Entry Requirements

Academic Qualifications

Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership

You need the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society (BPS). This ensures that you have studied psychology in sufficient breadth and depth to provide a sound basis for your postgraduate training and professional practice in clinical psychology.

Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership used to be called Graduate Basis for Registration. These are the same: all that changed was the name. So if you previously had GBR you now have GBC.

Most people get GBC by doing a degree in psychology. If you studied in the UK or the Republic of Ireland and are unsure whether your degree gave you GBC, you should check with the institution where you studied. If, after checking with them, you are still unsure please contact the BPS for advice.

If you studied in another country please see the International Applicants section.

If you do not have GBC you will need to take a conversion course. The BPS has a list of conversion courses in the Careers, Education and Training section of its website:

British Psychological Society
St Andrews House
48 Princess Road East
LEICESTER, LE1 7DR
Telephone: + 44 (0) 116 254 9568
Fax: + 44 (0) 116 227 1314
Email: enquiries@bps.org.uk

Degree grade

Clinical psychology courses are doctoral level degrees so you need to show that you have a sound academic foundation to manage doctorate level work. Course centres are therefore primarily looking for applicants with a 1st class honours or a good 2.1. Some course centres will consider applicants with a 2.2 but they often ask for further evidence of academic ability eg an academically demanding masters degree. Please see the Entry Requirements information for each course centre for details of their requirements.

Undergraduates

Please see the When to Apply section.

The Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI) and the BPS recognise each other's undergraduate accreditation procedures so if your qualification makes you eligible for graduate membership of the PSI it will also give you GBC.