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International Membership

Connect to the world of higher education

With AACRAO membership you'll be connected to more than 11,000 members from institutions around the world. Facilitate your professional development by attending discounted meetings, gaining complimentary subscriptions to our College & University journal and more.

Why should you join? From professional development opportunities to forging connections that will help you in setting down career stones, there's more than one reason. 

Apply for International Membership

Is your institution already a member? Apply to join the roster.
Want to join independently? Apply without an institution.

 

Annual Membership Price: Starting at $302

Requirements: YOU MUST BE AT A POSTSECONDARY DEGREE-GRANTING INSTITUTION OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES RECOGNIZED BY THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION OR APPROPRIATE MINISTRY IN YOUR COUNTRY AND AUTHORIZED TO GRANT DEGREES.

Develop Professionally

International Membership - Professional Development


AACRAO Edge

When education standards change, new credentials are awarded, or foreign education systems are reorganized, AACRAO EDGE utilizes the expertise of the International Education Standards Council (IESC) to review and update our database.

Professional Competencies

Work on your skills like diversity and inclusion, interpretation and application of institutional and external data, and leadership. We have the tools for you.

Online Learning

From free webinars to self-paced on-demand learning, AACRAO's online learning covers a variety of subjects—technology, strategic enrollment management, admissions, FERPA, transfer, credential evaluation, and international education—and allow you to engage with the presenters and instructors.

Take the next step in your career

AACRAO's Career Navigator is a wealth of job postings and resources for training. 

Gain Recognition

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Get Published

AACRAO's professional journals College & University and SEM Quarterly are always accepting articles and have a wide circulation base.

Research Opportunities

Leverage the expertise of our over 11,000 members and contribute to one of the premier sources of practice related research within the global higher education community. 

Join a committee

Do work you're passionate about, with support and mentoring from fellow members. From Caucuses to specialized topics, it's all one community, no matter where in the world your institution is located. 


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AACRAO's bi-weekly professional development e-newsletter

The most overlooked recruitment insight

Aug 26, 2019, 12:12 PM
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Summary : 4 tips for recruiting students who feel like they belong.
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Fit, fit, fit: if your student doesn’t have it, they’re not going to stay. And, like a single dissatisfied dog can send a whole neighborhood howling, there’s a chance that unhappy transfer-out or stop-out students will bring along other ambivalent souls.

“Every admissions officer needs to look at every contact/touch with a student as a touch with a future graduate,” said Julia Ross, a professional tutor and admissions coach based in Virginia. 

Belonging 101

Based on her experience working with high school students seeking college admission, Ross has a number of recommendations for improving admission and retention rates -- all of which revolve around the central premise that students stay where they feel they belong.

1. Know your institution inside out. Like a server at a fine dining restaurant, your admissions staff should know not only what region the butter is from, but also the color of the cow that gave the milk. That is, admissions officers need to understand what makes your institution unique. They need to understand the culture, assets, and resources at the school as well as anyone. And, Ross notes, a robust training and vetting program for student tour guides is also a huge plus. One sour tour guide can spoil a whole lot of potential recruits.

2. Know your target market. Once your institutional brand is crystal clear [link], discover what kinds of students are seeking those particular qualities, and find a way to communicate that message to them. For example, a more highly rated school might draw students based on reputation, even though your institution actually has more diverse course offerings in a particular, less well-known field. That fact may be a hook for a subset of students who are looking for you and just don’t know it yet. 

“A lot of colleges have more ‘fit’ than they realize,” Ross said. It’s a matter of mythbusting and re-messaging.

3. Don’t oversell. An unhappy student is a former student, and it’s two or three times as expensive to bring in transfer students than to retain students in the first place, Ross said. 

“If you have an applicant that doesn’t match you, yet you recruit them to fill your quota, you’re going to lose that student,” Ross said. “Almost 60 percent of students leave the college where they start -- whether they drop or transfer -- and that number is even higher for African American and Hispanic populations.”

4. Invite contact. Many people -- even college-educated parents -- hesitate to contact institutions. Make it easy and welcoming. Encourage visits, demystify tuition (share merit and scholarship information), and get parents involved. As much as possible, get professors involved too.

Ross will share these and many more insights from her work with college-preparing students and admissions offices across the country in her engaging session at AACRAO SEM 2019 in Dallas. Learn more and register now.


Categories :
  • Admissions and Recruitment
  • Communications Plan
  • Enrollment Goals
  • Enrollment Management
  • Enrollment Mix
  • Meetings, Workshops, and Trainings
  • Orientation
  • Retention
  • SEM Conference
  • Student Recruitment
Tags :
  • optimal enrollment
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Our meetings, workshops, and international institutes are designed instruct, educate and foster collaboration between professionals and institutions. Find one that works for you.

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Give community college a bigger voice in politics. Advocate for higher education policies that you're passionate about on Capitol Hill. Meet your Congressional reps and state peers while exercising your political voice.

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AACRAO's weekly e-newsletter delivering policy and industry news

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Questions? Contact us at membership@aacrao.org or (202) 355-1040