Academic Partnerships
Become a partner organisation
Academic Partnerships
Become a partner organisation
What we look for in our academic partnerships
We recognise that academic partnerships are an essential part of the ecosystem in which universities operate.
Our strategic focus is on developing sustainable collaborations where we can add significant value to our academic partners and their students, and where our partners will also add value to the wider University reputation and standing.
Our academic partnership activity is centred on two types of academic partnership arrangements:
Validation arrangements
-
- The University, as an awarding institution, judges that a programme (or part thereof) developed and delivered by another institution or organisation is of an appropriate quality and standard to lead to its award.
Franchise arrangements
-
- The University allows the whole or part of one or more of its own internally developed programmes to be delivered and assessed at a partner institution, leading to an award of the University.
At the centre of our academic partnership mindset is the student experience and their outcomes. When considering a proposed partnership arrangement, we will want to ensure that the partnership will create a high-quality student experience, underpinned by the living and learning ethos.
Prospective partner programme offerings will need to be able to demonstrate the basis for excellent student progression and completion rates, and programmes that will help produce capable graduates with excellent subject-specific knowledge as well as employability skills.
Guiding principles
In deciding whether to embark upon a new partnership we will draw on a range of guiding principles. These are intended as a guide rather than as an exhaustive list and they are not presented in any order of weighting or priority.
It is not necessary for a partnership opportunity to satisfy all of the principles if it appears that there are strengths relating to some principles that compensate for others that might be less strong.
- Institutional Reputation: The reputation and standing of the proposed partner organisation is such that, through association, it will strengthen the University’s identity as a premium higher education institution and/or as a world-leader in research.
- Visibility & Impact: The proposed partnership will create opportunities for the University to be more visible and have greater positive impact in education and research at a local, national, or international level.
- Growth & Sustainability: The proposed partnership activities will bring or will have the potential to bring notable growth in educational and/or research activities, the proposed partnership and will be operationally and financially sustainable for the proposed period of the partnership.
- Enhancement: The proposed partnership will create an opportunity for the partner to enhance its own education or research activities. In particular, it will further the University’s commitment to research-led education.
- Diversification and Innovation: The proposed partnership will provide the University with an opportunity to offer programmes of study or carry out research activity that are different to its own or are very innovative, particularly where the capability to do so alone does not exist. This could include delivering at a different site, delivering the subject in a different way or by appealing to a different student demographic.
Contact us
If you have an interest in exploring a potential academic partnership opportunity with the University, please complete our academic partnership enquiry form and email both Chris Dancer at c.dancer@chi.ac.uk and acpart@chi.ac.uk.

Chris Dancer
Head of Academic Partnerships
Chris Dancer has been Head of Academic Partnerships at the University of Chichester since December 2019.Â
As an academic leader, his previous roles at the University included responsibility for leadership and management of University of Chichester Business School new programme development, international partnership provision and undergraduate work-based learning. Within that role he acquired considerable experience of developing, leading, and enhancing collaborative partnerships.
For new Academic Partnerships, please contact:
Chris Dancer
Head of Academic Partnerships
c.dancer@chi.ac.uk
For existing Academic Partner queries, please contact either your Link Tutor or a member of the University’s Academic Quality and Standards Service (AQSS) at acpart@chi.ac.uk
See our Information for Academic Partners page for more helpful links for current partners.
What We Provide
We understand the importance to our academic partners of having in place an efficient and effective operational management interface as well as offering a high-quality service for students.
Features of our academic partner provision include :
Admissions
A named contact within our Admissions Team to support you with timely and efficient processing of your students’ applications.
Library Resources
Electronic library resources for your students and staff accessed direct through our ‘Partner Portal’.
ChiView
Our online portal that links our student record management system and enables students to access their grades or amend aspects of their personal records.
FastPass/Self-Service Portal
A facility that enables students to log requests for password changes and problems with their account at any time, and to monitor the progress of their request.
Registry Support
A comprehensive range of support that enables efficient registration of students, facilities to enable direct tutor feedback to students and the provision of student grades,.
Link Tutor
Each partner has a nominated link tutor. This is a key role in maintaining a supportive partnership as well as helping to ensure that the University is able to maintain oversight of academic standards .
External Examining
Appointment of an external examiner to review student work. As a part of their role, external examiners will normally have the opportunity to visit the partner and meet their students at least once during their tenure. This is part of the process whereby the University seeks to encourage a close, mutually valuable, working relationship between academic partners and external examiners.
Staff Development
Partner staff teaching on our programmes have access to our professional development programme free of charge. Where a partner has an interest in doing so, we also seek to enable opportunities for partner staff to engage in our AdvanceHE accredited PgCert in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, conferring FHEA.
Straightforward Pricing
The payment structure for Academic Partnerships is straightforward and transparent. We will make clear the costings to you from the outset.