The Association of Higher Education Professionals (AHEP), formerly known as the Association of University Administrators (AUA), is the professional body for higher education administrators and managers in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. As of 2023, its membership comprised several thousand individuals, representing 300 institutions from the UK and 21 countries worldwide.^[1]

Following the passage of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, the association was formed by the merger of the Association of Polytechnic Administrators (APA) and the Conference of University Administrators (CUA) in 1993. CUA traced its history back to the Meeting of University Academic Administrative Staff, founded in 1961. The association marked the golden jubilee of the professionalisation of support staff in UK universities in 2011.^[2] In response to the changing UK higher education sector, it adopted the current name in 2023.^[3]

AHEP exists to advance and assist in the advancement of education by fostering sound methods of leadership, management and administration in further and higher education by education, training, and other means.

AHEP members are individually and collectively committed to:^[4]

• Advancing education for public benefit through sharing professional knowledge and practice
• Developing their own and others' professional practice
• Actively championing a professional culture of equality, diversity and inclusion
• Working to the highest standards of fair, ethical and transparent professional behaviour

These values underpin the nine professional behaviours of the AHEP Professional Framework.

The AHEP Professional Framework is a tool that supports the career development of higher education professionals. It works on an organisational and individual level, for professionals at all career stages, and can be applied across all roles in the sector.^[5]

The AHEP Accreditation Scheme provides a clear path for members (entitled to the post-nominal letters MAHEP) to Accredited Membership (AMAHEP) and Fellowship (FAHEP), which recognise a deeper commitment to ongoing professional development and acknowledge the impact and influence of this on professional practice.^[6]

The AHEP Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education Administration, Management and Leadership, delivered in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, is a self-directed, independent, work-based learning programme for higher education professionals working within UK higher education administration.^[7]

The quarterly journal of the Association of Higher Education Professionals, Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education, is published by Taylor and Francis.^[8]

A series of Good Practice Guides available to members, first published by CUA in 1986, aims to share and promote best practice in HE.^[9]

AHEP's annual conference and exhibition is the largest professional development conference in the UK HE calendar, with plenary and keynote presentations and around 100 working sessions.

Internationally, AHEP maintains reciprocal agreements with similar organisations, which allow members to attend partner conferences.

The association is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, managed and administered by a Board of Trustees.^[10] Following election, the Chair-elect serves as Vice-chair of the Association for one year before taking office; upon completion of a term of office, the retiring Chair serves as Vice-chair for a further year:^[11]

The Honorary President of the Association undertakes such activities as may be requested by the Board of Trustees or prescribed from time to time in the bye-laws. The Board is responsible for appointing the Honorary President in accordance with bye-laws established for that purpose:^[11]

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (December 2020)

• Higher education
• Academic administration
• Professional association
• Professional development
• Association for Tertiary Education Management