It’s easy to be a Quantity Surveyor.

Median salary (2026)

£48,000/yr

Range £26,000 – £70,000

National Careers Service (quantity surveyor) states a starter salary of £26,000 rising to £70,000 for experienced quantity surveyors. No official government pay-band median is published for this role (unlike NHS Agenda for Change roles), so the median of £48,000 is the arithmetic midpoint of National Careers Service's own starter and experienced figures, not a separately measured statistic — treat it as indicative, not authoritative.

Time to qualify

3–5 years

Fastest is 3 years via a full-time RICS-accredited BSc (Hons), after which you can work as a quantity surveyor immediately. Becoming chartered (MRICS) via the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) typically adds a further 2 years of logged, structured experience. The Level 6 Chartered Surveyor Degree Apprenticeship (ST0331) combines both in around 5 years (60 months) and delivers MRICS status directly on completion.

Cost to qualify

£0 – £30,000

The Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship (ST0331) route costs you nothing directly — it carries a maximum funding band of £27,000 paid by the employer and government apprenticeship levy, and you earn a wage throughout. Self-funding a full-time RICS-accredited BSc instead costs up to the current tuition fee cap of £9,790 a year (£29,370 over three years, 2026/27 gov.uk fee limits), on top of which joining RICS via the APC route once you're ready to become chartered costs a further £520 enrolment plus £173 annual subscription (2026 rates).

All figures apply to United Kingdom. Salaries, licensing, and timelines differ by country — where other editions exist, switch between them at the top of the page.

How to become a Quantity Surveyor — step by step

1. 1

   Get GCSEs including maths and English By age 16

   The baseline entry requirement for both the university and apprenticeship routes.

2. 2

   Choose your route: A-levels plus degree, or degree apprenticeship 2 years of A-levels, or straight into the apprenticeship at 18

   Take A-levels (or equivalent) and apply for a RICS-accredited BSc in quantity surveying or a related subject, or apply directly for the Level 6 Chartered Surveyor Degree Apprenticeship (ST0331), which combines paid work with part-time study.

3. 3

   Complete your accredited degree 3 years full-time, or built into the ~5-year apprenticeship

   Full-time BSc route, or the degree component of the apprenticeship studied around one day a week alongside paid work.

4. 4

   Get hired as a graduate or trainee quantity surveyor Immediately after your degree

   Start working under a more experienced surveyor on live projects — cost planning, measurement, and contract administration.

5. 5

   Register as an RICS APC candidate and complete structured training Minimum 2 years

   Log real project experience against RICS's competency framework, usually with an APC counsellor and supervisor at your employer.

6. 6

   Pass the RICS Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) Final assessment day, after 2+ years' logged experience

   A final submission and interview assessing your competencies; passing makes you a Chartered Member (MRICS).

7. 7

   Specialise or progress 3-10+ years post-qualification

   Move into senior quantity surveying, project management, dispute resolution, or independent consultancy as you build a track record.

Requirements to be a Quantity Surveyor

• RICS-accredited degree in quantity surveying, construction, or a related built-environment subject (or an approved postgraduate conversion)educationRequired

  Achievable via a full-time BSc/BSc(Hons), or via the Level 6 Chartered Surveyor Degree Apprenticeship (ST0331), which delivers the same accredited degree while you work.

• GCSEs including maths and English (or equivalent), plus A-levels for the direct degree routeeducationRequired

  The baseline school-level entry requirement before a degree or degree apprenticeship.

• RICS membership via the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC)certificationOptional

  Not required to start work as a quantity surveyor, but it's the standard route to becoming 'chartered' (MRICS), and most employers expect candidates to be working towards it within a few years of graduating.

• No statutory licence to use the job titlelicenseOptional

  'Quantity surveyor' is not a legally protected title in the UK. Only the 'Chartered Surveyor'/MRICS designation is controlled, by RICS.

• Cost-estimating and measurement software (e.g. CostX, Bluebeam, or firm-specific ERP tools)skillRequired

  Expected from your first graduate role; most employers provide training on their specific toolset.

• Numeracy and commercial negotiation skillsskillRequired

  Core to cost planning, valuations, and resolving contractor disputes.

A day in the life of a Quantity Surveyor

A typical day mixes desk work and site time: reviewing drawings and updating cost plans in the morning, a site visit to measure completed work and check progress against the programme, then afternoon calls or meetings with contractors to agree valuations, price variations, or resolve a dispute over materials. Deadlines cluster around monthly valuation dates and the final account at project completion, so some weeks are calmer than others.

Is it worth it to be a Quantity Surveyor?

Common mistakes to avoid

• Enrolling on a construction or surveying degree that isn't RICS-accredited, then discovering it doesn't count towards the APC — always check the RICS-accredited course list before applying.
• Delaying RICS APC enrolment for years after graduating: the longer you wait, the more you have to reconstruct evidence of relevant experience from memory.
• Treating the APC as a paperwork exercise rather than genuine reflective practice — assessors can tell the difference, and referrals mean resit fees and a further wait.
• Assuming quantity surveying is purely desk-based: most roles include regular site visits, and underestimating this leads to early-career dissatisfaction.
• Going self-employed or contracting before chartered status, which can limit the contracts and clients willing to trust your sign-off.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Every figure on this page traces to one of these primary sources.

1. 1Chartered Surveyor (Degree) Apprenticeship standard, quantity surveying pathway (ST0331 v1.2) — Skills England (Department for Education) · accessed September 11, 2026
2. 2Construction Workforce Outlook (annual recruitment need, 2026-2030) — CITB · accessed September 11, 2026
3. 3Quantity surveyor job profile (salary, entry routes, day-to-day tasks) — National Careers Service · accessed September 11, 2026
4. 4RICS join fees — APC route, United Kingdom, 2026 rates — Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors · accessed September 11, 2026
5. 5Student finance: tuition fee loan cap for 2026 to 2027 — GOV.UK · accessed September 11, 2026