Business Professionals of America
Business Professionals of America National Leadership Conference
Competitive events in business, IT, digital media and management, with a strong technical event list.
Run by Business Professionals of America
Key facts
- Eligible grades
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Two pre-college divisions: Middle Level for middle school students, and Secondary for high school students, both currently or previously enrolled in business, career technical or related education programmes. A Post-secondary division exists for college students.
BPA does not publish numbered grade ranges. Associate Member designation, included within the Secondary Division, covers high school students from special populations.Source, checked 2026-09-02
- Official divisions
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Middle Level and Secondary divisions, plus Post-secondary. Membership requires enrolment in a business or career technical programme.
Based on the organiser's own divisions.
- Eligible ages
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Not confirmed. This organiser may set eligibility by grade rather than age. We do not convert one into the other.BPA sets divisions by school level, not age.
- Individual or team
- Individual or team · Not confirmed
- Where it runs
- In person · United States, International chapters
- Entry cost
- Membership dues plus conference registration and travelNational membership dues apply, and the specific amounts were not captured on the pages checked. On top of that, each member may be responsible for state membership dues set independently by each chartered State Association, plus conference registration and travel. Contact your State Advisor for the state figures.
- Registration deadline
- Membership deadline is 15 March of each membership year. 83 days leftState and regional conference registration deadlines are set by each chartered State Association and fall much earlier. Michigan's regional conferences, for example, run from December through January.
- Competition dates
- The 2027 National Leadership Conference is 5 to 9 May 2027 in Denver, Colorado. Regional conferences run December to January and state leadership conferences from roughly February to March, with dates set by each state.
- Difficulty
- Some preparation neededYou will want a few weeks of targeted practice. Most motivated students place respectably.
- Prizes
- Scholarships and national recognitionAwards and scholarships are offered; specifics were not confirmed on the pages checked.
What Business Professionals of America is
Business Professionals of America runs competitive events through school chapters at regional, state and national level. Its distinguishing feature among the career and technical student organisations is the depth of its information technology and digital media events, which include programming, network administration, cybersecurity, video production and web design alongside traditional business events.
How the competition works
Competition runs through the Workplace Skills Assessment Program, covering business, information technology, finance, office administration and related fields.
Eligibility notes
Requires an active chapter at your school. A teacher can charter one if none exists.
Is Business Professionals of America right for you?
- Experience needed
- None for the introductory events; substantial technical skill for the advanced IT events.
- Time commitment
- A few hours a week during the season.
- What you actually do
- Depends on the event: a timed programming problem set, a network troubleshooting scenario, a business presentation, a video production judged by industry professionals.
A good fit if
- You are interested in IT or digital media specifically
- Your school has a business or computer science pathway
- You want a competition with a published specification for every event
Probably not for you if
- Students without chapter access
Common mistakes
- Choosing an event without reading its guideline, which specifies the exact software versions, references and scoring used.
- Entering too many events. Depth in two beats spreading across five.
- Assuming BPA is only business. Its IT event list is one of the strongest among the career student organisations.
How to register
- Check whether your school has a BPA chapter; if not, a business or computer science teacher can charter one.
- Join and pay membership dues through the chapter.
- Choose events from the published competitive event guidelines, which specify the exact scope and scoring for each.
- Compete at regional and state conferences.
What skills you need
- Business communication
- Accounting and finance
- Programming
- Network administration
- Cybersecurity
- Digital media production
Recommended resources
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Business Professionals of America
Chapter information, membership and the competitive event programme.
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BPA competitive event guidelines
Published guidelines for every event with scope, references and scoring rubrics.
Past problems and materials
Only materials the organiser or an authorised archive publishes openly are listed here.
- Event guidelines and released tests
BPA publishes guidelines and some released materials for its events.
Frequently asked questions
How does BPA differ from FBLA and DECA?
All three are chapter-based career student organisations with competitive events. BPA has the strongest information technology and digital media event list; DECA is oriented toward marketing and role-play events; FBLA covers general business broadly. Many schools run more than one.
Reviews, tips and resources from other students
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Something out of date?
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