In today's rapidly shifting international education landscape, staying informed on the latest developments and connected to the broader community isn’t just beneficial—it’s critical. The NAFSA Annual Conference & Expo represents more than just professional development; it's an essential investment in your institution's compliance, ability to support your students, and strategic positioning during uncertain times.
With budget constraints and increased uncertainty in the field, you may have to make the case to register for NAFSA 2025. Read below for talking points and tips to explain why this is a great investment for you, your team, and your institution.
Why NAFSA 2025 Isn’t Merely Valuable, But Essential
For education abroad professionals, the conference offers unparalleled efficiency. Rather than conducting multiple costly site visits throughout the year, NAFSA brings your partner institutions and third-party providers together in one location. This not only saves your institution significant travel expenses but also maximizes return on your valuable time and energy.
For international student and scholar services, regulatory change is occurring at an unprecedented rate. Staying up-to-date on the latest developments and best practices isn't optional—it's mandatory for maintaining compliance, protecting your institution, and effectively supporting your students. NAFSA 2025 delivers up-to-the-minute regulatory information directly from government representatives and field leaders who can help you navigate what's coming and prepare your response strategy.
For all international educators, the conference provides the irreplaceable benefit of community. Some conversations simply can't be conducted effectively on virtual channels. The in-person environment at NAFSA allows for candid discussions, spontaneous problem-solving, and the building of support networks with colleagues who face the same challenges you do. Remember: You're not alone in navigating the challenges and complexities of the present moment, and your NAFSA community is your greatest resource.
Amid the uncertainties facing the field, attending NAFSA 2025 is more crucial than ever. When resources are tight and challenges are mounting, having the right information, strategies, and support becomes not just valuable but essential to your institution's success.
Your presence at NAFSA 2025 isn't a luxury—it's a necessity for effectively serving your students, protecting your institution, and advancing the mission and values of international education.
How to Make the Case
Do your homework.
Attending the NAFSA 2025 Annual Conference & Expo is one of the best investments you can make in your career. It’s the only place to get up to speed on all of the latest developments, trends, forecasts, emerging best practices, creative solutions, and resources in the field. To help make a business case for you to attend the conference, it's a good idea to demonstrate to your supervisor that your attendance can help solve problems your office faces and help your team reach its goals. Here are a few things you can do:
- Think of pain points or problems in your office or areas where your leadership is focused. For example, is your supervisor in cost-cutting mode? Is your office hiring or looking to restructure the team’s work? Are you charged with implementing a new strategy?
- Then, look through the online planner for sessions, networking opportunities, or other programming that can help your team overcome challenges or contribute to its success.
- Do the same exercise for opportunities. Where does your office want to be in five years? In what ways do you hope to grow and expand on campus?
- Explore the online planner to see what conference programming can help you get there—whether it’s to develop new partnerships in certain countries, build recruitment pipelines in different places, or stay ahead of the curve with study abroad trends.
- Review your own performance objectives and think about what skills you want to gain. What conference content can help you reach those goals?
- As much as possible, align your plans at the conference to your institution’s and office’s goals and strategic plan.
- The International Education Expo is one of the can’t-miss aspects of the conference. Go through the list of exhibitors who will be in San Diego and note the institutions, organizations, and companies you plan to meet with during your time.
Keep your team in mind.
In addition to your own professional growth and networking, your supervisor may want to know that there is a return on their investment that will benefit your team. In addition to identifying sessions and programming ahead of time that can help your office meet its goals, here are a few other aspects to keep mind:
- Offer to do a post-conference recap or lunch and learn for your team when you return. Not only will you share the knowledge you gained, you’ll likely have more buy-in to implement new strategies or tools you learned about at the conference.
- Before you go, ask others on your team if there are sessions they’d like for you to attend and take notes, or if there are certain exhibitors you can meet with on their behalf.
- Prepare a plan for colleagues to cover your tasks while you’re away. Offer to do the same for them when they attend conferences, and consider bringing them a treat or memento from San Diego to thank them.
Know how you can save!
There are several ways to get costs down for the conference. Keep these in mind:
- Take advantage of early-bird savings if you register before April 16. You can save $150 off of the cost of registration.
- Join NAFSA (if you haven’t already). NAFSA membership is an investment in your career that serves you the whole year round. Review membership benefits, and sign up for membership before/with conference registration to save $300 on the conference registration price.
- To save even more, consider volunteering! When you volunteer at NAFSA 2025, you can be reimbursed for 50 to 100 percent of your registration costs. Volunteering is also a great way to network with attendees and NAFSA staff while enjoying a significant discount. Learn more.