International ACAC

What International ACAC does

International ACAC (International Association for College Admission Counseling) is a private, nonprofit professional membership association founded in 1993 and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. It serves professionals engaged in international college counseling and admissions, with over 4,000 members across more than 140 countries representing over 1,500 unique institutions and organizations. The organization operates as a NACAC affiliate and is governed by an elected Executive Board and Regional Council, with Erin Garcia serving as Executive Director and Liam McCartney as President for the 2025-2026 term.

The organization's core offerings are professional development and networking services rather than technology products. These include an annual conference hosted at rotating global universities, six annually rotating regional institutes covering Europe, the Americas, South & Central Asia, East/Southeast Asia & Oceania, the Middle East & North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa, weekly Webinar Wednesday programming, a Mentor Year Program, a Scholar Program, grants and bursaries, a member conduct reporting framework, and a member-only job board. Member services are delivered through a GrowthZone-powered portal. International ACAC does not develop proprietary technology, AI/ML capabilities, or SaaS products.

The business model is membership-dues-driven, with tiered annual fees ranging from $12 (Retired Professional) to $394 (For-Profit Organization Primary Member), updated by 10% effective 2026. Secondary revenue comes from tiered corporate sponsorships of the annual conference (Platinum, Gold, Silver), conference and regional institute registration fees, and non-member job board postings priced at $350 each. New individual and organizational applicants must secure a reference from an existing member, embedding a peer-referred acquisition mechanism into the operating model.

Name

International ACAC

Legal name

International Association for College Admission Counseling

Website

https://internationalacac.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

International ACAC is a nonprofit professional membership association founded in 1993, serving over 4,000 international college admissions counselors and university representatives across 140+ countries through conferences, regional institutes, webinars, mentorship, and grants, funded primarily by tiered annual dues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Credentialing, Academic Credit, Assessment & Transcript Services (EDAIAFAO)

Keywords

• Professional membership association
• College admission counseling
• International admissions networking
• Higher education conferences
• School counselor membership

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

International ACAC is a nonprofit professional membership association that serves professionals engaged in international college counseling and admissions. It sells annual memberships (categorized by Secondary, Post-Secondary, Individual, and Organizational tiers), and delivers member benefits including an annual conference, six regional institutes rotating through global regions, the Webinar Wednesday professional development series, the Mentor Year Program, Scholar Program, a member-only job board, and grants and bursaries.

Product overview

International ACAC (International Association for College Admission Counseling) is a professional membership organization, not a technology product company. Its offerings consist of membership services, professional development programs (annual conferences, regional institutes, webinars), career resources (job board), and grant/bursary programs. The organization does not offer technology products, SaaS platforms, or software-as-a-service offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• International ACAC Membership Annual membership program offering four main categories (Secondary Members, Post-Secondary Members, Individual Members, Organizational Members) with dues ranging from $12 (Retired Professional) to $394 (For-Profit Organization Primary), granting access to the member portal, job board, conferences, webinars, mentorship, and professional resources.
• Annual Conference Annual multi-day conference held at rotating global university venues, bringing together international college counseling and admissions professionals for sessions, networking, and professional development. The 2026 edition is hosted at Carnegie Mellon University and University of Pittsburgh.
• Regional Institutes Region-specific professional development events held across six rotating global regions, providing locally relevant content and networking for international admissions professionals in those geographies.
• Webinar Wednesday Recurring webinar series offering virtual professional development sessions for members on topics relevant to international college admissions counseling.
• Mentor Year Program Year-long mentorship program pairing members for guided professional development within the international admissions field.
• Scholar Program Scholarly engagement program supporting members conducting research or study in international admissions and counseling.
• Member Job Board Members-only career platform for posting and accessing job opportunities in international college admissions; free for members and $350 USD per posting for non-members.
• Grants and Bursaries Program Financial support offerings including Opportunity Grants, Gathering Grants, and Conference Bursaries, providing funding for members to access professional development, attend conferences, or support equity-related initiatives in international college admissions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 275 attendees at the 2026 EASEAO Regional Institute including representatives from 151 post-secondary institutions across 19 countries.
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• CialfoflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerCialfo is a Platinum sponsor of the 2026 International ACAC Annual Conference. Cialfo is a BridgeU/Explore company providing international student recruitment and university pathway solutions.
• Duolingo English TestflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerDuolingo English Test is a Platinum sponsor of the 2026 International ACAC Annual Conference, providing English language proficiency testing services for international students.
• Match by EABflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerMatch by EAB is a Platinum sponsor of the 2026 International ACAC Annual Conference. EAB provides data-driven enrollment management and student success solutions.
• Western Atlantic University School of Medicine (WAUSM)flagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerWestern Atlantic University School of Medicine is a Platinum sponsor of the 2026 International ACAC Annual Conference.
• Cambridge EnglishcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCambridge English is a Gold sponsor of the 2026 International ACAC Annual Conference, providing English language assessment and qualifications for international students.
• Dipont EducationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDipont Education is a Gold sponsor of the 2026 International ACAC Annual Conference, providing international education and boarding school services.
• MaiaLearningcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMaiaLearning is a Gold sponsor of the 2026 International ACAC Annual Conference, providing college and career planning platform solutions.
• ETS TOEFLcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerETS TOEFL is a Gold sponsor of the 2026 International ACAC Annual Conference, providing the TOEFL English proficiency test for international students.
• Temple University, Japan CampusminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTemple University, Japan Campus is a Silver sponsor of the 2026 International ACAC Annual Conference.
• UCASminorGTM or Marketing PartnerUCAS is a Silver sponsor of the 2026 International ACAC Annual Conference. UCAS manages the UK university and college admissions system.
• UnifrogminorGTM or Marketing PartnerUnifrog is a Silver sponsor of the 2026 International ACAC Annual Conference, providing a career and university progression platform for schools.
• NACAC (National Association for College Admission Counseling)flagshipOthersInternational ACAC is an affiliate of NACAC (National Association for College Admission Counseling). Voting members of International ACAC may not simultaneously be voting members of any other NACAC affiliate. This affiliation provides governance alignment and professional standards framework.
• GrowthZonecoreTechnology or IntegrationGrowthZone is the platform provider powering International ACAC's website, member portal (Info Hub), event management, job board, application processing, and member communications. The site is built on GrowthZone technology.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CIS (Council of International Schools): CIS is a global membership community for international schools, universities, and individuals involved in international education. It serves a closely overlapping audience of international college counselors and admissions officers.
• AACRAO (American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers): AACRAO is a higher-education association serving registrars and admissions officers with professional standards, training, and credential evaluation services. It overlaps directly with International ACAC's post-secondary membership and international admissions remit.
• WES (World Education Services): WES is a nonprofit specializing in international credential evaluation that works closely with the international college admissions community. Its member services and standards framework parallel International ACAC's conduct and professional standards role.
• NAFSA: Association of International Educators: NAFSA is the leading US-based association for international educators and international student advisors, with comparable conference programming, regional networks, and professional development focus on the international education ecosystem.
• ICEF (International Consultants for Education and Fairs): ICEF runs international education fairs, agent training, and industry events that compete directly with International ACAC's conference and regional institute programming for the same international student recruitment buyer.

Emerging players

• ApplyBoard: ApplyBoard is an international student recruitment platform that competes in the same counselor–institution matching space that International ACAC's network historically mediated. It represents the technology-driven alternative to membership-association-led networking.
• Going Global (by ETS): Going Global is a career and international education resource platform owned by ETS, serving international student job-seekers and advisors. It overlaps with International ACAC's secondary-segment counselor resources and member job board offerings.
• Cialfo: Cialfo is a tech platform for international student recruitment and university pathway management, and a Platinum sponsor of International ACAC's 2026 conference. It addresses the same counselor–university connection problem with a software-first model.

Broad incumbents

• NACAC (National Association for College Admission Counseling): NACAC is the parent-affiliate and the dominant US-focused college admissions counseling association. It is structurally comparable as a membership association serving college admissions professionals, but operates primarily within the US rather than globally.

Regional players

• ECCTIS / UK ENIC: UK ENIC (operated by ECCTIS) is the UK's official credential evaluation service and an authoritative voice in international admissions. It is comparable as a standards/credentialing counterpart but with a UK-centric geographic scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/InternationalACAC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-acac
• Instagraminstagram.com/intlacac

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 International ACAC