British Psychological Society

What British Psychological Society does

The British Psychological Society (BPS) is a UK registered charity (Registration Numbers 229642 in England and Wales; SC039452 in Scotland) and the primary professional membership body for psychologists in the United Kingdom. Headquartered at St. Andrews House, 48 Princess Road East, Leicester, the society serves professional psychologists, psychology students and trainees, NHS and healthcare organisations, educational institutions, and government policymakers across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

BPS operates a multi-platform portfolio rather than a single product. Core assets include The Psychologist magazine, an extensive portfolio of academic journals and books surfaced through BPS Explore, BPS Learn (an online learning platform for career progression courses), the Psychological Testing Centre (which administers test-use qualifications, guidelines, and a Register of Qualifications), and the Wider Psychological Workforce Register for unregulated psychological practitioners. Member-facing infrastructure is delivered via the BPS Portal, Member Connect online communities, and a network of divisions, faculties, and member networks spanning specialisations such as coaching psychology, oncology and palliative care, and environmental psychology. Disclosed technology integrations are commodity operational tooling (Google Analytics, Live Chat Inc, Zoom, Conference Care, EventsAir, EBSCO); no proprietary technology platform is disclosed.

The business model is a diversified earned-income model characteristic of a membership body: recurring membership subscriptions from individuals, pay-as-you-go event and CPD registration fees (£30-£50 per ticket depending on member status), subscription revenue from journals and publications, and professional services income from BPS Qualifications and Psychological Testing Centre accreditation. Distribution is self-serve through digital channels (bps.org.uk, portal.bps.org.uk, explore.bps.org.uk, learn.bps.org.uk), with channel/reseller reach through BPS-accredited university programmes and member networks. The society also discharges quasi-regulatory functions, including complaints handling (59 complaints received under the society complaints procedure in 2025) and Member Conduct Rules enforcement (62 cases handled in 2025), and engages in policy advocacy with UK and devolved governments.

Name

British Psychological Society

Legal name

The British Psychological Society

Website

https://bps.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1901

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The British Psychological Society is a UK registered charity and professional membership body for psychologists. It generates revenue through membership subscriptions, paid CPD events, journal publications, and accreditation/qualifications, serving chartered psychologists, trainees, NHS bodies, and government across the four UK nations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Professional Development / CPD Requirement Administration for Licensure (EDADAJAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAF), Professional Certification & Training Content Publishing (Exam Prep, CE/CPD) (MPAJACAL), Behavioral Health & Counseling (Social Work, Psychology, Substance Use CE) (EDAAALAD)

Keywords

• Professional psychology membership
• Psychology publications
• Psychology accreditation services
• Continuing professional development
• Chartered psychologist register

Headquarters

HQ city

Leicester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership subscriptions: The BPS generates revenue primarily through membership fees from psychologists, students, and affiliated professionals who join the society for access to publications, resources, accreditation, career development, and member networks.
2. Event registrations and CPD: Revenue is generated from paid events, webinars, workshops, and continuing professional development (CPD) courses. Pricing varies by membership status and event type.
3. Publications and journals: The BPS publishes journals, books, and research publications available to members and through subscriptions.
4. Accreditation and qualifications: Revenue from accrediting psychology programs and qualifying practitioners in test use and other specialized areas.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The British Psychological Society is the chartered professional body for psychologists in the UK, providing individual and organisational membership subscriptions, chartered status and accreditation pathways, peer-reviewed journals and the member magazine The Psychologist, continuing professional development (CPD) courses and events delivered in-person and online through BPS Learn, member networks organised into divisions and faculties, and statutory registers such as the Wider Psychological Workforce Register and the Register of Qualifications in Test Use. It also administers the Psychological Testing Centre for purchasing and certification of psychological tests.

Product overview

The British Psychological Society operates a multi-platform portfolio offering professional membership services, educational resources, publications, and psychological practice support. The core offering includes BPS Learn (career development courses), BPS Explore (research publications), The Psychologist magazine, BPS Qualifications (accreditation programmes), and the Psychological Testing Centre. Member networks provide specialized communities across psychology disciplines. The society also maintains registers including the Wider Psychological Workforce Register for public protection, and offers event platforms for professional development through webinars and career series events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Psychologist: Official publication/journal of the British Psychological Society
• Psychology Matters
• BPS Learn
• PsychHub
• BPS Explore
• Psychological Testing Centre
• Psych Source
• My BPS
• Wider Psychological Workforce Register

Products and services

• BPS Membership Subscription Tiered annual subscriptions that confer chartered or student status, access to member-only content, journals, member networks, and member pricing on events and CPD. Designed for individual practising psychologists, trainees, and students.
• The Psychologist Magazine Monthly member magazine featuring psychology news, feature articles, opinion, and BPS-relevant professional content for members and the wider psychology community.
• BPS Peer-Reviewed Journals Portfolio of peer-reviewed psychology journals published by BPS and made available through BPS Explore to researchers, practitioners, and institutional subscribers.
• BPS Learn (Online CPD Platform) Online learning platform providing continuing professional development (CPD) courses and resources to psychology professionals to support registration, chartered status maintenance, and ongoing competence.
• BPS Explore (Research & Publication Platform) Digital research and publication platform hosting BPS journals, articles, and member-relevant publications for psychologists, researchers, and institutions.
• Psychological Testing Centre Service that allows psychologists and organisations to purchase, score, and obtain certification in psychological tests, supporting qualified test-user status under the Register of Qualifications in Test Use.
• BPS Qualifications & Accreditation Accreditation and qualifications pathway conferring chartered status and validating training programmes and qualifications for psychologists, trainees, and training institutions.
• Wider Psychological Workforce Register Public register maintained by BPS recognising practitioners working in psychological roles outside traditional regulated titles, supporting public protection and professional standards.
• Register of Qualifications in Test Use Register listing individuals qualified to use specific psychological tests, supporting test-user certification and competency verification through the Psychological Testing Centre.
• BPS Conferences & CPD Events Programme of in-person and virtual conferences, workshops, and CPD events delivered across the UK and online for BPS members and non-members seeking professional development hours.

Quantifiable outcome

• 62 Member Conduct Rules cases handled in 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Future DreamsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe BPS Faculty for Oncology and Palliative Care supported Future Dreams breast cancer charity's calls to make psychological support a core part of cancer treatment. The BPS backed the charity's campaign to end the 'postcode lottery' of psychological services for cancer patients.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Royal College of Nursing: The RCN is the UK's largest professional body for nurses, offering a directly comparable subscription, publication, CPD, and policy advocacy model in an adjacent healthcare profession.
• Association for Psychological Science: APS is a US-based scientific society for psychology researchers, comparable to BPS in its membership, journal publications, and conferences, though it focuses more on research than practitioner regulation.
• British Association of Social Workers: BASW is the UK's professional body for social workers, structurally analogous to BPS as a UK membership organization providing accreditation, publications, CPD, and policy representation for its profession.
• Royal Society of Chemistry: The RSC is a UK chartered professional body for chemists that operates a directly analogous model to BPS: membership subscriptions, peer-reviewed journals, CPD, accreditation, and policy advocacy on behalf of the profession.
• European Federation of Psychologists' Associations: EFPA is the umbrella federation of national psychology associations across Europe; BPS is a member, and EFPA mirrors BPS in CPD standards, EuroPsy certification, and pan-European policy work for psychology.
• British Medical Association: The BMA is the UK's largest professional body for doctors and operates a near-identical model to BPS: registered trade union/charity offering membership subscriptions, publications, CPD, policy advocacy, and member services.
• American Psychological Association: The APA is the leading US professional body for psychologists, directly comparable to BPS as a national psychology membership organization offering accreditation, publications, CPD, and policy advocacy for the profession.
• British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy: BACP is the UK's leading professional body for counsellors and psychotherapists, operating a directly analogous membership, accreditation, and register model to BPS but for the adjacent counselling profession.
• Royal College of Psychiatrists: The UK Royal College of Psychiatrists is a closely comparable UK professional body for mental-health practitioners, sharing BPS's CPD, accreditation, journals, and policy advocacy functions within the mental health sphere.

Broad incumbents

• Health and Care Professions Council: HCPC is the UK statutory regulator for several health professions including practitioner psychologists; it overlaps BPS on registration/standards but as a statutory regulator rather than a membership body.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bpsofficial
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/bpsmediacentre
• Facebookfacebook.com/OfficialBPS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/british-psychological-society

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about British Psychological Society