If you do not hold an academic qualification which automatically meets the educational base for a particular grade of membership and for registration with the Engineering Council, you will need to apply for an Academic Assessment. Your qualifications will be assessed on an individual basis by the Institution’s Academic Qualifications Panel (AQP).

What is Academic Assessment?

An Academic Assessment is a process by which the AQP assesses whether your academic qualification(s) meet the educational base for:

• Membership with the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE);
• Registration with the Engineering Council as a Chartered Engineer (CEng), an Incorporated Engineer (IEng) or an Engineering Technician (Eng Tech).

Do I need to be a member of ICE?

You do not have to be a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers before applying for an Academic Assessment, but you will be admitted as a Graduate member* as a result of your application. If you are already a Graduate member the fee for your application will be reduced. If you were previously a Graduate member and your membership has lapsed, you must reinstate your membership first before proceeding with an Academic Assessment. Please refer to MGN33 for further guidance.

Benefits of Graduate membership

Becoming a Graduate member of ICE entitles you to a wide range of benefits to support you in your civil engineering career.

Find out more about the benefits you will receive when you become a Graduate member of ICE.

What happens after the assessment?

You will receive the result of your assessment, via email, by the relevant result date listed on the key dates page. The result will indicate the grade of membership with ICE and the level of registration with the Engineering Council you are eligible for once you have the necessary experience and successfully passed a Professional Review. If it is determined that you do not meet the educational base for the level of registration for which you applied, you will be advised of any progression route(s) that you can to follow in order to achieve that.

You will then be admitted as an ICE Graduate member*. The outstanding balance of the annual subscription fee must be paid within four weeks of the date you receive your result**.

If you do not pay the annual subscription fee or maintain your Graduate membership by paying subsequent annual subscription fees, you may need to reapply for an Academic Assessment before being permitted to proceed to the Professional Review.

_{* Graduate membership is dependent on your academic qualification(s) being deemed acceptable for you to progress to one of ICE’s grades of professionally qualified membership. If the Panel confirms that your qualifications do not meet the educational base for any of our grades of membership, you will be informed accordingly. In this case you will not be required to pay the Graduate annual subscription fee and part of your application fee will be refunded. You will also be advised of any progression route(s) that you could follow to become a member in the future.
 
 ** If you are already a Graduate member and have paid your annual subscription fee, you will not be charged again for the same fee. If your Graduate membership has lapsed you must reinstate it prior to submitting your application for an Academic Assessment. Results will not be sent to lapsed members. If you do not pay the subscription fee required within 4 weeks of your results, or claim the concessionary rate if you are eligible to do so, your Graduate membership will be cancelled.}

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Do I need to attend the Panel meeting?
You will not be required to attend the meeting. The AQP will review your application and their decision will be based on the information you provide in your application.

2. What does the Academic Qualifications Panel take into consideration when assessing my application?
The AQP will review the supporting documents you have submitted, in particular the modules you studied, and compare them against the Engineering Council’s educational base requirements for Engineering Technician, Incorporated Engineer or Chartered Engineer registration.

3. The duration of my degree programme was five years, why did my Academic Assessment result letter state that I did not meet the educational base for a Chartered Engineer?
Academic Assessments are based on the content of the modules you studied and not on the duration of your course. Therefore the AQP does not consider the amount of time you studied as an indicator for eligibility for a particular level of qualification.

4. I had an Academic Assessment in the past and I have now completed a Master’s programme. Do I need to make a new application for an Academic Assessment?
Please call the ICE Education and Learning team on 0207 665 2147 or email aqp@ice.org.uk for further guidance.

5. I graduated in 1995 with a Bachelor degree with Honours and UK NARIC has provided me with a letter stating that it is equivalent to a British Bachelor degree at Honours level. I have recently received an Academic Assessment result letter advising me that I need to study a period of Further Learning in order to meet the educational base for Chartered Engineer (CEng). Why do I need to do this? My friend who applied for an Academic Assessment in 1996 with the same degree meets the educational base for a Chartered Engineer.
All applications received after 1st January 2001 have to be assessed against the current standard which is now known as UK SPEC. UK SPEC requires candidates to achieve an educational base to Masters Level for CEng registration, while the previous standard required candidates to hold the equivalent of a UK BEng (Hons) degree. UK SPEC supersedes any previous standards and therefore the AQP must assess cases at the current UK SPEC standard and, under no circumstances, can an old standard be used to assess cases.

6. I need to apply for an Academic Assessment and I notice from your website that the closing date for the next meeting is today. Can I submit an application later today for that meeting?
We are happy to process any complete application (with all supporting documents) that is submitted online and received by 5.30 pm on the closing date. Any applications received after this time will be processed for the next AQP meeting.

7. How can I appeal the result of my Academic Assessment?
In cases of perceived error in process or in unforeseen circumstances you have the right of appeal. Appeals are only accepted if received in writing within two months from the date of the result letter. Please see our appeals process outlined in MGN 27.