Annual Conference

Each fall the Association hosts an annual conference for members to exchange ideas, connect with peers, and attend presentations on topics related to pre-college students and program development. The Association advisory board also hosts an annual business meeting at the conference.

2026 Annual Conference

The 2026 Association for Pre-College Program Directors Annual Conference will be hosted by Northwestern University, September 30 - October 2, 2026. We are looking forward to spending time together in Evanston as our association holds its 20th annual conference!

Conference Schedule

For travel planning, we will get started in the late afternoon on Wednesday and run sessions through Thursday and Friday. On Friday after 3 PM, we will plan some fun excursions in Chicago. More specific details will be sent directly by email to registered participants closer to the start of the conference.

View This Year's Schedule at a Glance Here

Call for Proposals

The quality of our annual conference is always a reflection of the incredible energy and insight of our membership.

We are looking for breakout sessions that are high-quality, interactive, and practical experiences to develop participants’ knowledge and skills in a specific topic. Please submit a proposal and share your perspectives, success stories, and best practices in our field. You can also share your results from a completed research study.

Presenters should take 40–45 minutes to present and allow 10 minutes of attendee Q&A.

This year, we are especially excited for proposals in the areas of:

Student Recruitment
Enrollment Management
Program Assessment
Technology and AI
Marketing
Community Building & Belonging
Student Support: Mental Health, Residential Life
Staff Recruitment & Training

However, we are excited to hear any other ideas that you may have!

Early deadline for proposals: August 1, 2026
Final deadline for proposals: September 1, 2026

Submit Your Proposal Here

Conference Registration & Scholarships

Conference registration will be done in conjunction with our 2026-2027 membership application. Membership applications received, approved, and paid prior to the 2026 Conference are eligible to attend the annual conference.

Membership applicants will have the option to add conference registrations while proceeding through the membership application. The cost to attend the 2026 annual conference is $175 per person. Please see our membership page for details. Registration for the 2026 annual conference will close September 10, 2026.

The APCPD Advisory Board and 2026 Conference Committee are pleased to announce the APCPD Conference Scholarship, which is intended to provide financial support to APCPD members whose institutions are providing no or insufficient funding to cover conference attendance. More details on what is covered, eligibility criteria, and the application can be found here. The deadline to apply for an APCPD Conference Scholarship is July 31, 2026. Recipients will be notified of awards on August 7, 2026.

Hotel Reservations

We have booked a block of rooms at the Hilton Orrington Evanston at a conference rate of $227.79 per night (base rate of $199 plus taxes and fees). You can click here to book your room at our conference block rate.

Please note that the book site defaults to a two-night stay, arriving Wednesday and checking out Friday. If you wish to stay over Friday night as well, you need to click "Update Stay" along the top of the page and adjust the dates; the rate shared above applies for all three days.

Annual Conference History

October 2025: Hosted virtually by Advisory Board
September 26-27, 2024: Georgetown University
October 23-24, 2023: The University of Southern California
October 24-25, 2022: Syracuse University
October 18-19, 2021: Hosted virtually by Advisory Board
October 26-27, 2020: Worcester Polytechnic University (virtual)
October 21-22, 2019: New York University and School of the New York Times
September 24-25, 2018: University of Mississippi
September 25-26, 2017: Notre Dame University
October 7, 2016: Emory University
September 25, 2015: University of Toronto
October 24, 2014: Columbia University and Barnard College
September 27, 2013: Stanford University
September 28, 2012: University of Chicago
September 23, 2011: Boston University and Harvard University
October 1, 2010: Washington University in St. Louis
October 2, 2009: Cornell University
October 3, 2008: George Washington University
October 5, 2007: University of California at Los Angeles

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