How to become a chartered surveyor: every RICS route

Which route fits you?

Every route ends in the same place: chartered membership of RICS, written as MRICS. Which door you use depends on your qualifications and how many years of relevant experience you have. RICS describes three broad entry points: two to five years of relevant experience after an RICS-accredited degree, five years of experience plus any bachelor's degree, or ten years of senior experience. School leavers usually take an accredited degree or a degree apprenticeship. Graduates in other subjects can take an accredited conversion master's. Experienced people can use APC Prelim or the senior professional assessment.

Before you enrol you also choose a sector pathway. RICS offers 22 of them, covering areas such as building surveying, valuation and geomatics. You are assessed against the competencies for that pathway, so pick the one that matches the work you actually do each day. You also need a counsellor who is MRICS or FRICS. They track your progress and sign you off when you are ready for assessment.

From school: accredited degree or apprenticeship

RICS says there are more than 500 accredited courses in the UK, in surveying, construction, civil engineering and building engineering. Typical offers run from BBC to AAB at A level, or roughly 112 to 128 UCAS points, along with GCSE English and maths. Entry requirements vary between universities. If your course includes a placement year, enrol as an RICS student when the placement starts. If you then enrol on the APC within six months of graduating, the placement can count towards your structured training. At least one year of training must still come after you graduate.

The Level 6 chartered surveyor degree apprenticeship lets you earn while you study for an accredited degree in England. RICS says it typically takes 60 months at undergraduate level and around 30 months for a postgraduate degree, and you finish with MRICS. Employers pay the wage. One live Valuation Office Agency vacancy, for example, offered £30,674 a year for a five-year BSc apprenticeship. A Level 3 surveying technician apprenticeship also exists if you want to start at technician level.

Changing career into surveying

If your degree is in another subject, the usual route is an RICS-accredited postgraduate conversion course, normally an MSc or a postgraduate diploma. RICS says most of these courses take graduates from any discipline. Once you finish, you enrol on the APC with structured training in the same way as an undergraduate. Some employers will also hire graduates whose degrees are not accredited.

If you already have five or more years of relevant experience plus any degree, or an approved professional body qualification, you can apply for APC Prelim. A preliminary review checks your experience before you move to the final assessment. You can enrol at any time, but you need 12 months of experience after your degree or membership qualification by the time you submit for the review. Leaders and specialists with 10 years of relevant experience, or five years with a postgraduate degree, can apply for the senior professional or specialist assessment.

How the APC works, step by step

The length of your structured training depends on your experience. Up to five years of experience means 24 months, five to ten years means 12 months, and more than ten years means none. On the 24-month route you can apply at the end of month 23, and the interview takes place after month 24. You can backdate enrolment by up to six months if your employer or counsellor writes a supporting letter. You have six years from enrolment to qualify.

For the final assessment you write a summary of experience: 1,500 words on the mandatory competencies and 3,000 to 4,000 words on the technical ones. You also write a 3,000-word case study on a project from the last 24 months. You need 96 hours of CPD over the 24 months, or 48 hours in the last 12 months on the shorter route, and you must pass the RICS Professionalism Module. The 60-minute interview opens with your 10-minute case study presentation. RICS now holds all final interviews online.

Pay

United Kingdom (lower quartile to upper quartile)

£38,300–63,100

London

£46,900–77,300

South East

£39,300–64,800

Scotland

£35,800–59,000

North West

£35,200–58,100

Wales

£32,800–54,200

North East

£34,600–57,100

GBP a year, before tax. Ranges run from the 25th to the 75th percentile for surveying jobs, based on ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, April 2026 (provisional), adjusted to the current year with a wage index. The regional figures are modelled. The UK median is £48,900. Your pathway, whether you have MRICS, and where you work all affect pay. Refer to the Surveying salary guide for figures from live adverts.

What you need

Eligible starting pointYou need an RICS-accredited degree, or five years of relevant experience plus any degree or an approved professional qualification (APC Prelim), or 10 years of experience for the senior route (five with a postgraduate degree).
Sector pathwayChoose one of the 22 RICS pathways for chartered membership. You are assessed against its competencies.
CounsellorAn MRICS or FRICS member who guides your training and confirms when you are ready for assessment.
Structured training24 months if you have up to five years of experience, 12 months for five to ten years, and none above ten years.
CPD96 hours over 24 months of structured training, or 48 hours in the last 12 months. Once you qualify, you need at least 20 hours every year.
Professionalism ModuleYou must pass the RICS Professionalism Module before the final interview. Senior candidates must pass it within 12 months before they submit.
Written submissions and interviewA summary of experience, a 3,000-word case study, and a 60-minute online interview that starts with your 10-minute presentation.

How to get there

Age 16-18Pick a routeApply for an RICS-accredited degree (typically BBC to AAB at A level) or a Level 6 chartered surveyor degree apprenticeship.
Degree yearsStudy and get experienceComplete the accredited degree. Placement-year experience can count if you enrol as an RICS student when the placement starts. Apprentices study and work together for about 60 months.
On graduatingEnrol on the APCEnrol within six months of graduating so your placement experience counts. Choose your sector pathway and an MRICS or FRICS counsellor, and pay the assessment fee and subscription.
Months 1-24Structured trainingBuild your competencies at work over 24 months, at least 12 of them after you graduate, and log 96 hours of CPD.
From month 23Apply for final assessmentPass the Professionalism Module, then submit your summary of experience and 3,000-word case study once your counsellor signs you off.
After month 24Final interviewSit the 60-minute online interview, which opens with your 10-minute presentation. If you pass, you become MRICS.

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Questions people ask

How long does it take to become a chartered surveyor from school?

On the apprenticeship route RICS says it typically takes about 60 months, and you finish with MRICS. On the degree route you complete an accredited degree and then usually 24 months of structured training before the final interview. A placement year can shorten this, because up to a year of placement experience can count towards the training.

Can I become a chartered surveyor without a surveying degree?

Yes. Graduates in any subject can take an RICS-accredited postgraduate conversion course and then do the APC. If you have five or more years of relevant experience plus any degree, you can apply for APC Prelim instead.

How much does the APC cost?

RICS's current UK fees are a £520 enrolment fee for the APC with or without structured training, and £620 for APC Prelim or the senior professional or specialist assessment. On top of that you pay a candidate subscription of £179, so the total due when you join is £699 or £799.

What is the senior professional route?

It is for leaders and specialists with 10 years of relevant experience, or five years with a relevant postgraduate degree. You submit your CV, a 400-word personal statement, three case studies of 1,000 to 1,500 words each and 20 hours of CPD from the last 12 months, and you must pass the Professionalism Module.

How long do I have to finish the APC?

RICS allows a maximum of six years from your enrolment date to achieve MRICS. Apart from the training period itself, RICS says the formal assessment process takes six to twelve months.

How do you become a chartered surveyor?