Become a Member

Fellow (FIMechE)

Becoming a Fellow is recognition that you're a professional engineer working in a senior role with significant autonomy and responsibility. It is the highest level of membership and demonstrates your wealth of experience, commitment and contribution to engineering.

On this page:

  1. Why become a Fellow?
  2. Who is it for?
  3. How much will it cost?
  4. Meet our Fellows
  5. Start your application
  6. Support for your application

Use our Route to membership tool to find out if this is the right level of membership for you.

Why become a Fellow?

Recognition

  • Gain international recognition for your experience and knowledge
  • Increase your exposure to new career opportunities
  • Raise the profile of engineering and encourage young engineers
  • Provide thought leadership
  • Improve your long term earning potential through recognition of your experience and competence

Build new relationships

  • Connect with members of the Institution worldwide
  • Build profitable working relationships with other specialists in your field
  • Help influence and support younger members
  • Volunteer to help us via your region, industry or through particular activities.

Access our resources

See all Member benefits

Who is it for?

Typically, Fellows are professional engineers working in a senior role with significant autonomy and responsibility and will be able to demonstrate the following qualities:

Essential

  • A position of senior responsibility and/or significant autonomy in your particular field
  • Demonstrable leadership qualities
  • Influencing policy and strategy making decisions in either a technical or business environment
  • A structured approach to Continuing Professional Development (CPD) that explains both how you have developed your CPD in your career to date and how you plan your future CPD 
  • The promotion of the engineering profession to young engineers and potential engineers

Desirable

  • Highly specialist knowledge in a specific area of engineering
  • Technical or engineering resource management and/or personnel management and development

Optional

  • Responsibility for a budget and the associated risk
  • Application of a significant range of fundamental principles and complex techniques across a wide and often unpredictable variety of contexts
  • Active development and application of new technologies in engineering and related areas at senior level

You can apply to upgrade to Fellowship if you are an IEng, CEng or EngTech Member.

You can also apply directly to Fellowship, which would require you to fill in a more detailed application. We would also need to assess your competence to EngTech, IEng or CEng.

We welcome engineers from a very comprehensive base of experience and disciplines. Read our definition of mechanical engineering to find out more.

How much does it cost?

New registrants pay an application fee and an annual subscription fee as well as the appropriate Engineering Council fees. Existing Members pay an application fee and the difference between the Member and Fellow annual subscription fee.

If you're not professionally active or your annual income is below £18,000 you may qualify for a reduced subscription.

Fees and charges in UK pounds

View our application and subscription fees in UK pounds.

Fees and charges in India 

View our application and subscription fees in India.

Start your application

You can apply to upgrade to Fellowship if you are a Chartered Engineer (CEng), Incorporated Engineer (IEng) or Engineering Technician (EngTech) member. You can also apply directly to Fellowship, which would require you to fill in a more detailed application.

Upgrading from IMechE Member?

If you are already registered as a CEng, IEng or EngTech and a Member of IMechE (MIMechE) you will need to demonstrate evidence of meeting the Fellowship requirements. Find out how to upgrade your membership.

Not yet registered as a CEng, IEng and EngTech?

If you are not already registered as a Chartered Engineer, Incorporated Engineer or Engineering Technician we will need to assess you against the competence requirements for one of these registration types as part of your application for Fellowship. 

Your application for Fellowship and registration will need to include:

  • A completed Direct Fellow CEng or Direct Fellow IEng application form, in which you will demonstrate how you meet the competence and Fellowship requirements. 
  • Supporting documents, such as evidence of qualifications.
  • Signatures of two sponsors (on the application form). One of your sponsors must be a Fellow.
  • An application fee.

Exemplars and guidance notes are available: 

Members wishing to upgrade to Fellow remain eligible for transfer to Fellow for 2 years after leaving professional practice. If you can demonstrate that you continue to promote the profession through involvement in regional committees, school initiatives or similar, you remain eligible for 5 years after leaving professional practice.

If you are seeking professional registration you will need to demonstrate your ability to meet competences described in the Engineering Council's UK-SPEC.

Become a member

Contact our Membership team if you have any questions about joining us:

  • membership@imeche.org
  • +44 (0)20 7304 6999

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    UK-SPEC 4th Edition

    All applicants for registration with the Engineering Council (EngC) and membership of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers are assessed against the standards as defined by EngC within the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC). The 4th edition of the UK-SPEC was implemented from 31 December 2021, and is now the version of the standards used to assess applicants for registration. The 4th edition is available here.

    Jenny Maher

    Meet our Fellows

    Our members work within and take the lead in organisations across a wide range of engineering sectors.

    WCE Coat of Arms

    Join the The Worshipful Company of Engineers

    Fellows of the Institution are eligible to apply to join The Worshipful Company of Engineers, the Livery Company for senior leading engineers from industry and academia. The Company promotes and develops all aspects of the science, art and practice of engineering through lectures, visits and networking – providing a link to the traditions and activities of the City of London and Livery movement.

    Professionally registered with another institution?

    Find out how to join us

    Alastair cooper - award winner 310

    Armed Forces and MOD

    Serving in the Armed Forces or the Ministry of Defence (MoD)? You may be eligible to use a simplified route to professional registration.

    Find out about our Armed Forces route to professional registration


    Support for your application

    At the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, we value diversity and are strongly committed to providing inclusive and supportive conditions for all applicants. A fundamental element of the application process is a peer-to-peer interview.

    Should you require any reasonable adjustments for the interview, before scheduling, please contact our membership team at membership@imeche.org, detailing your requirements so that we can determine how best to help. If agreed, please be assured that this will not be communicated any further than is strictly needed to accommodate the request, which will include the professional assessors. Your request will not impact the overall assessment in any way.

    • Membership support team

      We can give you advice and support throughout the application process.

    • Global Membership Development Support

      If you'd like to help your engineers or students move forward on the path to professional registration, why not ask one of our Membership Development Managers to deliver a presentation at your office, university or college?

      Find a Membership Development Manager near you

    • Working towards professional registration?

      Find out how we can help you become registered through your company or as an individual.

      Find out more