What NAFSA 2026 Taught Us About the People Behind Global Education

There are conferences you attend. And then there is NAFSA

As the world’s largest gathering for international educators, NAFSA 2026 brought the field together in Orlando, May 26–29, under the theme Global by Design. Across the week, the conference centered on the ideas shaping international education right now: advising and student success, regulatory complexity, AI and technology, leadership, storytelling, and the future of global engagement.

For the Via team, the week was energizing, clarifying, and deeply human.

The People Behind The Field

Our team made more than 250 connections throughout the conference. But what stayed with us most was not the number. It was the people behind it.

Across sessions and conversations, the team walked away with an even deeper respect for study abroad advisors and ISSS professionals. The amount they are expected to navigate is staggering. Policies shift. Requirements evolve. Compliance matters. Student needs keep changing. The red tape alone is enough to make your head spin. And somehow, these leaders keep moving forward.

That reality was reflected well beyond our own conversations. Post-conference coverage highlighted the pressure many international educators are feeling around policy uncertainty, visa concerns, and the challenge of advising in an environment that keeps changing.

Resilience Over Frustration

And yet, what stood out most at NAFSA was not frustration.

It was resilience.

This community shows up with a kind of purpose that is hard to miss. It does not feel driven by competition. It feels driven by care. People genuinely want to help students access life-changing global experiences. They want to strengthen institutions. They want to build bridges. They want to connect the world.

That spirit was everywhere.

It showed up in the sessions. It showed up in the expo hall. It showed up in the openness of people sharing ideas, lessons learned, and practical ways to solve hard problems together.

A First Look at the Via Market Report 

Because NAFSA was not only a moment to listen and learn. It was also a moment to share something new.

At NAFSA, our CEO, Dave Saben, and SVP, Brooke Roberts, gave attendees an early look at something we believe is truly game-changing: a preview of Via’s upcoming Market Report. With around 50 attendees in the room, the response made one thing clear. International education professionals are hungry for clearer visibility into what is happening across the market and what it means for strategy and decision-making.

That matters.

Because this field does not need more noise. It needs more clarity. It needs better signals. It needs practical insight that helps teams make smarter decisions in a fast-moving environment.

The full 2026 Via Market Report will be released later this summer, but NAFSA confirmed for us that the demand is already there.

Why This Field Keeps Showing Up

International education runs on relationships, trust, and follow-through. It also runs on people who are balancing mission-driven work with real operational complexity every single day. At Via we are proud to support that work and to keep building tools, insights, and solutions that help this community move forward with confidence.

To everyone we met in Orlando, thank you.

Thank you for the conversations. Thank you for the honesty. Thank you for the work you do behind the scenes to make global education possible.

NAFSA 2026 reminded us that this field is full of builders, advocates, and overachievers in the best possible sense.

The work is demanding.

The stakes are high.

And this community keeps showing up anyway.

That is worth celebrating.

Want early access to Via’s upcoming market report?