Thinking of studying FAQs

CIPD offers multiple routes to professional recognition. CIPD qualifications, designed by CIPD to build your HR and people development expertise. CIPD-accredited degrees, designed and delivered by universities are aligned with our Membership standards. Both open doors to membership and career growth.

CIPD qualifications

• Designed, developed, and awarded by CIPD
• Delivered through CIPD approved study centres (colleges or private training providers)
• Assessed by the study centre and externally verified by CIPD, who sign off the results.
• Successful learners receive a CIPD qualification certificate awarded by the CIPD
• The CIPD issues active and eligible members with either Foundation or Associate membership. You'll get a digital badge and certificate to reflect your new membership level.
  • Foundation Certificate leads to Foundation membership.
  • Associate Diplomas lead to Associate membership.
  • Advanced Diplomas lead to Associate membership with the potential to upgrade to Chartered Member (MCIPD) or Chartered Fellow (FCIPD), depending on your experience.
• Fees, start dates and entry requirements vary by qualification and study centre —check these with your chosen provider.

CIPD Accredited degrees

• Designed and awarded by universities, aligned to the CIPD Profession Map.
• Delivered by CIPD-accredited universities.
• Assessed and quality assured by the university.
• Successful learners:
  • Are awarded their qualification certificate by their university.
  • The CIPD issues active and eligible members with Associate CIPD membership. You'll get a digital badge and certificate to reflect your new membership level.
  • If you study a postgraduate level degree, you’ll initially become an Associate Member. You’ll also have the option to upgrade to Chartered depending on your experience.
• Fees vary by university—confirm costs with your chosen provider.

Explore the different study options available

If you successfully complete a CIPD qualification

You’ll receive:

• A qualification certificate and unit credit certificate. We’ll email you a PDF version and a printed copy by post.
• Printed certificates are sent to your preferred address, or to your study centre if you’re outside the
• If eligible and an active member, you'll gain a higher membership level. The membership level will reflect the qualification level you've completed. You'll also receive a digital membership badge and a membership certificate via email.

If you partially complete a CIPD qualification

You’ll receive:

• A unit credit certificate showing completed units. We’ll email you a PDF version and a printed copy by post.
• Printed copies go to your UK address or your study centre if you’re outside the UK.
• You'll remain at your current membership .

If you complete a CIPD-accredited university programme:

• Your university will award your degree and contact you directly.
• They’ll also notify CIPD, and we’ll email you a PDF confirmation letter.
• If eligible and an active member, you'll gain Associate membership. You'll also receive a digital membership badge and certificate via email.

If your qualification isn’t CIPD-recognised, you may be able to apply for exemptions towards a CIPD qualification, which could lead to CIPD membership.

Use the flowchart to check your eligibility

To apply you'll need to map your existing qualification, against the CIPD qualification you're looking to study. You can gain up to 50% credit, but you’ll need to complete the remaining units at a CIPD study centre to achieve a current CIPD qualification and professional membership.

We accept international qualifications. However, they’ll need a UK ENIC comparability statement and certificate. This confirms the UK equivalent level of your existing qualification.

To check your qualification level, visit UK ENIC or call +44 (0)330 912 0030.

Contact our Customer Service team to learn more and to request the application forms

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Choosing the right place to study can be difficult. Here are some helpful tips to help you decide, when you know the qualification you want to study.

1. Head to the CIPD’s Finder Tool.

• Filter by qualification, this will filter out any providers that do not offer this course.
• Then consider what learning delivery methods you prefer. If no preference, you can leave all study types here.
• You’ll now have a list of possible places to study.

Please note: only CIPD approved study centres and accredited universities are listed on the centre finder.

2. Compare your options

• Course content: Check the study centre/university offers the qualification units you're interested in. For CIPD qualifications, Associate and Advanced Diplomas come with optional units. Some centres will select the units they teach, and others may give you a choice, so worth checking.
• Support: Consider what study centres/universities offer in terms of support. Ask how accessible tutors are, what resources they offer, and about peer interaction.
• Reasonable adjustments: Check the study centre/university can accommodate any reasonable adjustments needed. Also, that the support offered is sufficient to help you do well in your studies.
• Cost: Costs vary between study centres, so it’s worth exploring. But this isn’t the only thing you should consider when deciding who to study with. You may find you get more support studying with a slightly more expensive study centre.
• Reputation: Looking at student reviews or speak to qualified colleagues about their experiences.
• When looking at study centres, you'll notice some have Platinum Centre status. Awarded by CIPD for consistently delivering excellent quality against CIPD standards for marking, assessment, and membership. They also have strong administration processes and high learner satisfaction.
  • Please note, this status is only offered to CIPD study centres offering CIPD qualifications. Therefore, this status is not offered to providers of CIPD-accredited university programmes.

On the centre finder it offers more information about our study centres/universities. Such as:

• the qualifications they're approved to provide,
• their location
• a link to their website
• plus, a contact form, to quickly and easily contact them directly.

Your study centre/university will offer support and resources with your studies. But as a CIPD member, you’ll get even more support.
 
Available within the Student member area, visit our study resources page. Here you'll find study guides to help you with your academic writing. As well as other CIPD benefits that can support your studies. 
 
You’ll find a wealth of useful content within our Knowledge hub, use the A-Z topic page to browse by subject area. Or dive into Business journals from EBSCO, an online database of over 200 leading HR, L&D, business and management journals that CIPD members get access to. 

If studying a CIPD qualification, head to the study resources page. You'll find support tailored to your qualification. To access this content:

• Log into your membership account.
• Head to the study resources page.
• Select the CIPD qualification level you’re completing.
• If studying an Associate or Advanced qualification, select the specific diploma you’re completing.
• Now select the qualification unit you're studying.

You'll now be presented with content specific to that unit, helping you get started with your studies. These can include:

• a unit overview
• assessment video
• and helpful reading

Membership during your studies

When studying a qualification, whether it's a CIPD qualification or an accredited university programme, you'll need to be in active CIPD membership.

If you’re studying a CIPD qualification, membership is needed so that your study centre is able to submit your unit results to the CIPD. This is so they can be confirmed and counted towards completing your qualification.

If you’re unsure whether membership is required for your programme, please check with your study centre.

Successfully complete your CIPD qualification or accredited degree and you'll gain professional membership

For CIPD qualifications:

• Foundation Certificate in People Practice. Leads to Foundation membership
• Associate Diploma in People Management or Organisational L&D. Leads to Associate membership
• Advanced Diploma in Strategic People Management or Strategic L&D. Leads to Associate membership. You’ll also have the option to upgrade to Chartered membership status depending on your eligibility.

For accredited degrees:

• Undergraduate degrees. Leads to Associate membership
• Postgraduate degrees. Leads to Associate membership. You’ll also have the option to upgrade to Chartered membership status depending on your eligibility.

Joining or confirming membership

Once your study centre/university registers you, CIPD will email you:

• If you pay your own fees: Follow the link to join and pay the joining and membership fees. Find the latest membership fees here. Once you've joined, you'll be asked to confirm your qualification.
• If your study centre/university pays: Register your membership and confirm your qualification.
• If you’re already a member: Confirm your qualification via the email link.

Tip: Use the same email address as your invitation to ensure we can match your details. You can update contact details later.

Need extra help?

Didn't receive the email or are being asked for payment incorrectly? Check with your study centre that your details on your registration are correct. If issues persist, contact Customer Services.

Live chat

Available Monday to Friday, 7am–7pm (UK)

Click the round chat icon in the bottom-right corner during these hours.

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If you’re already a member, we'll email you, asking you to confirm your CIPD qualification details. We'll email you once we've received your details from your study centre/university.

Didn't receive the email or are being asked for payment incorrectly? Check with your study centre that your details on your registration are correct.

If issues persist, contact Customer Services. You’ll find details on how to contact us below.

Membership during your studies

When studying a qualification, whether it's a CIPD qualification or an accredited university programme, you'll need to be in active CIPD membership.

If you’re studying a CIPD qualification, membership is needed so that your study centre is able to submit your unit results to the CIPD. This is so they can be confirmed and counted towards completing your qualification.

If you’re unsure whether membership is required for your programme, please check with your study centre.

Can I return to Student Membership?

Our Student Membership and the associated fees are for first time students. This is because they're likely to face greater financial pressures when starting out.

Additionally, gaining Foundation or Associate CIPD Membership is a significant achievement.

• They demonstrate your level of knowledge and experience in the people profession.
• Represent your commitment to professional development and continuous learning.
• Reflect your dedication to upholding the highest standards of the HR profession.

Therefore, downgrading memberships would undermine the ethos of professional membership, devaluing your efforts put into achieving this significant milestone.

However, the CIPD is committed to supporting our members. Financial assistance options are available to support CIPD members facing financial challenges. Ensuring that the membership remains accessible to a wide range of professionals. Find out more about the financial support available.

Contacting Customer Services:

Live chat

Available Monday to Friday, 7am–7pm (UK)

Click the round chat icon in the bottom-right corner during these hours

Other ways to contact us

Click here for additional contact options