Join IECA

Professional membership includes these Membership Benefits along with the additional benefits below:

• Your profile included in the online public “Find an Independent Educational Consultant” directory.
• Your profile included in the online private “Find an Independent Educational Consultant” directory, accessible only to IECA members and subscribing institutions/organizations.
• An expanded profile in both the public and private online “Find an Independent Educational Consultant” directories, highlighting additional areas of expertise.
• The opportunity to serve in a leadership position in the association.
• Access to the annual IECA Professional Member Business Forum.
• Priority registration for some events/campus tours.
• Ability to earn specialty and subspecialty designations based on your practice expertise.
• Voting privileges.

• Three years of experience in educational placement counseling or admissions, including a minimum of one year of independent educational consulting.
• A master’s degree or higher in a relevant field, or a combination of training and experience that demonstrates a mastery of the profession.
• Minimum number of students advised (during the previous five years) on school, college, or program admission. Either:
  • a) 35 students advised in private practice; OR
  • b) 50 students advised: a minimum of 10 students advised in private practice; the balance personally advised as a counselor or admission professional.
• A minimum number of evaluative campus visits during the previous five years within each specialty area (only specialties you choose for yourself apply): K-12 Boarding/Day Schools: 25 visits; College: 50 visits; Graduate & Professional School:* no visit requirement; LD/ND Schools/Programs:* 25 visits; Therapeutic Programs:* 50 visits.
  *A supplemental application form is required when you add these specialty designations.
• Note: We have temporarily updated our visit requirement to allow for virtual visits. Virtual visits will be allowed to be included in this list starting from the year 2020. Virtual visits can be included at a 2:1 ratio for those visits that have been provided through IECA and at a 3:1 ratio for those completed outside of IECA. These visits can be submitted for up to 40% of the total towards the requirement.
• Three professional references. Suggestions for references include:
  • College or independent school admissions officers
  • Psychologists/counselors
  • Other educational counseling professional with whom applicant has worked in the application process
  • An IECA member
  • Client family
  • Should not be a relative of the applicant

• Professional members specialize in areas of expertise known as “specialty designations.” When initially applying for Professional membership, consultants must apply for at least one of the four specialty designations (College, School, Therapeutic, Graduate School).
• Professional members may apply for additional specialty and/or subspecialty designations at any time during their membership. The specialty and subspecialty designation(s) for which you choose to apply will be listed in the online IECA membership directories upon approval. Adding a specialty and/or subspecialty designation informs others of the breadth of a member’s expertise.
• Go to the Specialty & Subspecialty Applications page for more information.

The following items are required to complete your application. Documents may be uploaded to the application form or emailed to [email protected].

• A current résumé of professional experiences.
• A list of the institutions that you have visited and assessed during the past five years.
• Contact information for three professional references.
• Payment of $100 (credit card or check), as a non-refundable application fee.
• An official transcript of your highest completed degree, to be submitted directly to IECA from the institution.
• If you have completed a certificate from the University of California College Counseling Certificate Program such as UCLA Extension, among others, or the UC Irvine Independent Educational Consultant Certificate Program, please provide an official transcript. (Completion of a certificate is not a requirement for IECA membership.)

Please have official transcripts sent to the IECA office:
Independent Educational Consultants Association
Attn: Membership
3251 Blenheim Boulevard, Suite 510, Fairfax, VA 22030

Electronic “eTranscripts” are also acceptable and should be sent directly from the institution or by eTranscript service to [email protected].

If you are a current Associate member of IECA who is now applying for Professional membership, your transcripts may already be on file in the IECA office. Contact the Membership Department to confirm before ordering your transcripts.

Membership dues for the Professional membership category are $600 annually, prorated based on date of approval.

• Membership benefits will be suspended if dues are in arrears.
• If you have three or more Professional or Associate members employed by your firm, your Professional members may be eligible for our multi-member discount. While Associate members count towards the firm’s qualification for the discount, the Associate members’ dues are not discounted.
• Professional members renew annually each July.