Core Competencies

What are AACRAO Competencies?

The AACRAO Competencies are designed to be a guide and tool for individuals and staff to understand and develop competencies within higher education’s enrollment, admissions, and academic operations. It provides a structured framework for evaluating and developing professional capabilities through statements and indicators of performance that define the skills and abilities needed in these critical administrative functions.

Developing the Competencies

In 2025, AACRAO established its first Curriculum Committee to advance the association’s strategic goal of providing accessible, credentialed career pathways that clearly demonstrate professional competencies across enrollment and academic services. The Committee’s initial charge was to review and, if needed, update AACRAO’s Core Competencies and Professional Proficiencies, first developed in 2015.

To ensure the revised model would be measurable and skills-based, the Committee partnered with the Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN), beginning formal work in February 2025. With C-BEN’s guidance, the Committee evaluated the 2015 framework and determined it no longer reflected the competencies most essential to today’s AACRAO professions. As a result, the Committee developed a new competency set.

The updated framework is intentionally broad and cross-cutting, representing a wide range of professional skill sets rather than being tied to specific functional areas. This structure is designed to remain relevant over time and to be usable by professionals in diverse roles throughout enrollment and academic services.

How to Use Our Core Competencies

The Competencies & Proficiencies are designed to be used in a variety of ways, including:

• Crafting professional development plans for individuals or teams
• Self-assessment and benchmarking individual professional development
• Drafting position descriptions and evaluating office functions