Registration & Rates

Registration Rates

*For states with conferences on or after April 25, 2026, the early bird registration rate deadline has been extended to May 21, 2026.

Competitive Events Rates

Please review all dates, requirements, and policies as outlined in the Competitive Events Guidelines. Only STAR Event participants approved by the FCCLA State Association may register for National STAR Events. Refunds/Credits are not honored for Competitive Events – once you register for an event, you are responsible for payment.

Please note: Substitutions are not permitted in individual events. A substitution from a chapter is permitted in the case of a team event, but only if the substitute meets the eligibility requirements of that event and submitted prior to June 1, 2026.  All substitutions must be approved by the state adviser.

*For states with conferences on or after April 25, 2026, the early bird registration rate deadline has been extended to May 21, 2026.

 **Baking and Pastry and Culinary Arts participants will not be able to register beyond the regular deadline of June 9, 2026.

Please refer to the Registration Add-Ons section below and the Special Events page for additional optional items available during registration.

Registration Policies and Deadlines

• General NLC Registration Policies
  • Registration is required to participate in all sessions, including general sessions, Competitive Events, and the EXPO.
  • All students and advisers must be fully affiliated (affiliation submitted and paid) to register for the 2026 NLC.
  • Guests, including parents, chaperones, siblings, spouses, and school administrators, must be registered by an affiliated chapter or state adviser in the FCCLA Portal. They must be registered for the conference to stay in one of the conference hotels.
  • Children under nine years of age are discouraged from attending conference sessions. Children (9 and older) and family members attending conference sessions must register for the conference and be in proper dress code attire.
  • To compete in any Competitive Event, all STAR Event, Skill Demonstration Event, Challenge Test, and FCCLA/LifeSmarts Knowledge Bowl participants must register for the conference and stay in the official FCCLA hotel block.
  • Official conference name badges must be worn for entry into at all conference functions. Replacement badges may be purchased at the FCCLA Registration Desk for $5. All money collected will go to the Ultimate Leadership Fund to directly support members and chapters through grants.
  • It is the responsibility of the adviser/chaperone to provide supervision to their student(s) throughout the conference and at the hotel. Advisers and chaperones will be required to watch the Adviser/Chaperone conduct video, sign the Adviser/Chaperone Consent Form, and turn it in at the onsite FCCLA Registration Desk to receive their registration materials.
  • Student Attendees will be required to complete the following forms found under Resources and will be kept with adviser/chaperone: 

  • Attendance Permission Form Conduct Form Mandatory Dress Code Form

• Registration Cancellation and Refund Policy
  • Registration and item cancellations must be submitted online through the FCCLA Portal by June 9, 11:59 PM (ET) to be eligible for any refunds. Telephone, email, and fax cancellations will not be accepted.
  • For registration and item cancellations received by the deadline, FCCLA will credit/refund your conference registration less a $25 administrative fee per attendee cancellation. If canceled simultaneously, this fee will include the Special Event and the After Party. Otherwise, if these special events are canceled individually, FCCLA will issue a credit/refund less a $25 administrative fee per item.
  • Cancellations submitted in the FCCLA Portal after June 9, 2026, 11:59 PM (ET) will be processed with no refunds. If the invoice has not been paid, then the full amount of the invoice will still be owed.
  • Refunds for “no-shows” will not be honored, and the registrant and/or chapter will be responsible for all registration fees. Please note that your chapter will not be eligible to register for future FCCLA national conferences or affiliate until the balance has been paid in full.
  • Credits/Refunds are not honored for Competitive Events (STAR Events, Skill Demonstration Events, Challenge Tests, and FCCLA/LifeSmarts Knowledge Bowl). Once a Competitive Event has been added and invoiced, a credit/refund will not be issued at cancellation. Substitutions can be made for team events by June 1, 2026, 11:59 PM (ET)
  • FCCLA is not responsible for weather-related travel delays or other issues in regard to personal travel and no refunds will be given due to these occurrences.
  • Qualified refund payments/credits will be issued after the conference is over.

  Please note: Check the conference housing policies concerning hotel cancellations on the Hotel Information page.

• Registration Name Changes/Substitutions Policy
  • Name changes/substitutions must be submitted online through the FCCLA Portal by June 9, 11:59 PM (ET). Telephone, email, and fax changes will not be accepted.
  • FCCLA will process the registration name change/substitution without penalty until June 9, 11:59 PM (ET).
  • All requests for registration name changes/substitutions received after June 9, 11:59 PM (ET) will incur a $25 substitution fee per person.
  • No Competitive Event team substitutions are permitted after June 1, 11:59 PM (ET).
  • Competitive Event substitutions must be approved by the state adviser and Competitive Events staff before approval.
• Required Forms and Adviser/Chaperone Video

  2026 NLC Required Student Member Forms: Student members are required to complete the 2026 NLC Required Student Member Forms and provide to their chapter adviser/chaperone. These forms include:

  • Student Member and Youth Guest Conduct Form
  • Student Member Attendance Permission Form
  • Mandatory Dress Code Form

  The chapter adviser/chaperone should have each member’s forms on hand while onsite at the conference. National FCCLA does not require a copy of these forms.

  2026 NLC Required Adviser & Chaperone Forms: Any adult traveling with students to the National Leadership Conference is required to complete the 2026 NLC Required Adviser & Chaperone Forms. These forms include:

  • Adviser/Chaperone Conduct Form
  • Adviser/Chaperone Mandatory Dress Code Form
  • Adviser/Chaperone Consent Form

  Please Note: All advisers/chaperones are required to view the Adviser/Chaperone Consent Video and complete the Adviser/Chaperone Consent Form to provide at the onsite NLC Registration Desk to obtain registration materials.

  The Adviser/Chaperone Consent video can be found below or in the FCCLA Portal under Resources/2026 National Leadership Conference.

  CHAPERONE VIDEO (COMING SOON!)

• Information Needed For Registration

  During the registration process, you will need to provide the following information:

  INDIVIDUAL EMAIL ADDRESSES

  • At the time of registration, every participant is required to provide their own email address that they will have access to during the summer months. Duplicate email addresses are not permitted.
  • We advise using an alternate email address other than a school email so that the attendees can access it over the summer. Providing a Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, or any other trusted email service provider will help ensure participants receive all NLC-related communications and have a unique sign-in to the conference app.

  EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION

  • All attendees are required to provide an emergency contact while at the conference. This information will be displayed on the back of the official name badge in case of an on-site emergency.

  SPECIAL NEEDS ACCOMMODATIONS

  • All attendees should indicate if they require any accommodations to attend the conference.

  CONFERENCE T-SHIRT SIZE PREFERENCE

  • All attendees should indicate their preferred t-shirt size for the 2026 Conference t-shirt included in the registration rate. The t-shirt will be offered in unisex sizes Small–3XL.
  • Please note: While we will do our best to have the requested t-shirt size available, we cannot guarantee its availability.
• Conference Deadlines

  FEBRUARY 27, 2026

  • The Top 40 Knowledge Bowl teams must confirm National Championship participation by completing the RSVP Form.

  MARCH 2, 2026

  • National Leadership Conference Registration Opens

  MARCH 5, 2026

  • National Leadership Conference Registration Informational Webinar – Click here to register

  MAY 1, 2026

  • Fashion Show Application Deadline
  • Content Creator Program Application Deadline
  • National Anthem Singer Application Deadline
  • Say Yes to FCS Signing Ceremony Application Deadline
  • Call for Presentations Proposal Deadline

  MAY 7, 2026          

  • Early Bird Registration ends for states with state meetings before April 25
  • Competitive Events Registration ends for states with state meetings before April 25

  MAY 14, 2026          

  • Housing Cancellation Deadline to avoid cancellation fee of $450 per room

  MAY 15, 2026          

  • American Culinary Federation Exam Registration Deadline

  May 21, 2026       

  • Early Bird Registration ends for states with state meetings on or after April 25
  • Competitive Events Registration ends for states with state meetings on or after April 25
  • Special Edition Rosie Pin and Lanyard set pre-order ends

  JUNE 1, 2026

  • Competitive Events Substitution Deadline for team events only

  JUNE 3, 2026

  • Parliamentary Procedure Online Testing Proctor Form due

  JUNE 5, 2026

  • Adviser Roundtable Application Submission Deadline
  • FCCLA Showcase Application Deadline

  JUNE 9, 2026

  • Regular Registration Ends
  • ConneCTEd Registration Package Ends, if available
  • Registration Name Change/Substitution Deadline for no additional fee
  • Registration Cancellation Deadline to receive eligible refunds/credits
  • Housing Reservation Deadline to receive FCCLA rate, based on availability
  • Corrugated Tri-Fold Display Board pre-order ends

  JUNE 11, 2026

  • NLC Attendee Orientation Webinar - Click here to register. 

  JUNE 15, 2026

  • STAR Events Online Orientation form due in the FCCLA student portal under the Surveys and Applications tab
  • Confirm NLC STAR Events schedules in the FCCLA portal under Meetings & Events > Confirm STAR Competition
  • Confirm NLC volunteer assignments in the FCCLA portal under Meetings & Events > Volunteer Confirmation
  • Final date to submit Competitive Events schedule accommodation requests 

  JUNE 19, 2026

  • Check payments due to hotels (if paying final hotel payment with a check).
  • Credit card authorization forms due to hotels (if paying final hotel payment with a credit card, not in your possession).

  JUNE 24, 2026

  • Payment Deadline for NLC Registration to avoid a late fee of $25 per invoice.
• Registration and Payment Confirmation

  Once you submit your registration, an email confirmation will be sent to the primary email address on file. If you do not receive this email confirmation within 48 hours, please email meetings@fcclainc.org. Please check your junk or spam email folders before emailing.

  The confirmation will include the housing reservation link and instructions, housing payment information, and registration material pick-up information. 

  Competitive Event participants will receive a separate email with additional information following the registration deadline.

REGISTRATION PAYMENTS

Conference registration payments should be submitted in time to be received at National FCCLA by June 24, 2026. Payments received after June 24, 2026, will incur a $25.00 late fee per invoice. Registration packets will only be distributed to chapters with a zero balance or by securing the balance with another form of payment when picking up registration materials.

Checks, credit cards, and remote checks are accepted as official forms of payment. A purchase order is not considered a form of final payment.

• CREDIT CARD

  Credit card payments may be made by MasterCard, VISA, American Express, or Discover in the FCCLA Portal under the “Invoice(s)” tab and the “Pay Invoices” button. You can also pay by phone by calling 703-476-4900.

• CHECK

  Mail the registration check along with a copy of the registration invoice to the following address:

  FCCLA
  13241 Woodland Park Road, STE 100
  Herndon, VA 20171
  ATTN: 2026 NLC Registration

  NOTE: Checks for housing payments should not be mailed to FCCLA Headquarters or included with your registration.

• REMOTE CHECK

  Remote check payments may be made in the FCCLA Portal under the “Invoice(s)” tab and the “Pay Invoices” button. Please have the check available to provide the bank name, account type, bank routing number, bank account number, and check reference number. Once all the information is submitted in the system, please endorse the back of your check to include the signature, date, and note “Paid by remote check”. Keep a copy of your check for 14 days for backup. Do not mail a copy of the check to FCCLA. Any questions regarding this process, please call 703-476-4900 and ask for the finance team.

Registration Add-Ons

During the registration process in the Portal, you have the option to register for the following items.

• Special Edition Rosie the Llama NLC Pin & FCCLA Lanyard Set

  Pin trading has long been a favorite NLC tradition, and FCCLA is bringing back the exclusive, limited-edition Rosie the Llama trading pin and FCCLA lanyard for the second year! Whether you are a member, adviser, or anyone attending NLC who wants to get in on the fun, this is the must-have item you will definitely wish you had if you don't grab one now.
  
  ​Each year, Rosie will debut in a brand-new, city-themed design, making this pin a collectible keepsake only available through NLC registration. This year Rosie will reflect Washington, D.C. showing off her patriotism celebrating the United States’ 250^th anniversary.
  
  This exclusive set includes:

  • Limited-edition Rosie the Llama trading pin – A unique design that changes each year to match the NLC host city.
  • 2-inch trading lanyard – The perfect way to display and trade pins without damaging your red blazer. Also great for hanging up as a keepsake after the conference.

  Pre-Order Details:

  • Order by May 21 to guarantee your Rosie Kit for $15 and receive it in your registration packet at NLC.
  • If any sets remain after May 21, they will be available for $20, while supplies last.

  All proceeds support the Ultimate Leadership Fund, empowering the next generation of FCCLA leaders.

  Photo coming soon!

• Corrugated Tri-Fold Display Boards

  White corrugated tri-fold display boards measuring 36”H x 48”W are available as an add-on in the registration portal for $10 each. To ensure you have a board when you arrive, pre-order by June 9, 2026. Tri-fold display boards will be available for pick-up at the FCCLA registration desk.

• American Culinary Federation Certification Exams

  American Culinary Federation (ACF) certification is the only culinary program with stackable credentials recognized throughout the industry and by the Department of Labor. ACF certifications validate knowledge, skills, and experience in industry-relevant competencies and are earned based on education, experience, and successful completion of both a written and practical exam. The ACF Certified Fundamental Cook and Certified Fundamental Pastry Cook credentials are the first steps on a ladder of certifications and do not require any work experience.

  Students who previously took the ACF Certified Fundamental Cook or Certified Fundamental Pastry Cook certification at the state level and were dissatisfied with their score or did not pass can retake the test at no additional cost if they have already paid. To retake the exam, they should email competitiveevents@fcclainc.org.

  Participants must register by May 15 in the FCCLA Portal. Learn more.

• Special Events

  Please visit the Special Events page to see the great options available.

• State Officer Training

  State officers who want additional training and networking opportunities presented by the Leadership Training Team must pre-register to attend the designated state officer sessions.

NLC Official Dress Code

FCCLA's Board of Directors has set forth a mandatory dress code policy. Please review the policy here prior to attending to ensure you and your students do not miss out on any sessions.

The FCCLA official dress is worn for National FCCLA activities per the dress code as outlined. Students may select the attire that best fits the gender with which they identify. This is a personal choice as long as the FCCLA guidelines are followed.