Get Ahead.
Enrollment challenges are rarely simple. Shifting demographics, changing learner expectations, financial pressures, retention concerns, and disconnected campus systems all shape whether institutions can fulfill their missions and support student success.
The AACRAO Conference for Strategic Enrollment Management helps higher education professionals make sense of those challenges and respond with clarity. Grounded in AACRAO’s decades of SEM leadership, this conference brings together enrollment managers, admissions leaders, marketing and recruitment professionals, registrars, student success partners, institutional researchers, and senior campus leaders to explore how strategic enrollment management can move from concept to coordinated action.
SEM is more than recruitment. It is a long-term, institution-wide approach that connects who enrolls, how learners persist, how they graduate, and how the institution sustains its mission. At the SEM Conference, attendees engage with practical strategies, real-world examples, and peer-validated approaches that can be adapted to their own institutional context.
Whether you are building a SEM plan, refining an existing strategy, seeking stronger cross-campus alignment, or looking for ways to demonstrate the value of enrollment work, the SEM Conference offers the insight, tools, and community to help you plan with confidence and improve with purpose.
Why Attend?
- Build or strengthen a strategic enrollment management plan.
- Align recruitment, retention, student success, financial priorities, and institutional mission.
- Understand how demographic shifts, financial pressures, and changing learner behavior are reshaping enrollment
- Connect enrollment work across offices that too often operate in silos: admissions, advising, financial aid, the registrar, academic affairs, and institutional leadership
- Gain tools for measuring progress and communicating the value of SEM across campus.
- Find the community of professionals who are doing this work in real time and understand its complexity.
Who Should Attend?
The SEM Conference is designed for professionals responsible for shaping, supporting, or implementing enrollment strategy, including:
- Campus teams seeking shared language, stronger coordination, and practical next steps for SEM work.
- Senior institutional leaders focused on enrollment, student success, financial sustainability, and mission alignment.
- Vice presidents, provosts, deans, and cabinet-level leaders involved in long-term institutional planning.
- Enrollment managers and SEM leaders developing or refining institutional strategy.
- Admissions, recruitment, and marketing professionals working to strengthen enrollment pipelines.
- Registrars, financial aid professionals, academic advisors, and student success leaders whose work affects learner progression and completion.
- Institutional researchers and data professionals supporting enrollment decisions.
Event Details
Find key details for the AACRAO SEM Conference in Baltimore, including information to help you plan your travel, schedule, and overall conference experience. Use the resources below to learn more about the conference location, explore the agenda, and review featured speakers and sessions as details become available.
SEM News
Stay informed with the latest news and updates related to the AACRAO SEM Conference, including program highlights, speaker announcements, important deadlines, and stories that connect conference themes to the broader enrollment management community.
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The Return on Investment in Learning Revealed on the Return Home
“Every future alum once stood nervously at a recruitment table asking, ‘So … tell me about your school?’ Every enrollment…
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Identifying the Invisible Middle of Leadership
Drawing on her career trajectory, Dr. Kimberly Taylor-Benns of La Salle University challenges the traditional assumption that leadership influence only…
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2026 Honorary Membership Award Winner: Don Hossler
Don Hossler has had a lasting impact as a scholar-practitioner whose research and leadership helped establish the foundations of Strategic…
Pre-Conference Workshops
Registration for the full SEM conference is not required to register for
pre-conference workshops.
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Event
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Building a Campus Ecology for Student Success
Designing an Integrated Student Success Department Through the Lens of Strategic Enrollment Management
Event
Learn how to add a workshop to your registration.
Who Attends the AACRAO SEM Conference
Senior leaders and decision-makers focused on institutional sustainability and student success, such as Presidents, Provosts, Vice Presidents, Chancellors, Deans, and other C-level executives. Whether your goal is stabilization or growth, AACRAO SEM helps turn enrollment into a strategic asset.
SEM Practitioners seeking new tools, frameworks, and ideas to apply immediately, such as directors and mid-level managers in areas such as Enrollment, Admissions, IT, Financial Aid, Registrar’s Offices, Student Affairs, and Academic Advising. AACRAO SEM gives you practical tools and training that are immediately applicable to your institution or team.
Presenting at the SEM Conference
Stay Informed
Be the first to hear about registration, speakers, program announcements, general SEM updates, and other important deadlines for the AACRAO SEM Conference. Sign up to receive updates and stay connected to the latest news and opportunities.
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Become a partner in progress, advancing our community in SEM.
Future SEM Meetings
36th Annual Strategic Enrollment Management Conference
November 1-4, 2026 (Sunday-Wednesday)
Marriott Baltimore Waterfront
Baltimore, Maryland
37th Annual Strategic Enrollment Management Conference
November 14-17, 2027 (Sunday-Wednesday)
Hyatt Regency Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
More AACRAO Events
Explore additional AACRAO events designed to support professional learning, connection, and collaboration across the higher education community. From conferences and workshops to webinars and specialized training opportunities, AACRAO events provide meaningful ways to engage with colleagues, share expertise, and stay connected to emerging issues in the field.
More information
For more information about the AACRAO SEM Conference, please contact the AACRAO meetings team for assistance with questions about registration, programming, participation, or other conference details.