Is the EdTA the right opportunity for me?

How to determine which level of Fellowship you could aim for, and information to help you assess if the EdTA the right opportunity for you.

Which fellowship category should I go for?

To determine the right fellowship category for you, please complete the Fellowship Category Tool from Advance HE:

Fellowship Category Tool from AdvanceHE - complete this online assessment

Advance HE has four fellowship categories that range in educational experience, breadth and leadership capabilities:

  • Associate Fellowship – suited to those working in teaching and supporting university learning with experience across some of the dimensions of the professional standards.
  • Fellowship – suited to those with broad experience of teaching and supporting university learning across all dimensions of the professional standards.
  • Senior Fellowship – suited to educational leaders who use their sustained experience of university learning and teaching to influence others’ teaching capabilities through coaching, mentoring, and carrying out duties beyond ‘direct teaching’.
  • Principal Fellowship – suited to strategic educational leaders who use their sustained experience to enhance university-level learning and teaching through pedagogical innovation and initiatives beyond their local area (school, deanery or service). 

To learn more about the Advance HE professional standards framework (2023), please download and read their core document:

AdvanceHE Professional Standards Framework for teaching and supporting learning in higher education 2023 

Is the EdTA the right opportunity for me?

In summary, the EdTA is a centrally organised mentoring scheme where you create a portfolio of materials with support from your mentor. The EdTA is a self-directed activity, in that you work at your own pace and put together the submission (i.e., reading, writing, and evidencing your teaching work), independently. The EdTA is not a taught course. Most staff take anywhere from 20-80 hours of work to prepare a submission and may meet with their mentor 3 or 5 times over the course of your work together. We have a range of centrally-organised workshops and retreats available to guide and motivate you to develop your submission and a big community of dedicated staff to network with. Once enrolled into the scheme, you will be given just under 2 years to complete your submission but, you can submit at any time in those 2 years. There are no fees for submitting a claim while enrolled in the EdTA. 

If you are not sure if this is the right fit for you currently, you can consider our other Continuing Professional Development (CPD) options here at the university. Within the Univesity of Edinburgh CPD Framework for Learning and Teaching, there are a range of opportunities available to staff. For a closer look at all of the options, in addition to the EdTA, please look at the CPD Framework webpages:

CPD Framework for Learning and Teaching at the University of Edinburgh

Summary of other options

For those seeking recognition of their teaching at the Associate Fellow or Fellow categories, we have accredited taught provision (i.e., taught courses or degrees) that are available: 

Please review these websites for more details about the courses and their requirements. There are no fees for University of Edinburgh staff or students to receive fellowship through the IntroAP or PgCAP. 

There are also unique options for medical and clinical educators at the university and some may include tuition costs. Please check with your local CMVM staff on taught provision options. 


Some University of Edinburgh Schools and Deaneries have dedicated mentoring schemes, where staff pair together locally. If you are part of a local mentoring scheme, you will follow the same format, guidelines, and assessment of the EdTA, but you are offered local supports as well. 

More information can be found on our webpages for local Edinburgh teaching award schemes 

We recommend you contact your local mentoring cohort lead directly for more information. There is no fee for University of Edinburgh staff or students to submit a fellowship claim via a local mentoring scheme.


Given time pressures and other factors, you may also decide to apply directly to Advance HE instead of waiting to join our central scheme. Advance HE has a different format of submission and is assessed by their panel of experts, externally to the university, but uses the same professional standards. 

Due to resource limitations, the central EdTA team cannot advise or mentor you on a direct claim, but you may find some support from local colleagues who have received their fellowship through this route. 

Costs: There are fees in doing a direct application. You can find the current costs for a direct application from the Advance HE website. 

Costs of a direct application to AdvanceHE

As the University of Edinburgh is a subscribing member of Advance HE, any member of staff or student who teaches/supports learning is eligible for 50% discount on the fee for direct application. In some limited special circumstances, where a strategic case can be made, the IAD may be able to pay for University of Edinburgh staff to apply directly through Advance HE. If you would like more information and to be considered for getting your direct application costs covered, please see our detailed guidance:

Prioritising IAD funding for direct applications to AdvanceHE


If you have viewed and considered all of the other CPD options and you are still unsure, please contact the Head of the CPD Framework (Dr Hazel Christie) for further information.

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