Higher Education Academy (HEA) Fellowships accredited by Advance HE

There are two ways to apply for HEA Fellowship at UNSW. The UNSW FULT Program is accredited by Advance HE, with participants who successfully complete the program eligible to apply for the award of Associate Fellow, Higher Education Academy (AFHEA). For direct applications, please contact the EF Team ([email protected]) if you are an Education Focussed staff or your School for other applicants.

Four different categories of HEA Fellowship can be awarded: Associate Fellowship (AFHEA), Fellowship (FHEA), Senior Fellowship (SFHEA) and Principal Fellowship (PFHEA). 

These categories reflect the wide range of professional practice carried out by individuals who teach and support learning in higher education; from those who have a partial role in teaching or supporting learning through to senior professionals with strategic impact on the educational landscape at an organisational, sector-wide setting.

Being awarded HEA Fellowship will give you a range of benefits, such as: 

• Consolidating your personal development and evidence of professional practice in your higher education career; 

• Providing a valuable measure of success that is recognised by international and Australian institutions, and increasingly being sought by employers across the higher education sector as a condition of appointment and promotion; 

• Demonstrating your commitment to teaching, learning and the student experience, through engagement in a practical process that encourages research, reflection and development; 

• Entitling you to use post-nominal letters (AFHEA, FHEA SFHEA or PFHEA) to identify your experience and expertise; 

• Providing institutional assurance, because HEA Fellowships are an important indicator that UNSW is fully aligned with Professional Standards Framework (PSF) practice and a badge of assured quality throughout UNSW. 

• Senior Fellowship particularly provides international professional recognition that acknowledges your leadership of learning and teaching, while Principal Fellowship acknowledges your recognition as a strategic leader in higher education.

• For more information about Advance HE Fellowships in general, please visit the Advance HE Fellowship site page. 

• For more information about Advance HE Fellowships at UNSW and the support available to you, we have a Moodle Course site available for eligible staff - please contact us at [email protected] to request access. (Note: this tool is based on the 2011 PSF. The recent framework is available here)
  The Moodle Course includes step by step guides to writing your application, templates, useful links, FAQs and a public forum to engage with other academics who are interested in, or have already received HEA Fellowship. 

• The Fellowship Category Tool is available to help you understand which category of HEA Fellowship most closely aligns to your current practice, and to help you reflect on your ongoing professional development and career aspirations. It should take around 10-20 minutes to complete. 

• The UNSW Education Focussed Development team coordinate several workshops, writing retreats, seminars, and other events to assist you with your Advance HE Fellowship journey. Register your interest by contacting [email protected], and they'll keep you in the loop with upcoming events.

For a complete list of Advance HE Fellows, visit EF Central.

We are excited to announce an end of year event for our HEA fellows and those interested in becoming a fellow, which will be held on Wednesday 27 November, 2024. We invite expressions of interest from those who wish to participate. Please fill out this survey so we can send you additional details as they become available.