University of Melbourne accredited with Advance HE

The University of Melbourne has become accredited with Advance HE and will launch the new Melbourne Educational Fellowship Program from 2027.

The Advance HE Fellowship program was piloted by the University in Semester 2, 2024. The Centre for the Study of Higher Education (CSHE) supported a successful rollout of the pilot which was expanded in 2025. Since then, over 70 staff members have been awarded Advance HE Fellowships.

The institutional accreditation enables the University to award Advance HE Fellowships internally, from Associate Fellow to Senior Fellow. This will allow upscaling of the programs and will create more opportunities for staff to complete the fellowships.

The rollout of the Melbourne Educational Fellowship Program is one of the ways the University is empowering staff to demonstrate excellence in teaching and learning and student support.

“Achieving AdvanceHE accreditation is a significant milestone for the University of Melbourne and CSHE and reflects our commitment to exceptional education. The launch of the Melbourne Educational Fellowship Program will build on our ability to support our educators to be recognised for the quality of their teaching practice, impact, and leadership,” said Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Gregor Kennedy.

Once launched, participants in the Melbourne Educational Fellowship Program will attend workshops and receive tailored feedback on their application drafts, supporting them to submit applications aligned with their career stage and cumulative experience in teaching or supporting learning in higher education.

Dr Mat Hardy, Melbourne Educational Fellowship Program Coordinator who has provided feedback on Advance HE applications over the past two years believes the program’s reflective nature is a key part of its value.

“It encourages applicants to critically reflect on their teaching and learning practice and provide evidence of their impact. The award of fellowship itself is then a valuable addition to a teaching portfolio, particularly for early- and mid-career teaching staff.”

While the new program will launch fully from 2027, there are still opportunities for staff to gain Fellowship during Semester 2 2026 through the CSHE.

Together these benefits sit within the broader ecosystem of professional learning and recognition offered by CSHE.

“The program will complement other CSHE offerings, including a suite of teaching certificates, particularly the Graduate Certificate in University Teaching, and the Peer Review of Teaching Program, providing a range of opportunities for staff to demonstrate the quality of their teaching as well as their continuous improvement,” said Director of CSHE, Professor Chris Ziguras.