Licensure Pathway Support Program
Professional Licensing Assistance Program
For members of any AAAEA chapter: a mentor who has passed the same examination, guidance while you prepare, and financial assistance for the examination fee.
What this program does
Support through the examination, not just afterwards
Cost is one barrier to licensure. Not knowing how to prepare, which jurisdiction rules apply, or how to document qualifying experience is another. This program addresses both, for members of any AAAEA chapter.
Mentorship
A licensed professional alongside you
Register and the Association pairs you with a mentor who holds the licence you are working toward and has sat the same examination.
Guidance
Help preparing and applying
Preparation resources and technical webinars, plus advice on jurisdiction requirements and the experience documentation that delays many applications.
Fee support
Assistance with the fee
Financial assistance toward the examination fee you paid, where no employer or other organization is covering it.
How it works
Two steps
Register before your examination
A short form taking about two minutes. This is what opens access to a mentor and to the preparation resources, so candidates are encouraged to register early. There is no obligation.
Apply once you have passed
Submit the application for assistance with your result and proof of payment. Applications are reviewed on the 15th of each month, and approved assistance is paid within 30 days of the decision.
Candidates who have already passed without registering may still apply for assistance. Registering beforehand is preferred, since that is how the mentorship reaches a candidate in time to be of use.
Eligibility
Conditions of participation
All of the following are required.
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You are a member of an AAAEA chapter
Membership of any AAAEA chapter, current at the date of application. Both the mentorship and the financial assistance are provided to members. Chapters are listed on the chapters page, and joining takes a few minutes.
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You registered for a professional licensing examination
An examination required for licensure in engineering or surveying.
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You passed it
An official result showing a pass, dated on or after August 1, 2026. Applications must be submitted within 120 days of that result, and by July 1, 2027 at the latest. Unsuccessful attempts do not qualify.
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The examination fee is not reimbursed by your employer or any other entity
You paid it, and no employer, university, scholarship or other body is covering it. The application asks you to confirm and certify this.
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You have not already received assistance this program year
One award per applicant. Where you pass more than one examination, apply in respect of the higher fee.
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You complete the application
Submitted in full with your result, proof of payment and photographic identification.
Step one
Register for mentorship and guidance
For members of any AAAEA chapter, to be completed once you have registered for, or intend to sit, a licensing examination. This is not an application for financial assistance.
The Association will be in contact regarding a mentor and preparation resources. Financial assistance is applied for separately, once you have passed, using the application below.
Step two
Apply for financial assistance
To be completed once you have passed. Please have your result and proof of payment available, as the form does not save partway through.
Submission does not constitute an award. Awards are made in writing and are subject to available funds, which are limited and committed in the order applications become complete. Documents provided are used to verify eligibility and administer payment and are not disclosed to any third party. Awards are paid as reimbursement of a documented expense; the Association may request an IRS Form W-9 and does not provide tax advice.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to be a member?
Yes. The program is open to members of any AAAEA chapter. If you are not yet a member, join the chapter nearest you from the chapters page and then register. You may complete the registration while your membership is being processed; simply indicate this on the form.
May I take the mentorship without applying for financial assistance?
Yes. Complete the registration at step one and take it no further. Mentorship and preparation resources carry no obligation to apply for financial assistance.
May I apply if I have already passed without registering?
Yes. Registration beforehand is preferred but is not a condition. Proceed directly to step two.
Does the program cover an examination passed before August 1, 2026?
No. Assistance covers examinations passed on or after that date and cannot be extended further back. Registering remains worthwhile should the program continue into a further year.
Where earlier attempts were unsuccessful, what does the assistance cover?
The fee for the sitting you passed. Submit the proof of payment for that sitting.
My employer paid the fee and I repaid them. Am I eligible?
Yes, since the cost was ultimately borne by you. Describe the arrangement on the form and attach whatever evidences the repayment. The test is who is out of pocket, not whose payment was used.
My employer will reimburse the fee only once I am licensed. May I apply?
The fee is not presently reimbursed, so you may apply, but the arrangement should be disclosed on the form. Should that payment subsequently arrive, notify the Association within 30 days and return the award.
How long does the process take?
Roughly six to eight weeks: up to a month to reach the next monthly review, ten business days for the decision, and up to 30 days for payment.
Whom should I contact?
Write to comm@aaaea.org quoting your reference number, or telephone +1 312 536 0527.
Part of the Licensure Pathway Support Program, supported in part by the NCEES Foundation. National AAAEA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and is not affiliated with NCEES. Terms and availability are subject to available funds and may be revised; the version published on this page governs.