Advancing Excellence in Applied Higher Education
Applied eXel: A global framework redefining excellence in applied higher education. Developed under the UNESCO Chair on Strategic Foresight and Higher Education at the Higher Colleges of Technology (UAE).
Applied eXel Framework: A New Benchmark for Applied Higher Education
Discover how the Applied eXel Framework empowers institutions to enhance quality, relevance, and impact across every dimension of applied higher education.
Clear Standards for Applied Excellence
Provide a structured framework that guides institutions in strengthening leadership, teaching, research, and societal impact.
Evidence-Driven Self-Assessment Tools
Access practical templates and scoring guides that help institutions evaluate capabilities and outcomes with clarity and confidence.
Global Peer Learning and Collaboration
Engage with a diverse network of applied higher education institutions committed to shared learning, benchmarking, and continuous improvement.
Applied eXel Framework
Explore the seven dimensions that define excellence in applied higher education and guide institutions toward quality, relevance, and impact.
Strategic Leadership and Sense of Purpose
While this applies to all types of higher education institutions, those that provide applied programmes should have a vision that reflects its position as an interface between lifelong learning and the world of work.
Engagement with the World of Work
As the defining characteristic of applied higher education, this domain assesses the measure and ambition of an institution or department to integrate professional and societal readiness across its activities.
Curriculum Innovation
Learning and teaching is being challenged by profound technological change, and as institutions or departments close to business and society, they should be the first to adopt and adapt new methods.
Enhanced Learners Outcomes
Through student centered and work-based learning, applied higher education produces graduates that are ready for the modern work environment, equipping them with the technical and horizontal skills that help them succeed.
Knowledge Solutions
Applied higher education uses knowledge to inform teaching as well as provide solutions for business and society. Excellent applied research must have an impact, and this requires the adoption of rigorous, appropriate and innovative methodologies that meet the demands of users.
Local Impact
Higher education is a global industry, but the knowledge and skills generated through applied universities has an undervalued local impact. Education and research can only have such an impact if its “place-based”, which means that it is inspired by and seeks to add specific value to the towns, cities and wider regions in which the institution is located.
Global Reach
Promoting industrial development locally cannot be separated from the global level, and applied universities adapt global knowledge for local solutions. They also train professionals who may work abroad or at home, and therefore they must be equipped with the horizontal and cultural citizens required to be a global citizen.
Register for the First International Conference on Excellence in Applied Higher Education and Applied eXel Framework Launch Event – April 9, 2026 – Dubai, UAE
Connect with leaders, experts, and institutions driving excellence in applied higher education.