Enrollment Leadership Academy

ELA is designed for experienced admissions and financial aid professionals from member institutions with 5-10 years of experience who are committed to advancing in the field of enrollment management.

There is no fee to participate in ELA, and College Board will pay for National Forum fees; however, all other travel expenses are the responsibility of participants or their sponsoring institutions. Including the National Forum, there are four in-person meetings for ELA in addition to virtual meetings.

ELA Participant Experience

Participants are required to attend virtual and in-person meetings throughout the year facilitated by experienced education professionals. Topics covered include:

Leadership

• Leadership, management skills and best practices
• Career development
• Community-driven leadership in higher education

Strategic Enrollment Management

• Strategic enrollment planning
• Data-driven practices
• Financial aid
• Retention and student success

College Board

• College Board mission
• Membership and governance
• Assessment and enrollment solutions

ELA participants also complete a small-group capstone activity.  Successful graduates of the Enrollment Leadership Academy receive a digital Credly badge signifying their efforts and accomplishments. Graduates of ELA become members of the ELA Alumni Network, a diverse group of nearly 1000 professionals. College Board regularly convenes ELA Alumni for programs and networking.

"The opportunity to network beyond the financial aid profession, combined with ELA’s thoughtfully guided programming, has been incredibly valuable for her professional growth. It’s sparked new ideas for our institution and broadened her perspective in meaningful ways. She came back so excited and energized for the work that we do!"  - Supervisor of ELA participant

ELA Nominations

ELA participants must first be nominated by a supervisor or colleague, and then selected to participate by the College Board. This selective program maximizes learning and networking among members across the entire cohort. Ideal nominees will have:

• 5–10 years of experience in financial aid or undergraduate admissions
• A demonstrated commitment to the field of enrollment management
• Significant potential for advancement

The nomination window for the coming year’s ELA cohort typically opens in the spring, and nominations are solicited via a nomination form. Once nominations are live, this website will be updated with the link to the nomination form. We also announce nominations in the monthly Enrollment Brief email. To ensure a diverse cohort, managers should typically only nominate one person per year from their institution. All nominations will be reviewed as a group.