Documents

Confirmation of GBC

You need a document that confirms your status for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC).

• Please see the Entry Requirements section if you need information about GBC

A document that only mentions the British Psychological Society (BPS) without confirming GBC is not sufficient.

Please provide 1 of the following 3 items

Which document you provide depends on whether your psychology qualifications were GBC-accredited and where you studied.

1) Email from the BPS - any psychology qualification

If you have completed university level psychology qualifications, in the UK or elsewhere, you can have them assessed for GBC by applying to the BPS for Graduate membership.

The BPS charge a fee for this.

If you are or have been a Graduate member of the BPS, they usually confirm your GBC status by email when you first become a Graduate member.

Please provide a copy of the full BPS email, starting from the email addresses ("from" and "to") through to the sign-off/disclaimer at the end, and including logos, signature, etc. Note: The email addresses must be shown and not abbreviations such as "To: me"

If you have lost the original GBC email and you are currently a Graduate member you can ask the BPS for a new email confirming you have GBC.

Please allow at least 8 weeks for the BPS to process membership applications and/or requests for emails.

• Please see the International Applicants section for applying to the BPS for Graduate membership/GBC

2) Academic transcript - some UK and Irish psychology qualifications

Some UK and Irish universities state in the academic transcript they provide after you qualify, that your psychology qualification was accredited for GBC, but many do not.

If your transcript includes a statement about about that specific qualification granting eligibility for Graduate Basis Chartered Membership (GBC) you do not need to provide another document to confirm GBC. However, if the transcript only mentions the BPS and does not confirm GBC this is not sufficient.

• Please see the Documents for Specific Course Centres section for information about transcripts

3) Letter from your university - UK and Irish GBC-accredited psychology qualifications

If you completed a GBC-accredited psychology qualification at a UK or Irish university, you can ask them for an official letter to confirm your GBC status. This usually comes from the university department where you studied and the letter must:

1. state the university name, your full name (at the time of award), the course type and title, the period of study (from and to), the result/award and the staff member's details
2. identify you as the person that successfully completed the stated qualification
3. confirm that your qualification was accredited for GBC at the time of your studies
4. confirm that you successfully completed all the necessary modules to be eligible for GBC

Please contact your university psychology department as soon as possible to give them time to provide the letter to you.

Example letter from a UK University:

I confirm that [Student Name] successfully completed the following course at [University Name]:

Course Title: [e.g. BSc in Psychology]
Period of Study: [e.g. 09/2020 to 07/2024]
Result: [e.g. 2:1, merit, 65%, etc]

This course was accredited at this time by the British Psychological Society for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC), and the student successfully completed all the necessary modules for GBC.

Common reasons for a university GBC letter to be refused:

• Information in the letter differs from other entries within the application form (e.g. different: applicant’s name, study dates, course details, grade/award, etc)
• Not stating the course was “successfully completed”
• Stating the course “is” accredited (i.e. the course status if it was being studied now) whereas the requirement is to confirm the course “was” accredited, for GBC, at the time the applicant started it.
• Either not mentioning the GBC modules at all or only stating the modules were completed, whereas the requirement is to confirm all the required GBC modules (the accreditation elements) were successfully completed
• An email is provided, whereas the requirement is for an official, university letter (it can be an electronic letter e.g. a PDF using the university letter template with the relevant university logo, headers and addresses)

Irish qualifications

The Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI) and the British Psychological Society (BPS) recognise each other's undergraduate accreditation procedures. So if you have completed an Irish qualification that makes you eligible for graduate membership of the PSI it will also have covered enough psychology for GBC.

So we suggest the alternative wording below for a University GBC letter, referring to the PSI.

Example letter from an Irish University:

I confirm that [Student Name] successfully completed the following course at [University Name]:

Course Title: [e.g. BSc in Psychology]
Period of Study: [e.g. 09/2020 to 07/2024]
Result: [e.g. 2:1, merit, 65%, etc]

This course was accredited at this time by the Psychological Society of Ireland, and the student successfully completed all the necessary modules to be eligible for membership of the PSI. The PSI and the BPS recognise each other's undergraduate accreditation procedures, so courses accredited for membership of the PSI also provide eligibility for GBC.

What if I'm still studying my psychology qualification?

• Please see our Should I Apply This Year page

This has guidance for people completing psychology studies in autumn 2025 or in spring/summer 2026.