NAFSA 2026: Spanish universities in Orlando with the ICEX-SEPIE Pavilion

Key data

Spanish universities that want to attract international students and researchers have a concrete opportunity in 2026: the Spain Pavilion at the NAFSA Annual Conference & Expo, the world's largest event for educational internationalization. ICEX Spain Exports and Investments and SEPIE have signed an agreement—published in the Official State Gazette on June 3, 2026—to jointly organize Spain's presence at this event.

The fair took place from May 26-29, 2026 in Orlando (Florida) and brings together over 10,000 members from 150 countries. For any university institution or educational sector company with international ambitions, this agreement defines who manages the space, how decisions are made, and what role each body plays.

What does this agreement establish?

The agreement precisely defines the division of responsibilities between ICEX and SEPIE for managing the Spain Pavilion at NAFSA 2026:

To oversee the implementation of the agreement, a joint Monitoring Commission is created consisting of two representatives from each body (four in total). This commission has three main functions:

• Oversee the implementation of the agreement
• Approve associated budgets
• Resolve any disputes that may arise between the parties

The stated objective of the agreement is to strengthen the international projection of the Spanish university system and facilitate the recruitment of foreign students and researchers through one of the most relevant forums worldwide in international educational mobility.

Economic and operational impact

The agreement does not publish specific financial amounts in the available summary. However, the operational and strategic impact for participating institutions is significant:

• Reduced cost of entry to the US market: participating under the Spain Pavilion umbrella means sharing exhibition space, decoration and service costs that ICEX assumes centrally, compared to the cost of attending individually.
• Access to an audience of over 10,000 professionals in educational internationalization from 150 countries in a single four-day event.
• Support from two public bodies (ICEX and SEPIE), which strengthens the credibility of participating universities with international counterparts.
• Centralized and supervised management: the joint Monitoring Commission ensures that budgets are formally approved and that any issues have a defined resolution mechanism.

For universities, participation in NAFSA under this scheme represents a direct path to attracting paying international students, researchers and academic collaboration agreements with institutions worldwide.

Who does it affect?

• Spanish universities (public and private) with active or developing internationalization programs
• International relations offices of higher education institutions
• Educational sector companies with services aimed at international students or institutions
• Public internationalization bodies linked to the Spanish university system
• International talent recruitment managers in universities and research centers
• Directors and CFOs of educational institutions evaluating return on investment in international fairs

Practical example

Imagine you are the Director of International Relations at a medium-sized Spanish university. You want to attract master's and doctoral students from North America and Latin America. Attending NAFSA independently would involve contracting exhibition space in Orlando, designing and setting up your own stand, and managing all logistics services in the USA, with the costs and operational burden that entails.

Thanks to the ICEX-SEPIE agreement, your university can participate under the Spain Pavilion, where ICEX has already contracted the space and manages decoration and services. SEPIE, for its part, is the contact that actively promotes Spanish university participation and the channel for requesting presence. The result: access to over 10,000 professionals from 150 countries with a shared cost structure and the institutional backing of the Spanish State.

The joint Monitoring Commission (2 ICEX representatives + 2 SEPIE representatives) ensures that any operational or budgetary issues have a formal resolution channel, reducing uncertainty for participating institutions.

What should companies do now?

1. Contact SEPIE immediately to learn about the conditions for participation in the Spain Pavilion at future NAFSA editions, as it is the body responsible for promoting university participation.
2. Evaluate the strategic fit of NAFSA in your institution's internationalization plan: do you have attractive programs for the North American or Latin American market? Are you looking for double degree agreements or researcher mobility?
3. Identify the internal contact (International Relations Office, Vice-Rectorate for Internationalization) to coordinate participation and align objectives with ICEX and SEPIE timelines.
4. Review the agreement published in the Official State Gazette (BOE-A-2026-11917) to understand the governance framework, especially the operation of the joint Monitoring Commission, which is the body that approves budgets and resolves disputes.
5. Incorporate NAFSA into the calendar of international fairs for 2027 with sufficient advance notice, given that planning national pavilions requires prior coordination with ICEX and SEPIE.

Official source

Consult complete regulation at official source

Notice: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific decisions, consult a qualified professional. Source: https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2026-11917