NACAC Mission

The National Association for College Admission Counseling will support and advance the work of counseling and enrollment professionals as they help all students realize their full educational potential, with particular emphasis on the transition to postsecondary education. NACAC is committed to promoting high professional standards that foster ethical and social responsibility.

About NACAC

The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), founded in 1937, is an organization of more than 15,000 professionals from around the world dedicated to serving students as they make choices about pursuing postsecondary education.

NACAC is committed to maintaining high standards that foster ethical and social responsibility among those involved in the transition process, as outlined in NACAC's Guide to Ethical Practice in College Admission (approved in 2020).

A member-directed organization, NACAC is governed by its voting members-an Assembly of delegates elected by voting members in NACAC's state and regional affiliates and by an elected Board of Directors.

COVID-19 Update

NACAC launched two new tools to track the status of college admission changes and secondary school services as a first step to support our members during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our Affiliation with NACAC

PCACAC is a chartered affiliate of NACAC.  PCACAC serves Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.  For PCACAC and NACAC professional development opportunities, please visit our Professional Development page.

Upcoming Fairs

  • NACAC Fairs in the PCACAC Region
  • Complete NACAC College Fair Schedule
    • Lead Retrieval/Student Registration:  Provided at all fairs, students and parents will receive a personalized barcode with their contact and academic information that they can print and bring to the fairs.  When colleges and universities scan their barcode, they retrieve the information and are able to follow up with students after the fair. This saves the time of filling out individual information cards, thus allowing students to visit more booths during their time at the fairs.

Council of National School Counseling and College Access Organizations

In an effort to raise awareness of the Council of National School Counseling and College Access Organizations, a collaboration between NACAC and the major national associations and organizations representing school counselors and college access professionals, NACAC asks Affiliates to engage with the Council’s online resources: http://schoolcounselingcollegeaccess.org/

NACAC Imagine Fund Grant

Imagine Grants offer financial support to individuals or NACAC affiliates who assist students in the transition to college and are intended to provide assistance to individuals who might otherwise be unable to participate in professional development opportunities or to implement a new innovative program.  CLICK HERE to learn more. 

Emerging Admission Professionals (EAP) Educational Session

As an association, NACAC recognizes the importance of engaging novice admission professionals at the national level. In an effort to cultivate greater participation, NACAC created the Emerging Admission Professionals (EAP) initiative for those with 0-3 years of experience in the field of college admission.

EAP engages admission professionals through educational sessions and networking opportunities with seasoned professionals from NACAC and its local affiliates. Educational sessions take place in conjunction with National College Fairs in the spring and fall. This is a great opportunity to learn and network with your colleagues.

To learn more, visit www.nacacnet.org/EAP. Registration and details for the Washington D.C. session are not finalized, but you may RSVP for the event by visiting this LINK and scrolling to the bottom of the page. 

Essentials of Professional Development

The purpose of Essentials of Professional Development is to provide training and professional development experiences for K-12 school counselors, pre-service counselors, other school-based professionals and external partners providing support for college admission counseling in public school systems.

Program objectives:

  • Collaborate with counseling leaders within public school systems to create conditions for the success of counselors, ultimately students and their families.
  • Deliver rigorous, relevant and timely professional development content to counseling professionals, advisors and volunteers.
  • Foster capacity-building and innovation in the area of college counseling, readiness, access and success.
  • Increase and strengthen professional networks among the public school systems and NACAC, NACAC-affiliates and postsecondary education institutions.
  • Identify and support opportunities for continued and future professional development experiences, through the cultivation of sustainable pathways and relationships.

NACAC Policy Briefs and general legislative priorities.

Policy Briefs and Issue Resources

General Legislative Priorities

Higher Education Act Recommendations
Elementary and Secondary Act Recommendations

College Access

College Access Agenda

Economy

Education and the Economy

International Priorities

International Priorities Policy Brief

Rigorous Curriculum

Policy Brief: Rigorous Curriculum

School Counselors

Student-to-Counselor Ratios
School Counselors Contribute to College Access & Success
Policy Brief: School Counseling & Access to College

Undocumented Students

Undocumented Students & College Access

Incentive Compensation

Incentive Compensation

Anti-Discrimination

NACAC Anti-Discrimination Statement