Chartered Engineer (CEng)

Professional body qualification

Chartered Engineer (CEng)

CEng (Chartered Engineer), awarded through a licensed professional engineering institution under the Engineering Council

A legally protected professional title. The Engineering Council does not describe it as a requirement to work as an engineer; some employers ask for it or support you towards it.

Awarding body

Engineering Council, through a licensed institution (for example IMechE, IET or ICE)

Level

Professional registration title (no exam level)

Where it applies

UK

Exams

No exams: an individual, work-based assessment by your institution against UK-SPEC.

Entry

• Join a licensed professional engineering institution, which assesses you against the Engineering Council's standard (UK-SPEC)
• Exemplifying qualifications: an accredited integrated MEng, or an accredited BEng (Hons) plus further learning to master's level — you can still apply without them

Also required

• Show the competence and commitment set out in UK-SPEC, assessed by a licensed institution

Exemptions

Not applicable — CEng is assessed on competence, not exams. Accredited degrees shorten the academic part of the assessment.

Continuing development

Registrants are expected to keep up continuing professional development under their institution's rules.

Outside this area

A UK title. Recognition abroad depends on local rules.

Assessment and registration fees

• Engineering Council fees are collected by the institution you register through, on top of that institution's own membership fees.
• IMechE's 2026 total for a Member with CEng is £369.45 a year, including the Engineering Council fee. IMechE's application fee rises to £160 from 1 January 2027.
• We could not verify IET or ICE fees from their official pages, so no figure is shown.

Membership and subscriptions