The primary material benefits of membership in the IACS are: the option to subscribe to the Journal of Coptic Studies at a discount of 50% off the subscription price that is charged by the publisher (Peeters Press, in Leuven, Belgium; one volume per year); a reduced IACS members’ registration fee for attending any of the IACS’s quadrennial International Congresses of Coptic Studies; receipt of the IACS’s occasional Newsletter; facilitated access to the research library and premises of the Société d’archéologie copte (Society of Coptic Archaeology) in Cairo; and (except in the case of Friend status) the right to vote on formal business at the quadrennial IACS Business Meeting that is held at the end of each International Congress of Coptic Studies.

The application procedure differs depending on the category of membership that is sought. All application materials are to be submitted to the IACS Secretary and may be sent either in paper form or by email.

Normal membership. The required application materials are: (1) a brief statement of the applicant’s interest and involvement in Coptic studies; (2) the applicant’s curriculum vitae; (3) two brief statements in support of the application signed by current members of the IACS.

Student membership. The required application materials are: (1) a brief statement of the applicant’s interest and involvement in Coptic studies; (2) the applicant’s curriculum vitae, including information about the institution where the applicant is studying and the nature of her/his current program of study; (3) confirmation of the applicant’s official student status by the applicant’s academic supervisor or someone else in an official position of authority. A student may apply for Normal membership, if s/he so chooses.

Retired member. This status is typically conferred when a Normal member informs the Secretary that s/he has retired from previous employment. If the retired applicant was not already an IACS member, then the required application materials are the same as for Normal membership.

Friend of the IACS. Anyone may become a Friend of the IACS simply by writing to the Secretary to request this category of membership. In distinction from the other categories of membership, a Friend of the IACS may not vote on formal business at an IACS Business Meeting, nor serve on the IACS Board. A Friend of the IACS may apply at any time to switch to Normal or Student status, if s/he so chooses (see those membership categories for the required application materials).

Institutional membership. An official representative of the applying institution should contact the Secretary to inquire about obtaining this category of membership. An institutional member may designate someone to represent the institution at an International Congress of Coptic Studies, and that representative would have one vote on formal business at the IACS Business Meeting at the end of that Congress.

The Secretary will reply to each application with information about the further procedure. In accordance with the IACS Statutes (art. 3), the Secretary will poll the members of the IACS Board about each application before informing the applicant as to acceptance, a process that can require several weeks. New members will be confirmed at the next Business Meeting of the IACS (at the end of the next quadrennial IACS Congress), but in between acceptance and formal confirmation, a new member will enjoy all benefits of membership.