Fellowship FAQs

The Royal Society of Arts is built on the belief that change comes from people who care enough to act. They come from every background and every walk of life, united by a readiness to turn action into progress. An FRSA is someone whose values and vision align with ours. They’re making a difference through their work, their creativity and their lived experience. We welcome all those aligned with our values as outlined in the Fellowship Charter.

To become a Fellow, all we ask is that you: 

• Are 18 or over.
• Support our vision and values. 

To join our community, please submit a short online application. All applications are reviewed by the Royal Society of Arts team. The process is straightforward: tell us about your background and the contribution you’ve made in your field.

Most applications receive a decision within a few weeks. We welcome applications on a rolling basis; there is no single annual window.

No. People can become Fellows in several ways: independently completing an application on our website, or by being nominated by an existing Fellow, staff member, or partner organisation.

Regardless of how someone is nominated, everyone completes the same online form. All applications are treated equally and must meet the same eligibility criteria.

The application form should take no more than 10–15 minutes to complete. Your completed application is then reviewed by our admissions panel, and we will get back to you within a few weeks of submission.

Once your application has been submitted, we will process your payment. Then, we will review and approve your application to confirm your Fellowship status.

If you begin the application form but do not complete it, we will touch base with you periodically to help or provide a reminder. If it is not completed within two months your application will be closed. Should you require an application extension, please let us know.

Our ethos is inclusive, and we welcome all who are aligned with the Royal Society of Arts’ vision and share in our values. It is important that you confirm the alignment of your values in your application.

Our standard application is online. However, if you have accessibility requirements or are unable to apply online, please email [email protected] to get in touch. We’d be happy to help you with your application.

Yes. If you are a higher or additional rate taxpayer and have made a Gift Aid declaration, you may claim the difference between the basic rate and your higher rate of tax through your self-assessment tax return.

No. The RSA Fellowship subscription does not qualify as a professional subscription under HMRC’s List 3 of approved professional bodies. Under HMRC rules, tax relief on professional subscriptions applies only to:

• Professional membership fees that you must pay to be able to do your job.
• Annual subscriptions to approved professional bodies or learned societies where membership is directly relevant to your job.

The Royal Society of Arts does not meet these criteria.

Our Life Fellowship option lets you become a Fellow for life with a one-time donation. The standard price is £4,500, which is reduced to £3,000 for those who have been Fellows for at least 10 consecutive years or are aged 65 and over. If you would like to pursue Life Fellowship, please select this option on the application form. 

You do not need to provide references as part of your application. However, if we have any concerns or need further verification, we will be in touch to request a reference. If we do contact your referee, they will be asked a couple of questions based on how they know you and whether they consider you to have a commitment to positive social change. This will be stored securely on our database as part of your application.

Yes, we would love to welcome you back to the Fellowship. Please send the Fellowship Team ([email protected]) an email telling us you wish to rejoin, and they will provide you with a link to update your details. We do not require rejoining Fellows to pay the £75 registration fee.

All Fellows pay an annual charitable subscription of £219. Most Fellows with UK bank accounts choose to pay by Direct Debit in monthly instalments of £18.25 at no extra cost.

There’s also a one-off registration fee of £75 to help cover the set-up of your Fellowship.

For those applying from outside the UK, you can pay in instalments via credit or debit card by contacting the Fellowship Team at [email protected].

You will be asked to provide payment details on your application form and payment will be processed after you submit your application. Then, your application will be reviewed and approved by our admissions panel. If your application is not approved, your card details will be securely destroyed and you will receive a refund.

Yes you can. In fact, Direct Debit is the most cost-efficient way of making payment. There is also the opportunity to pay monthly or quarterly. If you would like to switch to Direct Debit, please contact the Fellowship Team at [email protected] or call 0207 451 6939 and we will set this up for you. If you are not yet a Fellow, you will be given the opportunity to set up a Direct Debit when you apply. 

We understand that an annual payment may not be affordable for all. You can pay your subscription monthly or quarterly to help spread the cost of Fellowship through a Direct Debit from a UK bank account.

We do have a limited bursary fund to make the Fellowship more accessible.

Should you wish to apply for a 25% or 50% bursary, please contact [email protected].

If you would like to pay by bank transfer, please email [email protected] to request our bank details.

Please address cheques to RSA No. 1 Account. Please write your Fellowship number on the reverse of the cheque, and post it to: Freepost THE RSA. 

Please do not include any other address information (for example, our street address) on the envelope as this may cause your cheque to be delayed. 

Gift Aid is a government initiative that allows charities to reclaim tax from HMRC for donations made by UK taxpayers. This means that we can claim back from HMRC 25p of every £1 of your Fellowship subscription, at no extra cost to you.

Gift Aid is a crucial way for our Fellows to increase the value of their charitable subscription and provide further support to the Royal Society of Arts. If you are eligible, you will be provided with the option to Gift Aid your subscription when you apply.

To be eligible, you must be a UK taxpayer and pay an amount of UK income tax and/or capital gains tax at least equal to the tax that the Royal Society of Arts and any other charities and CASCs that you donate to reclaim on your subscriptions and donations in the tax year.

If you would like more information about Gift Aid and the Royal Society of Arts, please do get in touch at [email protected] and a member of our team will be in touch.

Please see our donations page for a list of the ways in which you can donate to the Royal Society of Arts. Your support makes a real difference and enables us to deliver positive social change. 

Please let the Fellowship Team know you need a replacement card either by sending us an email at [email protected] or give us a call on 020 7451 6939. We will arrange for a replacement to be sent to you as soon as possible.

You can still visit the House in the meantime, just remember to make yourself known to reception when you arrive. 

Request a password reset on the My RSA sign-in page. This will generate an email with further instructions about how to change your password. 

Once you are logged into MyRSA then you will be able to access Circle by clicking on the “Chat, Connect and Collaborate” icon on the right-hand side. Once logged in, if you need more information then please go to Circle’s help section. If you need any further assistance, then please contact the Fellowship Team at [email protected].

As a Fellow, you should be receiving regular communications from us by email. Please check your spam filters to ensure our emails are not being diverted. You should also log in to My RSA to check that your personal details are up to date. If you are still experiencing problems, please contact us at [email protected]. 

Please log in to My RSA and go to the “My Account” section to update your details or email [email protected] with your updated information. 

Sometimes these letters cross as we arrange for them to be sent out ten days in advance. Please email [email protected] if you’re concerned that we have received your payment, and if we have, please disregard the renewal letter. 

The Fellowship Team will contact you in advance of your renewal date to let you know how you can renew. You can contact the Fellowship Team by emailing [email protected] or by calling 0207 451 6939 if you need any help with your renewal. 

The Royal Society of Arts no longer supplies certificates or diplomas. Your Fellowship card and welcome pack will confirm your Fellowship status, and you are entitled to use the post-nominals FRSA after your name as you wish.

Please email your request to [email protected] and we can confirm whether someone is a Fellow. However, we are unable to provide any further personal information about our Fellows to non-Fellows.

Please send any information to [email protected] and we will pass the details on to our Governance Manager to follow-up on.

The Royal Society of Arts ceased being an examinations body some time ago, but you should be able to get the information you’re looking for from our successors, OCR (Oxford, Cambridge and RSA examinations). You can contact OCR through the following routes:

• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: 01223 553 311
• Address: 1 Hills Road, Cambridge, CB1 2EU

Absolutely. Please email [email protected] and the Fellowship team will endeavour to send you a hard copy. All previous and current editions can also be found online here.

Our award-winning publication is published twice annually.

We can usually arrange for a replacement copy of the latest Journal to be sent out to you, however, all copies of the Journal are also available online. 

As a Fellow you will receive a membership card which allows you to tap in when you arrive at the House. Until you receive your card or even whilst you are awaiting confirmation of your Fellowship you can still visit the House and manually sign in at reception.

Absolutely, we would be more than happy to give you a tour of the House and answer any Fellowship questions you may have. Simply fill out our online form requesting a date/time that works for you and our team will get back to you to confirm.

If you have any access requirements, please let us know. The House is accessible for those with mobility issues via lifts and has step-free access into the House as well. Our Durham Street Auditorium is fitted with an induction loop.

If you have any additional questions, email either [email protected] to contact the Fellowship team or [email protected] to contact the House team. 

The Royal Society of Arts is a registered charity in England and Wales (charity number 212424) and in Scotland (charity number SC037784). We also have two affiliate organisations in the United States, RSA US, and Australia, RSA Oceania. Both affiliates are registered as separate entities in their respective jurisdictions.

RSA US is a 501(c)(3) registered charity in the United States under “Fellows of the RSA in the United States” (EIN: 23-2647480). Outside of the UK, it has the largest concentration of Fellows and has onboarding ambassadors in nine key cities, including Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles and New York City, and hosts local events for US-based Fellows.

RSA Oceania is registered charity in Australia under “RSA ANZ Limited” (ABN: 57621002257). It supports Fellows in Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia (excluding Hawaii).

The Royal Society of Arts and its subsidiaries’ registered address is: 8 John Adam Street, London, WC2N 6EZ.

The Royal Society of Arts Archives preserves historical records relating to our activities and administration, making them available for research.

The archives date from the foundation of the Society in 1754 and provide a wealth of information about its history. They include minutes, correspondence, reports, drawings, prints, photographs and other printed and visual material.

Find out more about our archive.