What are membership requirements?

AIGAC welcomes both individual consultants and organizations as members. Here’s how membership works:
For Individual Consultants (Graduate Admissions Consultants)
To qualify as a member, you must:

• Work directly with clients to provide graduate admissions advice
• Be paid for your consulting services
• Have at least a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution
• Have a minimum of 24 consecutive months of experience in graduate admissions consulting
• Have advised at least 15 clients
• Agree to uphold AIGAC’s core values and ethical principles

For Organizations with multiple consultants,
Your organization may apply if:

• You represent or employ graduate admissions consultants
• Your consultants meet the individual requirements listed above
• Your organization supports the mission and values of AIGAC

Organizational membership is based on the number of eligible consultants within your team. Additional requirements may be set by AIGAC’s Board.

 

What is the membership application review procedure?

The Membership Committee will review the application, bio/resume, references’ responses to AIGAC’s questionnaire, and publicly available information about the applicant to evaluate whether the applicant adheres to AIGAC’s Principles of Good Practice. Based on the review, the Committee will make a recommendation to the Board of Directors. The Board will make the final decision to offer or deny membership in AIGAC. The review process typically takes 4-6 weeks to complete.

 

Will references be contacted?

Yes. References will receive a questionnaire. The Membership Committee will review their responses to the questionnaire. The Committee may follow up the review with a phone call.

 

What happens if an application is not approved? Are the pre-paid dues refunded?

If an application for membership is denied, an email is sent to the applicant providing notification of the decision. 100% of the pre-paid dues are refunded.

 

What happens when my application is approved?

When an applicant is approved for membership, he/she will receive a welcome letter, the Stamp of Excellence, an invitation to join AIGAC’s private LinkedIn group, and an invitation to take an active role in AIGAC’s committees.

 

Will the information I submit and the fact that I applied to AIGAC be kept confidential?

Application information is accessible only to AIGAC’s Membership Committee, Board of Directors, and staff. If your application is approved, your information will be added to the searchable membership directory unless you ask for your contact information to remain confidential.

 

Who can display the Stamp of Excellence and when?

Any member in good standing. Organizational members and their individual consultants can display the Stamp of Excellence. The stamp may be displayed on your website, email signatures, and marketing material as long as your organization’s membership is current. Affiliate and student members, whose membership is attributed to a single individual, can display the signature on their email or on their website and marketing materials so long as the Stamp accompanies their individual profile.

 

Can new members participate? How?

Yes! You can get involved in AIGAC’s committees (Communications, Events, Governance, and Membership). You can participate in our consultant members-only LinkedIn Group. You can submit posts for the AIGAC blog and monthly e-newsletter. You can come to our events. You can network with other members. You have many opportunities to contribute to AIGAC!

 

Help! I still have questions!

If you still have questions, please contact the AIGAC office and we’ll be glad to answer them. We look forward to hearing from you!