Application FAQs

North Dakota Century Code requires all applicants, regardless of whether they are licensed in another jurisdiction, to have taken and passed a Board-approved Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination. Currently, the only Board-approved FE examination is the one administered by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES).

There are NO provisions allowing the Board to waive this requirement.

No, North Dakota does not offer reciprocity with any other state, country, or jurisdiction. Applicants must apply through the endorsement process. Under endorsement, North Dakota accepts NCEES examinations taken in another jurisdiction.

All applicants must meet the licensure requirements set forth in North Dakota Century Code (NDCC) 43-19.1. An up-to-date copy of the statute is available under the Resources tab on our website.

Most applications require consideration by the Board, which meets every 6-8 weeks.

Processing of applications depends on the completeness of the application. Things that will generally hold up processing of the application are:

1. The timeliness of references providing us with their letters of reference. We accept reference letters that are no older than one year.
2. Documented experience must be up to present date. Gaps of more than 90 days are NOT allowed throughout the documented experience.
3. Legal convictions, if any, must be explained in a memo that should accompany the application.
4. Transcripts from University(ies). Transcripts msut be “Official” and not a student copy. If the degree is from a foreign country, it must be evaluated by NCEES prior to application submission.

All applicants need to have taken the FE and PE exams offered by NCEES. 

Applications for individuals who have received a Model Law designation from NCEES, are generally processed within 1-2 workdays.

The results of applications considered during a Board meeting are mailed to applicants 1-2 workdays after the Board meeting. This includes the issuance of licenses, if appropriate.

Yes. North Dakota requires that all non-U.S. degrees be evaluated. North Dakota will only accept evaluations from NCEES Education Evaluation Services.

If you have multiple non-U.S. degrees, each transcript must be evaluated together to ensure proper academic credit is recognized by NCEES.

Also, if you have a mix of U.S. and non-U.S. degrees, you must have each transcript evaluated together to ensure proper academic credit is recognized by NCEES.

The requirements for licensure can be found on your respective applications page or within North Dakota Century Code 43-19.1. 

North Dakota requires both Fundamentals and Principles and Practice examinations in combination with education and experience for licensure. Simply holding a license in a jurisdiction does not qualify an individual for licensure in North Dakota.

Reference letters for intern, examination, and endorsement applications must be dated within the last year.

If you have a Model Law designation, the reference letters in your NCEES record will be sufficient, regardless of date, for licensure.