With 55 architectural licensing boards in the United States, NCARB works to provide board support, encourage program alignment, and assist individuals seeking licensure.
NCARB’s community continued growing in 2023, with over 125,800 Record holders, more than 350 volunteers, and over 450 licensing board members. Our volunteer community—made up of architects, licensure candidates, educators, and experts from other professions—worked together across 19 committees to develop resources for licensing boards, explore challenges in the field of architecture, and more.
NCARB's Record Holder Community Continues to Grow
Over 125,800 individuals held an NCARB Record in 2023, a 6% increase compared to 2022. This growth was spread evenly across NCARB’s various customer groups: candidates actively pursuing licensure, NCARB Certificate holders, and non-certified architects all saw significant growth from 2022 to 2023.
Over 51,500 Architects—a Record High—Held an NCARB Certificate in 2023
In 2023, over 51,500 architects held an active NCARB Certificate—nearly a 6% increase from 2022 and a 10% increase from 5 years prior. Despite a lull in 2020 due to the onset of COVID-19, the Certificate holder community has continued to grow steadily over the past decade, pointing to the rising value of professional mobility in an increasingly interconnected economy.
NCARB has continued to enhance the value of the NCARB Certificate, regularly releasing new continuing education courses on cutting-edge topics and launching a new mutual recognition agreement (MRA) with the United Kingdom in early 2023. In addition, NCARB’s 2023 Welcome Back campaign, which waived reactivation fees, saw nearly 1,800 architects renew their NCARB Certificates.
The Number of Non-Certified Architects Is Growing Rapidly
The number of non-certified architects with an NCARB Record increased by 17% in 2023—the biggest spike in non-certified architects seen in recent NCARB history and a 21% increase from 5 years prior. The sharp increase from the previous year was most likely a result of NCARB’s amnesty campaign in the summer of 2023, which waived reactivation fees for architects with lapsed NCARB Records.
The Number of New Record Holders Has Grown by Over 20% in the Last 5 Years
Over 10,300 candidates opened an NCARB Record in 2023—a 3% increase from 2022 and a 20% increase from 5 years prior. This continued growth signals a strong recovery from the dip caused by COVID-19’s onset in 2020.
46% of New Architects Started an NCARB Record While They Were in School
The proportion of new architects starting their NCARB Records in school has been gradually increasing since 2018, with the highest proportion yet (46%) in 2023. A slightly greater proportion (54%) of new architects waited until after earning their degree to start an NCARB Record, a 6% decrease from 2019. Because NCARB considers starting a Record the first step to earning an architecture license, this trend could signal that more candidates are starting the path to licensure earlier in life.
Initial Licensure Applications Return to Pre-Pandemic Levels
When candidates apply for an initial license or architects apply for a reciprocal (out-of-state) license, NCARB transmits their Records to the jurisdiction’s licensing board in support of their application. The total number of transmittals remained steady from 2022 to 2023. Of the approximately 16,000 transmittals, more than 12,200 were in support of reciprocal licensure applications—a slight decrease from the recent high seen in 2022. Applications for initial licensure, however, increased slightly (3%) after a lull caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.