FAQ for Academic Program Administrators

How do I access my organization’s account?

Sign in to your personal AWP account, click your hyperlinked name, and from your personal profile, click on the hyperlinked name of your organization. This will take you to your organizational account. If you do not see your organization listed when you log in, please contact our account coordinator at [email protected].

Are my organization login credentials separate from my personal login?

No. The accounts are separate, but the login credentials are the same. In our system, individuals have login credentials that can be attached to an organization account and detached if/when those individuals leave the organization or change positions. Individuals can transact business on behalf of an organization, but the organization itself does not have login credentials.

How do I add or designate administrators on the account?

Go to the Manage Your Admins tab. Administrators must first be added to your roster using the unique URL for your organization. All admins must have a personal AWP user account to be added. Once they have completed the form and appear on the roster, select the system role that best represents them from the drop-down menu before adding them as admins.

How many administrators can an organization have?

You can designate up to four administrators, including yourself. You can remove an administrator to make space for another one at any time using the Remove button under the Manage Your Admins tab of your organizational account.

Do all administrators need to have membership benefits?

No. The administrator role is separate from membership access. Administrators must be contacts on your roster, but they do not need to have membership benefits. For example, you can designate an accounts payable staff member as a billing contact without having them occupy a membership “seat.”

How do I add members to occupy membership seats?

From the organization account, send the URLs found on the Manage Your Members tab to individuals you want to assign membership seats. These URLs are unique to your organization and should only be shared with people you want affiliated with your organization. Once they complete the form, they will populate to your roster.

Do faculty and students need to use their .edu email address?

No. Faculty and students can and should use their primary email address to claim academic program access, which is preferred in the long run to retain any account history, since it is possible they could be unattached from the organization in the future.

Do faculty and students need to create a new account to access benefits?

If faculty and students already have an AWP account, they should use the existing account to claim their member benefits. We strongly advise against duplicate account creation, which can cause complications in the long run. If a student or faculty member is not sure whether they have an existing account, or if they would like to change the email address associated with their account, they can reach out to [email protected]. 

Will I be charged if I add too many members?

No. Your membership level limits how many people can be added to your roster. Once the limit is reached, no additional members can be added, so you will not incur overage charges. If you need to increase your membership level to accommodate more members, please contact us at [email protected].

What if someone is already on my roster?

If members from your program are already on your roster, you do not need to send them a unique URL if you want them to keep access.

What’s the difference between “Grant Access” and “Remove Access” on the Manage Your Members tab?

• Remove Access indicates that the person already has membership benefits and you can use this button to remove their membership access. Keep in mind that this step does not remove them from your roster entirely.
• Grant Access means the person is a contact on your roster but does not currently have member benefits. Clicking Grant Access will provide them with membership benefits.

How do I completely remove someone from my roster?

Click on the person’s hyperlinked last name to open their profile in a new tab. Remove your program affiliation and click Save. This will remove them from your roster.

Why do students need to have a graduation date?

Students enter their graduation date when completing the membership form. It is used primarily for two purposes:

1. For our system to automatically remove them from your account once their graduation date passes (unless you choose to manually extend their access)
2. For our conference platform to grant student rate eligibility during conference registration

How do I update my organization’s public directory listing?

Navigate to your account, and click the hyperlinked name of your organization. Then, use the “Member Academic Program Listing” tab to update how your organization appears in the Guide to Academic Writing Programs. Select the gray edit button in the top right corner to open for updates.

Are there additional listing options for member organizations?

Yes. Member organizations are highlighted in the guide and can add additional details, including photos and logos, to their public listing.

What are the membership term dates for an academic program membership?

Academic program memberships span two calendar years and mirror a traditional academic calendar, running from September 1 through August 31.

When can I renew our academic program membership?

AWP staff generates invoices in April of each year. All program administrators on the account will receive notice when invoices are posted and ready for payment.

When are invoices due?

To allow for accounts payable processing times, AWP issues the invoices early in April, four months prior to the start of the next membership term. We recommend paying as soon as the invoice is posted, but depending on your organization’s budget process, you may not be able to issue payment until after July 1. In any case, invoices must be paid before September 1, or your program members will lose access to membership benefits at the start of the new term if the invoice is unpaid.

Can I pay the invoice by check?

We do accept check payments, but we strongly recommend against it. Check processing times are lengthy and any delays could mean that your members lose access to benefits, such as registering for the conference at the member rate, while waiting for the funds to arrive.

Can we change the tier level of membership?

Yes. If you would like to adjust the membership tier, meaning go up or down in allowed membership access, please reach out to our account coordinator via email, [email protected], to issue a custom invoice.

Can we pay for more years at once?

Yes. If you would like a two-year or three-year membership, please reach out to our account coordinator via email, [email protected], to issue a custom invoice.

What is the Yearly Programs Questions form and who should fill out?

The Yearly Programs Questions form is what AWP uses during the renewal cycle to collect aggregate information from academic member programs—to be shared with academic program members to help them advocate for themselves at their respective institutions. Whichever administrator has access to the most information should be the one to complete this form.

What if I don’t have the information to fill out the YPQ form?

Please request this information from your institutional administrators if possible, as accurate data is the most helpful for everyone. If you are still unable to collect all the information, complete as much as you are able.

Can I submit to the Intro Journals Project?

Yes! All academic programs can nominate one story; one essay; and up to three poems by student writers to the AWP Intro Journals Project per cycle. Nominations are accepted October 1–November 30, annually. Entries can be submitted by the program director or an admin, but they should all be submitted by one representative for the program; the nominator must be associated with an academic program membership.

Can I submit to the Prize for Undergrad Lit Mags?

Yes—while the AWP Prize for Undergrad Lit Mags is open to all degree-granting institutions, AWP academic program members have the added benefit of being able to submit one entry for free; if your program has multiple eligible issues, additional entries can be submitted to the general submissions category for a small fee of $15. Entries are accepted February 1–28, annually.

How can I share important dates and deadlines with faculty and students?

We encourage you to bookmark and share the AWP calendar, which we continually update with upcoming dates including submission periods, Writer’s Desk events, and more. In addition to our bimonthly newsletter, we also send program administrators a monthly academic program bulletin, where we share AWP news specifically curated for academic program members.