Membership & Chartership

Joining the Geological Society as a student member is the ideal first step towards becoming a professionally qualified Geoscientist.

Student membership is available if you are currently enrolled in an educational institution studying for or towards a career in geosciences. It gives students who have an interest in geoscience access to services provided by the Geological Society at an early stage of your career.

Please note if you are applying for a postgraduate rate you will be put forward for election in September 2019; if you qualify before then you will need to apply at the correct payment rate for your age.

Grades of student membership

Junior Candidate Fellow   

Usually for those between the age of 16-18, studying for A-levels or equivalent. 

If you have a keen interest in geology and can provide satisfactory evidence of your intent to go on and take a degree in geology or a related subject, you may join as a Junior Candidate Fellow. 

You can remain a Junior Candidate Fellow until you register for an undergraduate degree course or until one year after you have received the qualifications that show you have completed secondary education. 

See the Junior Candidate Fellow guidance notes for more information. 

Candidate Fellow   

Usually for those studying on undergraduate courses in geoscience or a related subject. 

If you are registered for an honours degree (first degree) in geology, you may join as a Candidate Fellow. You can remain a Candidate Fellow for up to one year after graduation. 

Fees for Candidate Fellows are heavily discounted, especially if you choose to pay up-front for the duration of your undergraduate course.

See the Candidate Fellow guidance notes for more information. 

Terms and conditions

All Fellows of the Society, including Junior Candidate and Candidate Fellows, must abide by the Society’s code of conduct. 

When you sign the application form, you promise to abide by the code if elected. 

Fellows also need to agree to the terms and conditions for the access and use of electronic services.

How can membership benefit you as a student? 

Becoming a student member of the Geological Society demonstrates your commitment to the profession while allowing you to participate in activities that promote geoscience and access a wealth of information and knowledge. 

We offer a range of benefits, many of which will be invaluable for you as a student. These include;

• Access to one of the most important and extensive geological libraries in the world – with over 100 e-journals as well as 50+ e-books.
• Free monthly Geoscientist magazine
• Free online access to one of the Society’s prestigious journals of your choice
• Up to 50% discounts on books and special publications
• Reduced rates for conference and events
• Free membership of Regional and Specialist interest groups - providing opportunities to network and socialise with the geoscience community.

These are only some of what we offer our members, see the full list on our Benefits page. 

How much does it cost?

Our student membership fees are only a fraction of the full fees with all the benefits* 

• Junior Candidate Fellows - £10 per annum
• Candidate Fellows pay - £15 per annum (or a one off fee of £40 for the duration of your course)

*with exception of the use of our post nominal FGS which is reserved for qualified Fellows.

Timetable for membership applications

Membership applications are usually processed within two weeks, following which email confirmation is sent to the applicant. 

Membership benefits are available once the application is processed although all members (Fellows/Candidate Fellows and Junior Candidate Fellows) must be elected by Council, which meets five times during the year. 

The following table lists closing dates for applications to be received and processed and the corresponding election dates: