Submit a Poster for NAFSA 2025
Poster proposal submissions are now being accepted for the NAFSA 2025 Annual Conference & Expo in San Diego, California.
Explore the twelve poster fair themes across all knowledge communities and connect to the annual conference theme. You may find that your topic fits within several themes. In these cases, we encourage you to submit your proposal to the theme that best reflects your intended audience. We invite practitioners, researchers, and graduate students from all types of institutions, as well as partners that support international education, to imagine, create, and design your posters.
The NAFSA poster fair at the annual conference is a learning experience and noncommercial. If you are interested in sharing a service, consider submitting a case study about it in partnership with an educational institution.
Poster Submission Guidelines
You will be asked to submit:
- Title, abstract, learning objectives, and poster theme (see below)
- All presenter biographical information
- Key content takeaways
For the International Education Research theme, please be prepared to submit your hypothesis, research methods, and thesis.
Please note that we do not expect submitters to include a visual for their poster at this time.
Poster Proposal Selection Guidelines
After the NAFSA 2025 poster proposal submission deadline, Poster Fair Organizers (PFOs), members of the Annual Conference Committee (ACC), and additional peer reviewers will review proposals. The Poster Chair, in coordination with the PFOs for each fair, will make final selections by March 2025.
Each poster proposal will be rated on a scale of 1-5 for:
- Appropriateness of the topic for poster format
- Importance of the topic to the audience
Poster Themes
NEW: Uses of AI and Technology in International Education
Posters for this theme will showcase AI and technology in international education. Note: This theme is intended to present educational concepts, policies and model practices vs. demonstrations of technology tools. Proposal topics can include:
- Uses of AI in international Education
- Campus politics and ethical considerations
- AI impacts on teaching and learning
- How to use new technology to improve office workflows
Community Engagement in International Education
This poster fair highlights successful examples of engagement with and in local and global communities that encourage growth, innovation, and renewal. Posters under this theme will highlight:
- Student engagement with local and international communities.
- Successful community partnerships that help to build and renew communities through collaboration.
- Successful ways campuses can prioritize community engagement.
Facilitating Teaching and Learning
Posters showcase model practices and success stories of teaching in a global context. Posters in this theme include:
- Examples of co-curricular activities, workforce, and career development
- Global self-awareness, cultural diversity, personal and social responsibility
- Teaching languages and other global skill development
- Working with faculty and curriculum development
This theme encourages proposals in both on-site and virtual global learning opportunities.
Increasing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in International Education
Posters in this theme highlight innovative diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of international education, such as:
- Programs, support services, and resources to assist colleges and universities interested in expanding participation and equitable opportunities for international students, scholars, and study abroad participants
- Proposals about supporting athletes, veterans, graduate students, first-generation students, and academic disciplines such as science and engineering are also welcome
- Resources that support underrepresented and nontraditional populations, focusing on sexual orientation, disability, religion, race and ethnicity, and socioeconomic status
International Education Research and Assessment
Posters in this theme highlight model practices for gathering and analyzing data in various ways:
- Analyzing data to assess program and learning outcomes and to make decisions for programs
- Highlighting important findings, perspectives, and academic inquiries in order to stimulate collaboration and provide tangible professional resources and educational understanding
- Innovative and in-depth qualitative and quantitative research in the field of international education
Submissions from graduate students, scholar-practitioners, and researchers from all knowledge communities are encouraged.
Internationalizing the Campus
Posters explore best practices in strategic planning and implementation for campus and virtual internationalization. Featured posters include:
- All aspects of internationalization through strategic planning, explorations of funding opportunities, and critical consideration of practices of internationalization
- Application of theoretical models to the process of internationalization
- Ways to cooperate and create resilient international partnerships and virtual exchange to further internationalization through innovative curriculum designs
Senior international officers are encouraged to submit posters about model practices for these programs.
Model Practices and Insights in Education Abroad
Posters in this fair showcase the expanding portfolio of education abroad programming, including:
- Campus-based, cocurricular, and virtual initiatives that institutions and organizations have implemented to stimulate, promote, and integrate learning at various stages of the education abroad experience
- Learning through study abroad as well as work, internships, service-learning, and research abroad for both credit and noncredit opportunities
- Predeparture orientations and communication with students
- Regulatory aspects of education abroad are encouraged, especially model practices in reporting for VAWA, Clery, and Title IX
Model Practices and Insights in International Enrollment Management
This poster fair showcases various international enrollment management strategies, such as:
- Innovative marketing ideas to increase or support international student enrollment
- Alumni programs used by institutions to successfully recruit, enroll, and retain international students
- Intensive English program administration
- Sponsored student programs, plans, models, and measurement tools
Model Practices and Insights in International Student and Scholar Services
This poster fair highlights model practices in international student and scholar services, including:
- Campus programming for international students, such as intercultural initiatives
- Employment and career services
- Exchange visitor and employment-based sponsorship policies
- Health and wellness for international students, scholars, and educators
- International spouses and family support
- J-1 programming
- Orientation programming
- Support for postdocs
- Title IX responses
Risk Prevention and Crisis Response in International Education
This poster fair aims to showcase processes, resources, and model practices employed by international offices when preparing for and addressing crises or emergencies. Proposal topics include:
- Mental Health and wellness programming in International Education
- Preparation and policies when a natural disaster (earthquake, flood, hurricane, wildfire) or pandemic happens abroad or on a U.S. Campus
- Crisis training and campus-wide communication strategies, including communication flows
- Innovative approaches, operational processes, and key resources in crisis management
- Successful case studies to effectively navigate crises and ensure students' and scholars' well-being and safety
- Working with refugee populations
Sustainability in International Education
This poster fair highlights the vital role of international education in combatting climate change and fostering environmental sustainability. Proposals showcase the following:
- Campus and international office initiatives on climate action
- Innovative approaches and best practices that integrate sustainability principles into education abroad programs, curriculum development, and campus operations
Updates on Country and Regional Higher Education
Posters in this theme present topics on issues relating to:
- Current issues, research, and trends related to the higher education policies and systems of various countries and regions
- Mobility trends and scholarships for all students, both incoming and outgoing
- New educational programs and initiatives
- New laws affecting higher education
- Working with refugee populations and other global crises and trends
NAFSA Proposal Submission Policies
All session, workshop, and poster presenters are required to adhere to NAFSA’s terms and conditions.