How to apply for Pathways to membership

Check your eligibility

The ICAEW Pathways to membership scheme enables fully qualified members from eligible professional bodies to apply for ICAEW membership based on their experience.

To apply for ICAEW membership via Pathways, you must fully meet all eligibility criteria.

• Use our eligibility checker tool to check whether Pathways is right for you.

Requirements of Pathways

To become an ICAEW member through Pathways to membership, you must meet all the eligibility criteria and successfully complete an application.

You must:

• Be a member of an eligible professional body
• Have held full membership for a minimum of five years
• Have gained membership via the full education and training route
• Be CPD compliant and a member in good standing
• Be supported by an eligible sponsor
• Complete and pass the Examination of Experience

1. Examination of Experience

The Examination of Experience (EoE) is a rigorous assessment which requires you to showcase your experience and achievements from the last five years and demonstrate your professional skills.

The EoE is split into two parts. Part one asks you to demonstrate your professional skills. It reflects the skills that are examined in the final Strategic Case Study exam of the ACA, including planning and analytical skills, professional judgement, quality of thought and awareness of current and technical issues. Part two is a summary of your professional experience gained over the past five years. 

• Read more about the Examination of Experience
• Download the Examination of Experience form
• Read our examiner guidance on completing your Examination of Experience

2. Signed sponsor form

Your Pathways application will also need to be supported by a sponsor who will complete a form to be submitted along with your EoE.

Sponsors are needed to confirm that there is no reason why you should not be accepted into ICAEW membership. Most Pathways candidates are able to find a colleague to provide sponsorship, so reaching out to your professional network is a good place to start.

The sponsor form requires a physical signature or date stamped e-signature. From 1 September 2026, sponsors will be limited to sponsoring two applicants per submission session. The form must be completed no earlier than three months before the submission deadline.

Your sponsor will also need a letter of good standing that is sent to us by their home body, unless they are an ICAEW member. See step 3, below. 

• Find out more about the sponsor requirements and their eligibility
• Download the sponsor form template 

3. Letters of good standing

A letter of good standing must be submitted to ICAEW by the home body of both you and your sponsor. If your sponsor is an ICAEW member, a letter of good standing is not required. Different membership bodies have different timeframes for issuing these letters, so please check with your body in advance to avoid dissapointment. 

Please follow the instructions on letters of goof standing carefully or your Pathways application will not be accepted:

• Use our letter of good standing template or equivalent wording on the headed paper of your home body.
• Letters must be issued and dated within three months of the Pathways submission window deadline you are applying for.
• Each letter of good standing requires a physical or date stamped e-signatre. 
• The template first needs to be signed by you for consent.
• You and your sponsor's home body should then complete the remainder of the letter and sent to us at pathwaysapplications@icaew.com directly by your home body with your name and membership number.

The letter of good standing confirms the following:

Submission and verification

When your application is complete, you can submit your Pathways application and pay your submission fee during one of the Pathways submission windows. Make sure you register for Pathways at least a week before you wish to submit your application. After your Pathways submission is received, you and your sponsor will be invited to a virtual verification process.

You will need to declare within your Pathways submission if you require an ICAEW Practising Certificate or the UK Audit Qualification (AQ) upon being successful. You will be prompted to confirm this within the Pathways application process via the exams online portal.

• Read more about submitting your Pathways application and verification
• Check the Pathways submission window dates and deadlines
• View the Pathways submission and membership fees

As part of our ongoing assurance checks, you will be invited to a virtual discussion as part of the application process. This is recorded and you will be asked to complete a room scan and an ID check as part of this process. Please note we also hold a discussion with Pathways Sponsors. Completion of both verification checks are required to validate and complete your application. If you do not present a valid ID and consent, we cannot proceed with your application.