Scholar Program

The mission of the International ACAC Scholar Program is to support under-resourced, high-impact advising professionals facilitating students' access and transition to higher education.

The Committee is now accepting nominations for the 2025 Scholar Program! If you know a talented individual in the counseling profession, please consider nominating them for the 2025 Scholar Program using the form below. The form takes only a few minutes to complete, yet has the power to change the life of the person you are nominating and the lives of their students around the world.

2025 Scholar Program Nomination Form

Available September 4 - October 15

About Nomination & Selection Scholar Mentors Scholar Program Alumni Scholar Testimonials

About

International ACAC promotes access to higher education opportunities for the neediest students around the world by supporting those who work directly with them. Since 2014, the International ACAC Scholar Program has supported 94 scholars from 55 different countries with the capacity to reach over 50,000 students. Scholarship recipients are funded to attend the International ACAC Annual Conference, Pre-Conference Institute and a counselor bus tour following the Conference.

2024 Scholar Cohort at Western University.

Nomination & Selection

We encourage and rely on International ACAC members to identify and nominate counseling colleagues who are high-impact counselors working in schools (or with student populations) that do not have professional development funding to attend such an event.

Each year, in the months following the International ACAC annual conference, a call for nominations is sent to our membership. Soon after the nomination period begins, the application window also opens. Individuals who are nominated will receive the opportunity to submit the application form. Both nominations and applications are received for the following year's annual conference.

The selection panel is comprised of members of the Inclusion, Access, and Success Committee, and includes representation from admissions officers, counselors, board members, and EducationUSA.

Nomination and Application Forms

The Committee is now accepting nominations for the 2025 Scholar Program! If you know a talented individual in the counseling profession, please consider nominating them for the 2025 Scholar Program using the form below.

2025 Scholar Program Nomination Form

Available September 4 - October 15

The application period will open in October. Check back soon for the form to apply.

Scholar Mentors

Scholar Program Alumni

Since the program's inception, your contributions have supported counselors in the countries highlighted on the map below.

Click on the links above the columns to read each year's scholar biographies.

2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
Colombia	Botswana	Burundi	Afghanistan	Botswana	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Barbados	Barbados	Armenia	Armenia	Cameroon
Honduras	Ethiopia	El Salvador	Afghanistan	Cameroon	Brazil	Brazil	Brazil	Cameroon	Brunei	Ghana
Indonesia	Indonesia	Ghana	Bangladesh	Colombia	India	Brunei	Brunei	Kazakhstan	Burundi	Kazakhstan
Nepal	Jamaica	Latvia	Chile	Ethiopia	Ireland	China	China	Serbia	Cameroon	Kenya
Nigeria	Kenya	Macedonia	Costa Rica	Georgia	Kazakhstan	Democratic Republic of Congo	Democratic Republic of Congo		Ghana	Kyrgyzstan
Nigeria	Mongolia	Malawi	Egypt	Ghana	Mongolia	Eswatini	Eswatini		Kazakhstan	Malaysia
Rwanda	Rwanda	Mongolia	Kenya	Kyrgyzstan	Nigeria	Ghana	Ghana		Kenya	Mongolia
Rwanda	Senegal	Nepal	Madagascar	Montenegro	Eswatini	Kazakhstan	Kazakhstan		Mongolia	Nigeria
Tanzania	Tunisia	New Zealand	Mexico	Nepal		Kenya	Liberia		Philippines	Papua New Guinea
Uganda	United Kingdom	Zimbabwe	Togo	Tanzania		Lebanon			Thailand	Rwanda
			Trinidad & Tobago			Liberia			Uganda	Samoa
			Uganda			Moldova				Uganda
						Uganda				Zimbabwe

Scholar Testimonials

“When you empower a counselor, you’ve empowered a generation.” Watch the video testimonial to hear what former Scholars Samuel Birondwa and Moses Illunga have to say about the Scholar Program, and read about additional benefits in the testimonials below.

New Relationships with Admissions Officers

"The great thing is that now my students have a wide range of universities to choose from. I came across all of these schools when I attended the University Fair. I am now working with admissions counselors I met. It makes a big difference."
- Flavia Murengezi, Green Hills Academy, Rwanda

An Increase in Applications Overseas

"Before the conference, my years as a counselor were quite frustrating. I've always wanted to reach out to my students but I found myself confined by certain limits. Before this program, students would come to me for advice but I sent them to the Embassy due to lack of information. However, my training has given me a groundwork to give more accurate and precise information to my students. Our numbers applying overseas have increased."
- Mercy Nwogbo, Federal Government Academy, Nigeria

Improved Advocacy for Students

"I have developed a strong working relationship with International ACAC members. This network of resources is already helping me to better serve my students as they select the right university or college for their growth as a global citizen. I have also learned which parts of our students' lives to highlight in their recommendation letters. While reading the case studies provided at the conference, I learnt what a comprehensive recommendation should include. I am already finding ways of sharing this with other members of Loyola's career guidance team as well as subject teachers whom our students may ask for recommendations."
- Columba Thadey, Loyola High School, Tanzania

Scholar Program

Nomination and Application Forms

International Association for College Admission Counseling

International ACAC’s business hours are scheduled Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern Time.