Membership

Why should I join the AUA?

Joining your professional association makes a statement.  It says you are an engaged HE professional and demonstrates a commitment to your career development. It also does so much for you.  It connects you to a wider community of like-minded professionals and opens up opportunities that will broaden, support and encourage your professional interests and development.

Your membership benefits

Networking: Our members are connected. Through us you can link with a variety of networks at a national and local level, and make connections with colleagues working in all areas of HE and at every stage of the profession to share knowledge and experience.

Professional recognition: As an AUA member you are demonstrating your commitment to the sector and your career in HE. Your post-nominal letters show others you are an engaged higher education professional and an active member of the AUA.

The Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Framework: The AUA CPD Framework is a versatile tool that supports the development of HE professionals. Based on professional behaviours rather than skills or competencies, it works on an organisational and individual level, across all roles in HE.

As a member you can access our CPD Planner, an interactive online tool, designed to help you to identify strengths and areas for improvement for each of the AUA’s nine professional behaviours. It takes a few minutes to use and you receive outcomes immediately with suggested activities and ways to plan your future development.

AUA Mentoring: Our mentoring programme is an opportunity for our members to use a mentoring relationship to empower their career journeys, improve their professional practice and support their professional development.  As the largest association of HE professionals in the UK, with members in roles covering the full-breadth of professional services, the AUA is uniquely positioned to offer this national scheme.

Qualifications and training:  We offer formal qualifications and courses designed specifically for HE professionals; gain an academic award by studying our Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education Administration, Management and Leadership or become an Improvement Practitioner with the Lean Six Sigma courses and apply the methodology to your workplace. 

Volunteering: Professional development comes in many guises at the AUA. We offer a range of volunteer opportunities which help broaden your experiences beyond your immediate professional context – from presenting at one of our conferences, to mentoring, to joining a short life working group; there are lots of ways to get involved.

Accreditation: Our accreditation scheme provides a clear pathway for you to take your career further and become an Accredited Member or Fellow of the AUA.

Exclusive experiences: Our AUA Annual Lecture featuring high profile speakers and experts from across the sector, open exclusively to AUA members.

Global opportunities: Our annual study tour gives you the opportunity to connect with colleagues across the globe and experience higher education in another country, or you could find yourself representing the AUA at an international conference supported by a bursary.

Events and conferences: Our programme of learning and development offers a series of conferences and events on a range of HE topics and skills to enhance your knowledge and practice. And if you miss out on some of our webinars, we also have a dedicated digital resources page available only to our members with access to webinar recordings and related articles.

An enhanced web experience:  As a member you can unlock the website to access an enhanced site which is personal to you.  You can securely update your membership details, tell us about your interests, make connections and log and record your CPD. And while you’re there you can visit our interactive forums, to share best practice and find out what everyone is talking about.

Resources and publications: Perspectives is our quarterly peer-reviewed professional journal that shares ideas to enhance the practical aspects of higher education management and administration.  Our Good Practice Guides provide bite size support for your professional practice and we also publish blogs, articles, career stories and all our latest news on the AUA website. As an AUA member, we invite you to write for us. Having your words published in print or online can simultaneously boost your professional identity and development.

Discounts: As a member you can take advantage of discounted rates to all of our events, including our flagship Annual Conference and Exhibition.

Tax relief: AUA Membership subscriptions are fully allowable for those employed in the sector as a deduction from taxable income under Section 201 of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988.

This template can be submitted to HMRC if you do not complete a tax return form. If you submit a tax return then your AUA subscriptions can be listed as a tax-deductible expense.

More information on how to claim tax relief on your subscription is available on the HMRC website.

AUA values

AUA members are committed to:

• Advancing education for public benefit through sharing professional knowledge and practice
• Developing our 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

Our values underpin the nine professional behaviours of the AUA CPD Framework. 

Membership fees

You can join as a full, concessionary or international AUA member. Full membership is based on three salary bands:

• Reduced (£22,999 or less) £82.53 per year
• Standard (£23,000 – £45,999) £121.11 per year
• Senior (£46,000 or more) £158.63 per year
• Concessionary (Retired or student membership) £75.03 per year
• International membership £107.18 per year

Monthly direct debit rates (UK only):

• Reduced (£22,999 or less) £6.19 per month
• Standard (£23,000 – £45,999) 1 month at £9.12 and then £9.08 per month
• Senior (£46,000 or more) 1 month at £11.98 and then £11.89 per month
• Concessionary (Retired or student membership) 1 month at £5.71 and then £5.62 per month

Download our terms and conditions of membership (pdf)

I'm ready to join

We’re delighted that you’re ready to join the AUA.

Register here…

…and you’ll soon be joining our large network of international members and enjoying the many benefits that membership of the AUA offers HE professionals.