Senior professionals, specialists and academics

If you already have professional qualifications, or are a member of another professional body, you may be exempt from some of our entry criteria and be eligible for Recognised Professional Qualification. However, you must pass the RICS online ethics course to join through Recognised Professional Qualification.

To apply to be an Associate Member through Recognised Professional Qualification, you’ll need:

• a proposer who is a Chartered Member (MRICS) or a Fellow (FRICS)
  
• a record of your recent CPD
  
• a letter from the professional body confirming your membership.
  

• Learn more about Recognised Professional Qualification

For Chartered membership, you can choose from 22 different Sector Pathways. Surveying is a very broad profession covering disciplines as varied as building surveying, geomatics and valuation. Because of this, when you join RICS you must choose a sector pathway related to your surveying experience. During your assessment process, you will have to demonstrate your skills and knowledge related to this pathway.

For Associate membership, you can choose from 13 different Sector Pathways.

• Find out more about our Sector Pathways

You must appoint an RICS-qualified counsellor to support and guide you through your application and assessment process. Your counsellor must be either an RICS Fellow (FRICS), Chartered Member (MRICS) or an Associate Member (AssocRICS).

If you don’t know an RICS member who can be your counsellor, you can find further support here. Please contact our Membership team on 02475 095337 or email candidatesupport@rics.org to find out how we can help you.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is the systematic updating and enhancement of skills, knowledge and competence that takes place throughout your working life.

It should be closely linked to your current work.

CPD can be taken from various sources including attending conferences, meetings or seminars, completing an academic course or informal reading.

Having met any specific CPD requirements to qualify, all RICS professionals must complete at least 20 hours of CPD activities each year.

Written submissions

Senior and Specialist Assessment:

• Personal statement: your CV and a 400-word statement
  
• Case studies: Three 1,500-word case studies on projects that show your professional qualities
  
• CPD: 20 hours of training undertaken during the last 12 months.
  

Academic Assessment:

• Personal statement: your CV and a 3,000-word statement
  
• Summary of experience: a 5,500-word summary of your experience against competencies set out in your chosen sector pathway
  
• Academic evidence: four pieces of evidence to demonstrate your activities as an academic
  
• CPD: 48 hours of training undertaken during the last 12 months.
  

Your counsellor will confirm when you are ready for your written submissions to be sent to us for assessment.

RICS Online ethics training

All candidates must complete and pass the RICS online ethics course. If you initially fail this course, you can retake it.

60 minute assessment interview

Following a 10-minute presentation by you on your career experience, the panel of trained RICS assessors will ask questions on your presentation and your selected competencies.

Assessment guides

Fees while you are a candidate

This amount is made up of an initial enrolment fee and candidate subscription fee.

Enrolment fee: £599

The enrolment fee covers your candidate registration, online ethics course and final assessment.

The candidate subscription fee covers support materials and access to our Assessment Platform and is payable each year up to the point you become qualified.

Fees once you have qualified

These are made up of a one-off election fee and ongoing subscription fees.

Election fee: £670

The election fee covers your member registration and award pack and includes your first-year annual subscription fee that provides access to all RICS professional services.

Any candidate subscription fee (see above) paid for the same calendar year will be deducted from the election fee.

Refunds

All fees are non-refundable unless you withdraw your application within a cooling off period of 14 days (10 working days) from the date your enrolment is processed by RICS. If you decide to withdraw your application please contact us on the details above.

View the Professional Fees for 2025