What is GBC? The BPS Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership explained

GBC, the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership, is the British Psychological Society (BPS) standard that shows you have covered the core of psychology to at least the level of a UK lower second-class honours degree. You get it by completing a BPS-accredited psychology degree or a BPS-accredited conversion course, and it is the starting point for almost every route to becoming a practitioner psychologist in the UK.

What GBC actually is

The BPS describes GBC as a Society standard showing knowledge of core psychology at no less than a UK lower second-class honours level. It is the basis for moving on to accredited postgraduate training towards Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol) status.

It is not a separate exam or certificate you sit. It is an eligibility status that comes from your qualification, which the BPS confirms when it assesses you for Graduate membership.

Why nearly every practitioner route needs it

The BPS job profiles for clinical, forensic, counselling, educational, health, occupational and sport and exercise psychology all list GBC as the first qualification step. The wording is the same across most of them: it is achieved by completing a society-accredited degree or conversion course.

The clinical psychology profile, for example, says the first step is to complete a psychology degree or master's conversion course accredited by the BPS, which confers eligibility for GBC.

The BPS also says that for its own independent-route qualifications, you must be a Graduate Member of the Society with GBC.

GBC gets you to the start line for postgraduate training. It does not, by itself, get you onto a course.

How you get GBC

There are two main UK routes.

1. Complete a BPS-accredited undergraduate psychology degree.
2. If your first degree was in another subject, or was not accredited, complete a BPS-accredited conversion course.

For an accredited degree, the BPS says you need to:

• achieve the accredited award (some universities run several versions of a degree, and only some may be accredited)
• follow any specified pathway shown in the accredited course search
• pass the psychology project
• get a 2:2 or above, if you started your degree after September 2006

That last point matters. A 2:2 is the BPS minimum for GBC. It is not the same as the entry bar for postgraduate courses. The BPS postgraduate study page says you will normally need a 2:1 or higher from an accredited degree for postgraduate study, and individual courses set their own requirements.

How to check if your degree is accredited

Use the BPS Find an accredited course search:

https://portal.bps.org.uk/Accredited-Courses

The BPS says you need to check whether your degree was accredited for your intake year, not just whether it is accredited now. A course title can stay the same while its status changes. Check the exact award name and pathway too, for example a joint honours degree may only be accredited on a particular route.

Do you need to be a BPS member to have GBC?

This is where people get caught out. GBC comes from your qualification, but the BPS says it only confirms GBC for current Graduate members. If you are not a member, you need to apply for Graduate membership so the BPS can assess your qualifications.

So if a postgraduate course or employer asks you to show evidence of GBC, the BPS route is to apply for Graduate membership. Some courses accept other evidence, such as your degree being on the accredited list, so check what the specific course asks for.

Current BPS figures for Graduate membership, as listed on its Graduate membership page:

• application fee: £0 if you are upgrading from Student membership, £65 for non-members (non-refundable)
• standard annual fee: £168
• reduced annual fees: £84 if you graduated within the last five years, £48 if you are a postgraduate student or enrolled on a BPS qualification

You apply online with your degree certificate and transcript. The BPS says processing takes about three to five weeks, so do not leave it until the week of an application deadline.

If your degree is not accredited, or you got a third

The BPS position is straightforward. If your degree was not accredited, or you started your degree in 2006 or later and got a third-class degree, you are not eligible for GBC through that degree. The BPS says you would need to take a conversion course.

The BPS does not set a classification requirement for entry to a conversion course. It says applicants must normally have a degree at any level that is not accredited by the Society. Individual universities can, and often do, set their own entry requirements, so check each course page.

A 2:2 from an accredited degree started after September 2006 does meet the BPS GBC threshold. The harder question with a 2:2 is usually postgraduate entry, not GBC.

Overseas degrees

The BPS does not automatically accept international qualifications. Each one is assessed individually through a Graduate membership application, with an official transcript (translated into English where needed).

For non-UK qualifications, the BPS Graduate membership page says it looks for:

• a degree of an equivalent standard to a British bachelor's degree, at a minimum of 2:2, from a recognised institution
• a passed empirical project within the degree
• at least 50% psychology content
• coverage of the core GBC areas

Part-completed qualifications, or qualifications that have not been formally conferred, are not considered. There is also a special case route for qualifications that would not normally be recognised, which usually expects both an undergraduate and a postgraduate degree with significant psychology content.

Graduates eligible for Graduate Membership of the Psychological Society of Ireland, through a PSI-accredited award, are also eligible for GBC under a Memorandum of Cooperation between the two societies.

Conversion courses: formats and length

BPS-accredited conversion courses usually last at least one full year, about 45 weeks full-time, or the part-time equivalent. They are typically 120 or 180 credits.

• 180-credit courses: a non-accredited degree is the only entry requirement the BPS sets, although universities may add their own.
• 120-credit courses: you need prior study equivalent to at least 60 credits of psychology at level 4 or above (level 7 in Scotland). The BPS says a bridging or access course, such as a certificate in psychology, can usually fill this gap.

The BPS also says some institutions allow you to study online. Check that the specific course and mode of study is listed in the BPS accredited course search, not just the university's marketing.

Can you get a Master's Loan for a conversion course?

If you normally live in England, a Postgraduate Master's Loan may help. Gov.uk says the maximum is £13,206 for courses starting on or after 1 August 2026, and the amount does not depend on your household income.

Key conditions from gov.uk:

• the course must be a full, standalone master's (such as an MSc) worth at least 180 credits
• you cannot get the loan for a postgraduate certificate or diploma, so a 120-credit GradDip or PGDip conversion would not qualify
• full-time courses must last 1 or 2 years, part-time courses 2 to 4 years
• you are not eligible if you already have a master's degree or equivalent
• you must be under 60 on the first day of the first academic year of the course
• for distance learning, you need to be living in England on the first day of the first academic year

Funding is different if you normally live in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

If you want to see how your qualifications and experience line up against the routes you are considering, you can map them free at https://www.clarifio.co.uk

Official sources checked

Last checked: 5 November 2026.

BPS: Graduate membership (GMBPsS) https://www.bps.org.uk/graduate-membership-gmbpss

BPS FAQ: How can I check the accreditation status of a degree when applying for GBC? https://www.bps.org.uk/faqs/how-can-i-check-accreditation-status-degree-when-applying-graduate-basis-chartered-membership

BPS FAQ: What is an accredited conversion programme? https://www.bps.org.uk/faqs/what-accredited-conversion-programme

BPS FAQ: Confirming non-UK qualifications give GBC https://bps.org.uk/faqs/i-applied-postgraduate-course-and-have-been-asked-confirm-my-non-uk-qualifications-give-me-gbc

BPS: Postgraduate study and qualifications https://www.bps.org.uk/postgraduate-study-and-qualifications

BPS: Find an accredited course https://portal.bps.org.uk/Accredited-Courses

BPS: Clinical psychologist job profile https://www.bps.org.uk/clinical-psychologist-job-profile

BPS: Forensic psychologist job profile https://www.bps.org.uk/forensic-psychologist-job-profile

BPS: Counselling psychologist job profile https://www.bps.org.uk/counselling-psychologist-job-profile

BPS: Educational psychologist job profile https://www.bps.org.uk/educational-psychologist-job-profile

BPS: Health psychologist job profile https://www.bps.org.uk/health-psychologist-job-profile

BPS: Occupational psychologist job profile https://www.bps.org.uk/occupational-psychologist-job-profile

BPS: Sport and exercise psychologist job profile https://www.bps.org.uk/sports-and-exercise-psychologist-job-profile

Gov.uk: Master's Loan eligibility https://www.gov.uk/masters-loan/eligibility

Gov.uk: Master's Loan, what you'll get https://www.gov.uk/masters-loan/what-youll-get

BPS rules, fees and loan amounts change, so always check the current BPS pages and the specific course or employer before you apply.