AACRAO Conference for
Strategic Enrollment Management

The 35th Annual AACRAO SEM Conference will be held November 9-12, 2025, at Horseshoe Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The AACRAO Strategic Enrollment Management Conference is the premier annual gathering of SEM professionals, an event designed from decades of member input and real-world research. Strategic Enrollment Management is a long-term, institution-wide approach that shapes who enrolls, how they thrive, and how the institution fulfills its mission. Each year at our SEM Conference, AACRAO unites enrollment professionals with strategic partners, industry leaders, and solution providers across higher education and beyond.

During our annual Call for Proposals cycle, we continually update our SEM programming to reflect the changing realities and data. We work to curate sessions, workshops, and expertise to help you meet the moment. Sample themes and topics include:

• Solving problems related to ROI, shrinking enrollment, operations, and knowledge gaps
• Future of the profession
• Two-year and four-year school partnerships and community college-focused strategies
• Programs focusing on microcredentials and up-skilling
• Leveraging financial aid to increase retention and learner success
• Adult, continuing professional development, and online learning

Already registered and want to get a head start on your SEM Conference experience? Watch our 2025 AACRAO SEM: Know Before You Go webinar hosted by SEM Conference Director, Jack Miner. 

• Why is this learning essential?

  • Outdated systems, disconnected teams, and blind spots in data often create hidden obstacles that limit learner success. SEM is designed to uncover and address these challenges.
  • Demographic trends signal that enrollment will continue to look different in a few years. When research shows learners and surrounding communities want something new from their institutions, SEM convenes the specific network of practitioners to help you act on it.
  • The most powerful SEM efforts take years to bear fruit, while others involve unmeasurables, such as building new cultures or shifting institutional mindsets. SEM helps you define, in concrete and measurable ways, what “enrollment success” actually means and put your work into context to clearly demonstrate that SEM isn’t a cost center; it’s a growth engine.

• Who attends AACRAO SEM?

  • 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.

• What outcomes can you expect?

  • Support from a community of SEM professionals who’ve been where you are and are eager to help.
  • Examples of how to translate strategy into tactics and gain access to the people, tools, and guidance to tackle enrollment challenges with confidence and clarity.
  • Opportunities at any career stage to boost your individual career growth and institutional goals.

Will there be a virtual option for attending SEM?

Yes, AACRAO will offer a bundle of professionally recorded selections of 2021 SEM Conference sessions for purchase at the conclusion of the in-person conference. SEM Conference attendees will have free access to the recorded sessions for 60 days after the 2021 SEM Conference commences.

Please note, the SEM Conference is not a "live-streamed" event and a virtual-only registration option for the November 14-17 event is not available.