National Academic Advising Association

What National Academic Advising Association does

National Academic Advising Association (NACADA), operating as NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit professional association (Federal EIN 48-1114759) chartered on May 2, 1979 and headquartered at Kansas State University's Executive Office in Manhattan, Kansas. It serves 14,000+ academic advisors, advising administrators, faculty advisors, and postsecondary institutions globally through ten geographic regions (Regions 1-10 across the U.S., plus Canadian provinces/territories and limited international reach), with the mission of advancing quality academic advising and student success in higher education.

NACADA's product portfolio is delivered primarily through its website platform (nacada.ksu.edu and a member portal at my.nacada.ksu.edu) and includes: annual and regional conferences (a national Annual Conference plus five paired regional conferences); three institutes (Assessment Institute, Administrators' Institute, Institute for Academic Advising); over 40 self-paced eTutorials; live 60-minute Zoom webinars on topics including trauma-informed advising and AI; tiered consulting services for institutions (Excellence in Academic Advising, Outcomes Surveys, Workshops, Program Reviews, Keynote Speakers); scholarly publications (peer-reviewed NACADA Journal since 1981, NACADA Review, Academic Advising Today since 2002, plus companion resources for The New Advisor Guidebook and other books); a searchable Clearinghouse of advising resources; a Research Center with grants up to $5,000; Emerging Leaders Program; Microcredentials/digital badges; NACADA Awards (Global and Region); regional mentoring programs; and a NACADA Store e-commerce channel. Core technology is an association-management platform supporting membership, event registration, e-commerce, and content distribution rather than a unified SaaS product.

The business model blends recurring membership dues and event/registration fees with professional-services consulting (institutional contracts), publication sales, donations/scholarships, and research-grant administration. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, supplemented by inside-sales outreach from the Executive Office. The organization is member-governed via a Board of Directors and operates without disclosed external investment capital, parent-company ownership, or public listing.

Name

National Academic Advising Association

Legal name

NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising, Inc.

Website

https://nacada.ksu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NACADA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional association of 14,000+ members serving academic advisors and postsecondary institutions globally through conferences, eTutorials, webinars, consulting, peer-reviewed publications, research grants, and credentialing programs delivered via ten regional chapters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Manhattan

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees providing access to professional development, networking, resources, and member-exclusive content.
2. Event Registration: Revenue from Annual Conference, Region Conferences, Assessment Institute, Administrators' Institute, Institute for Academic Advising, and webinar registrations.
3. eTutorials: Online educational modules on various academic advising topics offered throughout the year with rolling application periods.
4. Consulting Services: Strategic, data-informed programs provided to postsecondary institutions including Excellence in Academic Advising, Outcomes Surveys, Workshops, Program Reviews, and Keynote Speakers.
5. Publications and Store: Sale of publications including NACADA Journal, NACADA Review, Academic Advising Today, The New Advisor Guidebook, Beyond Foundations, Academic Advising Approaches, and other academic advising resources.
6. Research Grants: NACADA awards research grants up to $5,000 to support academic advising research proposals.
7. Donations and Scholarships: Cash donations, securities, IRA and retirement assets, life insurance, and bequests supporting NACADA Scholarships and Awards Fund for professional development opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

NACADA is a professional association that provides professional development, scholarly resources, and consulting services to academic advisors and postsecondary institutions. Its core offerings include annual and regional conferences, eTutorials, webinars, academic advising institutes, peer-reviewed publications, research grants, and consulting programs such as Excellence in Academic Advising, Outcomes Surveys, Workshops, Program Reviews, and Keynote Speakers Services.

Product overview

NACADA is a professional association for academic advising in higher education, not a software product company. The organization offers a portfolio of member services including professional development programs (eTutorials, webinars, institutes, conferences), academic publications (NACADA Journal, NACADA Review, Academic Advising Today), research support (Research Center, Research Grants), consulting services, awards, mentoring programs, and an online resource clearinghouse. The services are delivered through their website platform which supports membership management, event registration, e-commerce, and content delivery, rather than a unified SaaS product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• eTutorials Self-paced online educational modules covering academic advising topics for academic advisors and higher education professionals.
• Annual Conference Annual national conference held in October featuring presentations, networking, and professional development for academic advising professionals.
• Region Conferences Ten joint regional conferences across North America providing localized professional development and networking opportunities for academic advising professionals.
• Assessment Institute Annual institute focused on assessment practices in academic advising, typically held in February.
• Administrators' Institute Professional development program for advising administrators focusing on leadership and management skills.
• Institute for Academic Advising Intensive multi-day professional development program held annually for academic advisors.
• NACADA Webinars Live 60-minute online presentations on advising topics, conducted via Zoom with recorded playback available for 60 days.
• NACADA Journal Peer-reviewed academic journal publishing research on academic advising, available from 1981 to present.
• NACADA Review Academic publication providing reviews and analysis of advising literature and practices.
• Academic Advising Today Newsletter/publication featuring articles on academic advising practices and news, available from 2002 to present.
• Consulting Services Strategic, data-informed consulting programs for postsecondary institutions including Excellence in Academic Advising, Outcomes Surveys, Workshops, Program Reviews, and Keynote Speakers Services.
• Emerging Leaders Program Program developing leadership skills for aspiring academic advising leaders.
• Microcredentials Digital badges and micro-credentials recognizing professional achievements in academic advising.
• Region Mentoring Programs Regional mentoring programs pairing new and experienced advising professionals, including mentor-mentee pairs and Learning Collaboration Groups.
• Research Grants Grant program providing up to $5,000 to support single-year research proposals in academic advising.
• NACADA Store Online store selling publications, merchandise, and recorded webinar content.

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• NSF Aspire AlliancenotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint publication of the NSF Aspire Alliance's Guide to Academic Advising for STEM Faculty, available as a free downloadable PDF. This collaboration supports inclusive and diverse STEM faculty development by aligning and reinforcing professional development, hiring, and retention efforts across institutions.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• American Association of Community Colleges (AACC): AACC is a broader higher education membership association serving two-year institutions, overlapping with NACADA's advising community but addressing a wider institutional scope.
• American Council on Education (ACE): ACE is a broad higher education leadership association serving presidents and senior leaders across institutions, overlapping with NACADA's administrator-focused offerings (Administrators' Institute, consulting) at a more strategic level.

Direct peers

• NASFAA (National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators): NASFAA is a higher education membership association focused on financial aid administrators, operating with similar member dues, conferences, training, publications, and policy advocacy.
• Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS): CAS develops standards and self-assessment frameworks for higher education programs — overlapping with NACADA's Excellence in Academic Advising assessment and program review consulting.
• AACRAO (American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers): AACRAO is a higher education membership association serving registrars and admissions officers with comparable offerings (conferences, publications, professional development, advocacy). It is the closest functional analog to NACADA's role for academic advisors.
• EDUCAUSE: EDUCAUSE is a large higher education membership association (technology-focused) with comparable structure: institutional and individual memberships, annual conference, publications, research, and consulting-style programs.
• NASPA (Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education): NASPA is a major higher education membership association for student affairs professionals, operating with conferences, publications, institutes, and consulting — directly comparable in structure and revenue model to NACADA.
• AIR (Association for Institutional Research): AIR is a higher education membership association serving institutional research professionals, with comparable forums, conferences, publications, and professional development offerings relevant to NACADA's data-informed advising services.
• League for Innovation in the Community College: League for Innovation is a higher education membership organization providing conferences, publications, and professional development for community college professionals — directly comparable service mix to NACADA.
• ACPA (American College Personnel Association): ACPA is a higher education membership association serving college personnel and student development professionals, with comparable member services (conferences, journals, communities of practice, credentialing).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nacada
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCQXQnYsNJ7YG7DXIkfGy2PQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/NACADA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nacada
• Instagraminstagram.com/nacada_global
• Pinterestpinterest.com/nacada

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Academic Advising Association