Join the BAcC

Full membership

As a graduate of a BAAB accredited course, you are eligible to apply for Full membership of the BAcC and, because of your graduate status, admission is straightforward.

We do need to collect information about you, however, so you will need to complete an application form for this. Please email membership@acupuncture.org.uk confirming your full name and your accredited course and we will send you full details.

Membership subscriptions

Recent graduates are offered a reduced membership subscription rate to help them as they start and build up their new practice.

Annual rates 

First year membership: (41% discount): £357.50  per annum / £89.38  per quarter
Second year membership: (21% discount): £483.75  per annum / £120.94  per quarter
Full membership: £610.00  per annum / £152.50  per quarter

The reduced rates are applied for a period of 12 months, and are offered to graduates who apply for membership within six months of their graduation. We will confirm the subscription and the methods of payment on application.

If you have any questions, then please email membership@acupuncture.org.uk. If you would prefer to talk to us about your position, then please call our Membership Team on 020 8735 1209 at your convenience.

Member testimonial

“Within 48 hours of joining the BAcC, I was contacted by a new patient who had been looking for an acupuncturist via the website. On the back of me being a member she booked a block of five treatments. She has continued treatment and has effectively paid my membership fee.

“My second patient from the BAcC practitioner finder also paid for a block of five and has continued. That is my conference fee paid.”

Jane Brockbank Lic.Ac. MBAcC and 2023 graduate, The Acupuncture Academy

Returning members

Thank you for your interest in returning to Full membership of the BAcC – we would love to welcome you back!

Been in membership in the last three years?

Re-admission is very straightforward. Please email us at membership@acupuncture.org.uk with your full name and membership number (if you know it), and tell us when you should like to re-commence your membership from. We will then supply you with the latest declaration form and confirm your membership subscription, so that you may reinstate your membership.

Of course, you may have questions before you reinstate – please don’t hesitate to email them to membership@acupuncture.org.uk. If you would prefer to talk to us about your position, then please call Lucia Misikova, our Membership Engagement Officer, on 020 8735 1209 at your convenience.

Been out of membership for over three years?

When an acupuncturist has been outside of BAcC Full membership and the accredited register for a long time, there is a risk of loss of the skills, competence or knowledge necessary for safe professional practice.

Our Returning to Membership admissions route is a free application route that is designed to support you back into membership and your compliance with the Standards of Practice for Acupuncture.

Our application form contains a number of questions which are designed to explore what you have been doing in your time away from practice, in order to maintain your knowledge and skills. You will complete a self-assessment of your needs in returning to practice, your practitioner skills, your professional development, your communication skills, your approach to safe practice and your business management skills. As part of the application, you are asked to reflect upon you current status in these areas. The form also asks you to identify your plans for returning to practice and how you intend to strengthen your knowledge and skills.

This self-assessment exercise is not too arduous and should also help inform your CPD activity for the forthcoming CPD cycle. There is no charge for this application process.

Please email us at membership@acupuncture.org.uk with your full name and membership number (if you know it), and we will send you full details. If you would prefer to talk to us about your position, then please call Lucia Misikova, our Membership Engagement Officer, on 020 8735 1209 at your convenience.

NCCAOM diplomates

Active NCCAOM board-certified acupuncturists are eligible for admission to the BAcC through our standard application process.

However, admission to the BAcC is conditional upon completion of a minimum of six Mentoring-Supervision sessions in the first 12 months of BAcC membership, focused on the BAcC Standards for the Practice of Acupuncture.

These sessions are aimed at:

• understanding the practice of acupuncture in the UK health system
• embedding reflective practice as a tool for developing professionalism
• ensuring the BAcC Codes of Safe Practice and Professional Conduct are fully understood and implemented
• understanding and achieving local authority, HMRC and other legal requirements for setting up in practice
• supporting engagement with the professional acupuncture community
• supporting establishment and development of a successful practice in the UK.

Please email membership@acupuncture.org.uk confirming your full name and we will send you full details.

Other qualifications

The British Acupuncture Council (BAcC) operates an Independent Admissions route and welcomes applications from practitioners who would like to become full members but who did not complete a British Acupuncture Accreditation Board (‘BAAB’) accredited course.

Eligibility

Our main principle for Independent Admissions is that education and training must have taken place on an acupuncture programme that is:

1. At level 6 (e.g., bachelors degree) on the RQF or above.

2. Meets study hours’ equivalency at a minimum of 3,600 hours, including 400 hours of supervised clinical practice.

3. Is judged to meet the BAcC’s Educational Standards.

While assessment is focused on the main acupuncture qualification, other relevant level 6 (degree-level) qualifications will be taken into consideration, where these help to demonstrate how you meet the BAcC’s Educational Standards.

We recommend you read our Independent Admissions policy and the BAcC Educational Standards before applying. Combined, these give a thorough overview of the application and assessment processes, as well as the educational standards your qualification(s) will be benchmarked against.

Assessment fee

We charge a non-refundable assessment fee of £305 for assessment of your application. This becomes payable on receipt of your application and accompanying documentation.

If you are eligible for Full membership upon completion of assessment, £152.50 of this fee will be offset against your membership fees (equivalent to one full quarter of membership).

Additional costs may apply. Please visit our Independent Admissions policy for more detail.

How to apply

If you would like to apply for membership through our Independent Admissions route, please complete the online form below. Alternatively, you can email or call us on +44 (0)20 8735 1209 and we will send a Word version of the form to you.

Get in touch

We are here to support you throughout the assessment process, so please don’t hesitate to email  or call +44 (0)20 8735 1209 if you have any questions.