Build a Professional Network
Meet and learn from practicing planners in chapter meetings and other informal settings. Keep up with events in the local planning community through chapter newsletters.
Get Great Deals
APA knows students' finances are tight. Student members receive all the benefits of regular APA membership — our flagship magazine Planning, Interact, discounts on APA books and reports — and more. Student members also get:
- The New Planner, an electronic publication written especially for students, that includes features, opinions, book reviews, career tips, and campus spotlights.
- Extra savings on subscriptions to the Journal of the American Planning Association and membership in APA's 20 special-interest divisions.
- Special low rates on chapter and national conference registration. There are even opportunities for national conference scholarships in exchange for some on-site volunteer time.
- Opportunities for national, chapter, and division scholarships and fellowships.
Find a Job
The educational and networking opportunities available to you as a student member could open doors and make landing your first job easier. We also offer a number of job services. At the national conference, members can connect with employers and get resume advice from seasoned planners. And, check out APA's Jobs Online for job listings any time.
Don't Miss the National Conference
Attend APA's annual conference — held each spring in a major city — and join thousands of planners and public officials, and hundreds of students — at planning's foremost educational and networking event. Conference sessions demonstrate how planners apply the theories and techniques you're studying now. At special sessions and social events, you'll meet planners-in-training from all over the country.
Lead the Way
There are lots of ways to develop your leadership skills in APA. Participating in your local chapter, running for a seat on the Student Representatives Council, joining a division, and getting involved in your school's Planning Student Organization are just a few.
Join Online
Become a member and connect with thousands of people who share your dedication to creating vibrant communities.
Your First Year Could Be Free!
APA offers a free year of membership to third-year undergraduate and first-year graduate students in PAB-accredited or ACSP full member planning programs in the United States.
Check with your department's APA liaison to find out if your school participates.
Get in the Early Career Program
Join APA while you're a student and you'll automatically be enrolled in our Early Career Program. Program participants are entitled to three years as student members and two years as new professional members.
Once you're in the program, it doesn't matter where you are along your academic or career path. For five years, you'll receive enhanced benefits — like discounts on conference registration, division membership, and publications — at rates far below what regular members pay.
Not a Student?
APA membership is open to everyone who is committed to applying the benefits of planning to create communities of lasting value.
Members of planning and zoning boards and commissions and appointed and elected officials are eligible for APA membership at reduced rates with enhanced benefits.
Click here if you are a planner, related professional, or other individual interested in planning.
Find out more about APA's Professional Institute.