THE COLLEGE OF FELLOWS

The College of Fellows, founded in 1952, is composed of members of the Institute who are elected to Fellowship by a jury of their peers. Fellowship is one of the highest honors the AIA can bestow upon a member. Elevation to Fellowship not only recognizes the achievements of the architect as an individual but also elevates before the public and the profession those architects who have made significant contributions to architecture and to society. Only 3 percent of AIA members have this distinction.

2025 Fellowship

Interested in Fellowship? It’s never too early in your career to think about becoming a Fellow

The submission requirements are substantial and will require you to dedicate a significant amount of time to produce a viable submission. If you would like to be nominated by the AIA San Diego Chapter, the AIA San Diego Fellows Committee will assist you with this process along the way within the context of supporting your submission effort.

IMPORTANT DATES / Information

Friday, August 9th by 5:00 p.m. | Local Letter of Interest Due

Monday, August 12* | Mandatory orientation meeting

*an alternative session can be made available if someone has an unavoidable conflict

NOMINATION PERIOD

Licensed architects who have distinguished themselves in the categories of design, practice, education or service to society, and who have at least 10 cumulative years of AIA membership in good standing, are eligible to apply for AIA Fellowship.

Nomination Period: June 24 - October 9, 2024

The AIA College of Fellows seeks to stimulate a sharing of interests among Fellows, promote the purposes of AIA, advance the profession of architecture, mentor young architects, and be of ever-increasing service to society.  For more information on opening and deadline dates, please see the AIA Awards FAQ.

For more information, please visit the AIA National website.

TheSE distinguished AIA ARCHITECTS have been elevated to the College of Fellows (Listed by year of elevation):

HISTORY OF AIA & FELLOWSHIP

In the early years, advancement to Fellowship in the AIA was basically self-initiated. Members needed only to state their qualifications and have support for their application from other Fellows. When the AIA and WAA merged in 1889, the WAA members were allowed to keep their title of Fellow, and everyone who was a member of the AIA in that year became a Fellow as well. This included Louise Bethune, who was a member of both organizations. She had broken the gender barrier in 1886 as the AIA’s first woman member, and she became the first woman Fellow in 1889. Read more…