Eligibility Requirements
Specific education and work experience requirements exist to be eligible to sit for the NCIDQ Examination. Information sheets and work experience forms are available for download and can be viewed online further down this page. Educated outside of the U.S. or Canada? Scroll down page for details regarding Eligibility for Candidates Outside of the United States and Canada.
Meeting CIDQ’s education and work experience requirements does not guarantee that you will meet your local jurisdiction’s requirements to be a licensed/certified/registered interior designer. Be sure to check with your local jurisdiction regarding their specific requirements.
New Exam Eligibility Paths and Work Experience Requirements in effect as of January 1, 2019
CIDA – the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (formerly known as FIDER) - To qualify, the degree program must have been CIDA-accredited at graduation or must have become CIDA-accredited within two years following graduation.
NAAB – the National Architectural Accrediting Board and CAAB – the Canadian Architectural Accrediting Board - To qualify, the degree program must have been accredited at graduation or within two years of graduation.
Eligibility for Candidates Outside of the U.S. and Canada
Candidates with an interior design education (degree, diploma or certificate) or Bachelor's degree (minimum) in architecture earned abroad can qualify for the NCIDQ Exam. These candidates must have their transcripts translated and evaluated by an education evaluator such as World Education Services or Education Credential Evaluators and can be eligible if the evaluation matches one of the education requirements listed on the Exam Eligibility Paths sheet. Submitted evaluations must include course titles with corresponding U.S. credit equivalency to ensure education meets CIDQ requirements of 60 credit hours of interior design / architecture coursework.
The Alternative Review Process is for candidates who are unable to document the minimum educational requirement for interior design registration. Candidates in Canada or the State of Nevada should contact the regulatory agencies in their region prior to submitting an ARP application, in order to ensure compliance with requirements specific to their locale.
Alternative Review Process (ARP)
Verify Work Experience
Verification of work experience is required to sit for the IDPX and Practicum Exam sections.
