November 18, 2025—candidates will be able to earn 100% credit for experience up to a year old. Experience older than one year will be worth 75% credit, with no limitation on how old that experience can be.
This change will apply to previously approved and new experience reports. Many candidates will automatically receive additional AXP credit when the updated policy goes into effect.
How This Impacts You
If all your existing experience has been approved and qualified for 100% credit, this new policy will not impact your current AXP progress. Keep submitting your hours regularly!
If you have previously approved experience that was older than one year at the time of submission that qualified for 50% credit, your 50% credit hours will be automatically updated to 75% credit after November 18, 2025. Over the coming months, NCARB will share personalized emails with you outlining what your new AXP credit totals will be once this change goes into effect.
If you have previously approved experience that was older than eight months but less than one year old at the time of submission, and none of the experience on that report was older than 12 months at the time of submission, your 50% credit hours will be automatically updated to 100% credit as of November 18, 2025.
If you have an approved experience report where some of the hours reported were older than eight months but less than one year old and some of the hours reported were more than one year old, your submission will be automatically updated to proportionally provide 75% credit and 100% credit as appropriate after November 18, 2025.
If you’re done with AXP but not licensed yet, well done! There is no action you need to take. Please note that your hours will not be automatically updated in your My NCARB account since you are AXP complete. If you would like your hours to be adjusted to reflect the new reporting policy, you can contact NCARB’s Customer Relations team after the new policy goes into effect.
Learn more about all the upcoming AXP changes, effective November 18, 2025.
