National Architectural Accrediting Board, Inc.

What National Architectural Accrediting Board, Inc. does

National Architectural Accrediting Board, Inc. (NAAB), founded in 1940 and headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, is the sole programmatic accrediting body for professional architecture degree programs in the United States. It serves three customer segments: US architecture programs seeking accreditation at the baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral levels; international architecture programs seeking International Certification (ICert), currently 25 programs across 20 institutions in 11 countries; and foreign-educated architects seeking US licensure through the Education Evaluation Services for Architects (EESA), conducted jointly with NCARB. Revenue is generated entirely through professional-services fees: accreditation site visit and reporting fees for US programs, multi-tiered ICert fees (eligibility, site visits, annual candidacy, sustaining, and progress reports), and EESA evaluation fees. NAAB's technology stack is conventional SaaS, centered on a Weave Accreditation AMS for program reporting, Higher Logic for community forums, Alchemer for forms, Zoom for virtual training, and Constant Contact for newsletters.

The organization is governed by a 13-member volunteer Board nominated by ACSA, AIA, AIAS, and NCARB plus two Public Directors, supported by a small full-time staff and more than 10,000 hours annually of volunteer peer review. NAAB recently achieved Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) recognition in May 2026, is undertaking a comprehensive two-year revision of its 2020 Conditions and Procedures for Accreditation, and adopted revisions to its DEI-related standards in March 2026. It remains an independent private non-profit with no parent company, no funding rounds, and no disclosed revenue.

Name

National Architectural Accrediting Board, Inc.

Legal name

National Architectural Accrediting Board, Inc.

Website

https://naab.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1940

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NAAB is the sole US accrediting body for professional architecture degree programs, founded in 1940. It accredits US architecture programs, certifies international programs via ICert (25 programs across 11 countries), and evaluates foreign-educated architects seeking US licensure through EESA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Accreditation Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

National/State Examination Boards & Testing Agencies (EDADAFAA)

Keywords

• Architecture program accreditation
• Higher education accreditation
• International architectural certification
• Credential evaluation services
• Professional degree standards

Headquarters

HQ city

Alexandria

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. EESA Evaluation Fees: Fees charged to foreign-educated architects seeking licensure in US jurisdictions who do not hold a NAAB-accredited degree. Evaluations compare academic credentials to the NCARB Education Standard.
2. International Certification (ICert) Fees: Multi-tiered fee structure including eligibility applications, institutional overview fees, site visit fees, annual candidacy and sustaining fees, and interim progress report fees for international architecture programs seeking ICert designation.
3. Accreditation Fees: Fees associated with the accreditation process for US architecture programs including site visits, annual reports, and accreditation management.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

NAAB accredits professional degree programs in architecture offered by institutions in the United States, establishing the conditions and procedures these programs must satisfy to be recognized by U.S. architectural-licensing boards. It also operates the International Certification (ICert) program and the Education Evaluation Services for Architects (EESA), which evaluate credentials of architects trained outside the U.S. who are pursuing U.S. licensure or international mobility. Its activities are conducted as a nonprofit service to the profession and to higher education.

Product overview

NAAB offers a portfolio of accreditation and quality assurance services for architecture education. The core offerings include: (1) NAAB Accreditation for U.S. professional architecture degree programs, governed by the 2020 Conditions and Procedures; (2) International Certification (ICert) for qualifying international architecture programs; and (3) Education Evaluation Services for Architects (EESA), a joint program with NCARB for evaluating foreign-educated architects. Programs access these services through the Accreditation Management System (AMS), submitting Architecture Program Reports (APR) and using standardized templates like the PC/SC Matrix. The 2026 standards revision process is currently underway.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NAAB Accreditation of Professional Architecture Degree Programs Periodic accreditation reviews of professional architecture degree programs at U.S. colleges and universities, evaluated against the NAAB Conditions for Accreditation and student performance criteria. Accreditation is required for the program's graduates to be eligible for U.S. architectural licensure.
• International Certification (ICert) Certification pathway for architects who obtained their professional architectural education outside the United States, evaluated against NAAB-equivalent standards to support cross-border professional recognition and licensure mobility.
• Education Evaluation Services for Architects (EESA) Evaluation service for architects educated outside the United States whose non-U.S. credentials are assessed against NAAB standards to determine equivalence with a NAAB-accredited professional degree, supporting eligibility for U.S. architectural licensure pathways.
• Accreditation Management System (AMS) Online platform used by architecture schools and visiting teams to submit, review, and manage accreditation materials, program reports, and visiting team documentation throughout the accreditation cycle.

Quantifiable outcome

• 56 accredited Bachelor of Architecture programs nationwide providing direct path to professional licensure
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NCARB (National Council of Architectural Registration Boards)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEESA is a partnership program between NAAB and NCARB for evaluating credentials of foreign-educated architects seeking US licensure. NCARB facilitates the application process through its record system and forwards transcripts to NAAB. Evaluation results are posted to applicants' NCARB records. Applicants must establish NCARB records and check jurisdiction requirements through NCARB's Licensing Requirements Tool before requesting EESA evaluation.
• ACSA (Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture)coreOthersACSA nominates three Directors to the NAAB Board of Directors as part of NAAB's governance structure. The 13-member Board includes representatives from ACSA, AIA, NCARB, AIAS, and Public Directors.
• AIA (American Institute of Architects)coreOthersAIA nominates three Directors to the NAAB Board of Directors as part of NAAB's governance structure.
• AIAS (American Institute of Architecture Students)coreOthersAIAS nominates two Directors to the NAAB Board of Directors as part of NAAB's governance structure.
• Canberra Accord Signatory ProgramsminorOthersGraduates of architecture programs from Canberra Accord Signatory institutions after 2010 are eligible for discounted EESA evaluation at $1,250 (50% of standard $2,500 fee). The Canberra Accord is an international agreement for mutual recognition of architecture program quality.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Planning Accreditation Board (PAB): PAB accredits university planning programs in the US and Canada, operating a peer-review accreditation model parallel to NAAB's. It serves an adjacent built-environment profession with a similar program base, accreditation cycle, and volunteer-driven site visit process.
• National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD): NASAD accredits institutions and programs in art and design, including architecture-adjacent disciplines. It operates a peer-review accreditation model with similar fee structures, site visits, and standards-based assessment, comparable to NAAB's accreditation of architecture programs.
• Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA): CIDA accredits interior design programs in the US and internationally, with a peer-review accreditation model and standards-based assessment framework that closely mirrors NAAB's approach. It is a comparable specialized programmatic accreditor in the design education space.
• ABET: ABET accredits applied and natural science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology programs at universities worldwide. It is the most direct analog to NAAB as a US-based specialized programmatic accreditor with international reach and a peer-review volunteer model.
• Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB): LAAB accredits undergraduate and graduate landscape architecture programs in the US, working in tandem with NAAB on built-environment professions. It shares the volunteer peer-review model, programmatic accreditation scope, and recognition by licensure authorities.
• AACSB International: AACSB accredits business and accounting degree programs globally, with similar fee-based accreditation services, peer-review site visits, and recognized standing among US licensure and professional bodies. It is a closely comparable specialized programmatic accreditor in scale and operating model.
• Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME): LCME accredits medical degree programs in the US and Canada using a peer-review accreditation model and outcomes-based standards. Although serving a different profession, it is one of the closest operational analogs to NAAB in scope, scale, and accreditation governance.

Others

• Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA): CHEA is the nongovernmental body that recognizes programmatic accreditors, including NAAB since May 2026. It is an enabling/oversight organization rather than a direct competitor, but its recognition framework directly affects NAAB's standing and the value of its accreditation.

Broad incumbents

• National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB): NCARB is NAAB's EESA partner and the US licensure authority for architects. While NCARB focuses on licensure rather than programmatic accreditation, it sits directly alongside NAAB in the credentialing value chain and overlaps in evaluating foreign-educated architects.

Regional players

• Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA): RIBA validates architecture programs primarily in the UK and internationally, with comparable peer-review validation and recognition of professional degree equivalence. It is the closest international analog to NAAB but operates in different geographic markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/NationalArchitecturalAccreditingBoard
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-architectural-accrediting-board

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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