Important
A curated, always-current list of conferences undergrads can actually get into - across every major, not just tech. The ones you can attend for free, the ones with student scholarships & travel grants, and the paid ones worth the student ticket. Most conference roundups assume you already have a travel budget and a badge. This one doesn't.
Hi, I'm Jose Cruz. Conferences are where you meet recruiters, find mentors, and land interviews before the rest of your class knows they exist - and that's true whether you study computer science, business, biology, art, law, or anything else. But the cost and the "who's allowed in" question stops most undergrads before they start. So this list only tracks conferences a first-, second-, third-, or fourth-year student can realistically attend, sorted by major: free registrations, scholarship deadlines, travel grants, and student pricing, all in one place.
This is community-driven. If you know a conference - or you got funded to one - add it. Together we make the path clearer for everyone who comes after us.
To contribute - it takes 60 seconds:
- Open an issue and paste the conference URL
- A maintainer approves it
- It gets added to the list
Warning
Deadlines, dates, and scholarship rules change constantly. Always confirm eligibility, cost, and deadlines on the official conference site before you plan travel or apply. This list points you to opportunities - it is not a substitute for the organizer's own page.
By major
- Tech & Computing
- Business & Finance
- Engineering
- Health & Medicine
- Sciences & Research
- Social Sciences & Policy
- Law & Government
- Arts, Humanities & Design
- Education
- Multidisciplinary / General
By community (any major)
- Women in Their Field
- Black Professionals & Students
- Latinx Professionals & Students
- LGBTQ+ in Their Field
More
Status - where the conference is in its cycle:
| Badge | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ✅ [OPEN] | Registration and/or scholarship applications are open right now |
| 🔥 [CLOSING SOON] | A deadline is within ~2 weeks - move fast |
| ⏳ [OPENS SOON] | Not open yet for the next cycle - watch the date |
Access - how an undergrad can afford to go (a conference may have more than one):
| Type | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Free | No ticket cost (you may still need to register or apply for a pass) |
| Scholarship | Free or heavily discounted via a scholarship or travel grant you apply for |
| Paid | Ticket required - student/academic pricing noted where it exists |
Audience - tags showing who each conference is geared toward (e.g. Students, Early career, Professionals, First-gen, Researchers, Grad students). Every conference here welcomes undergrads.
| Status | Conference | Focus | Dates & Location | Access | Audience | Register / Apply | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🔥 [CLOSING SOON] | GitHub Universe | Dev tools, AI, open source | Oct 28-29, 2026 · San Francisco, CA | Free (virtual pass) | Students · Early career · Professionals |  |
Early bird ends Aug 20, 2026; free virtual pass open |
| ✅ [OPEN] | Grace Hopper Celebration (GHC) | Women in computing | Oct 27-30, 2026 · Anaheim, CA + Virtual | Scholarship · Paid | Students · Early career · Professionals |  |
Student scholarships closed for 2026 |
| ✅ [OPEN] | ACM Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing | Diversity in computing | Sep 16-18, 2026 · Atlanta, GA | Scholarship | Students · Grad students · First-gen | |
Reg open; scholarships closed (Mar 2026) |
| ✅ [OPEN] | KubeCon + CloudNativeCon NA | Cloud native, Kubernetes | Nov 9-12, 2026 · Salt Lake City, UT | Scholarship · Paid | Students · Early career · Professionals | |
Reg open; flat academic rate $200-$275; scholarships TBA |
| ✅ [OPEN] | AWS re:Invent | Cloud, AI | Nov 30-Dec 4, 2026 · Las Vegas, NV | Scholarship · Paid | Students · Early career · Professionals | |
Reg open; ABW grant closed (Jul 2026); early bird Aug 25 |
| ✅ [OPEN] | IBM Quantum Developer Conference | Quantum computing | Nov 11-13, 2026 · Chicago, IL | Free | Students · Early career · Researchers | |
Application deadline: Sep 21, 2026 |
| ✅ [OPEN] | SC Conference (Supercomputing) | HPC, networking, storage | Nov 15-20, 2026 · Chicago, IL | Paid (student) | Students · Grad students · Researchers | |
Reg open; early-bird rate through Oct 14 |
| ✅ [OPEN] | DeveloperWeek | AI, SWE, DevOps, product | Feb 9-11, 2027 · Santa Clara, CA | Paid (student) | Students · Early career · Professionals | |
Early bird ends Oct 8, 2026 (30% student discount) |
| ⏳ [OPENS SOON] | PyCon US | Python | May 2027 · Long Beach, CA | Scholarship | Students · Early career · Professionals | |
2027 dates not yet announced |
| ⏳ [OPENS SOON] | NeurIPS | AI / machine learning | Dec 6-12, 2026 · Sydney, Australia | Scholarship · Paid | Students · Grad students · Researchers | |
Attendee registration not yet open |
| Status | Conference | Focus | Dates & Location | Access | Audience | Register / Apply | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🔥 [CLOSING SOON] | ALPFA National Convention | Latino business professionals | Aug 9-13, 2026 · Charlotte, NC | Scholarship · Paid | Students · Early career · First-gen | |
Reg open; convention begins Aug 9 |
| 🔥 [CLOSING SOON] | National Black MBA Association Conference | Business, careers | Sep 23-25, 2026 · Los Angeles, CA | Scholarship · Paid | Students · Early career · Professionals | |
Standard rate ends Aug 20; rises Aug 21 |
| ✅ [OPEN] | Prospanica Conference | Hispanic business professionals | Oct 6-9, 2026 · Orlando, FL | Scholarship · Paid | Students · Early career · First-gen | |
Free/early-bird registration open |
| ✅ [OPEN] | UNBOUND (formerly INBOUND) | Marketing, sales, business | Sep 16-18, 2026 · Boston, MA | Paid (student rate) | Students · Early career · Professionals | |
Reg open; 10% student discount by email |
| Status | Conference | Focus | Dates & Location | Access | Audience | Register / Apply | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🔥 [CLOSING SOON] | AISES National Conference | Native American in STEM | Oct 15-17, 2026 · Portland, OR | Scholarship · Paid | Students · Early career · First-gen | |
Travel scholarship closes Aug 15; pre-conf rate Sep 21 |
| ✅ [OPEN] | SHPE National Convention | Hispanic engineers | Oct 28-31, 2026 · Indianapolis, IN | Scholarship · Paid | Students · Early career · First-gen | |
Reg open; early bird ends Sep 9, 2026 |
| ✅ [OPEN] | Society of Women Engineers - WE26 | Engineering | Nov 5-7, 2026 · Boston, MA | Scholarship · Paid | Students · Early career · Professionals | |
Reg open; early bird ends Aug 31, 2026 |
| ⏳ [OPENS SOON] | NSBE Annual Convention | Black engineers | Mar 31-Apr 4, 2027 · Boston, MA | Scholarship · Paid | Students · Early career · First-gen | |
2027 dates unconfirmed by NSBE; reg not open |
| ✅ [OPEN] | SASE National Convention | Asian scientists & engineers | Oct 1-3, 2026 · Seattle, WA | Scholarship · Paid | Students · Early career · Professionals | |
Registration open |
| Status | Conference | Focus | Dates & Location | Access | Audience | Register / Apply | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ⏳ [OPENS SOON] | SNMA Annual Medical Education Conference (AMEC) | Underrepresented in medicine | Mar 24-28, 2027 · Las Vegas, NV | Scholarship · Paid | Pre-health · Med students · First-gen | |
2027 dates announced; reg not yet open |
| ✅ [OPEN] | LMSA National Conference | Latino medical students | Sep 17-20, 2026 · Houston, TX | Scholarship · Paid | Pre-health · Med students · First-gen | |
Reg open ($60 pre-health); hotel block ends Aug 12 |
| ✅ [OPEN] | APHA Annual Meeting & Expo | Public health | Nov 1-4, 2026 · San Antonio, TX | Paid (student) | Students · Grad students · Professionals | |
Reg open; rates rise Sep 16, 2026 |
| ✅ [OPEN] | AMSA Annual Convention | Medical & pre-med students | Dec 10-12, 2026 · Washington, DC | Paid (student) | Pre-health · Med students · Early career | |
Early bird ends Oct 10, 2026 ($219 member student) |
| ⏳ [OPENS SOON] | NSNA Annual Convention | Nursing students | Mar 31-Apr 3, 2027 · Orlando, FL | Paid (student) | Nursing students · Early career | |
2027 registration not yet open |
| Status | Conference | Focus | Dates & Location | Access | Audience | Register / Apply | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🔥 [CLOSING SOON] | AGU Annual Meeting | Earth & space science | Dec 7-11, 2026 · San Francisco, CA | Scholarship · Paid | Students · Grad students · Researchers | |
Travel grants close Aug 12, 2026 |
| ✅ [OPEN] | SACNAS - The National Diversity in STEM Conference | Diversity in STEM research | Oct 29-31, 2026 · Long Beach, CA | Travel Scholarship | Students · Grad students · First-gen | |
Reg open; travel scholarships closed |
| ✅ [OPEN] | ABRCMS | Biomedical research (underrepresented) | Nov 18-21, 2026 · Seattle, WA | Travel Award | Undergrads · Grad students · First-gen | |
Student travel award deadline: Sep 11, 2026 |
| ✅ [OPEN] | AAAS Annual Meeting | Science, cross-discipline | Feb 18-20, 2027 · Chicago, IL | Paid (student) | Students · Grad students · Researchers | |
Reg open; discounted rates through Jan 28, 2027 |
| ✅ [OPEN] | ACS Spring National Meeting | Chemistry | Mar 21-25, 2027 · New Orleans, LA | Scholarship · Paid | Students · Grad students · Researchers | |
Abstracts open; deadline Sep 28, 2026 |
| Status | Conference | Focus | Dates & Location | Access | Audience | Register / Apply | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🔥 [CLOSING SOON] | ASA Annual Meeting | Sociology | Aug 7-11, 2026 · New York, NY | Paid (student) | Students · Grad students · Researchers | |
Meeting underway; ends Aug 11 |
| ✅ [OPEN] | APSA Annual Meeting | Political science | Sep 3-6, 2026 · Boston, MA | Paid (student) | Students · Grad students · Researchers | |
Registration open; travel grants offered |
| ⏳ [OPENS SOON] | APA Convention | Psychology | Aug 12-14, 2027 · San Francisco, CA | Paid (student) | Students · Grad students · Researchers | |
2027 registration not yet open |
| ✅ [OPEN] | APPAM Fall Research Conference | Public policy & management | Nov 5-7, 2026 · Boston, MA | Scholarship · Paid | Students · Grad students · Researchers | |
Reg open; early rate through Aug 25 |
| Status | Conference | Focus | Dates & Location | Access | Audience | Register / Apply | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ⏳ [OPENS SOON] | NBLSA National Convention | Black law students | 2027 · Location TBA | Paid (student) | Law students · Pre-law · Early career | |
2027 dates not yet announced |
| ✅ [OPEN] | HNBA Annual Convention | Hispanic legal professionals | Sep 9-11, 2026 · National Harbor, MD | Scholarship · Paid | Law students · Early career · First-gen | |
Registration open |
| ⏳ [OPENS SOON] | Lavender Law (National LGBTQ+ Bar) | LGBTQ+ in law | Jul 19-21, 2027 · Philadelphia, PA | Scholarship · Paid | Law students · Early career · Professionals | |
2027 registration opens ~Dec 2026 |
| Status | Conference | Focus | Dates & Location | Access | Audience | Register / Apply | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ⏳ [OPENS SOON] | AWP Conference & Bookfair | Creative writing, publishing | Mar 17-20, 2027 · Chicago, IL | Paid (student) | Students · Grad students · Writers | |
Registration opens Fall 2026 |
| ⏳ [OPENS SOON] | MLA Annual Convention | Languages & literature | Jan 7-10, 2027 · Los Angeles, CA | Paid (student) | Grad students · Researchers · Academics | |
Registration opens Sep 2026 |
| ⏳ [OPENS SOON] | College Art Association (CAA) Annual Conference | Art & art history | Feb 3-6, 2027 · New York, NY | Paid (student) | Students · Grad students · Artists | |
Registration opens Fall 2026 |
| ⏳ [OPENS SOON] | AIGA Design Conference | Graphic & communication design | Next edition TBA | Paid (student) | Students · Early career · Designers | |
Last held Oct 2025; next dates not announced |
| ⏳ [OPENS SOON] | SXSW | Film, music, media, interactive | Mar 15-21, 2027 · Austin, TX | Paid (student) | Students · Early career · Creatives | |
Badges on sale Aug 18, 2026; student discount TBA |
| Status | Conference | Focus | Dates & Location | Access | Audience | Register / Apply | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ⏳ [OPENS SOON] | AERA Annual Meeting | Education research | Apr 14-18, 2027 · Toronto, Canada | Paid (student) | Grad students · Researchers · Educators | |
Submissions closed (Jul 2026); reg not yet open |
| ⏳ [OPENS SOON] | SXSW EDU | Teaching, learning, edtech | Mar 13-16, 2027 · Austin, TX | Paid (student) | Students · Educators · Early career | |
Registration opens Aug 18, 2026 |
| ⏳ [OPENS SOON] | ISTELive | Educational technology | Jun 27-30, 2027 · Boston, MA | Paid (student) | Students · Educators · Professionals | |
ISTELive 27 registration not yet open |
| ⏳ [OPENS SOON] | NAFSA Annual Conference | International education | Jun 1-4, 2027 · Los Angeles, CA | Paid (student) | Students · Professionals · Educators | |
Registration not yet open |
Conferences open to students of any major - undergraduate research, leadership, and general career events.
| Status | Conference | Focus | Dates & Location | Access | Audience | Register / Apply | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🔥 [CLOSING SOON] | ColorStack Stacked Up Summit | Black & Latinx computing students | Aug 17-18, 2026 · Virtual | Free | Students · Early career · First-gen |  |
Summit begins Aug 17; reg open |
| ⏳ [OPENS SOON] | NCUR (National Conference on Undergraduate Research) | Undergrad research, all majors | Apr 12-14, 2027 · Grand Rapids, MI | Paid (student) | Undergrads · Researchers | |
Abstracts Sep 9-Dec 4, 2026; reg opens Jan 13, 2027 |
| ⏳ [OPENS SOON] | Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) | Leadership, social impact | 2027 · Location TBA | Scholarship · Free (accepted) | Students · Early career · Changemakers | |
Next cycle unannounced; apps opened ~Oct in past years |
| ✅ [OPEN] | Web Summit | General tech & startups | Nov 9-12, 2026 · Lisbon, Portugal | Paid (student tickets) | Students · Early career · Professionals | |
Tickets on sale; prices rise closer to event |
| ✅ [OPEN] | EA Global: New York City | Effective altruism, cross-discipline | Oct 16-18, 2026 · New York, NY | Scholarship · Paid | Students · Early career · Professionals | |
Applications close Sep 27, 2026 |
Conferences centering women across every major.
| Status | Conference | Field | Dates & Location | Access | Audience | Register / Apply | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✅ [OPEN] | Grace Hopper Celebration (GHC) | Tech / computing | Oct 27-30, 2026 · Anaheim, CA + Virtual | Scholarship · Paid | Students · Early career · Professionals | |
Student scholarships closed for 2026 |
| ✅ [OPEN] | Society of Women Engineers - WE26 | Engineering | Nov 5-7, 2026 · Boston, MA | Scholarship · Paid | Students · Early career · Professionals | |
Reg open; early bird ends Aug 31, 2026 |
| ⏳ [OPENS SOON] | Women in Data Science (WiDS) Worldwide | Data science | Mar 2027 · Stanford, CA + Worldwide | Free (most events) | Students · Early career · Professionals |  |
2027 flagship dates TBA |
| ✅ [OPEN] | AMWA Annual Meeting | Medicine (women physicians) | Mar 11-14, 2027 · Washington, DC area | Paid (student) | Pre-health · Med students · Physicians | |
Reg open; trainee rate from $300 |
| Status | Conference | Field | Dates & Location | Access | Audience | Register / Apply | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🔥 [CLOSING SOON] | National Black MBA Association Conference | Business | Sep 23-25, 2026 · Los Angeles, CA | Scholarship · Paid | Students · Early career · Professionals | |
Standard rate ends Aug 20; rises Aug 21 |
| ✅ [OPEN] | AfroTech Conference | Tech | Nov 2-6, 2026 · Houston, TX | Scholarship · Paid | Students · Early career · Professionals | |
Registration open; scholarships TBA |
| ⏳ [OPENS SOON] | NSBE Annual Convention | Engineering | Mar 31-Apr 4, 2027 · Boston, MA | Scholarship · Paid | Students · Early career · First-gen | |
2027 dates unconfirmed by NSBE; reg not open |
| ⏳ [OPENS SOON] | SNMA Annual Medical Education Conference (AMEC) | Medicine | Mar 24-28, 2027 · Las Vegas, NV | Scholarship · Paid | Pre-health · Med students · First-gen | |
2027 dates announced; reg not yet open |
| ⏳ [OPENS SOON] | NBLSA National Convention | Law | 2027 · Location TBA | Paid (student) | Law students · Pre-law · Early career | |
2027 dates not yet announced |
| Status | Conference | Field | Dates & Location | Access | Audience | Register / Apply | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🔥 [CLOSING SOON] | ALPFA National Convention | Business | Aug 9-13, 2026 · Charlotte, NC | Scholarship · Paid | Students · Early career · First-gen | |
Reg open; convention begins Aug 9 |
| ✅ [OPEN] | SHPE National Convention | Engineering | Oct 28-31, 2026 · Indianapolis, IN | Scholarship · Paid | Students · Early career · First-gen | |
Reg open; early bird ends Sep 9, 2026 |
| ✅ [OPEN] | SACNAS - The National Diversity in STEM Conference | Sciences / research | Oct 29-31, 2026 · Long Beach, CA | Travel Scholarship | Students · Grad students · First-gen | |
Reg open; travel scholarships closed |
| ✅ [OPEN] | LMSA National Conference | Medicine | Sep 17-20, 2026 · Houston, TX | Scholarship · Paid | Pre-health · Med students · First-gen | |
Reg open ($60 pre-health); hotel block ends Aug 12 |
| ✅ [OPEN] | HNBA Annual Convention | Law | Sep 9-11, 2026 · National Harbor, MD | Scholarship · Paid | Law students · Early career · First-gen | |
Registration open |
| Status | Conference | Field | Dates & Location | Access | Audience | Register / Apply | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✅ [OPEN] | oSTEM (Out in STEM) Annual Conference | STEM | Oct 22-24, 2026 · Albuquerque, NM | Scholarship · Paid | Students · Early career · First-gen | |
Registration open |
| ✅ [OPEN] | Lesbians Who Tech + Allies Summit | Tech | Oct 5-7, 2026 · New York, NY + Virtual | Free/discounted student passes | Students · Early career · Professionals | |
Reg open; scholarships available |
| ⏳ [OPENS SOON] | Lavender Law (National LGBTQ+ Bar) | Law | Jul 19-21, 2027 · Philadelphia, PA | Scholarship · Paid | Law students · Early career · Professionals | |
2027 registration opens ~Dec 2026 |
| ✅ [OPEN] | Out & Equal Workplace Summit | Cross-industry | Oct 12-15, 2026 · Seattle, WA | Paid | Early career · Professionals · Allies | |
Reg open through Oct 9; no student rate listed |
Guides for getting to a conference and making it count - whatever your major, even on a student budget.
- Getting funded
- Ask your department, dean of students, or student government - most have a conference travel fund that undergrads forget to use.
- Apply to the conference's own student scholarship / travel grant (linked in the tables above) - they exist precisely for you.
- Affinity and professional orgs (SWE, NSBE, SHPE, SACNAS, oSTEM, ColorStack, ALPFA, SNMA, and more) often cover or subsidize travel for members.
- Attending on the cheap
- Sign up as a student volunteer - many conferences waive registration in exchange for a few hours of help.
- Choose the virtual/livestream track when travel isn't possible - it's free or cheap for many conferences.
- Making it count
- Bring resumes and have a 20-second intro ready; the career fair is often the real reason to go.
- Follow up on LinkedIn within 48 hours while you're still fresh in someone's memory.
- Presenting (and getting funded to)
- Many conferences waive registration for presenters and speakers. Watch for abstract and Call for Proposals (CFP) deadlines - undergraduate research and first-time-presenter tracks exist across every field.
Know a conference undergrads can attend - in any major - or got funded to one? Add it. See CONTRIBUTING.md for the 60-second process. Closed or past conferences move to ARCHIVE.md.
Building and maintaining this list 💛
 Jose Cruz |
 Joel Vasquez |
 Tomas Santos Yciano |
 Christine Grimadeau |
Want to join this wall? Add a conference and you'll be credited as a contributor.
Inspired by Underclassmen Opportunities and the many community-run opportunity lists that came before it. Built for every undergrad, in every major, who was told to "wait until junior year." Thank you to everyone who contributes a conference.
Real photos from conferences people found through this list. Went to one? Share a photo and it'll show up here.
