— Accreditation —

AI professional Accreditation,
across four levels.

The Institute of AI is the UK's professional body for AI. Its Accreditation is a single ladder with four grades, Student, Associate, Professional and Fellow, each assessed against one published competency framework. This is the definitive guide to where you fit and what each stage asks of you.

Apply for Accreditation Find your level, free

— The shape of it —

One framework, four rungs to climb.

Accreditation is a career spine, not a single exam. The four levels form a ladder: you join at the grade that matches your practice today and progress upward as it deepens. Each rung is assessed against the same standard, so the level speaks for itself.

Four: levels, one framework
£29.99: one-off assessment fee
Your level: reapply at the same level or above
Public: verification badge

— The ladder —

Every level, and who each one is for.

Read from the bottom up. Fees rise with the grade because so does what it demonstrates, from foundational understanding at Student to recognised leadership at Fellow.

Student
For those still learning the field.
A grounded understanding of how AI works and where it is applied, evidenced rather than assumed. The affordable first credential for undergraduates and career switchers.
Accreditation fee
£49.99
10 hours CPD a year
Associate
For the early-career practitioner.
Applied competence delivering AI work under guidance, with sound judgement about what a model can and cannot be trusted to do. Proof you contribute, not just attend.
Accreditation fee
£99.99
15 hours CPD a year
Professional
Independent practice
For the independent practitioner.
Ownership of delivery end to end: framing the problem, handling the data, deploying responsibly, and standing behind the outcome under real constraints. The grade for practitioners accountable for what ships.
Accreditation fee
£199.99
25 hours CPD a year
Fellow
For senior leadership in the field.
Leadership, breadth, and a contribution to the practice of AI that peers recognise. The senior grade, held by people who shape how the work is done, not only who do it.
Accreditation fee
£299.99
25 hours CPD a year

A one-off assessment fee of £29.99 applies to your first application. You apply at the level your evidence supports. Holders can apply again at their current level or above, before or after expiry. Each Accreditation is valid for 3 years, and you apply again when it expires with no assessment fee.

— The rule —

You climb the ladder, you never skip it.

Accreditation recognises earned progress, so it works one rung at a time. Three steps take you from a free account to an accredited grade.

01
Join free
Create a free membership, browse Learn AI, and read the competency framework before you commit to a grade.
02
Sit the assessment
Pay the one-off £29.99 fee and sit the assessment for the level your practice supports today.
03
Progress a level
Pass, take your accredited grade and public badge, then climb again as your practice grows.

— How a level is decided —

The grade is judged, not awarded.

A credential is only worth the rigour behind it. Passing a level means something specific, because the same published standard sits behind every grade on the ladder.

A published standard

Each level is judged against the Institute of AI competency framework. You can read exactly what a grade expects before you apply.

Evidence, not cramming

The assessment probes how you frame problems, handle data, and account for decisions, reviewed against the published criteria for the grade.

A badge anyone can verify

Every accredited grade carries a public verification badge, so an employer or client can confirm your level in seconds.

Read the competency framework

— Why the grade holds —

One standard, applied the same way.

Every grade on the ladder is judged against the same published competency framework, set by the UK's professional body for AI and applied independently of any tool vendor, so no grade is worth more to it than an honest one.

That is the point of an assessed ladder. The grade is earned against a public standard, held live by an annual CPD target, and verifiable by anyone. It says how you practise now.

Four: grades on one published competency framework, Student to Fellow.
Zero: platforms, licences or clouds sold, so no grade is shaped by a sale.
Annual: CPD targets by grade, logged and evidenced in your account.
Public: verification for every grade, checkable by any employer or client.

— Common questions —

Progression, fees and the fine print.

Do I have to start at Student?+

No. Apply for the level your evidence supports, including directly for Professional or Fellow. Holders can apply again at their current level or any higher level, before or after expiry.

What is the difference between the assessment fee and the Accreditation fee?+

The £29.99 assessment fee is a one-off, paid the first time you are assessed. The Accreditation fee (from £49.99) is paid once on approval and keeps your grade live and your public badge verifiable for 3 years.

What does each level actually cost?+

The Accreditation fee is £49.99 at Student, £99.99 at Associate, £199.99 at Professional, and £299.99 at Fellow, each valid for 3 years. The one-off £29.99 assessment fee applies to your first application only; later applications after a successful Accreditation go straight to the panel.

Is this tied to a particular tool or vendor?+

No. IoAI has no cloud platform or model to sell, so the credential recognises judgement and practice across the AI lifecycle rather than fluency with one supplier stack.