Grades of Membership
The Institute has five different grades of membership, so whether you are just starting out in the industry and studying for a benchmark qualification or you are an established practitioner with a wealth of experience and qualifications, there is a grade appropriate for your level.
All members receive a wide range of professional benefits to assist them in maintaining their competence throughout their career, via the many CPD opportunities available. More information can be found by clicking here. Members also receive a number of personal benefits.
Eligibility Criteria:
Membership (ACSI & MCSI) of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment can be attained either by achieving Institute qualifications, or via certain recognised, external qualifications.
Student membership is available to candidates studying for any CISI qualification, or any other relevant external qualification.
Affiliate membership is available for financial services staff in professional or administrative roles where they have no need to pursue a regulatory qualification but wish to keep abreast of industry changes.
Our Grade Selector offers guidance on which membership grade you will be eligible to apply for. Alternatively, you can find details of joining via CISI Qualifications or via a list of acceptable external qualifications.
For more information on the grades of membership click on the links below to expand text.
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Affiliate Membership
Affiliate membership is aimed at staff working in the financial services industry who, due to their job functions, would probably never need to emabark on a regulatory/industry qualification.
Affiliate membership offers a wide range of membership benefits, both professional and personal allowing you to become actively involved with the CISI community and enabling you to keep abreast of new industry developments and CPD opportunities. Please note there are no designatory letters with this grade of membership.
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Student Membership
Student membership has been created with the exam candidate in mind and is given automatically to all CISI exam registrants. It is also open to anyone taking a relevant degree or qualification from another professional body. For most, Student membership is the first step along their progression through the membership grades. Student members have access to a number of benefits designed to offer them learning support throughout their studies. Allowing all CISI exam registrants to become Student members while studying for a qualification brings them into the Institute`s community of members at an earlier stage in their career, allowing them to discover what membership means. Click here to find out more about Student Membership.
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Associate (ACSI)
Associate (ACSI) membership is aimed at those who have achieved benchmark, or threshold competency qualifications. Around 5,000 practitioners from all areas of the securities and investment industry currently use the ACSI designation.
Eligibility:
ACSI membership may be applied for upon passing a recognised benchmark qualification. Holders of any of the following CISI qualifications may apply to become ACSIs:
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Member (MCSI) and MCSI via Experience
MCSI membership is full membership of the CISI, and denotes a high level of achievement and competence. It is awarded to those with a suitable combination of qualifications and experience. There are currently 6,000 MCSIs.
Eligibility:
Full membership of the CISI is normally aimed at those with post-graduate qualifications. It is available to:
Those who hold a recognised non-CISI professional qualification plus three year's industry experience. Please see the list of recognised qualifications. Additionally, senior practitioners in senior roles with over fifteen years of industry experience may apply for Membership (MCSI) via a combination of experience, seniority and professional qualifications. Please refer to our MCSI Via Experience page for more information.
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Fellowship (FCSI)
There is no direct route to applying for Fellowship. Click here to find out more about applying for individual Charter as a route to Fellowship.
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Honorary Fellowship FCSI(Hon)
From time to time the CISI awards industry practitioners with an honorary membership known as Honorary Fellowship FCSI(Hon).
As a reward for their outstanding contributions to the financial services industry and/or to the Institute, FCSI(Hon) members enjoy life-long, free membership. There are currently 43 honorary members, including CISI Chairman, Alan Yarrow. Click here for a full list of our Honorary Fellows.
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Membership progression to Individual Charter
There is an opportunity for members to apply to become individually chartered. Click here to find out more information including eligibility criteria for Individual Charter.
How to apply
To apply for any grade of membership, please complete the appropriate application form and return it by fax of post to the membership department. Please note that for those students passing a CISI benchmark qualification, there is an online application available.