Get your centre accredited

Surgical education shapes the future of care. At the Royal College of Surgeons of England, we recognise centres that set the standard in the UK and across the globe—places where learning is rigorous, inclusive and always moving forward.

Centre accreditation is our mark of excellence. It's how we celebrate your commitment to high-quality education, strong leadership and a culture that helps every surgeon thrive. We accredit more than 80 surgical education centres in the UK, mainland Europe, North America, Africa and Asia.

When you join our community of accredited centres, you show that your work is grounded in evidence, driven by purpose and open to progress. You become part of a network that shares knowledge, raises standards and inspires the next generation.

Apply now

Eligibility

We accommodate a wide range of provider types—from NHS education departments to global commercial organisations—and support diverse training methods, including face to face teaching, e learning, and Virtual Reality.

To be eligible for centre accreditation, your centre must:

  • share our commitment to developing skilled, confident surgeons;
  • demonstrate financial stability and sustained support for your educational portfolio;
  • align your courses and activities with our standards, frameworks and values;
  • deliver all educational activities directly (not via subcontracting or franchising, unless separately accredited);
  • uphold equal opportunities and anti-discrimination policies, with clear ways to monitor and act on them;
  • set out a clear strategy and structure for delivering your educational portfolio, with defined responsibilities;
  • assign a medical director or lead faculty member to each activity or portfolio;
  • provide the administrative and technical support needed for high-quality learning.

Read the full criteria and standards for centre accreditation.

Benefits of centre accreditation

  • Independent, expert review of your centre and every surgery-related course you offer, giving you confidence in your standards.
  • Permission to use ‘Accredited by the Royal College of Surgeons of England’—a mark recognised across the profession.
  • Use of the RCS England accreditation logo on your centre’s materials and website, and on accredited course materials, signalling your commitment to excellence.
  • Peer review of your courses by leading surgeons, helping you refine and strengthen your educational offer.
  • Your centre listed on our website and in the Bulletin, raising your profile within the surgical community.
  • Access to our online participant evaluation system (Evasys), supporting continuous improvement through real feedback.
  • Eligible courses awarded Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points, recognising the value of your education.

Fees

There is an annual fee for centre accreditation.

The fee is based on each individual application and may vary depending on the size of the educational portfolio being accredited.

We'll ask you to cover expenses relating to the accreditation panel visit, which is part of the application review process.

If you plan to introduce a new surgical course during the accreditation term, you will need to provide us with the details before running it.

Terms of centre accreditation

Accreditation lasts for three years, following a successful panel visit to your centre. We monitor your progress annually to make sure standards are maintained.

To keep your accreditation, your centre must:

  • maintain a comprehensive, up-to-date portfolio of surgery-related education;
  • ensure all activities are academically challenging and benchmarked against national or international standards;
  • require participants to demonstrate knowledge, skills and practice at the right level;
  • use a clear assessment strategy, with transparent criteria and marking;
  • support faculty to stay qualified, experienced and engaged in their own development;
  • provide a safe, ethical and professional learning environment;
  • show robust quality assurance and regular review, with feedback from participants and faculty;
  • share evidence of recent internal or external reviews of your centre and its education;
  • ask faculty to declare any interests relating to the centre.

How to apply

To start your centre accreditation application, complete our short online form.

Apply now

What happens next

  • Application review: Our Quality Assurance team checks your application against College standards. We may request further information and an initial meeting
  • Accreditation visit: If eligible, we’ll arrange an expert panel review visit to your centre. This will include seeing a course in delivery and discussing your application in more detail. The panel usually includes a consultant surgeon and an RCS England staff member.
  • Final decision: The visit report is submitted to the Quality Assurance Operational Group, and if approved, the accreditation is awarded for three years.
  • Timeline: Accreditation typically takes three to six months.

Contact

If you have any questions about applying for accreditation, please email qa@rcseng.ac.uk and we’ll be happy to help.