Professional Certificate: College Admission for Emerging Leaders - National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC)

This professional certificate provides new and prospective admission professionals with a comprehensive understanding of college admission and student recruitment.

The basics:

Intended audience: Prospective and newly hired admission staff working at an institution of higher education.
Format: Hybrid.
- This course includes three virtual live sessions held via Zoom, ten video modules, and a final capstone workbook assignment.
Cost: $225 for NACAC members, $400 for nonmembers.
- A 20 percent discount is available for offices of four or more participants registering for the same course.
Estimated completion time: Eight weeks (approximately 1.5-3 hours per week).
- Participants have six months to access and complete the course in NACAC Learn.
Upon completion: A completion certificate and a digital badge.

Course description:

In this course, participants will learn the basics of college admission and student recruitment in a convenient, self-paced, online format. Participants will gain a national, regional, and international perspective while learning about best admission practices across multiple dimensions.

In addition to short, topic-based modules that will be completed at each participant’s own pace, there will be three live Zoom sessions to meet with classmates and faculty members. Participants will discuss key topics and issues, review assignments, learn from smaller breakout groups, and network with their colleagues.

Course topics:

Understanding college selectivity & decoding the high school profile
Basics of student engagement
Basics of data analytics
Intro to ethics in college admission
Unconscious bias
Intro to financial aid
Event management & budgeting
Self-advocacy & professional growth
The art of storytelling
Building rapport
Presenting to office leadership

Registration options:

2025 cohort information will be posted to this page once it is available. Thank you for your patience!

Cost:

$225 for NACAC members*
$400 for nonmembers

A 20 percent discount is available for offices of four or more participants registering for the same course.

*Unsure if you are a NACAC member? You may be eligible through your school or organization’s membership. Contact customer service for more information.

PLEASE NOTE: All requests to switch cohorts, extend course access (by one month) or changes to course registrations will be subject to a $50 processing fee per person/per course. No refunds will be processed.

Questions?

For questions about this course, please email customerservice@nacacnet.org.

Program director:

Emma AdebayoSenior Associate Director for Recruitment, Outreach, & Communications, University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI)

Emma Adebayo is the senior associate director for recruitment, outreach, and communications at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Adebayo holds a bachelor’s degree from Case Western Reserve University and a master’s degree in educational administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In 2020, she completed a certificate in conflict management and resolution at Washington University in St. Louis. Adebayo’s decade-plus career in college admissions includes experience at several public flagship and private specialized universities across the midwest. She is passionate about discourse on college access, equity, staff development, and inclusion on both sides of the desk and is proud of her recent service to the National Association for College Admission Counseling as a co-chair for the Ad-Hoc Committee on Serving Next Generation College Counseling and Admission Professionals and continued work as the program director of the Professional Certificate: College Admission for Emerging Leaders program.