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FAQs

  • Becoming a member
    1) How do I become a member?

    Our main category of membership (fellow) is open to anyone with a general interest in statistics and data. To join as a fellow, simply fill in the quick online application form. To apply for professional membership: Data Analyst; Graduate Statistician (GradStat); Chartered Statistician (CStat) – or professional certification: Data Science Professional (DSP); Advanced Data Science Professional (AdvDSP) - you must join as a fellow first, and you can then submit your application for professional status via My RSS.

    We also offer free e-Student membership with a limited benefit package to students in full-time education aged 16 and above. nb, half price fellow membership is also available for full-time students and part-time PhD students.
    2) What are the types of membership?
     

    We offer several different categories of membership: free e-Student (with limited, electronic-only benefits), fellow (our main category of membership), professional membership: Data Analyst; Graduate Statistician (GradStat); Chartered Statistician (CStat); and professional certification: Data Science Professional (DSP); Advanced Data Science Professional (AdvDSP). To apply for one of our professional memberships you must join as a fellow first and you can then submit your application for professional status via My RSS.

    We also offer corporate membership for those at organisations with at least ten members.
    3) How long will it take to process my application?
     

    If you’re joining as an e-Student or fellow, your membership will be activated as soon as you click ‘Submit’ at the end of the application form. All applications for professional membership and certification (Data Analyst, GradStat and CStat, DSP and AdvDSP) are considered by our Professional Affairs Committee. This process can take between three to eight weeks. Some university courses are formally accredited; other cases are considered on an individual basis. Processing times may change during the processing of your application.

    The Committee may defer making a decision, pending receipt of additional information, and the RSS office will contact the applicant to request this.

    Please note that the processing time of CStat and AdvDSP applications also depends heavily on the referencing procedure and how quickly your referees respond.
    4) Does membership come with postnominals (letters after your name)?

     

    All our professional member types (Registered Data Analyst, GradStat, CStat) and certifications (DSP, AdvDSP ) have recognised postnominals. Fellow membership does not, though there is nothing to stop you spelling out in full that you are a fellow of the RSS. Please note that FRSS is not a recognised postnominal.
    5) Can I get a certificate for my membership? 
     

    Membership certificates are available for all professional membership types and certifications (Data Analyst, GradStat, CStat, DSP and AdvDSP). Log in to My RSS to download your certificate there.

    We do not offer certificates for fellow membership; if you are a fellow and need something to confirm this, contact us at membership@rss.org.uk and we can send you a confirmation letter.
  • Re-joining
    6) My membership has lapsed. How can I re-join?

    If your membership has only just lapsed and you wish to renew it, contact us at membership@rss.org.uk and we can reactivate it for you to enable you to make your payment online via My RSS.

    If returning to membership after a longer period, you can simply log in to My RSS with your previous login details (using your email address as your username) and click on the ‘Become a fellow’ button to complete the online join form. If you have any problem logging in, contact us at membership@rss.org.uk and we can update your details to ensure you retain the same membership record.

    If you previously held professional membership and wish to reinstate it, contact pa@rss.org.uk and we can advise whether you need to reapply for the professional element. You will always need to re-apply for fellow membership first, via My RSS.  
  • Membership fees
    7) Am I eligible for a concessionary fee?

    Concessionary fees are available to:
    Students – those in full time higher education or undertaking a part-time PhD.
    New graduates – those who have graduated within the last two years. The concessionary rate will apply for five years from the point of joining.
    Retired – those who are retired from full-time employment and do not have an earned income of over £12,500 per annum (not including any income from pensions or savings).
    Economically Developing Areas (EDAs) – those in EDA countries as defined by the RSS.
    Career breaks – those who are not currently earning a salary. n.b. this option is for existing members only – please get in touch to confirm your eligibility for the concessionary rate.

    When joining online, you can select the relevant concessionary rate after selecting Fellow as your member type. If you are already a member and believe you are eligible for a concession, please contact us at membership@rss.org.uk so we can update our records.

    See the full list of membership fees.
  • Membership payments/receipts/refunds
    8) How do I renew my membership?

    The easiest way to renew your membership is online via My RSS. If you have any difficulty logging in, or if you need to make a change to your subscription before making payment, please contact membership@rss.org.uk.
    9) How can I get a receipt for my membership payment?
     

    Receipts are available to download from within My RSS: go to the Payments and Receipts page and click on ‘View’ next to the relevant subscription.  This will open up an html receipt, and you can save it by selecting the ‘Print’ option in your browser and selecting ‘Print to PDF’. 
    10) Can I claim tax relief/GiftAid on my membership fee?
     

    If you are completing your tax return in the UK and your RSS membership is relevant to your job, you can claim tax back on your full membership fee. Simply list your membership payment amount on your tax return. More information can be found on the HMRC website. (The RSS is listed under R as ‘Royal Statistical Society’ in HMRC’s list of approved professional organisations and learned societies.)

    GiftAid can only be claimed on donations (where the donor receives a benefit of no more than 10% of the value of the donation) and not on membership subscriptions, so unfortunately, we cannot claim GiftAid on your membership payment.
    11) Can I get a refund?

     

    Refund policy
    When you sign up to, or renew, membership of the RSS, you agree to do so for a full year, regardless of the payment method used.

    All paid membership subscriptions will be subject to a 30-day cooling-off period from the date of joining or date of renewal. Any fees paid will be refunded in full to you once a written request to cancel or lapse your membership has been received within the 30-day cooling-off period. All emails must be sent to membership@rss.org.uk.

    Where possible, we will refund by the same method that we received the payment. For payments received by credit or debit cards, the same credit/debit card will be refunded. For all other payments, a bank transfer will be made to the payee nominated account. Please note: for payments received from outside the UK by bank transfer, the refund will be made by bank transfer and all bank charges will be for the registrant’s account.

    Where a member requests their membership of the RSS to be terminated after the 30-day cooling-off period, they will not be eligible for any refund.

    An exception to this 30-day cooling-off policy is where the RSS is advised in writing that a member is deceased; then the fees collected will be refunded pro rata for the membership year.

    If you pay by Direct Debit, your annual membership will be automatically renewed as per your renewal notice unless you give us at least ten days written notice of your intention not to renew. All emails must be sent to membership@rss.org.uk.

    Please note that refunds will not be made to members who retrospectively indicate that they could have been in a lower cost membership category e.g. a standard rate member who could have been entitled to the retired rate. The onus is on members to inform the RSS of any required changes to their circumstances prior to their membership renewal.
  • Managing your membership / your My RSS account
    12) I forgot my username and/or password. How do I find it?

    Your username is your email address. On the login page, click on 'Forgotten password' and follow the instructions. You will be sent an email with a link to reset your password. If you don’t receive the email, contact us at membership@rss.org.uk and we will help.
    13) How can I change my contact information?
     

    You can update your contact details via the My Profile page in My RSS.
    14) How do I get access to my online publications?
     

    You can access all your subscribed publications online via the Publications page within My RSS.
    15) How do I start receiving print copies of Significance/switch to electronic only?

     

    All fellows are entitled to receive print copies of Significance magazine, as well as having electronic access via the Publications page within My RSS. If you prefer not to receive print copies – or if you had opted out of print copies but now wish to start receiving them again – please contact us at membership@rss.org.uk where we will be able to assist.
    16) How do I upgrade from e-Student to fellow membership?
     

    If you are an e-Student member, you can upgrade to fellow membership by logging in to My RSS and clicking on ‘Become a fellow’. If you are still studying full-time (or part-time on a PhD), or if you have graduated within the past two years, make sure you select the appropriate concessionary rate after selecting Fellow.
    17) I’m interested in volunteering opportunities at the RSS. Can you tell me more?
     

    There are various volunteering opportunities available to fellows, from our Statisticians for Society pro bono scheme to opportunities with the African Institute of Mathematical Sciences to taking on a committee role within the RSS – and more. See our Volunteering page for all the information, and contact volunteering@rss.org.uk if you have any questions. Please note that you must be a paid member of the RSS to partake in most of the voluntary activities that we offer.
    18) How can I get further involved with the RSS as a member?
     

    If you are already a member, check out the welcome brochure in My RSS which signposts all the ways to make the most of your membership. If not already a member, take a look at the Section and Local Groups and Policy Groups webpages for just some of the ways you can get involved (and have a look at the Volunteering question above). We often feature callouts to members on our website, too, with openings on committees and opportunities to get involved.
    19) How can I cancel my membership?
     

    Have you considered whether you may be eligible for a concessionary subscription rate? See the concessionary fee question above and get in touch if you would like to continue your membership at a reduced rate.

    If you still wish to cancel your membership, please email membership@rss.org.uk as it is not possible to do this online.

    Please note that if you cancel your membership, any existing application for professional membership and/or the Data Science Professional/Advanced Data Science Professional certificates will automatically be withdrawn and no longer assessed.
  • Professional membership
    20) I’m interested in professional membership, can you tell me if I am eligible or not?

    Applications for professional membership/certification require you to evidence how you meet a set of criteria that is then assessed by our Professional Affairs Committee (PAC). Whilst we are unable to pre-empt particular outcomes, we do provide detailed guidance notes and it is up to the individual to provide suitable evidence in accordance with the appropriate guidance when submitting applications. The process is designed to be as collaborative and inclusive as it can be for a form of assessment, with our team providing advice and guidance throughout to help you work towards your award – and applications can be re-submitted based on the feedback received if they are initially unsuccessful.
    21) How do I apply for professional membership?
     

    You need to join as a fellow first. You can then submit an online application for professional membership or certification in My RSS (click on the relevant ‘Apply for…’ button).

    There are various criteria that applicants need to meet; you can find out more about the requirements for each member type/certificate via our professional development page.
    22) What are the professional pathways?
     

    Statistical pathway:
    Data Analyst -> Graduate Statistician -> Chartered Statistician

    GradStat status supersedes Data Analyst; so it is not possible to hold both at the same time. Similarly, CStat status supersedes GradStat and Data Analyst.

    You can step into the pathway at any point after becoming a fellow: eg, if you feel you already qualify for CStat, there is no need to apply for Data Analyst or GradStat first.

    Data Science pathway:
    Data Analyst -> Data Science Professional certificate -> Advanced Data Science Professional certificate

    The DSP and AdvDSP certificates are held in addition to RSS membership (i.e. fellow, Data Analyst, GradStat, CStat). You can apply for both along the way – eg, CStat and AdvDSP.

    Again, you can join the pathway at any point after becoming a fellow: eg, if you feel you already qualify for Advanced Data Science Professional, there is no need to apply for Data Science Professional first.

    Applications for GradStat, CStat and DSP/AdvDSP certificates are free of charge. If your application is successful, we will add the professional supplement to your fellowship fee from the following subscription year onwards.

    There is a one-off application fee of £75 for Data Analyst. Data Analyst status is valid for as long as your membership is kept live (ie, renewed annually), unless awarded GradStat or CStat (which would replace Data Analyst).
    23) What is the difference between Data Science Professional (DSP) and Graduate Statistician (GradStat)?

     

    GradStat is a membership type and DSP is a certificate. They meet different standards, but can be held in conjunction with one another.

    GradStat sits within our statistical pathway and recognises an individual that has either completed a degree with a significant amount of statistics that meets our GradStat standards, or is educated to degree level and has the relative work experience for a minimum of two years and is therefore able to evidence how they meet our standards via a competency based route.

    The Data Science Professional certificate sits within our data science pathway and recognises those that have completed an accredited degree in data science or have been working within data science for a minimum of two years and are therefore able to evidence how they meet our standard via a competency based route.

    Individuals that meet the criteria for both of these awards are welcome to apply for both. Please note that these are separate applications, that can only be completed one at a time due to them requiring difference competencies to be evidenced.
    24) Do I need to choose one pathway – Statistician or Data Scientist? Or can I apply for both?
     

    You can apply for both along the way, and Data Analyst serves as the entry level award for both pathways. You can hold GradStat status and the AdvDSP certificate, for example, or both CStat and AdvDSP.

    With all of these professional member statuses, you will always also still be a fellow - Data Analyst, GradStat and CStat are all held in addition to fellow membership – and the DSP and AdvSP certificates are held in addition to all these member types.
    25) Can I immediately apply for a higher status without first applying for lower qualifications?
     

    Yes – but remember that you must first join as a fellow in order to apply for all professional member types/certificates. If you meet the requirements for Graduate Statistician or the Data Science Professional certificate, you do not need to apply for Data Analyst first. Similarly, if you meet the criteria for Chartered status or the Advanced Data Science Professional certificate, you can submit your application straight away without applying for Data Analyst, Graduate Statistician or Data Science Professional first.
    26) I hold a PhD in Statistics or similar; does this meet the academic criteria for GradStat or CStat and/or DSP or AdvDSP?
     

    PhDs alone do not currently meet the academic criteria for any RSS professional membership/certification. When applying, you will need to list any undergraduate and/or postgraduate training relative to your application, supported by evidence in the form of certificates and transcripts. Applications without these will be returned. Please do also list your PhD within this section.
    27) I have a PhD; does this count towards my work experience for CStat and/or the AdvDSP certificate?
     

    Holders of a PhD only require a minimum four years’ work experience for both the CStat and AdvDSP certifications. Please note that if you have worked during your PhD studies, this work experience can count towards the required four years, however, if you were working part-time, then only those part time splits can be counted towards the work experience. For example, if you worked part-time at a rate of 50% for two years, then this would only count as one year towards the four-year requirement.
    28) When will I receive my Data Analyst/GradStat/CStat/DSP/AdvDSP certificate?
     

    You will receive an e-certificate as soon as you are awarded your professional membership status. You can access this certificate on the main page in My RSS.

    Please note that we no longer issue hard copy certificates.
    29) After getting the certification, do I need to maintain the CPD? For example, if I am awarded Data Analyst, do I need to maintain continuing professional development to be able to hold the award?
     

    As part of holding a professional title with the RSS, you agree to a code of conduct that states you agree to maintain a CPD profile, and we have a recording tool within My RSS to help you with this. Currently, only those at Chartered level undergo revalidation, with a small number chosen randomly each January to submit their CPD for review.