Guidance for those who have finished studying

We’ve compiled the most commonly-asked questions students have about our qualifications, including information on CIPD membership, exam results and work experience. We hope you can find all of the information you are looking for.

When will I receive my qualification certificate?

We check results submissions for accuracy at the verification stage (marked with * on the timeline below); if any discrepancies arise we may return them to your study centre, which may delay the despatch of your certificate.

If you've been waiting for longer than the usual processing time as shown above, call us on +44 20 8612 6208 to check the status of your certificate.

When will I be notified about my final results?

Study centres

Your qualification and membership certificates will take up to six weeks to process once the CIPD external quality adviser (or centre) submits them to us. If you’ve any questions about how long your centre’s internal quality assurance takes, best speak to them directly (we don’t expect this to take more than six weeks).

Your qualification and membership certificates will take up to six weeks to process once the CIPD have confirmed your qualification result. We will email you a PDF of your qualification certificate on the day it is printed. If you live in the British Isles then your qualification certificate posted will be posted directly to your preferred address. Outside of the British Isles, certificates are sent to your centre.

University accredited programmes

The centre will contact you directly to let you know when they will award you with your qualification. Once the centre submits this notification to the CIPD, we’ll issue your membership certificate within six weeks.

When do I become a Foundation or Associate Member?

If you have completed a pre 2021 qualification, you will be upgraded to Associate membership upon completion of your studies. For the new CIPD qualifications, the Foundation Certificate in People Practice leads to Foundation Membership, Associate and Advanced Diplomas lead to Associate Membership.

We’ll issue you with your membership certificate once we’ve processed your qualification results. You’ll automatically be upgraded to Foundation or Associate Member and will receive your membership certificate within 10 days of it being issued (or longer if we’re posting it to a non UK address).

I’ve already completed a CIPD qualification. How do I become a member now?

If you've already completed an accredited CIPD qualification but didn’t join the CIPD as a member during your studies, you can join the CIPD now directly at the Foundation/Associate Member grade.

Please note: We’ll require evidence of your achievement from your study centre before issuing your certificate.

Call us on +44 (0) 20 8612 6208 or email us at membershipenquiry@cipd.co.uk to discuss the membership application process.

I've just successfully completed my Level 7 Advanced qualification, can I now upgrade to CIPD Chartered Membership?

Anyone who has successfully completed a CIPD Level 7 Advanced Diploma qualification can apply to upgrade to Chartered Member via the form-based assessment. This is free of charge if done within 12 months of holding Associate Member grade. If you are unsuccessful at your first attempt, subsequent applications are subject to fees. The first step is to complete our online Pre-Assessment Tool to find out if you're ready to upgrade. See our page on Upgrading to Chartered Member for more information.

I’ve already completed an HR or postgraduate degree. Can I use what I’ve learnt to apply for CIPD membership?

If you have an existing qualification that isn’t recognised by the CIPD, you may be able to apply for an exemption towards a CIPD Awarded qualification that leads to membership.

The application process will involve a mapping exercise between the qualification you studied and the CIPD Awarded qualification you want to study. You can gain up to 50% of a CIPD Awarded qualification through this process; you’ll be required to take the rest of the qualification at a CIPD centre in order to achieve CIPD membership.