The regulator has gone out to consultation today (22 October) on a proposed a new route to registration for professionals who have ARB-accredited Part 2s and Part 3s but no ARB-accredited Part 1.
The organisation plans to introduce a specific ‘streamlined’ pathway based on ‘targeted and proportionate evidence’.
Under the new Registration Assurance Process, wannabe architects with valid Part 2s and Part 3s would no longer have to sit an assessment or take a bespoke course. Instead, the ARB is proposing that professionals who have ‘worked continuously in the architecture sector for two years’ can get confirmation from ‘a registrant’ of this experience. This will provide the regulator with ‘reassurance that in addition to their accredited qualifications, they have shown readiness to practise in the UK safely and knowledgeably’.
The ARB said the change was designed to improve access to the profession by making registration available to those whose initial degree might be an international qualification, or a UK qualification that is not accredited.
The new route is being proposed as part of ARB’s ongoing shake-up of the three-part education framework.
ARB chair Alan Kershaw said: ‘Registration ensures that everyone using the legally protected title ‘architect’ is competent, fit to practise and meets the necessary standards to protect the public. Those without an ARB-accredited Part 1 qualification currently face a complex examination that often relies on evidence from degrees they completed decades ago.
‘The new assurance process we’re proposing offers a more proportionate solution whilst maintaining the high standards of competence and professionalism the public rightly expects of registered architects.’
In creating the Registration Assurance Process, the ARB is also proposing to improve the two other routes by aligning them with the new process.
These routes will apply to:
qualified professionals who left the register more than two years ago, or completed their final (Part 3 / Practice Outcomes) qualification more than two years ago (Route R); and
professionals removed from the register for failing to comply with the ARB’s CPD scheme (Route C).
The regulator believes these changes will ‘ensure a consistent approach for all applicants and maintain high standards of competence’ on the register.
The ARB’s consultation will close on Monday 2 February 2026. The regulator’s board is expected to make a decision on the new qualification process before the end of 2026.