Accreditation

Accreditation is our process of working with education providers to recognise programmes relevant to a career in surveying and that support routes to professional qualification. RICS-accreditation demonstrates a globally-recognised standard of surveying education.

Requirements

All programmes applying for accreditation must meet the following criteria:

• Programme volume must be at least 3,600 hours for a bachelor’s degree (credit equivalent) and 1200 hours for a postgraduate master’s degree or a postgraduate diploma. A postgraduate diploma accepting non-cognate students must be a minimum of 1,800 hours’ total qualification time.
• For universities using authoritatively validated European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS), an undergraduate award must have at least 180 ECTS and a postgraduate award must have at least 60 ECTS.
• For education providers using the US Credit Hour system (commonly used in the United States and in institutions influenced by the US model) an undergraduate award typically comprises a minimum of 120 US credit hours, while a postgraduate (Master’s) award normally comprises approximately 30–36 US credit hours, depending on the programme structure.  
• For education providers operating under the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), undergraduate and postgraduate awards must align with AQF volume of learning requirements, where a Bachelor’s degree typically comprises 3–4 years of full-time study, and a Master’s degree generally comprises 1–2 years of full-time study, depending on the qualification type.  
• For education providers in Asia and the Asia–Pacific region (including Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India, and New Zealand) using national credit frameworks (such as Singapore’s Credit Unit system, the Malaysian Qualifications Framework (MQF), Sri Lanka Qualifications Framework (SLQF), Indian credit systems under the National Education Policy (NEP) framework, and the New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQF)) an undergraduate award typically represents approximately 3–4 years of full-time study, broadly comparable to 180–240 ECTS or 360 UK credits, while postgraduate (Master’s) awards generally represent 1–2 years of full-time study, depending on the qualification level and national framework requirements. 
• Confirmation that a programme is regulated in the country of delivery by the relevant education regulator or authority
• RICS accreditation is subject to fees. Details of how the fees apply to each region can be found in the RICS Accreditation Fees Policy Published date: September 2026
   

Accreditation criteria

When calibrating a course for accreditation, the panel assess 10 areas:

1. Mapping the programme to an RICS pathway
   It is essential for a programme to align to at least one or maximum two RICS pathways. A template is provided to map the programme modules to the different competences of a particular pathway. The policy requires programmes to be mapped against the competencies of one or maximum two pathways, to level one. Please review the document RICS Requirements and Competencies Guide.

2. Student experience
   We expect student to have access to a wide range of services such as placements, academic support, seminars, pastoral care etc and we believe our professionals should possess technical competence as well as aptitude in leadership, communication and team work, that is, soft skills.

3. Internal quality assurance
   RICS Accreditation relies on the university having a robust quality management system that ensures high educational standards are embedded into the programme. This may be evidenced through cross faculty Quality Assurance providers or alternative methods. RICS also expects a programme to observe and meet any Quality Assurance obligations mandated by any national or regional governmental institutions such as the European Union, as for example to implement the framework of the Bologna agreement.

4. Assessment procedures
   RICS looks for a varied assessment methodology being adopted by the university. This allows students to work through complex and technical tasks whilst exhibiting excellent written and oral communication skills. Ultimately, we need to ascertain that the desired learning outcomes are evidenced by the student output.

5. Staff quality (academic)
   The fifth criterion considers the calibre of the academic staff. RICS believes that it is key for students to be educated by staff of high calibre who are not only research active but also well-rounded academics and professionals.

6. Resources
   The sixth criterion looks at the resources available to students. The panel will examine a sample of resources such as libraries, subscriptions to databases for market data, research facilities, education and network opportunities, connection with jobs after graduations, work placements, site visits, workshops, labs, tutorials and much more. Resources will be different depending on the subject and where the programme is taught.

7. Curriculum relevance to industry
   RICS expects the faculty or the department to have an established advisory board or committee with external stakeholders on them. At least on-board member should be a Chartered Surveyor. We need to ensure the programme is relevant to the industry and this is important because it ensures the programme is mapped against the current relevant competencies.

8. Collaboration with RICS
   It is crucial to develop a plan of action that demonstrates the interaction between the local / regional RICS office and the programme. Presentations, teaching of RICS and International standards should be imbedded in the programme’s curriculum.

9. Ethical standards
   Criterion nine considers an aspect that is at the heart of what it means to be a Chartered Surveyor: how behaving ethically is being taught and address throughout the programme, from teaching material, through analysis in case studies to how it is incorporated into the assessments.

10. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)
    The university will need to demonstrate that DEI is embedded at establishment and at programme curriculum level. This RICS criterion for accreditation does not only refer to diversity in women vs. men, but also in the establishment of making sure accessibility to all facilities on campus is granted to students and staff with disabilities, or that there are bursaries for less privileged students or for example there is a policy not to discriminate against any sexual orientation, or diverse ethnic backgrounds.