How registration works
There are two things being assessed, and they happen in that order. First the organisation, then the learning it delivers. Registering the organisation is free, because it would be unreasonable to charge you before we have told you whether your learning is in scope at all.
Register your organisation
Tell us who you are and what you deliver, using the form below. Registration checks who operates the organisation, what it publishes, and that its advertising describes accreditation accurately. There is no fee for this stage.
Organisation assessment
We look at the fundamentals: that you have named accountability for learning, that you retain learner records, and that you can evidence the competence of whoever delivers your learning. This is what makes you ready to have individual activities assessed.
Submit your activities
Once registered, submit the courses, webinars, podcasts, edutorials or events you want accredited. Each one is assessed on its own merits against the Standards, and each one gets its own reference.
Decision and listing
Accredited activities are published on the register with their reference and accreditation period, and you receive a licence to display the mark on those activities.
Stay current
Complete the annual review, report material changes before you deliver the changed version, and renew at the end of each accreditation period.
What approval gives you
Approval of the organisation is free. These four things come with it, before you accredit a single activity.
Provider mark
A licence to display the CPD Accredited provider mark, in the form set out under using the accreditation mark.
Verifiable provider number
A short reference such as P483920 that anyone can look up on the public register.
Provider certificate
A certificate stating the approval and the period it runs for, for your own records and for tenders.
Listed on the register
An entry on the public register, searchable by name, sector and reference.
Why choose CPD Accredited
Four things about how the service is built, rather than claims about how good it is. Judge them against anyone else you are considering.
- The Standards are published in full and free to read. You can see exactly what an assessor will look for before you apply, and so can your learners.
- You get the whole assessment report. Outcome by outcome, including what was not met and why, rather than a pass or fail summary.
- Assessment is separated from the commercial relationship. The people who agree fees do not make accreditation decisions, and an assessor is not told whether you are a large or a small account.
- Nothing is payable until you know you are in scope. The eligibility stage is free, and if what you deliver cannot be accredited we say so then.
What we accredit
Accreditation attaches to a specific learning activity, not to your organisation as a whole. That is deliberate: it stops an organisation wide badge implying that everything you sell has been reviewed.
Courses
Taught programmes delivered in person, live online or self paced, from a single session to a multi day programme.
Webinars
Single session live online events, with CPD credits and certificates for attendees.
Podcasts
Audio and video series where the learning is structured and the outcomes are assessable.
Edutorials
Written publications and article series that carry CPD minutes for readers.
Events and conferences
Whole events or individual sessions within a programme, assessed session by session.
Trainers
Individuals who deliver learning, assessed on evidenced subject competence rather than on the activity.
What you need before applying
You do not need documentation ready to register. You will need these things before individual activities can be assessed, so it is worth knowing now.
- Learning outcomes for each activity, written specifically enough that a learner can tell whether they achieved them.
- Evidence of the subject competence of whoever delivers the learning. Biographies alone are not usually enough.
- A way of showing that learners achieved the outcomes, not only that they attended. This is where most applications need rework.
- A named person accountable for each accredited activity, who is our point of contact for the annual review.
- A complaints route for learners.
What you receive
- An entry on the public register, searchable by name and by reference.
- An assessment report for each activity, setting out the outcome against every domain of the Standards. You receive the full report, not a summary.
- A unique accreditation reference for each accredited activity.
- A licence to display the accreditation mark on those activities, in the form set out under using the accreditation mark.
- Certificate wording that distinguishes completion from achievement.
What accreditation is not. CPD Accredited is an independent accreditation body. We are not a government department, a statutory regulator, or an awarding organisation. Accreditation confirms that a learning activity has been assessed against the CPD Accreditation Standards. It does not confer a regulated qualification, and it does not replace any requirement set by a professional body or statutory regulator.
What it costs
Two stages, and only the second one is paid. Registering the organisation gives you standing on the register. Accrediting individual activities is the assessment work, and that is what a subscription covers.
Provider registration
Free
No card details, no time limit
- Provider number you can quote and publish
- Listing on the public register
- Provider certificate
- Licence to display the provider mark
- Free eligibility check on your activities
Activity accreditation
Subscription
Monthly, by number of activities
- Each activity individually assessed against the Standards
- Its own accreditation reference, published on the register
- Certificates you can issue to learners
- The full assessment report, outcome by outcome
- Annual review included
Subscription tiers to be confirmed. The bands and monthly prices are a commercial decision that has not been made yet, so no numbers are shown rather than placeholder ones. Set them in src/app/(site)/become-a-provider/page.tsx and on fees and timelines.
Common questions
What is an approved CPD provider?
An organisation we have assessed as ready to deliver CPD: it has named accountability for its learning, it retains learner records, and it can evidence the competence of whoever delivers. Approval is about the organisation. Individual courses are accredited separately.
Is registration really free?
Yes. Registering the organisation and the eligibility check cost nothing. Fees start when an individual activity is submitted for assessment, because that is where the work is. See fees and timelines.
How long does it take?
We acknowledge applications within five working days. A complete activity submission is assessed within twenty working days, and the decision follows a second assessor review within five more.
Do I have to accredit everything I deliver?
No. Accreditation attaches to the specific activities you submit. Accredit one course and leave the rest, if that is what suits you. What you cannot do is imply that everything you sell has been assessed when it has not.
Can we apply from outside the United Kingdom?
Yes, and you are assessed against the same Standards. Your register entry records the country you operate in. Where a country runs its own mandatory scheme for a profession, our accreditation sits alongside it rather than replacing it. See CPD outside the United Kingdom.
What happens if an application is refused?
You receive the report saying which outcomes were not met and why, and you can reapply once the activity has changed. Any decision can also be appealed, on the grounds set out under governance and appeals.
Am I a provider or a trainer?
A provider is an organisation that delivers learning. A trainer is an individual assessed on their own evidenced competence in named subjects. If you deliver as a sole practitioner, both routes are open and trainer accreditation is often the better fit.
Application form
Registration is free. We acknowledge applications within five working days and tell you which route applies to what you deliver.