Please note: we are currently processing a high volume of new applications for people joining the BPS, plus helping our existing members who would like to join our various networks and registers. We currently estimate that it will take approximately eight weeks to process your application.
Graduate Membership
Graduate membership of the society is the starting point to your career as a psychologist and is a prerequisite for many of our accredited post-graduate and Doctoral programmes.
As a graduate member you will receive:
- the title 'MBPsS' after your name
- a subscription to The Psychologist (print and digital)
- free online access to the society's archive of academic journals
- discounts on conferences and events
- ...as well as a variety of other benefits
To join as a Graduate Member, you'll need to have achieved at least a 2:2 and passed the empirical project in an undergraduate degree accredited by the society, or to have completed an accredited conversion course.
You will need the following to start the application:
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Copies of your academic transcripts (list of subjects + grades) to upload.
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If you are a non-member you will need to pay a non-refundable £32 application assessment fee
Subscription fees
Once your application has been assessed, you will then need to make a further payment for the current year’s membership subscription (as below) before we can admit you into membership.
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If you are a current postgraduate student or enrolled on a society qualification the fee is £38.04.
Don't forget: you need to enter details of your postgraduate course in the Qualifications Section of the application.
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If you graduated within the last five years from the qualification (giving eligibility for Graduate Membership) the fee is £70.80.
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standard Graduate Membership fee is £141.60.
Once you’ve submitted your application it will be processed by the Membership Team.
Renewals
Our membership runs on a 12 month cycle. You will be asked to renew your membership with us every 12 months from the date you first joined.
If you pay for your membership by Direct Debit, your membership will automatically renew every 12 months from the date you first joined.
Payment
There are a number of ways you can pay your subscription
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Online card payment (preferred)
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Set up a direct debit (UK bank accounts only)
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Bank transfer
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by phone (automated payment line)
Non-UK applicants are considered to be those who gained their degree at an institution outside of the UK.
To become a Graduate Member, the society will consider:
- whether you hold a degree from a recognised university or comparable institution
- if it is of an equivalent standard to a British bachelors degree at a minimum of lower 2nd class honours level, having also passed an empirical project
- whether your degree includes at least 50 per cent psychology
- if your qualifications cover the core areas of the GBC in sufficient breadth and depth
Following a Memorandum of Cooperation between the BPS and the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI), those eligible for Graduate Membership of the PSI after having gained an academic award accredited by the PSI are also eligible for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society.
You will need the following to start the application:
- Address details
- Qualification details (complete/current as applicable)
- Copies of your academic transcripts (list of subjects + grades) to upload - official translations if originals not in English
Non-members need to pay a non-refundable £32 application assessment fee.
Your application will be assigned to a colleague from our Membership Team who will be responsible for its processing.
Once your application has been assessed, you will then need to make a further payment for the current year’s membership subscription before we can admit you into membership.
In certain circumstances individuals who do not meet the conventional criteria for Graduate Membership may instead be eligible for special consideration for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC).
As a general guide we will look to see that the qualifications you hold (you will need to have both an undergraduate and postgraduate) cover the core areas of psychology in sufficient breadth and depth as would be expected of a society-accredited undergraduate degree in psychology.
The core areas we look to be covered are:
- cognitive psychology
- psychobiology
- developmental psychology
- social psychology
- individual differences
- conceptual and historical issues
- research
If you feel your qualifications will cover the broad areas of psychology in sufficient breadth and depth, you can apply for the Graduate Membership by submitting full transcripts (list of modules and grades awarded for each) of all of your qualifications for assessment.