How to Attend a Ceremony

Once you have passed your exam you will need to follow the steps below in order to become a Fellow or Member and attend a diploma ceremony.

It should be noted that even if you have passed an examination, until you have been successfully elected to the College's membership you cannot use your post-nominal letters e.g. FRCSEd or MFDS RCSEd.

Step 1: Confirmation of Results

Soon after passing the examination, you will be sent an information pack containing a Pass Letter. This provides formal written recognition of the successful result, and some election forms for completion.

Step 2: Election by petition

The election documentation outlines the date of the next Council meeting at which your name can go forward for election by Council. You will need to return the forms to the College by the specified date for this to take place.

Once the forms and the applicable election fee have been received by the College, as well as any additional required information (for some examinations candidates must provide evidence of completion of experience), your name will go forward for election at the next Council Meeting of the College. There are approximately eight Council Meetings each year.

This is an historic process which has been in place since the earliest days of the College and involves each newly elected Fellow or Member being allocated a Roll Number. You do not need to be present at the College for this process.

Step 3: Note of Election

Once you have been successfully elected as a Fellow or Member of the College, you will be sent a letter of congratulations, information about the various membership services and benefits available to Fellows and Members, contact details form, the Declaration of Intrants, your invoice for the current year's subscription, an order form for College gifts and further information about attending one of the College's Diploma Ceremonies.

You will need to complete and return these forms together with the payments required before you are eligible to attend a ceremony.

Step 4: Diploma Ceremony

You'll be asked to indicate your preference in the Election Letter for the ceremony you want to attend. We'll then be back in touch with you to confirm that you have been allocated a place, and we'll see you on the big day.

For more information about the Diploma Ceremonies, please contact the Ceremonial Administrator, Jennifer Black on j.black@rcsed.ac.uk.

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