NCARB/NOMA Study Finds Architectural Field Lacks Diversity

The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) and the National Organization for Minority Architects (NOMA) partnered to collect data on equity in the process of becoming an architect. The study found that a person of color is 7% more likely to drop out of the path to licensure than a white person on the same path. The survey was sent to 70,000 recently licensed architects, licensure candidates, and people who stopped pursuing an architecture  license, and received 5,000 responses. Barriers to completion of the process included financial concerns (the six-part Architect Registration Examination® alone costs a total of $1,410, not including study materials), lack of diversity in leadership, and a lack of overall support.