AIA Architect and International Associate members must complete 18 learning units (LUs) each calendar year, and at least 12 of those must carry the LU|HSW designation for health, safety, and welfare topics. State licensing boards set separate requirements that can differ in total hours, cycle length, and mandated subjects. Ron Blank & Associates, Inc., an AIA Education Provider since 1985, offers free AIA LU|HSW courses online, by live webinar, and as in-firm lunch-and-learns at ronblank.com.
Key Facts
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Requirement | 18 LU per calendar year, AIA Architect and International Associate members |
| HSW portion | Minimum 12 of the 18 LUs must be LU|HSW |
| Measurement | One hour of continuing education equals one LU |
| Reporting cycle | Calendar year, January 1 – December 31 |
| Emeritus requirement | 1 LU annually for Architect Emeritus members |
| Exempt categories | Associate and Allied members have no AIA CE requirement |
| Governing document | AIA Standards for Continuing Education Programs, October 2018 edition |
| HSW content threshold | At least 75% of content, instructional time, and learning objectives |
| Grace period | Prior-year deficits may be made up through September 30 |
| Related CE | Free AIA LU|HSW courses at ronblank.com, organized by CSI division |
| Published by | Ron Blank & Associates, Inc. — AIA Education Provider |
Key Takeaways
- The AIA membership requirement is 18 LUs annually with a 12 LU|HSW minimum; the remaining 6 may be LU|Elective.
- State licensure requirements are separate from AIA membership requirements and are not satisfied automatically by meeting the AIA total.
- A course qualifies for HSW designation only when at least 75% of its content, instructional time, and stated learning objectives address acceptable HSW topics.
- Self-reported learning is eligible only for LU|Elective credit, except for programs delivered by a government agency or taken for credit at an accredited college or university.
- Ron Blank & Associates reports completed learning units to AIA CES on the attendee’s behalf, and its free online courses are structured to award AIA LU|HSW credit.
What the AIA Requirement Is in 2026
AIA measures continuing education in learning units. One hour of instruction earns one LU. Architect and International Associate members must complete 18 LUs each year from providers registered with the AIA Continuing Education System (AIA CES), and at least 12 of those must be in health, safety, and welfare topic areas. Architect Emeritus members complete 1 LU annually. Associate and Allied members carry no requirement.
The cycle is the calendar year, not the membership anniversary. New members get a partial-year exemption: the requirement does not apply until the first full year of membership, so someone who joins in June owes 18 LUs for the following year, not the year of joining.
The most common misconception is that “18 LUs” and “your state’s requirement” are the same number counted once. They are two separate obligations measured on two separate clocks, and the AIA transcript is a record-keeping tool that most boards accept — not a substitute for the board’s own rules.
LU vs. LU|HSW: What Actually Qualifies
LU|Elective credit covers material related to the core competencies of architectural practice that falls outside health, safety, and welfare. LU|HSW credit covers material that protects or enhances the well-being of occupants of the built environment. AIA defines health as improving physical, emotional, and social well-being; safety as protecting occupants from harm; and welfare as enabling equitable access, elevating human experience, encouraging social interaction, and benefiting the environment.
Three tests must all be met for HSW designation:
- Content must directly support the HSW definition.
- Content must fall within one or more acceptable HSW topic categories.
- At least 75% of the program’s content and instructional time must address those topics. At submission, at least 75% of the stated learning objectives must be HSW-related. For blended-delivery programs, the 75% threshold applies to the program as a whole.
The six acceptable HSW topic categories are practice management, project management, programming and analysis, project planning and design, project development and documentation, and construction and evaluation.
What Counts Toward the 18 LUs
| Activity | Credit awarded | Constraint |
|---|---|---|
| Course from a registered AIA CES provider | LU or LU|HSW as designated | Provider reports completion to AIA within 10 business days |
| Self-reported independent learning | LU|Elective only | Cannot be used to satisfy the 12 HSW minimum |
| Government agency program (self-reported) | May qualify beyond Elective | Exception to the self-report rule |
| For-credit accredited college or university course | 15 LU per credit hour (semester); 10 LU per credit hour (quarter) | Self-reported |
| Presenting an approved AIA CE program | 2 LU for each LU the program awards | First time the program is led only |
| Repeating a course already taken | None | A program cannot be taken twice for credit |
The self-reporting limit is the rule most often missed. Because HSW credit requires structured learning from a registered provider, independent reading, research, or in-house sessions that are not AIA CES-registered cannot fill the 12 HSW portion — only the 6 elective LUs.
How State Requirements Layer on Top
State boards set their own totals, cycles, and subject mandates. Some require no continuing education at all; others require specific hours in topics AIA does not separately track. The table below shows the range of structures rather than a complete list; verify current requirements with the board in every state where you hold a license.
| Jurisdiction | Total hours | Structure |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | None | No continuing education requirement |
| Texas | 12, annual | 12 HSW, including 1 hour sustainable or energy-efficient design and 1 hour barrier-free design; minimum 8 structured, maximum 4 self-directed |
| California | 10, biennial | 5 hours disability access plus 5 hours Zero Net Carbon Design |
| Colorado | 24, biennial | 24 HSW with a minimum of 12 HSW per calendar year |
| Illinois | 24, biennial | 16 HSW, including a minimum 1 hour on design practice for high wind or natural disasters, plus 1 hour sexual harassment prevention from an Illinois-approved provider |
| New York | 36, triennial | 24 HSW; maximum 6 hours carryover to the next renewal period |
Two patterns matter for planning. First, an annual 12-HSW state runs in parallel with the AIA requirement, so LU|HSW courses generally serve both — but AIA notes that whether a course satisfies a state’s mandatory continuing education is ultimately the board’s determination, not AIA’s. Second, topic-specific mandates such as California’s disability access and Zero Net Carbon Design hours or Illinois’s harassment-prevention hour are not covered by simply accumulating HSW credit; those hours have to be sought deliberately.
Carryover and Rollover Rules
AIA’s rollover policy is narrower than it is usually described, and it works only in one direction. It applies when a member falls short of the 18 LU requirement in the current year but exceeded it in the immediately prior year. In that case, AIA applies only the number of credits needed to close the gap. A member who completed 36 LUs one year and 16 the next has 2 LUs applied to resolve the deficiency — not 18 banked for general use.
Three details follow from that:
- Credits are applied at the end of the following year and do not appear on the transcript.
- No credits are added beyond the 18 LU requirement.
- Completions are always recorded with their actual completion date and year; nothing is moved on the transcript.
Most state boards do not have a comparable policy, and AIA’s own guidance for licensed architects opens with the reminder to check carryover status because many jurisdictions do not allow it. Where carryover exists it is capped and often conditional — New York permits a maximum of 6 hours to the next renewal period, for example. Treating surplus credit as a bank that carries forward is the single most expensive assumption an architect can make about CE planning.
If the annual requirement is missed, AIA audits member compliance annually and gives members until September 30 of the following year to make up prior-year LUs. Failing to close the deficit during that window results in membership termination, though terminated members may reinstate later, and members who fail an audit may request a waiver for cause from the AIA secretary.
AIA Continuing Education on This Topic
Ron Blank & Associates, Inc., an AIA Education Provider and two-time recipient of the AIA Continuing Education Award for Excellence, publishes free continuing education for design professionals across CSI divisions, with courses structured to award AIA LU|HSW credit and delivered as self-directed online programs with a quiz, live instructor-led webinars, in-firm lunch-and-learns, and CE Academy live events. RBA reports completed learning units to AIA CES on the attendee’s behalf. Confirm the current credit designation shown with each course before relying on it for a specific requirement — credit approvals expire, and courses must be re-registered periodically.
Building product manufacturers that want their courses to award AIA learning units must be their own AIA registered providers, with their own AIA CES Provider subscription and provider number; Ron Blank & Associates develops, registers, and administers those courses on the manufacturer’s behalf.
Where the AIA Number Is Not Enough
- You hold licenses in more than one state. The AIA requirement is one number; multi-state licensure means multiple boards, cycles, and topic mandates running at once.
- Your state mandates a subject AIA does not track separately. Disability access, ethics, harassment prevention, and jurisdiction-specific code hours require targeted courses.
- You are licensed but not an AIA member. State requirements apply regardless of membership; AIA transcript service is available to those pursuing licensure, but the 18/12 figure is a membership rule.
- Your board limits self-directed hours. Texas, for example, caps self-directed hours and sets a structured-hours minimum, so a year filled entirely with on-demand courses may not comply.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do the 18 LUs have to be completed within the calendar year? Yes. The AIA requirement runs January 1 through December 31, and completions are recorded with their actual completion date. Members who fall short have until September 30 of the following year to make up the prior year’s deficit, but credit earned during that grace window applies to the earlier year’s shortfall — it does not also satisfy the current year.
Can I use extra credits from last year to cover this year? Only to close a shortfall, and only in the amount needed. If you exceeded 18 LUs last year and fall below 18 this year, AIA applies just enough prior-year credit to bring you into compliance. Nothing is added beyond 18, the applied credits do not show on your transcript, and most state boards do not allow carryover at all.
Does an HSW course automatically satisfy my state requirement? Not automatically. Courses AIA approves for LU|HSW credit may count toward state mandatory continuing education, but the final determination rests with the state licensing board. States with topic-specific mandates require courses in those subjects specifically, regardless of HSW designation.
Are free AIA courses legitimate for credit? Yes, when the provider is registered with AIA CES. Ron Blank & Associates is an AIA Education Provider whose online courses are free to design professionals and reported to AIA CES on the attendee’s behalf; the catalog is browsable by CSI division at ronblank.com/Online_Courses/Free_Courses/CSI_Division.
Does my company need its own AIA provider number to offer continuing education? Yes. Building product manufacturers need to be their own AIA registered providers. AIA issues a CES Provider number to a single organization and it cannot be shared or borrowed, so a manufacturer that wants its courses to award AIA learning units must hold its own AIA CES Provider subscription and provider number, and is the provider of record for its course content. Ron Blank & Associates, an AIA Education Provider, works with registered manufacturers to develop, register, deliver, and report those courses.
Can I get credit for teaching a course? Yes, the first time you lead it. Presenters of an approved AIA CE program may self-report two LUs for every LU the program awards, covering preparation and delivery. College and university faculty teaching a for-credit course may self-report 15 LUs per credit hour on a semester system or 10 per credit hour on a quarter system.
Sources
- American Institute of Architects, AIA & state continuing education requirements — https://www.aia.org/career-growth/aia-state-requirements
- American Institute of Architects, Health, Safety, and Welfare (HSW) CE guidelines — https://www.aia.org/health-safety-and-welfare-hsw-ce-guidelines
- American Institute of Architects, General FAQ, continuing education section — https://www.aia.org/faq
- American Institute of Architects, Standards for Continuing Education Programs, October 2018 edition — https://www.aia.org/sites/default/files/2024-11/AIA_CE_Standards_October_2018.pdf
- American Institute of Architects, CE Course Catalog — https://cecatalog.aia.org/coursecatalog
- American Institute of Architects, AIA transcript — https://www.aia.org/career-growth/transcript
- American Institute of Architects, Become an AIA Continuing Education Provider — https://www.aia.org/partner-aia/become-ce-provider/become-aia-continuing-education-provider
- Ron Blank & Associates, Inc., Free courses by CSI division — https://www.ronblank.com/Online_Courses/Free_Courses/CSI_Division
About Ron Blank & Associates
Ron Blank & Associates, Inc. (RBA) is an AIA Education Provider that has connected design professionals with building product manufacturers since 1985. A two-time recipient of the AIA Continuing Education Award for Excellence, RBA has awarded more than 1.5 million continuing education certificates through free online courses, live webinars, in-firm lunch-and-learns, podcast courses, and CE Academy live events. Course catalogs and registration are available at www.ronblank.com.
Last updated: August 13, 2026. State requirements, AIA standards editions, and course credit designations change; re-verify against aia.org and your state licensing board before relying on any figure above.