Applying for RCGP Fellowship
About fellowship and who is eligible to apply
Fellowship is the highest level of membership of the Royal College of
General Practitioners (RCGP) and is a distinction to which all our Members
can aspire. We award fellowship as a mark of achievement, excellence and
recognition for one’s contribution to general practice, and medicine more
broadly. A Fellow of the RCGP exemplifies its motto 'cum scientia caritas'.
Being awarded fellowship denotes the esteem in which a Member is held
by their peers and the RCGP.
We believe achieving fellowship is within the reach of all our Members,
regardless of their career path or destination. There are some requirements
which you must fulfil to be eligible to apply and these are set out below:
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i) You must be either a current Member or International Member in good
standing of the RCGP, and have been for at least five continuous years;
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ii) If you are clinically active in the UK, you must also have successfully
completed at least one cycle of revalidation post-CCT (this requirement is
not applicable to candidates who are not clinically active or those who
solely practise outside of the UK);
You should also be able to demonstrate that you meet the criteria for
fellowship, which are as follows:
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iii) You should be able to demonstrate a significant contribution to:
- the health and welfare of the community,
- the science or practice of medicine,
- the aims of RCGP, or any organisation which benefits general practice.
Fellowship is open to UK, Overseas and International Members.
If successful, a candidate can use the postnominals FRCGP or FRCGP[INT]
following their formal election as a Fellow at a general meeting.
How to apply
Members of at least five continuous years good standing can apply for
fellowship, with the support of a principal and additional supporter.
A fellowship application can be initiated by either the candidate
themselves or by the principal supporter. Regardless of how an
application is started, the principal supporter should lead the
application and actively drive it forward.
The candidate and supporters are each required to complete a form and
provide a supporting statement. Applications are reviewed by the
candidate's local Faculty Fellowship Committee (FFC) who will make a
recommendation as to whether the candidate should be elected as a Fellow to
our Council. Approved candidates are then elected at either the Spring
General Meeting or Annual General Meeting.
Requirements, application forms and other useful resources
There are some necessary requirements for all fellowship applications which
it is important that prospective candidates and supporters read through
before starting an application.
Application requirements (PDF file, 1.01 MB)
There is an achievement areas guide which sets out six suggested
'achievement areas', which a prospective Fellow would typically be able to
make reference to as the basis of their application. We recommend that
prospective candidates and supporters also familiarise themselves with this
document when considering whether to start an application to get a sense of
the expected 'standard' for achieving fellowship.
Achievement areas guide (PDF file, 207 KB)
Each individual involved in a fellowship application must complete the
appropriate form, and once completed, these should be sent by email to the
candidate's faculty. You can find the contact details for faculties by
clicking on this map.
Candidate application form (PDF file, 173 KB)
Principal supporter application form (PDF file, 150 KB)
Additional supporter application form (PDF file, 146 KB)
We have produced some informative step-by-step guides to help you through
the fellowship application process, from start-to-finish. These are
tailored by role and include useful tips and advice to ensure a successful
application.
Candidate user guide (PDF file, 140 KB)
Principal supporter user guide (PDF file, 149 KB)
Additional supporter user guide (PDF file, 132 KB)
We have produced a simple infographic depicting the process flow of the
various stages in the fellowship application process.
Your fellowship application journey (PDF file, 201 KB)
We have also compiled a list of frequently asked questions for your
reference should you have any further queries.
Your questions answered (PDF file, 198 KB)
Alternatively, please contact the
candidate's faculty
in the first instance or email fellowship@rcgp.org.uk (however, this inbox
is monitored periodically so please be aware there may be a delay in
receiving a response).
Fellowship fees
The fellowship administration fee is a one-off fee and is separate to the
annual membership subscription fees. Approved candidates need to pay this
fee prior to their election as a Fellow, in order to be elected. Your
annual membership subscription fee rate does not change as a result of
being made a Fellow.
The fee for UK based candidates is £235.
For international and overseas candidates, the fee is based on the World
Bank country classification list, as it is for annual membership fees - you
should speak to the International faculty to confirm the fee rate
applicable to you.
Contact us
If you have any questions relating to fellowship which are not answered by
the resources on this page, please contact the
candidate's faculty
in the first instance. Alternatively, email fellowship@rcgp.org.uk -
however, this inbox is monitored periodically so please be aware there may
be a delay in receiving a response).