Documents

Document confirming 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

Please provide 1 of the 4 following items:

1. Email from the BPS - any psychology qualification
2. Academic transcript - some UK psychology qualifications
3. Letter from your university - some UK psychology qualifications
4. Document for Irish psychology qualifications accredited by the PSI

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

See below for details of each item.

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.

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

Provide the full BPS GBC email

Please create a pdf file of your entire BPS GBC email:

• Include images for the logo and signature e.g. click "display images" in your email software, and
• Click Forward on the original email, and
• Check both email addresses are showing in full e.g. not just "To: Me" or "From: BPS", and
• Copy the full email, starting with the email addresses and ending with the BPS sign-off/disclaimer, and
• Paste into Word (or similar) then save as a pdf.

Common issues to avoid:

• Ensure the BPS email states you have GBC as most routine BPS communications do not mention GBC.

2) Academic transcript - some UK psychology qualifications

Some UK 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 states that your qualification was accredited for GBC you do not need to provide another document confirming GBC.

• Please see the Documents for Courses page for information about transcripts

Common issues to avoid:

• Ensure the transcript confirms GBC. A transcript that only mentions the BPS and does not confirm GBC is not sufficient.
• Provide all pages of the transcript, not just the page about GBC.
• Provide your final transcript, issued after all your results have been verified and including your final result. A document issued part-way through your study is not sufficient.

3) Letter from your university - some UK psychology qualifications

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

• State the course title (e.g. BSc Psychology), the period of study (from and to), and the final result. 
• Identify you as the person that successfully completed the qualification.
• Confirm that your qualification was accredited for GBC throughout your studies.
• Confirm that you passed all the modules required for GBC.

Please contact your university as soon as possible to give them time to provide a letter for 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 Psychology]
Period of Study: [e.g. 09/2021 to 07/2025]
Result: [e.g. 2:1, merit, 65%, etc]

Throughout their studies this course was accredited by the British Psychological Society for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC), and they passed all the modules required for GBC.

Common issues to avoid:

• It must be a letter, not an email. It can be electronic e.g. a pdf using the official university letter template, including the logo, university name, details of the person writing it, signature, etc.
• The letter must match the information you've given in your Application e.g. course title, study dates, result, etc. If your name has changed please give your previous name in your Application.
• The letter must state the course was successfully completed, not just completed all assessments but then possibly failed, not awarded yet, etc.
• The letter must state the course was accredited by the BPS for GBC throughout your studies, not that the course is accredited now (as you're not studying it now).
• The letter must state you passed all the modules required for GBC. Just mentioning modules or completion of modules is not sufficient.

4) Irish psychology qualifications accredited by the PSI

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 Psychology]
Period of Study: [e.g. 09/2021 to 07/2025]
Result: [e.g. 2:1, merit, 65%, etc]

Throughout their studies this course was accredited by the Psychological Society of Ireland, and they passed all the modules required to be eligible for graduate membership of the PSI.

The PSI and the BPS recognise each other's undergraduate accreditation procedures, so courses accredited for graduate membership of the PSI also provide eligibility for GBC.

Common issues to avoid:

• Please see the first 3 points above for the Example letter from a UK University.
• The letter must state the course was accredited by the PSI throughout your studies, not that the course is accredited now (as you're not studying it now).
• The letter must state you passed all the modules required to be eligible for graduate membership of the PSI. Just mentioning modules or completion of modules is not sufficient.

What if I'm still studying my psychology qualification?

If you are completing your psychology studies in autumn 2026 or in spring/summer 2027:

• Please see our Should I Apply This Year page for guidance