By Rachel Williams Sincore, NACAC Communications

ARLINGTON, VA (April 15, 2026) — To ensure NACAC college fairs are helping meet the needs of students, college counselors, and institutions today, NACAC and Education First have teamed up to identify opportunities to reimagine college fairs for greater impact.   

For more than 50 years, NACAC has connected students and postsecondary institutions through its flagship college fair program. Each year, over 100,000 students from 10,000 high schools connect with nearly 1,500 colleges and universities worldwide at NACAC college fairs. Happening since 1972, NACAC college fairs have evolved over the years to include virtual offerings, STEM and performing arts-focused fairs, international fairs, on-site educational workshops, opportunities for students to learn more about the college experience, and more.  

But gradually over the years, the landscape has changed.  

The higher education recruitment market is saturated and fragmented. Students feel overwhelmed by options, and many — especially those from underserved communities — struggle to find relevance or personal connection in traditional college fairs. At the same time, NACAC is facing its own pressures: declining attendance stemmed from the demographic cliff and reduced public confidence in higher education, political backlash against equity initiatives, and the logistical strain of operating more than 60 annual college fairs with limited staff. This presents an opportunity for NACAC to reimagine its college fairs.  

"NACAC college fairs have been a cornerstone of our association for more than 50 years, helping to connect countless students with postsecondary opportunities," said NACAC CEO Angel B. Pérez. "But just like other areas of the higher education landscape, we must evolve to ensure we're helping our institutional partners meaningfully connect with students, and that we're expanding access to those who need it most."  

Beginning last year, NACAC and Education First interviewed focus groups of students, college counselors, admission officers, community partners, and employers to better understand areas of opportunity within NACAC college fairs. The feedback was clear: As higher education institutions brace for impact from the demographic cliff, NACAC college fairs need to help students better understand their opportunities beyond high school and the value of earning a postsecondary degree.  

To achieve this, NACAC college fairs — in their current format — must evolve. Thanks to grant funding from Lumina Foundation, NACAC and Education First have been working to create a blueprint that will help guide the future of college fairs. The blueprint will include: 

  • A plan for working with students, counselors, colleges, and community partners to help design and carry out the work. 
  • One or more draft fair models, created together with various stakeholders, that are ready to be tested in pilot phases. 
  • A fundraising roadmap, and a plan to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of each new prototype.  

Starting in the fall 2026 college fair season, new fair models will be piloted at a limited number of select fairs. 

"College fairs should be more than informational. They should be experiences where students feel seen, supported, and inspired to explore what's possible for their future," said NACAC Mission and Impact Officer Shantel Goodman-Luckett.  

"We're excited to support this effort to reimagine college fairs so they better meet the needs of today's students," said Janai Raphael, strategy officer at Lumina Foundation. "By making these experiences more relevant and engaging, we can help more learners, especially those historically underserved, see a clear path to education and opportunity after high school." 

More information about the blueprint, prototype models, and fairs selected for pilot testing will be available in the coming weeks. In the meantime, see the Fall 2026 NACAC National College Fairs schedule and register.