AACRAO Conference for
Strategic Enrollment Management

The 36th Annual AACRAO Conference on SEM takes place November 1–4, 2026, in Baltimore, Maryland.

The AACRAO Conference on Strategic Enrollment Management is where professionals working in SEM come together each year to connect, learn, and look ahead. Built from decades of member experience and real data, the AACRAO Conference on SEM focuses on the full student journey, who enrolls, how they succeed, and how institutions stay aligned with their mission. It’s a space where enrollment leaders, campus partners, and industry experts dig into both the challenges and the opportunities shaping higher education.

Each year, during our call for proposals, we refresh the program to match the moment. We look for ideas, strategies, and stories that reflect what campuses are experiencing right now and what they’re preparing for next. Here’s a sample of the themes and topics you can expect:

• Practical approaches to ROI, enrollment declines, process bottlenecks, and widening knowledge gaps
• What’s ahead for the enrollment profession
• Stronger two-year/four-year pathways and community college–centered solutions
• Microcredentials, noncredit learning, and upskilling programs
• Using financial aid strategies to support retention, affordability, and student success
• Meeting the needs of adult learners, professional learners, and online learners

• 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  • Outdated systems, disconnected teams, and blind spots in data often create hidden obstacles that limit learner success.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.