NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education

What NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education does

NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional association founded in 1919 and headquartered at 111 K Street NE, Washington, DC. It is the recognized professional home for student affairs administrators in U.S. higher education, serving over 14,000 individual members across all 50 states, 44 countries, and 8 U.S. territories, and representing more than 2,100 institutional members spanning four-year colleges, community colleges, and minority-serving institutions. The organization operates a vertically integrated professional association platform that includes an online learning management system (learning.naspa.org) for webinars, short courses, and on-demand professional development; an event-management infrastructure hosting 60+ annual events anchored by the NASPA Annual Conference (its 109th session is scheduled for March 2027); a publishing division producing four peer-reviewed scholarly journals and the Leadership Exchange magazine; the Placement Exchange job board; a Policy Hub for federal and state advocacy; and NASPA Advisory Services for institutional consulting and program review.

NASPA generates revenue through a tiered membership model — institutional dues scaled by IPEDS enrollment ($383–$2,743), individual Professional Affiliate memberships ($99), Associate Affiliate ($259), Corporate ($830), Non-Profit ($375), Emeritus ($50), Undergraduate ($30), and free Graduate Student Affiliate tiers — supplemented by event registration, publication sales, foundation grants and donations (via its wholly owned NASPA Foundation subsidiary, established in 1991 from the former NIRAD), and a curated Educational Partner program that includes Chartwells, TimelyCare, Uwill, Vector Solutions, Ready Education, Element451, and CollegeVine. The association is governed by an elected volunteer Board of Directors and does not have a parent company or external shareholders.

The organization's go-to-market is fundamentally horizontal within the student affairs profession: it segments members by career level (VPSA, AVP, mid-level, new professional, graduate, undergraduate), by functional area (80+ Knowledge Communities), by geography (7 U.S. regions plus the new European Conference initiative), and by institutional type. Core marketing channels include the flagship conference, the weekly NASPA Update email, the SA Voices from the Field podcast, Leadership Exchange magazine, and member-to-member referrals through Knowledge Communities. Technology is positioned as "ease of use and implementation," with the LMS as the primary digital engagement surface and no disclosed proprietary AI, mobile app, or public API.

Name

NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education

Legal name

NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education

Website

https://naspa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1919

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

NASPA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional association founded in 1919 that serves over 14,000 student affairs administrators across 2,100+ higher education institutions through tiered membership, annual and regional conferences, scholarly journals, online learning, policy advocacy, and career placement services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Professional Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Governance Bodies & Board/Trustee Administration (EDADAKAL)

Keywords

• Professional association services
• Higher education membership
• Student affairs development
• Scholarly journal publishing
• Professional conference events

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington, DC

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, Infrastructure

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

NASPA is a professional membership association serving student affairs administrators in higher education. Its core offerings include tiered individual and institutional memberships, the NASPA Annual Conference and regional conferences, on-demand online learning courses and webinars, scholarly journals and the Leadership Exchange magazine, a placement/job board (The Placement Exchange), institutional advisory services, and federal/state policy advocacy resources.

Product overview

NASPA is a membership-based professional association for student affairs administrators in higher education, offering a unified platform of products and services. The core offerings include annual and regional conferences, scholarly journals (Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice), the Leadership Exchange magazine, online learning modules, the Placement Exchange job board, policy resources, advisory services, peer education programs, and foundation awards. These products collectively serve over 13,000 members across 2,100+ institutions through professional development, research, advocacy, and networking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NASPA Annual Conference The premier annual professional development event for student affairs administrators, featuring multi-day conferences, workshops, and networking opportunities for NASPA members and the broader student affairs community.
• Regional Conferences and Place-Based Institutes Place-based regional events across seven NASPA regions that provide professional development and networking opportunities for student affairs professionals within specific geographic areas, including drive-in conferences and place-based institutes.
• Online Learning / On-Demand Catalogue Web-based learning platform providing webinars, short courses, and on-demand professional development content for student affairs professionals at their convenience, with courses across multiple focus areas including career development, civic engagement, health and well-being, policy, and student success.
• The Placement Exchange A job board and placement service connecting student affairs professionals with career opportunities at colleges and universities, facilitating hiring between institutions and candidates across all career levels.
• NASPA Advisory Services External reviews, self-assessment tools, and professional development resources for institutional members to evaluate and improve their student affairs operations through consultative engagements with NASPA.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 15,000 members served across all 50 states, 44 countries, and 8 U.S. territories
• +3 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Chartwells Higher EducationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRecognized leader in contract food service management, hospitality, and guest service at over 300 colleges and universities in the United States. Partnering to further innovation and excellence in culinary, nutrition, technology, and sustainability to bring unique dining experiences to campus partners.
• Ready EducationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDigital student engagement platform trusted by 750+ institutions globally. Provides solutions that centralize campus resources, streamline communications, and provide student organization and events management. Empowering student affairs professionals to build improved digital experiences.
• TimelyCarecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerHigher education's most trusted virtual health and well-being provider, serving 2.3+ million students at 350+ campuses nationwide. Provides mental health counseling, medical care, psychiatric care, health coaching, student success coaching, and self-guided wellness tools.
• UwillcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLeading mental health and wellness solution for colleges and students with 2 million students from all 50 states at 300+ institutions. Offers immediate appointment with licensed counselors based on student preferences, all modalities of teletherapy, and 24/7 crisis connection.
• Vector SolutionscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerHelps over 2,000 colleges and universities strengthen safety, well-being, and inclusion efforts through high-impact training, data insights, and safety communications. Addresses substance misuse, harassment, discrimination, sexual assault, mental well-being, and diversity.
• CollegeVinecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerHelps student affairs teams use AI to improve student experience and increase operational efficiency. By unifying institutional data and deploying AI agents across campus, helps institutions automate routine work and deliver personalized student support at scale.
• Element451coreGTM or Marketing PartnerAI platform purpose-built for higher education with specialized AI agents across every stage of the student lifecycle. Supports more than 350 institutions in powering over 60 million student journeys.
• Another SourceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting NASPA and its members through educational partnership program.
• StopHazing ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium led by Elizabeth Allan (UMaine professor and 2026 George D. Kuh Award recipient) that has worked with nearly 40 institutions on hazing prevention research. NASPA partners with this initiative through its awards and research programs.
• Hazing Prevention Research LabminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch laboratory led by Elizabeth Allan at University of Maine focusing on hazing prevention research, partnering with NASPA through the George D. Kuh Award program.

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/naspa-sa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education