Health and Fitness Professionals Academy (HFPA) is a private higher education institution registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET registration number 2001/HE07/002), confirmed current on the DHET Register of Private Higher Education Institutions (last updated 06 July 2026). HFPA was founded in 1979 as one of the earliest providers of specialised fitness-industry training in South Africa and was acquired by UXi Sport in 2021. It operates campuses in Sunninghill, Johannesburg (1 Kikuyu/Kikuyi Road) and at the UXI High Performance Centre in Bosman Crossing, Stellenbosch. Its DHET-registered qualifications are HEQSF-aligned exercise science certificates; the institution also advertises a broader range of vocational/occupational sport, coaching and fitness courses on its website, which appear to fall under separate SETA/QCTO accreditation rather than the DHET private higher education registration.
Qualifications & Programmes
- Higher Certificate in Exercise Science (HEQSF Aligned, NQF Level 5, 120 Credits, Contact Mode) – DHET-registered, offered at both Johannesburg and Stellenbosch campuses
- Advanced Certificate in Exercise Science (HEQSF Aligned, NQF Level 6, 120 Credits, Contact Mode) – DHET-registered, offered at both Johannesburg and Stellenbosch campuses
- Note: These two qualifications are the only ones listed for this institution on the current DHET Register of Private Higher Education Institutions. HFPA's own website (hfpa.co.za) additionally advertises a wider slate of courses not confirmed against the DHET higher-education register, including: National Certificate in Sport Management, Higher Occupational Certificate in Conference and Events Organisation, Higher Occupational Certificate in Sport Journalism, National Certificate in Coaching Science, Personal Trainer and Sport Strapping Bundle, and National Occupational Certificate in Fitness Instructor. These additional courses may be accredited separately (e.g. via SETA/QCTO/REPSSA/iCREPS) rather than as DHET-registered higher education qualifications, and this could not be independently verified beyond the institution's own marketing pages.