Engineering exam waivers exist in most states, but they are narrower than the phrase suggests. Some boards will excuse an experienced engineer from the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, the Principles and Practice of Engineering exam, or both, provided the applicant can document years of progressive work under a licensed PE and, for the harder waiver, a record of technical achievement well beyond ordinary practice. The NCEES Model Law gives every state board authority to grant these waivers as long as public safety is protected, and each board fills in its own thresholds and paperwork.1National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying. Model Law Because no two states handle this the same way, the rules below describe the common patterns; your own board’s regulations are the final word.
Qualifying for an FE Waiver
The FE waiver substitutes a long track record of hands-on engineering work for the standardized test. States that offer this option generally require somewhere between 8 and 20 years of progressive engineering experience, with the most common thresholds falling between 10 and 15 years. That experience must begin after you earn your qualifying degree, so work performed before graduation typically does not count.1National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying. Model Law
“Progressive experience” is the phrase boards use, and it matters more than the raw year count. Your career must show that you moved from doing calculations and analysis under close oversight to making independent design decisions, managing technical projects, and taking on greater responsibility over time. Fifteen years spent doing the same task at the same level will not qualify. Boards want growth that mirrors the breadth of knowledge the FE exam tests.
Most states also require that your experience occurred under the responsible charge of a licensed professional engineer. This does not necessarily mean someone stood over your shoulder, but a PE must have directed and reviewed your work throughout those years. Boards will contact the engineers you list as verifiers, so choose people who genuinely know your work and can speak to its technical depth.
Not every state offers an FE waiver at all, and among those that do, the specific year requirements, degree expectations, and documentation standards differ. Check your state board’s current rules before assuming you qualify based on general patterns.
Advanced Degrees and Experience Credit
A master’s degree in engineering can shave time off the experience requirement. Many boards grant one year of experience credit for completing a relevant master’s program, so someone who needs 12 years of post-degree experience might qualify with 11 years plus a graduate degree. Doctoral degrees sometimes receive additional credit, though policies vary by state and the credit is never guaranteed. Boards reserve the right to evaluate each applicant individually and may award less than the maximum.
The Doctorate Path Around the FE
The NCEES Model Rules include a separate provision that is not technically a waiver but achieves a similar result. If you hold a doctorate in engineering from an institution that also offers ABET-accredited undergraduate programs in your field, and your own undergraduate degree is from an ABET-accredited program, you can sit for the PE exam without ever taking the FE.2National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying. Model Rules This is not available in every state, but jurisdictions that follow the Model Rules on this point give doctoral graduates a streamlined route to the PE exam and eventual licensure.
Qualifying for a PE Waiver
Waiving the PE exam is significantly harder than waiving the FE, and far fewer engineers qualify. This path is generally reserved for people who have spent decades in the profession and whose careers demonstrate a level of technical achievement well beyond standard practice. Boards that allow PE waivers based on eminence typically look for 20 or more years of qualifying experience, combined with an engineering degree and evidence of major contributions to the field.
What counts as “eminence” varies. Boards generally expect published research, patented inventions, leadership of technically significant projects, or recognition by professional organizations. Accumulating years on the job is not enough. The bar is deliberately high because the PE exam is the primary mechanism for ensuring that licensed engineers can apply engineering principles safely and competently.
Some sources say certain boards impose a minimum age of 40 or 45 for PE waiver eligibility. That claim is difficult to verify across states, and several major jurisdictions do not use age as a criterion at all. If your state does impose an age threshold, it is typically paired with the experience requirement rather than standing alone. Do not assume age is a factor until you have confirmed it with your board.
Comity: The Waiver Most Engineers Actually Use
Comity licensure is the most common reason engineers get an exam “waiver” in a new state, though it works differently from the eminence and experience waivers above. If you already hold an active PE license in one state, most other states will license you without requiring you to retake the PE exam, provided your original qualifications meet their standards.1National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying. Model Law
The NCEES Model Law lays out three comity pathways for professional engineers:
- Equivalent original standards. If the requirements under which you were originally licensed do not conflict with the new state’s law and meet a comparable standard of competency, you can be licensed without further examination.
- NCEES Record holders. If you hold an active NCEES Council Record that meets the new state’s requirements, you can be licensed without further examination.1National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying. Model Law
- Seven-year experience path. If you hold a U.S. license, have at least seven years of continuous verifiable experience as a PE, have no disciplinary history, and passed the PE exam in your discipline, you can qualify for comity licensure.
All three pathways may still require a state-specific exam on local laws and regulations. Your original license must be in good standing with no suspensions or revocations, and boards verify this directly.
If you are applying in several states, an NCEES Record compiles your transcripts, exam results, employment history, and references into a single verified package that NCEES transmits on your behalf.3NCEES. Records Program One point worth flagging: if you received an exam waiver rather than passing the FE or PE, a state board will still need to enter that waived exam information into your NCEES Record so it reflects how you actually qualified.4NCEES. Instructions for Completing Multi State Licensure
Non-ABET and Foreign Degrees
Most waiver pathways assume you graduated from an ABET-accredited engineering program, but engineers with non-ABET degrees are not automatically disqualified. The NCEES Model Law recognizes four types of qualifying education, including degrees from non-ABET programs as long as the applicant’s coursework meets the NCEES Engineering Education Standard.1National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying. Model Law
The Washington Accord
If you earned your degree outside the United States, the Washington Accord may help. This international agreement recognizes the “substantial equivalency” of engineering accreditation systems among its signatories, which include the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, South Korea, and several other countries.5ABET. Mutual Recognition Agreements A degree from an accredited program in a signatory country is considered comparable to an ABET-accredited U.S. degree, though each state board makes its own final decision. The Accord only covers programs accredited within each signatory’s own jurisdiction; if ABET accredits a program outside the U.S., the Accord does not automatically recognize it. The key question is whether your program was accredited by the signatory organization in your home country.
NCEES Credentials Evaluation
When your degree does not fall under the Washington Accord, you can request an NCEES Credentials Evaluation. This service compares your college-level coursework against the NCEES Engineering Education Standard to determine whether your education is comparable to a typical U.S. engineering degree.6NCEES. NCEES Credentials Evaluation FAQs NCEES evaluates bachelor’s degrees from non-U.S. programs and also non-ABET-accredited domestic degrees when paired with a master’s or doctorate in engineering. The evaluation costs $400. If your coursework has gaps, the report will identify the deficiency areas so you know what additional education you might need.
Building a Waiver Application That Holds Up
Waiver applications demand more documentation than a standard exam-based application because you are asking the board to trust your work history in place of a test score. Expect to assemble:
- Official transcripts sent directly from your institution to the board, so it can verify your degree and its accreditation status.
- A detailed experience summary, sometimes called a Summary of Engagement, describing every significant project and responsibility organized by employer and time period. Each entry should make clear what you personally did, what engineering principles you applied, and how your role progressed.
- Professional references from licensed PEs with direct knowledge of your work. Most boards require multiple references, and the NCEES standard calls for five total, three of whom must hold U.S. engineering licenses.4NCEES. Instructions for Completing Multi State Licensure
- Waiver-specific forms provided by the board, which often ask you to map your job duties against the technical competencies the exam would have tested.
The experience summary is where most waiver applications succeed or fail. Boards are not just counting years. They are reading your project descriptions to determine whether you genuinely developed the breadth and depth of knowledge the exam measures. Vague descriptions like “performed engineering tasks” will not cut it. Describe the specific problems you solved, the methods you used, and the impact of the work.
Fees, Timelines, and Outcomes
Application fees vary by state, ranging from nothing in a few states to several hundred dollars. Many boards charge between $100 and $300 for the initial application, and some add a separate waiver processing fee. These fees are almost always non-refundable regardless of the outcome. Budget for the NCEES Record transmittal and credentials evaluation fees separately if those apply to you.
After you submit, expect a staff-level completeness check before your file moves to a committee of board members for substantive review. The full process typically takes 60 to 90 days, depending on the board’s meeting schedule and whether additional information is requested. Incomplete applications are the most common cause of delay.
If the waiver is granted, you will receive formal notification and a license number. If it is denied, the board will provide a written explanation identifying the specific deficiencies. Depending on your state, you may be able to request reconsideration or reapply after addressing those gaps. A denial does not bar you from taking the exam through the standard route.
Does Military Engineering Experience Count?
Engineers who served in the military often ask whether that experience counts toward waiver requirements. It can, but the answer depends on what you did and which state you are applying in. Most boards evaluate military engineering experience on a case-by-case basis. Commissioned officers who served in technical branches such as the Army Corps of Engineers or Navy Civil Engineer Corps are most likely to receive credit, sometimes on a year-for-year basis. Enlisted experience in a technical role may also count, but boards typically scrutinize it more closely.
Many states have enacted laws requiring licensing boards to give credit for military training and experience when it is substantially equivalent to civilian requirements. Even so, “substantially equivalent” is a judgment call the board makes after reviewing your service record. If you are relying on military experience to meet waiver thresholds, prepare detailed documentation of your technical duties, the projects you worked on, and any licensed engineers who supervised your work during that time.