The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) released the 2026 edition of NCARB by the Numbers. Focusing on data from the 2025 calendar year, this year’s publication provides an inside look at recent trends along the path to licensure and beyond.
In 2025, the overall time to licensure fell to 12.3 years, which was the lowest median time in nearly a decade, and saw nearly 3,500 new architects get licensed. The time to complete the Architect Registration Examination (ARE) in 2025 was 4 months faster than in 2024, and the lowest average completion time in the history of the computerized exam.
This year’s edition included new insights into NCARB’s Pathways to Practice initiative, which has a goal of offering a modular, competency-based approach to licensure that fairly and accurately assesses an individual’s ability to practice safely and independently.
NCARB by the Numbers Sections:
- State of Licensure
- Pathways to Practice
- Demographics
- Building Towards Competency
- Examination
- Inside NCARB
- Jurisdictions
NCARB is working to ensure that individuals from all educational and career backgrounds have a pathway into architectural practice, while still maintaining the rigor needed to protect the public. You can learn more about NCARB by the Numbers at https://www.ncarb.org/nbtn2026.
