Higher Education Conferences to Attend in 2024

After years of virtual gatherings, higher ed leaders are ready to reconnect with old friends and forge new connections over coffee breaks and evening receptions. There’s a certain magic to those impromptu conversations and chance encounters that simply can’t be replicated through a webcam. 

We have curated a list of higher ed conferences and professional development programs to help you navigate the changing landscape. Whether virtual, hybrid or in-person, many more sessions are also available to registrants as on-demand content, a trend that seems likely to stay.

Here is our guide to the college leadership conferences that typically dot the higher education professional development calendar, with a breakdown of the current plans for how each will be held in 2024.

Jump to Section:

• Summer 2024
• Fall 2024
• Winter 2024-25

Higher Education Conferences Happening in Summer 2024

2024 NASPA Conferences on Student Success in Higher Education

• Website: https://www.naspa.org/events/naspa-conferences-on-student-success-in-higher-education
• When: June 23-25, 2024
• Where: Anaheim, CA
• Attendance: In-person
• Cost: Starting at $75

The NASPA Conferences on Student Success in Higher Education is a convergence of three conferences in one registration! The Conferences convene the student success-focused community to engage in important professional development, exchange innovative ideas, and network with peers. You will engage with content from the Assessment, Planning, and Data Analytics Conference, First-generation Student Success Conference, and the Dismantling Systemic Barriers to Student Success Conference.

The Institute for Higher Education at Sunriver

• Website: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/3enrollment/
• When: June 23-27, 2024
• Where: Sunriver Resort, Bend, OR
• Attendance: In-person
• Cost: Starting at $600

More than ever, those of us who are passionate about higher ed and its mission, seek and need to share ideas, inspiration, and innovation—while also stepping back for a moment to reflect, decompress, and refresh our perspective. That’s what the Institute for Strategic Enrollment Management offers.

Engage Summit

• Website: https://engage.element451.com/
• When: June 25-26, 2024
• Where: Raleigh, NC
• Attendance: In-person
• Cost: Starting at $975

The Engage Summit is a roadmap for AI readiness in higher ed. This conference is a guide to understanding and applying AI at an institution by exploring the strategies and tools to step into the next generation of student engagement. June 25-26 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

EduWeb Summit 2024

• Website: https://www.eduwebsummit.com/
• When: July 9-11, 2024
• Where: Philadelphia, PA
• Attendance: In-person
• Cost: Starting at $975

Higher Education Conferences Happening in Fall 2024

HighEdWeb Association Annual Conference 2024

• Website: https://events.highedweb.org/heweb24
• When: September 22-25, 2024
• Where: Albuquerque, NM
• Attendance: In-person and virtually
• Cost: Starting at $825

HighEdWeb Annual Conference 2024 offers a wealth of opportunities for professionals, programmers, marketers, social pros, managers, designers, and writers in the higher education industry who want to explore the web, digital media, and its influence on their organization. Dive deep with diverse track sessions led by experts, gain inspiration from a captivating keynote address, and participate in stimulating group discussions. Leave empowered with the latest knowledge and a renewed network of fellow higher education professionals.

NACAC 2024 Conference

• Website: https://nacacconference.org/
• When: September 26-28, 2024
• Where: Los Angeles, CA
• Attendance: In-person
• Cost: Starting at $325

NACAC Conference 2024 will bring over 6,000 attendees to Los Angeles to share best practices, inspirational ideas, cutting-edge research and professional stories at the premier event for college admission counseling professionals.

UPCEA Convergence

• Website: https://conferences.upcea.edu/convergence2024/
• When: September 30 – October 2, 2024
• Where: New Orleans, LA
• Attendance: In-person
• Cost: Starting at $949

Convergence: Credential Innovation in Higher Education examines new and emerging trends and models, especially at the institutional level, in the emergent field of alternative credentials. Presented jointly by UPCEA and AACRAO, two of the organizations most critical to the future development and implementation of innovative credentials, this event brings together key campus stakeholders in credential innovation—deans of professional education, chief online learning officers, registrars, and their staff—to define and develop their institutional strategy with respect to alternative credentials.

Leadership in Higher Education Conference

• Website: https://www.magnapubs.com/leadership-in-higher-education-conference/
• When: October 10-12, 2024
• Where: Orlando, FL
• Attendance: In-person
• Cost: Starting at $859

Regardless of position or experience, the preconference workshops, plenary presentations, and concurrent sessions can adapt to any institution or leader. You’ll learn new methods to manage change and enhance productivity while networking with everyone from like-minded peers to nationally recognized experts.

NACCE 2024 National Conference

• Website: https://www.nacce.com/events/nacce-2024-national-conference
• When: October 13-16, 2024
• Where: Minneapolis, MN
• Attendance: In-person
• Cost: Starting at $949

Join with your peers from community colleges across the country at the 2024 NACCE Annual Conference in Minneapolis, MN.  Engage in activities and networking in entrepreneurial mindset and innovative action with a special focus on interdisciplinary areas such as STEM, Workforce, Entrepreneurship, Business Administration, and Development.

Social Media Strategies Summit

• Website: https://socialmediastrategiessummit.com/higher-ed-2024/
• When: October 21-22
• Where: Online
• Cost: Starting at $349

EDUCAUSE Annual Conference

• Website: https://events.educause.edu/annual-conference
• When: October 21-24 and November 13-14, 2024
• Where: San Antonio, TX
• Attendance: In-person and virtually
• Cost: Starting at $199

The EDUCAUSE Annual Conference is THE event where professionals and technology providers from around the world gather to network, share ideas, grow professionally, and discover solutions to today’s challenges. It’s the largest gathering of your peers…people you can relate to, learn from, and stay connected to throughout the year.

Global Inclusion 2024

• Website: https://conference.diversitynetwork.org/
• When: October 29 – November 1, 2024
• Where: Washington, DC
• Attendance: In-person
• Cost: Starting at $449

Since 2013 Diversity Abroad’s annual conference has constituted the most comprehensive forum for education professionals, students and stakeholders committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in global education and cultural exchange. As in prior years, Global Inclusion will embody Diversity Abroad and its member community’s holistic approach to addressing and accelerating systemic and equitable change in all aspects of global education and cultural exchange.

2024 AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education

• Website: https://www.ama.org/events/conference/2024-ama-symposium-for-the-marketing-of-higher-education/
• When: November 10-13, 2024
• Where: Las Vegas, NV
• Attendance: In-person
• Cost: Starting at $1,339

For more than 30 years, the AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education has been a premier event that paints a vibrant picture of the evolving higher education landscape.  Beyond the sessions and presentations, the Symposium is a vibrant community where knowledge seamlessly transitions into action. So save the date and plan to meet up in Las Vegas, November 10-13, 2024.

OLC Accelerate 2024

• Website: https://onlinelearningconsortium.org/attend-2023/accelerate/
• When: November 18-21, 2024
• Where: Orlando, FL
• Attendance: In-person
• Cost: Starting at $500

The OLC Accelerate 2024 conference will offer everything you need to know about the most innovative and impactful research and effective practices in the field of online, blended, and digital learning. This event will support administrators, designers, and educators alike by providing a comprehensive list of sessions and activities tailored to address the challenges and goals of our entire community.

Higher Education Conferences Happening in Winter 2024-25

UPCEA MEMS 2024

• Website: https://conferences.upcea.edu/marketing/
• When: December 3-5, 2024
• Where: Philadelphia, PA
  
• Attendance: In-person
• Cost: Starting at $899

UPCEA MEMS is a must-attend conference for education professionals who want to stay on top of the trends in higher ed marketing. Presented from a variety of perspectives, sessions elevate the conversation about today’s higher education landscape. For over 30 years, MEMS has drawn professionals from institutions of all sizes to showcase thought leadership in higher education and explore trends in adult student recruitment and retention.

Did we miss any higher ed conferences? Have any of these been updated already? Let us know on Twitter @volthighered.