Illinois Association for College Admission Counseling
We offer a number of professional development opportunities throughout the summer. Our bike, bus, and plane tours are incredibly popular ways to learn about colleges and universities across the United States.
Are you curious to learn more about how our Summer Tours look when we are visiting colleges? Here is a video recap from our 2025 Bus O'Fun trip, courtesy of Kendra Meyer (Lisle HS) and Lauren Benters (York HS).
Runs every two or three years. Here was our most recent trip's agenda.
Next tour - 2027
Any high school counselor, independent counselor, or person that is enrolled in a Masters Degree counseling program can participate in the tour. Participants must be a current member of IACAC in order to register for the tour.
Plane & Bus Week-long trips: We meet on a Monday morning, return Friday afternoon.
Micro Bus Tour: We begin on Tuesday morning and conclude in the late afternoon/early evening on Thursday.
Bike Tour: We meet in the late afternoon of the first day at our host campus, cycle on days 2 through 4, and end in the late afternoon of the fourth day.
All trips: We usually visit 1-3 schools a day. At each school we have an admissions presentation, a walking tour, and usually a meal. In the evenings there is usually free time for counselors to explore the local area or just relax in their rooms.
We stay overnight in either a local hotel or a nice college residence hall. There are always two counselors to a room. Unfortunately we are unable to honor requests for single rooms.
Schools are chosen based on several criteria. On the previous year’s trip the counselors vote on schools in the area we plan to visit. The top vote-getting schools are then taken into consideration. The final list is determined by travel times, proximity to other schools and a variety of type and size of schools.
In odd numbered years, e.g. 2025, the Bus O’ Fun travels to a nearby Midwestern area.
In even numbered years, e.g. 2026, we travel by plane to a more distant area of the country and then tour the schools by bus.
On the years we schedule a plane trip, IACAC also hosts a micro-tour. The micro tour is three days and two nights, and visits schools in Illinois and/or contiguous states.
Online registration* for the trip will be available on the IACAC website. Applicants will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Tours generally fill up quickly.
*Current IACAC membership is required.
The cost of the trip is determined by the cost of the plane/bus, the distance traveled, and the cost of hotels. The bike tour requires a refundable deposit but is free. Recently, the bus trips have cost around $450, the plane trip around $900, and the micro-tour around $200. This cost includes bus/plane costs, overnight accommodations and most meals. Counselors will be responsible for some of their meals.
Counselors should check with their school district to see if help is available. IACAC also offers grants to counselors. These grants are awarded to counselors that work with underrepresented student groups, or to counselors that districts will not help them with the cost. Counselors that have not received a grant previously will be given first consideration.
