The Federation of Royal Colleges of Physicians of the UK is committed to the continuous improvement of the academic standards of examinations to help ensure the best possible care for patients by highly skilled physicians.
The Federation has taken the decision to increase exam fees from the 2021/04 diet. This will apply to candidates sitting Parts 1 and 2 of the MRCP(UK) diploma in the UK and internationally. The fees will increase by £29 to £448 for UK candidates and by £14 to £608 for international candidates.
This increase comes following a seven-year fee freeze put in place in 2014 to support trainees and candidates. Now, as operating costs have continued to rise with inflation this has necessitated the need to reassess the current level.
Chair of the Federation Board and President of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow Prof Jackie Taylor said,
"Last year saw the successful introduction of online exams as well as the dedicated support and assistance to those sitting the exam in this way. Offering online exams has required contracting with an external delivery company which has incurred and continues to incur significant expense.
We recognise that the exams are a substantial cost to candidates in the UK and across the world and hope that the move to online based exams will be much more convenient and negate the need to travel, which will bring down some of these expenditures."
The Federation is committed to reviewing exam costs on a regular basis and to be as transparent as possible over fees and how this income is used. In April of this year, it announced the investment in new digital systems and improvements to its technical infrastructure in order to greatly improve user experience. These new technologies will future-proof systems and support Federation staff to provide high-quality, cost-effective customer service that those taking examinations, undertaking medical training and maintaining their continuing professional development expect.
Details of how this increase will be reflected in Part 1 and Part 2 written examination fees for UK candidates will be published on the website shortly.
We always welcome feedback from candidates, if you would like to get in touch please email candidatefeedback@mrcpuk.org.
Please click on the following links for information on each of the Royal Colleges of Physicians which describes how the examination fees help support their developmental and educational activities for trainee and career grade physicians.