
Pre-Conference
Tuesday & Wednesday
September 22 & 23
Additional fees apply
General Conference
Thursday, Friday & Saturday
September 24, 25 & 26

Denotes additional fees and pre-registration required.
- Tuesday, September 22, 2026
- Wednesday, September 23, 2026
- Thursday, September 24, 2026
- Friday, September 25, 2026
- Saturday, September 26, 2026
7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
|Tuesday, September 22, 2026
Pre-Conference Institutes - ATI, ADI & FLI
12:30 PM - 1:00 PM
|Tuesday, September 22, 2026
FAI: Financial Aid Institute Pre-Conference Institute Registration
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
|Tuesday, September 22, 2026
FAI: Financial Aid Institute Pre-Conference Institute
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
|Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Pre-Conference Institutes - ATI, ADI & FLI
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM
|Wednesday, September 23, 2026
FAI Pre-Conference Flagship Institute Breakfast
9:30 AM - 12:00 PM
|Wednesday, September 23, 2026
FAI Pre-Conference Flagship Institute Morning Sessions
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
|Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Coaching Corner 1:1 Sessions
12:00 PM - 7:30 PM |Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Registration, Swag Store & Member Lounge
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Registration for General Conference
Member Lounge
Swag Store
12:05 PM - 12:55 PM
|Wednesday, September 23, 2026
FAI Pre-Conference Lunch
12:55 PM - 5:00 PM
|Wednesday, September 23, 2026
FAI Pre-Conference Flagship Institutes Afternoon Sessions
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM |Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Pre-Conference Workshops (pre-registration required)
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Equitable Strategy Pre-Conference Workshop:
Perceived Value & Affordability Pre-Conference Workshop - Turning Data Insights into Action: Behavioral Economics Takeaways for Enrollment, Marketing, and School Leadership Teams
AI in Enrollment & Marketing Pre-Conference Workshop: We Tried AI in a Real Enrollment Office. Here’s What Happened.
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
|Wednesday, September 23, 2026Opening Reception
7:00 AM - 4:00 PM
|Thursday, September 24, 2026Registration
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
|Thursday, September 24, 2026Breakfast
8:00 AM - 1:30 PM
|Thursday, September 24, 2026
Coaching Corner 1:1 Sessions
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM |Thursday, September 24, 2026
Sponsor Hall, Swag Store and Member Lounge
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Swag Store
Sponsor Hall
Member Lounge
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
|Thursday, September 24, 2026Welcome and Opening Remarks. Presentation of Bretnall & Changemaker Awards
10:00 AM - 10:15 AM |Thursday, September 24, 2026
Coffee Break
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Coffee with Sponsors
Coffee in the Member Lounge
10:15 AM - 11:15 AM |Thursday, September 24, 2026
Concurrent Sessions
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Predicting Student Success
United Nations E3n: Learning From our International Colleagues
Doing It All: Running a One-Person Admission and Marketing Office
When Marketing and Admissions Become Strategic Engagement: Year One
The “Season After The Season” - Strategies to Tackle Melt and Retention
More Than a Tour: Building an Ambassador Program Students Actually Want
How Schools and CBOs Build PK–12 Access Pipelines
Creating Joyful Admissions Events: Fresh Ideas for Meaningful Engagement
Death of the Inquiry: A Two-Funnel Framework for the Enrollment Journey
Engaging Faculty as Partners in Enrollment Success
Designing the First Yes: The Lower School Admissions Experience
Yielding the Invisible
Aligning Admissions and Athletics: Data-Driven Evaluation System
How to Combat Enrollment Decline
FEATURED SESSION - Trendsetters: A Conversation with our Higher Ed Counterparts
The 2026 State of AI in Enrollment: What Leaders Must Do Now
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM |Thursday, September 24, 2026
Concurrent Sessions
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Don't Let Admissions Be An Island
How Junior Boarding Schools Prepare Students for Secondary School
Moments That Matter: Meaningful Family Engagement on Campus
Easier Said Than Done: Supporting Trans and Nonbinary Students Effectively
Reimagining Student Ambassadors with Canvas for Ownership & Excellence
The Art of the Ask: Practical Strategies for Total Campus Buy-In
Candor as a Retention Tool: Rebalancing Adjusted Tuition
Financial Aid 101: Other Duties as Assigned
Communicate Your School’s Value Proposition in a Competitive Landscape
Burn Bright, Not Out - Sustainable Excellence in Enrollment
Rethinking Balance in Admission: Designing Work That Sustains Teams
Students as Storytellers:Student Programs that Foster Belonging & Retention
Admissions + DEI Partnerships: A Roadmap for Success
FEATURED SESSION - AI In Enrollment Management: From Hype to Practice
China Market Reset: Rethinking Recruitment, Yield & Why China Matters
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
|Thursday, September 24, 2026Lunch
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
|Thursday, September 24, 2026Keynote - Jeff Selingo
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM |Thursday, September 24, 2026
Book Signing & Sponsor Hall Activities
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Book Signing with Jeff Selingo
Dessert in the Member Lounge
Paws for a Cause: Powered by Blackbaud
Dessert with the Sponsors
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM |Thursday, September 24, 2026
Concurrent Sessions
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Stuck in the Middle: Making “Too Much” for Aid & Not Enough for Tuition
Balancing Readiness and Data in Early Childhood Admissions
The Mystery of Disappearing 9th Grade Applicants and Departing 8th Graders.
Widening the Welcome: Leveraging Community for Enrollment Impact
FEATURED SESSION - AI Implentation: How Can You To Do So in Compliance with Sound Legal, Technological, and Operational Principles?
From “Maybe” to “Yes”: Aligning Your Community to Strengthen Enrollment
Effectively Transitioning Your Admission Database
Directorship...are you ready for it?
Beyond the Dashboard: Telling Your Enrollment Story to the Board
Audacious to Actionable: A Case Study in Creating a New Enrollment Offering
Main Character Energy: Write the Story They Want to Be in
Spring Cleaning Isn't Just for Your House!
Science Meets Practice: The West Point Admissions Study
“Plot Twist - You’re the Open House Guest AND the Creator”
Retention Starts on Day One
Beyond the Application: Building a Powerful Admission-Teacher Partnership
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
|Thursday, September 24, 2026Boarding School Reception and Placement Fair
5:45 PM - 6:45 PM
|Thursday, September 24, 2026Early Career Enrollment Professionals Reception
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
|Thursday, September 24, 2026PoC Reception
7:30 AM - 4:00 PM
|Friday, September 25, 2026Registration
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM |Friday, September 25, 2026
Breakfast
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Breakfast for International Schools
Breakfast
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
|Friday, September 25, 2026
Coaching Corner 1:1 Sessions
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM |Friday, September 25, 2026
Registration, Member Lounge, Swag Store and Sponsor Hall
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Swag Store
Sponsor Hall
Member Lounge
8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
|Friday, September 25, 2026Francis Parker School Pep Band Performance
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
|Friday, September 25, 2026Keynote, Crystal Washington, and Presentation of Gourley and Rising Star Awards
10:30 AM - 10:45 AM |Friday, September 25, 2026
Coffee and Headshots
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Coffee with Sponsors
Coffee in Member Lounge
10:30 AM - 2:00 PM
|Friday, September 25, 2026Headshots
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM |Friday, September 25, 2026
Concurrent Sessions
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Welcome to the Nest: We are ALL IN on onboarding
The Unquantifiables: Reading Between the Lines How admissions professionals interpret readiness, partnership, and fit beyond grades and testing
Building the Plane While Flying It!
Beyond the Enrollment Cliff
The Kindergarten Playbook: From First Inquiry to Enrollment
From Retreat to Results: Building a School-Wide Enrollment Plan
What No One Tells You About Leading: Missteps & Power of Connection
Beyond the Enrollment Office: What Enrollment Strategy Really Looks Like
First Click to First Day: Crafting a Relationship Driven Admission Journey
FEATURED SESSION - AI in Enrollment Management: Build Your Own Assistant
Modernizing Enrollment Without Losing Your Mission
Retained: Building a Culture of Retention from Application to Graduation
Decoding the Next Generation of Parents
The Belonging Blueprint: Beyond Access to Improved Outcomes
Yielding is All Year (Flipping Admitteds to Enrolleds at a Small School)
Better Together: A Case Study in Collaboration for Schools
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM |Friday, September 25, 2026
Concurrent Sessions
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They Don't Fall from the Sky: Aligning Faculty with Enrollment Reality
One School, One Experience: Aligning Marketing, Enrollment & Advancement
Tying Outcomes to the Independent School Value Proposition
Mission in Motion: Collaboration to Strengthen Enrollment and Retention
Enrollment Management: Partnerships for the Win!
From Allocation to Strategy: A Program-Level Approach to Financial Aid
Best in Class: Learnings from National Leaders in Enrollment Data.
Two Readers, Two Approaches: A Practical Debate on Slate’s AI Reader
Spreadsheet Skills to Take You from Intimidated to Impactful!
Search & Apply: Inside The Admission.org Search Funnel
Recruited, enrolled, and then what? Supporting & Empowering Girls of Color
From Data to Voice: Turning Student Voice into Enrollment Impact
Think Horizontal: Future-Proofing School Leadership Structures
When Growth Is the Strategy: A Case Study in School Expansion
Understanding India: A High-Potential Market for Boarding Schools
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM |Friday, September 25, 2026
Lunch
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Women's Affinity Lunch
Lunch
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM |Friday, September 25, 2026
Concurrent Sessions
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Can AI Help Analyze My Pipeline?
From Puzzles to Purpose: Escape Rooms as Equitable Admission Assessments
From Data to Direction: Quartile Analysis in Admissions Strategy
Leading Change Together: The Dance of New Leadership and Deep Legacy
What’s Next? Mid-Career Pathways and Influence in Independent Schools
Clarity Without Coldness: Humanizing Admissions & FA Communications
Brand, Strategy, and Enrollment: Why the Order Matters
Head–Enrollment Partnerships: From Alignment to Boardroom Influence
Retention by Design: Turning Admits into Engaged Students
Bridging the Gap: Placement & Admissions in Dialogue
Creating a Peerless Paradigm
From Nerves to Numbers: Student Ambassadors Drive Middle School Retention
Good News: Your Digital Marketing Is Working. Bad News: You Can’t Prove It.
Beyond Financial Aid: Access to Equitable Inclusion & Belonging
3:00 PM - 3:15 PM |Friday, September 25, 2026
Snacks and Headshots
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Snack Break with Sponsors
Snack Break in Member Lounge
3:00 PM - 6:00 PM
|Friday, September 25, 2026Headshots
3:15 PM - 4:15 PM |Friday, September 25, 2026
Concurrent Sessions
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Enrollment is Everyone's Job: Building a Whole-School Culture
From lululemon to Leadership: The Future of Enrollment Design
Mission, Money, and Fit: How Heads of School Make Enrollment Decisions
Building Enrollment from the Ground Up Why Enrollment Is Everyone's Job
The Admissions Process From Start to Finish!
Admissions in an AI World: Tools to Improve Review and Efficiency
Why Chinese Families Choose Day Schools and Give Back
Clear and Confident Communication When It Matters Most
Strengthening Sending School Relationships: Growing Enrollment Pipeline
Elevating The Voices Of Parents, Who Receive Financial Aid
From Recruitment to Retention: Aligning Enrollment Strategy...
Beyond the Enrollment Cliff: Cliff Notes For The Future
When Admission and Marketing click!! The results are fantastic.
All Hands on Brand: Marketing as a Team Sport in Small Schools
Applying MQL/SQL Framework to Independent School Admissions
Does AI Affect Cognitive Development? What Parents Need to Know
4:15 PM - 5:15 PM
|Friday, September 25, 2026Block Party/Reception
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
|Friday, September 25, 2026LGBTQIA+ Reception
5:15 PM - 6:15 PM
|Friday, September 25, 2026Canadian Schools Reception
8:00 PM - 11:00 PM
|Friday, September 25, 2026Off-Site Late Night Networking and Social Event
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM
|Saturday, September 26, 2026
Community Walk/Run
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM
|Saturday, September 26, 2026Breakfast
9:30 AM - 10:30 AM
|Saturday, September 26, 2026Keynote Speaker - Donnie Campbell
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM |Saturday, September 26, 2026
Concurrent Sessions
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