Free Student Membership

APA Offers Free Membership to Students in Accredited Planning Programs

APA has always encouraged students to join the association early in their academic training. Since 2004, APA has taken its student outreach to another level by offering a free year of APA membership to all full-time third-year undergraduate and first-year graduate students in PAB-accredited planning programs in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico.

APA wants to partner with accredited planning programs to help prepare students for their future professional lives. We hope planning programs will alert both their faculty and entering students about this offer. Many planning programs regularly encourage students to join APA, and we want to be sure all eligible students are offered free APA membership for a year.

Which schools and programs are participating?

List of participating schools and their status in the current enrollment period

Enrollment for the students in the fall semester begins each August. A second enrollment period for students in the spring semester, or those who missed the fall registration, begins each January.

Who qualifies during the 2009-10 enrollment period?

• First-year students in participating PAB-accredited graduate-level planning programs who began their studies in current academic year.

• Third-year undergraduates who are majoring in planning in participating PAB-accredited undergraduate planning programs who began their studies in the current academic year.

How does the program work?

An accredited planning program must agree to work with APA to offer this benefit to its entire first-year graduate or third-year undergraduate student body. Schools will gather basic contact information for all qualified students who indicate they wish to receive a free year of APA membership. Your program's orientation is the best time to encourage your students to take advantage of this offer.

Designated school representatives submit contact data for their students, using an Excel template provided by APA.

Will the free membership differ from paid membership?

Yes. During the free year of membership students will receive all the benefits of APA student membership, plus more! They will receive welcome materials, Planning magazine, belong to their local chapter, and receive interact, APA Advocate, and The New Planner. They will qualify for the same discounts that regular members receive on books, division memberships, and APA National Planning Conference registration fees. And, starting in October 2009, students get a free subscription to the electronic edition of the Journal of the American Planning Association, access to JAPA archives, and a student discount on the printed edition.

Who can students talk with now if they have questions about this program?

Students should contact their school's planning department office.