It’s Here: The Red Hat Academy Excellence Program!

[TudorRaduta]

The wait is over. Today, we are proud to relaunch the tiering initiative under the name Red Hat Academy Excellence Program— with the aim of strengthening collaboration, inspiring motivation, and driving partner institution engagement.

Introducing the Red Hat Academy Excellence Program

The Red Hat Academy Excellence Program offers benefits designed to assist in further expanding Red Hat skills within your institution and its educational community. The benefits offered are based on each institution’s level of activity to Red Hat Academy, rewarding those who have higher engagement, consumption, and overall standing within the program.

The Red Hat Academy Excellence Program rewards institutions with increasing benefits as they progress through the tiers. Ready Partners receive foundational benefits, including no-cost exams for Student Ambassadors and access to self-paced courses. Advanced Partners gain additional perks such as free OpenShift track exams for instructors and students, free Virtual Training attendance, and expanded Self-Paced course access. Premier Partners enjoy the most comprehensive benefits, including up to three Virtual Training event courses, a free Red Hat Learning Subscription (RHLS) for instructors, and the highest level of Self-Paced course access—ensuring they remain at the forefront of Red Hat education.

Program Benefits	Ready	Advanced	Premier
Red Hat Academy Partnership Certificate	✓	✓	✓
No-cost exam for Student Ambassadors (SAs)	✓ 1 exam per year for active SAs	✓ 1 exam per year for active SAs	✓ 1 exam per year for active SAs
No-cost exam for the OpenShift track		✓ 2 instructors & 2 nominated students	✓ 2 instructors & 4 nominated students
Free seat at a live event for instructors		✓ 1 course	✓ up to 3 courses
Free access to the Red Hat Learning Subscription			✓ 1 instructor
Additional self-paced Red Hat Academy courses*	✓ 2 courses	✓ 4 courses	✓ 6 courses

*Self-paced courses from the Red Hat Academy curriculum in addition to RH104, DO101, DO180 & D0188, which are already provided as self-paced options to all Red Hat Academies.

How to Participate: Partner institutions that have been actively engaged over the past year are automatically eligible for the program, with no formal sign-up process required. 

Program Requirements: Institutions must meet specific criteria to qualify for each tier, such as offering a set number of courses, achieving certain certification milestones, and engaging students in Red Hat’s learning ecosystem. Detailed information on the specific requirements: 

Program Requirements	Ready	Advanced	Premier
Minimum partnership tenure	N/A	>=1 year	>=3 years
Red Hat Academy curriculum: Consecutive delivery through the Learning Platform	>=1 year	>=2 years	>=3 years
Red Hat Academy curriculum: Students actively consuming through the Learning Platform	>=5 students	>=15 students	>=75 students
Red Hat Academy curriculum: Delivering an emerging technology course to students who actively consume content on the Learning Platform	N/A	>=5 students	>=15 Students
Instructor self-paced training: Actively utilize courses through Get Trained & Certified on the Learning Platform	N/A	Yes	Yes

Join Us in Excellence

Looking ahead, the Excellence Program represents our vision for the future: a stronger, more engaged, and globally recognized academic network that sets new standards in technology training.We invite educators, students, and industry professionals to embark on this journey with us. Together, we will continue to redefine what’s possible in academic technology training, shaping a future where Red Hat Academy remains synonymous with innovation, empowerment, and excellence.

[ToniM]

Hi, great initiative!

Since the eligibility happens automatically, how do we know which tier a participating institution is associated with?

[JayramDhawal]

Hello, great initiative!

I have been enagaging and actively learning through the Redhat Academy Portal since 2023.

The eligibility happens automatically, how do we know which tier I am associated with?

@TudorRaduta 

[JayramDhawal]

Hello Red Hat Community,

I hope you’re all doing well. I’m passionate about open-source technologies and have hands-on experience with Red Hat Linux. I am eager to contribute to the Red Hat ecosystem by spreading awareness, organizing events, and helping students learn more about Red Hat technologies.

I would love to know more about the Red Hat Student Ambassador Program, its eligibility criteria, and the application process. Could someone guide me on how to apply and what the key responsibilities of a Student Ambassador are?

Looking forward to your insights and guidance.   @TudorRaduta 

Best regards,

Jayram Dhawal 

+917565994926

[TudorRaduta]

Hi Jayram @JayramDhawal,

That’s great to hear! Your passion for open-source technologies and hands-on experience with Red Hat Linux make you a strong fit for the Red Hat Academy Student Ambassador program. This initiative is designed for students like you who want to spread awareness, organize events, and help others learn more about Red Hat technologies.

What is the Red Hat Student Ambassador Program?

The program gives students the opportunity to:
• Promote Red Hat Academy and open-source technologies at their university.
• Organize events to engage fellow students.
• Collaborate with Red Hat professionals and gain valuable mentorship.
• Develop leadership, technical, and communication skills while making a real impact.

Eligibility Criteria

To become a Student Ambassador, you should:
• Be a current student at a university partnered with Red Hat Academy.
• Have a strong interest in open source and Red Hat technologies.
• Be proactive in engaging with the student community and leading events.

How to Get Started

No formal application is required! If you meet the eligibility criteria, simply send me a private message, and I will put you in touch with the right people to get you started.

Looking forward to seeing you make an impact in the Red Hat ecosystem!

[TudorRaduta]

@ToniM @All The Red Hat Excellence Program leaderboard, based on 2024 Academy engagement, along with the steps to redeem benefits, will be shared next week.

[CHRIST]

Good initiatives to encourage Academic institutions to promote open-source technologies.

Our CHRIST UNIVERSITY Kengeri Campus has been associated with Redhat Academy for  6+ years. I hope we will have the eligibility to become a premier partner. 

Please guide us to move forward.

[Chetan_Tiwary_]

@CHRIST please get in touch with @ShirishVPandey via shipande@redhat.com for more help on the same.

[Gopinath_Pigili]

Very Nice..! Thanks for sharing about this program..!!

[mustafa_neamah]

Hi , Thank you for this , this will create a more engaging experience for us an instructures. 

I have a question , can you please explain this point abit more ? 

"Red Hat Academy curriculum: Delivering an emerging technology course to students who actively consume content on the Learning Platform" 

what courses it under "emerging technologies" category ? and does the student need to be a redhat academy graduate prior to joining the emerging tech. course ? 

Thank you 

@TudorRaduta 

[TudorRaduta]

Hi @mustafa_neamah 

Thanks for your thoughtful message - really glad to hear this direction resonates with you. We’re focused on making the Red Hat Academy experience more dynamic and relevant, both for instructors and the students who are actively engaging with the platform.

You asked for more clarity around this line:

“Red Hat Academy curriculum: Delivering an emerging technology course to students who actively consume content on the Learning Platform”

Here’s what that actually looks like in practice:

What do we mean by “Emerging Technologies”?
These are high-impact, forward-looking skill areas where industry demand is growing - and where Red Hat is leading the open source ecosystem. Within Red Hat Academy, we’re surfacing content that helps students build capabilities in areas like containers, automation, cloud, and OpenShift development.

Here are a few key courses aligned with this direction:

DO188 – Red Hat OpenShift Development I: Introduction to Containers with Podman 
This is a great first step for developers who want to understand how containers work before moving into OpenShift or Kubernetes. Students learn how to build, run, and manage containers using Podman, and get hands-on with container development workflows.
Suggested prerequisites: RH104 or RH124. It’s especially approachable for students with basic Linux skills who are more development-focused.
Why it matters: No prior OpenShift knowledge is required. This is a true low-barrier entry point into modern container-based development.

DO180 – Red Hat OpenShift Administration I
This course introduces students to containers, Kubernetes, and managing workloads on Red Hat OpenShift.
Suggested prerequisites: RH124 and RH134, or equivalent Linux system administration knowledge.
Why it matters: Containers are Linux—and this course builds directly on those fundamentals. It’s one of the most in-demand skills in the tech world, and a great place for infrastructure-minded students to start.

DO457 – Red Hat Ansible for Network Automation
This course introduces students to automating network infrastructure using Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform across various network vendors.
Suggested prerequisites: Knowledge equivalent to Red Hat System Administration I (RH124) or better is recommended. Familiarity with networking concepts and some exposure to Ansible (like DO007) is helpful but not mandatory.
Why it matters: It’s a great fit for students interested in networking who want to expand into automation without needing to be full system administrators.

CL110 – Red Hat OpenStack Administration I
This course is the entry point into cloud infrastructure using Red Hat OpenStack Platform. Students learn to install, configure, and manage cloud services.
Suggested prerequisites: RHCSA or equivalent Linux system administration experience.

Do students need to be Red Hat Academy graduates to take these?
Not at all. The key requirement is foundational Linux knowledge. Courses like RH104, RH124, and RH134 provide that base - whether a student is more developer-oriented or on a system administration path. From there, they can move directly into emerging tech courses without having to complete a full track first.

There’s also a dedicated training session available that walks through how the Red Hat Academy curriculum supports this direction. You’ll find it under Onboarding & Enablement Tutorials—specifically, clip #3 in the playlist. [Link]

Students at your institution currently have self-paced (video) access to the following Red Hat Academy courses: RH124-9.3, RH134-9.3, RH104-9.1, DO180-4.14, and DO188-4.14.
Based on your current tier, you may additionally select any two of the following courses to enable: RH294, CL110, AD183, AD141, or DO457.
Next, it’s up to you to ramp up on the new technology and begin offering the courses in a self-paced format to your students. This will also unlock additional perks and recognition through the upcoming Excellence Program 2025 Leaderboard.

Let me know if you’d like help mapping specific course paths or exploring how these fit into your program strategy.

Best -- Tudor

[mustafa_neamah]

@TudorRaduta 
Thank you for your reply , it is clear now . 

also we are looking forward for AI courses in the academy , this will be very relevant and appreciated by our students. 

Thank you for the good work. 

best

Mustafa

[TudorRaduta]

@mustafa_neamah - Thank you for the kind words and for being such a great partner. We truly appreciate your valuable feedback. The Red Hat Academy team is actually in the process of reviewing a set of AI materials that could be included in a similar manner to how we’ve offered Cybersecurity content through our IBM partnership. You can find more about that here: IBM SkillsBuild Cybersecurity Curriculum.

In the meantime, I’d recommend checking out the following resources on the Community:
• Red Hat Training Videos: Red Hat Training
• AI Corner: AI Corner – Personally, I’ve found some really cool and valuable insights here.

These are fantastic resources for academia, especially in offering foundational-level knowledge on AI. 

Looking forward to collaborating further on this!