Information about sitting our exams as a non-member, becoming a student member and sitting further exams.
If you would like to take an exam of the IFoA as a non-member, you can take either the CS1 or CM1 exam.
Please note that non-member registrations are only for those who have never held an IFoA account. Resigned and lapsed members cannot register as a non-member to sit an exam and will need to reinstate their membership.
Before you can book your first IFoA exam as a non-member, you will need to register.
Please note that the online form to apply to be a non-member student is available during the exam booking period. You can find the exam booking window and exam dates on our key dates page.
You can apply for reduced rate exam entry by completing the annual income question in the reduced rate details section of the form.
If you have already registered and have an actuarial reference number (ARN), please log in to your IFoA account to book non-member exams.
To obtain an actuarial reference number (ARN), you must create your IFoA website account. Click ‘create account’ on the IFoA member portal login page.
You will be asked to provide personal details, including your name, email address, home address, and telephone number.
Please note that your email address will be your username.
When the exam booking window for non-members is open, you can submit your application to become a non-member student of the IFoA.
Please log in to the website account you created and click on ‘apply for non-member student status’.
You can apply for a reduced-rate exam entry by completing the annual income question in the reduced-rate details section of the online form.
During your application, we ask you to agree to be bound by our:
Once you agree and click ‘continue’, we send you an email to confirm your non-member student status. You are then able to book exams using the steps below.
If you have any issues completing your form, please contact our Member Services Team below.
You can find a full list of our membership fees on our website.
You will also need to pay a non-refundable application fee of £50.
Please be aware that the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) membership subscription year runs from 1 October to 30 September each year, regardless of your joining date.
Please note: If you have passed one of these examinations as a non-member, you will not be able to take any further IFoA examinations until you become a Student member.
Once you are a non-member student, you need to navigate to the exams section of your online account to book an exam. Go to the exam booking area of the IFoA website, where you can book a CM1 or CS1 exam.
You can apply to become a student member all year round; however, in time for exam sitting, there are admission application deadlines.
If you wish to pay for your exam using BACs payment, we provide a separate form on this page during the exam booking window.
For more information, read our Q&A for non-members page.
Read our exam questions and answers (Q&As) for information on:
If you have any questions about membership please email us or call us on +44 (0) 131 240 1325. Response times can be found in our membership FAQs.