Your membership and support allow APACS to continue advocating on behalf of high school and college students in the NYS area, provide professional development to CSTEP & STEP staff, and provide funded fellowship opportunities to graduate students interested in conducting research about the efficacy of our pedagogical approaches, among many other benefits. 

Our goal is to reach 100% – with membership from ALL STEP and CSTEP Programs. 

Membership Types: 

1. Institutional Memberships: Any institution that hosts a STEP and/or CSTEP program can become a member of APACS. Staff in member programs that have paid their dues can vote at our annual Business Meeting, be part of APCAS committees, be eligible for Service Awards, and hold office in our Executive Board. There are two tiers of Institutional Memberships: 
   • Institutional Membership A – $400/year: Institutions with a single STEP or CSTEP programs, or institutions with more than one CSTEP or STEP program but that wish to pay for each program individually.  
   • Institutional Membership B – $700/year: Institutions with more than one CSTEP and/or STEP program that wish to pay their memberships simultaneously. 

Membership Benefits: 

The continued success of APACS relies on your active membership. Your dues provide numerous benefits to STEP & CSTEP staff, our students and alumni, and our institutions, and include the following:  

• Annual APACS Meeting & Best Practices Conference, which takes place each summer and hosts experts in STEM education to share best practices and new initiatives to benefits our students, and vendors of scientific and/or pedagogical products. 
• Regular virtual programming for our members about best practices related to administrative practices, programming for our students, anti-racism, and leadership.  
• Representation on our essential advocacy efforts with elected New York State officials to ensure increased and continued program funding.  
• Mentoring and professional development opportunities for our staff. Visit https://tinyurl.com/apacscommittee to sign up.  

• Our APACS website (APACS.org & stepforleaders.org) provides resources for our students, alumni, and member institutions and keeps abreast of statewide developments affecting STEP & CSTEP. 
• Fellowship funding for scholarly research related to STEP & CSTEP Programs and/or students.  
• Statewide scholarship program for STEP & CSTEP students to take Kaplan Prep courses for standardized exams.  
• Fee waivers for college and post-graduate programs requested by APACS are offered to all STEP & CSTEP students at member institutions. 
• Student and Alumni scholarships are awarded by APACS to students that are part of our programs so that they can fund their education. 

• APACS Leadership Institute for STEP & CSTEP students. This new initiative is in its planning stages and will help our students prepare to become future leaders in their field. 

Membership Details: 

• Memberships can be paid by institutional or personal checks, or using a credit card. Please contact the APACS Treasurer with questions about payment methods. 
• Memberships run from January 1st to December 31st each year. Institutional memberships must be paid by May 1st for their CSTEP and/or STEP program to be able to vote at our Annual Business Meeting. Please contact the APACS Membership Committee Chair with questions about membership deadlines.