NAGAP, The Association for Graduate Enrollment Management

What NAGAP, The Association for Graduate Enrollment Management does

NAGAP, The Association for Graduate Enrollment Management, is a non-profit professional membership association founded in 1987 and headquartered in Overland Park, United States. Its mission is to engage and advance graduate enrollment management (GEM) professionals at higher education institutions, serving as the only professional organization exclusively devoted to this function. NAGAP operates a portfolio of resources including the GEM Research Database, the GEMCAT compensation analytics tool (thirteen dashboards built from the 2023 Salary Survey), the annual GEM Summit conference, The Exchange online community, Professional Development Institutes (PDIs), the NAGAP Perspectives magazine, the weekly NAGAP News newsletter, the Leadership Academy, the Mentor Program, and the Career Center. The organization also maintains 10 regional and special interest chapters for affinity-based member engagement.

NAGAP's business model rests on three revenue streams: annual membership dues (tiered by member category), conference and event revenue from the GEM Summit and PDIs, and corporate sponsor revenue through the Strategic Partnership Council at $12,000 per partner annually. Members include GEM professionals at institutions of all sizes and types — large and small, public and private, secular and non-secular — spanning approximately 1,400+ individuals across North America and internationally. The organization is staffed by a small team of 1-10 employees and operates without disclosed external funding, functioning as an independent member-supported non-profit with a voluntary board of directors.

NAGAP's go-to-market is community-led: recruitment is driven by networking events, regional and special interest chapters, The Exchange platform, peer referrals, free podcast content, webinars, and partnerships with CareerEco (virtual admissions fairs) and Vault (graduate school research). Distribution is direct through the nagap.memberclicks.net portal. The technology stack is light and association-oriented — primarily MemberClicks for membership management and a community platform for The Exchange — with no public API, no software-as-a-service product, and no AI/ML capabilities. Competitive positioning is anchored on category exclusivity (sole association for GEM) and the proprietary content/data assets (GEMCAT, GEM Research Database) that would be difficult for a new entrant to replicate.

Name

NAGAP, The Association for Graduate Enrollment Management

Legal name

NAGAP, The Association for Graduate Enrollment Management

Website

https://nagap.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NAGAP is a non-profit professional membership association founded in 1987 that serves approximately 1,400 graduate enrollment management professionals at higher education institutions worldwide. It provides networking, research (GEMCAT, GEM Research Database), the annual GEM Summit, professional development institutes, and community platforms as its core offerings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Application Processing & Admissions Support (Document Prep, SOP/Essay, Credential Review) (EDAIACAB)

Keywords

• Professional association services
• Graduate enrollment management
• Membership organization
• Professional development programs
• Higher education conferences

Headquarters

HQ city

Overland Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues provide primary revenue. Members pay to join and maintain membership, receiving access to publications, research reports, webinars, discounted conference rates, the Exchange community, and other member-only resources.
2. Conference and Event Revenue: Revenue from GEM Summit annual conference and Professional Development Institutes (PDIs). Members receive discounted rates compared to non-members.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

NAGAP is a non-profit professional membership association that supports graduate enrollment management (GEM) professionals through annual memberships, conferences, professional development institutes, research databases, compensation analytics (GEMCAT), and an online networking community (The Exchange). It operates as a vertical-specific trade body serving individuals working in the graduate enrollment management environment at institutions of all sizes and types.

Product overview

NAGAP, The Association for Graduate Enrollment Management is a professional membership organization offering a unified suite of resources, tools, and services for GEM professionals. The portfolio includes core offerings such as GEMCAT (compensation analytics tool with salary dashboards), the GEM Research Database, the annual GEM Summit conference, and the online community platform called The Exchange. Supplementary offerings include Professional Development Institutes, webinars, the NAGAP Perspectives magazine (quarterly publication), NAGAP News (weekly newsletter), the Career Center, Research Reports, the Leadership Academy, and the Mentor Program. This is not a software-as-a-service platform but rather a membership-based professional organization providing research, networking, education, and career resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GEMCAT (Graduate Enrollment Management Compensation Analytics Tool): A searchable database with thirteen dashboards compiled from the 2023 Salary Survey responses, providing GEM field-specific salary analytics.
• GEM Summit
• NAGAP News
• NAGAP Perspectives
• The Exchange
• Professional Development Institutes (PDIs)

Products and services

• GEMCAT (Graduate Enrollment Management Compensation Analytics Tool) A searchable compensation analytics database with thirteen dashboards compiled from the 2023 Salary Survey, allowing GEM professionals and institutions to benchmark salaries against a national dataset specific to the graduate enrollment management field.
• GEM Research Database A comprehensive research database of theses, dissertations, peer-reviewed articles, trade journal articles, books, book chapters, book reviews, and government data related to graduate enrollment management, maintained by NAGAP's Education Committee Resource sub-committee.
• GEM Summit (Annual Conference) The annual conference and largest gathering of graduate enrollment management professionals, offering education, advocacy, research, news, networking, and professional development opportunities. Members receive discounted registration rates.
• Professional Development Institutes (PDI) Three-day education-focused professional development institutes held throughout the year for GEM professionals, including new, advanced, and topic-specific deep-dive formats, offered to members at discounted rates.
• Strategic Partnership Council (SPC) A corporate partnership program requiring a $12,000 annual commitment plus NAGAP membership, offering sponsorships or in-kind donations of education and services. Benefits include GEM Summit announcements, NAGAP News features, SPC logo usage and backlink, social media promotions, annual board meeting, mailing list access, and thought leadership submissions.
• A Comprehensive Guide to GEM A publication that elucidates the intricacies and obscurities of graduate enrollment management, allowing scholars and professionals to advance research and practice in the field.
• Salary Survey Report Quality compensation data for those working in graduate enrollment management, useful for wage negotiation and aligning employee salaries with market values.
• NAGAP Annual Membership Annual membership providing access to GEM publications, research reports, member-only webinars, the GEM Database, GEMCAT salary tool, The Exchange online community, Career Center, mentor program, Leadership Academy, and discounted rates for PDIs and the GEM Summit.

Quantifiable outcome

• Members gain access to the only national GEM-specific salary dataset through GEMCAT
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered moderate and core.

• CareerEcomoderateGTM or Marketing PartnerCareerEco has partnered with NAGAP and Vault to adapt its product and service offerings to meet the evolving challenges of virtual recruiting. For over 15 years, CareerEco has hosted numerous virtual admissions fairs connecting hundreds of thousands of admissions representatives and prospective students online. The partnership focuses on virtual events as a vital solution for individuals facing barriers to attending in-person gatherings.
• VaultmoderateGTM or Marketing PartnerVault partners with CareerEco and NAGAP to provide insights, research, and best practices on the graduate school selection process for future students, as well as strategies for admissions teams in recruitment.
• Strategic Partnership Council MemberscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Strategic Partnership Council promotes collaboration and support for the GEM community, generates long-term revenue for NAGAP, shares data, insights, and trends, contributes expertise to initiatives, and supports professional development. Benefits include announcement at GEM Summit, feature in NAGAP News, SPC logo usage, social media promotions, annual meeting with the Board, mailing list use, and thought leadership submissions. Requires $12,000 annual commitment.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• NAFSA: Association of International Educators: NAFSA is a large professional association for international educators and international admissions professionals. It overlaps NAGAP on the international admissions and recruitment side of graduate enrollment management.
• AACRAO (American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers): AACRAO is a long-standing professional association serving registrars and admissions officers in higher education. It overlaps NAGAP in serving enrollment-management professionals but with a broader registrar and undergraduate focus, making it the closest peer in category and member base.
• Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants and Advisors (AIGA): AIGA focuses specifically on graduate admissions professionals, including international graduate admissions. It directly competes with NAGAP for the same graduate enrollment management membership audience.
• Council of Graduate Schools (CGS): CGS is an association dedicated to graduate education in North America, serving graduate deans and administrators. It directly overlaps NAGAP's graduate enrollment management audience and competes for institutional engagement on graduate-program issues.

Broad incumbents

• American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U): AAC&U is a membership association of U.S. colleges and universities focused on liberal education. It is comparable as a higher-education association with conferences and member services, though it serves institutional members and leaders rather than GEM practitioners.
• EDUCAUSE: EDUCAUSE is a major higher education association focused on technology and information management. It is comparable as a higher-ed professional association with annual conferences, research, and membership dues, though its scope is technology rather than enrollment management.
• NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education: NASPA is a large association serving higher education student affairs professionals. It is comparable to NAGAP as a higher-ed membership organization but with a much broader scope beyond graduate enrollment management.
• American Association of University Administrators (AAUA): AAUA is a professional association for higher education administrators at all levels. It overlaps NAGAP as a higher-ed membership body serving administrators, but addresses leadership and management broadly rather than enrollment specifically.

Others

• HigherEdJobs: HigherEdJobs is a leading job board and career resource for higher education professionals. It is comparable to NAGAP's Career Center as a careers-oriented service for the same audience, but operates commercially rather than as a membership association.
• The Chronicle of Higher Education: The Chronicle is the leading higher-ed news and careers outlet, providing content, job listings, and events. It is comparable to NAGAP as a higher-ed content and career resource reaching enrollment leaders, but as a media company rather than a membership association.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NAGAPorg
• Facebookfacebook.com/NAGAPorg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nagap-the-leader-in-graduate-enrollment-management
• Instagraminstagram.com/nagaporg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NAGAP, The Association for Graduate Enrollment Management