SAP individually assesses each partner request in order to identify the appropriate partnership status. To qualify as an education partner, you must meet the criteria for the partnership level in which you are participating. The following table lists guidelines for SAP education partners, which will help identify the criteria relevant to your level:

Partnership Guidelines	SAP Alliance Partner - Education	SAP Partner - Education
SAP approval process	Local training manager, local managing director, or regional education vice president	Local training manager, local managing director, or local SAP Alliance manager
Joint venture or joint strategic project established	Not applicable	Not applicable
Ability to execute on agreed business plan – including industry perception and position, delivery capability, support infrastructure, resources, marketing, market share, and sales and lead generation	High	High
Investment in SAP partnership – such as development, marketing, unique complementary offerings, and joint solutions as per business plan	High	Medium
Value to partner's business – impact measured by a combination of revenue contribution, strategic importance, and market share	High	High
Value to SAP's business – impact measured by a combination of revenue contribution, strategic importance, and market share	High	High
Value to customer – impact measured by a combination of market perception of product or service (for example, best of breed), added value, compliance with existing solutions, and fulfillment of customer needs	High	High
A business plan – developed and agreed upon by the partner and local training manager	Required	Required
A service level agreement – negotiated and agreed upon by the partner and local training manager	Required	Required
Joint development of new opportunities – including the development of new and existing products and services in order to enter new markets or substantially expand existing markets	Required	Optional
In-depth knowledge and expertise in SAP's solutions, tools, and methodologies – both SAP- and education-specific	Required	Optional
Proven track record as an SAP partner; in some cases, a proven track record in the specialization that forms the basis of the partnership can be substituted	Required	Optional
SAP key reference customers; in some cases, a proven track record in the specialization that forms the basis of the partnership can be substituted	At least five	At least three
Organizational integrity – including a positive market image and perception and industry-recognized track record in delivering education	High	High
Culture and value fit	High	High
Development plan for educating internal employees on SAP skills	Required	Required
Additional Criteria
Education Delivery Partner
Number of certified instructors – determined by courses delivered for SAP; all instructors must be certified in the relevant solution area	All	All
Instructors must pass an SAP screening; SAP reserves the right to screen all instructors; screening criteria is available from the local training manager	Required	Required
Quality of customer evaluation history	High	High
Comply with SAP quality standards – including technical infrastructure requirements, methodologies, resources, and evaluation benchmarks	Required	Required
End-User Performance Support Partner
Education-related core business	Required	Required
Multi-language delivery capability	Required	Required
Expertise delivering solutions for an entire organization, not just a business division	Required, including multi-country partners	Required
Willing to position and sell SAP end-user solutions and tools	Required	Required
Number and type of qualified instructors – determined by the product or service offered, SAP certification, and relevant industry expertise	Country-specific	Country-specific
Comply with SAP quality standards – including technical infrastructure requirements, methodologies, resources, and evaluation benchmarks	Required	Required
Specialist Expertise Partner
Number and type of qualified instructors – determined by the product or service, SAP certification, and relevant industry expertise	Country-specific	Country-specific
Comply with SAP quality standards – including technical infrastructure requirements, methodologies, resources, and evaluation benchmarks	Required	Required