Membership Categories and Rates

The value of STC membership is access to best-in-class technical communication education, award-winning publications, certification, career development, professional networking opportunities, and other exclusive member benefits. STC's mission is to advance the theory and practice of technical communication, and advance members' professional development. This mission benefits consumers worldwide.

STC has a membership category for everyone! Click here for a full list of benefits per category.

The 2025 STC membership season is now open! Join or Renew today!

Membership Categories & Rates

Gold membership includes access to all Professional & Academic benefits, plus free registration for all live webinars, 20% additional discount on all online courses, free access to the Salary Database, an extended Early Bird registration rate for the Technical Communication Summit & Expo, and one chapter and all selected Special Interest Groups (SIGs) of your choice.

STC’s Professional & Academic membership category is for the more seasoned professional with four or more years of experience. Those who choose Professional & Academic membership have access to the online versions of Intercom, Technical Communication, STC’s Salary Surveyand other ePublications. They can also take advantage of member-only discounts on all STC educational webinars, online courses, STC’s certification exams, annual conference registration, and corporate partner products and services. The Professional & Academic membership also includes a personalized Education Report Card, and Job Bank and Mentor Board access. Networking communities can be added for a fee.

New Professional members receive all Professional & Academic benefits at a discounted rate. To qualify for the New Professional Member rate, individuals must have graduated from a college/university within the past three years and/or are new to the tech comm field.

Student members receive all Professional & Academic member benefits, plus one professional and student chapter, the Academic SIG and one additional Special Interest Group (SIG) membership for free. To be eligible for student membership, an applicant must be enrolled in an accredited university, college, community college, or technical school; taking at least two courses or the equivalent each term; and preparing for a career in technical communication. Additional communities can be added for a fee.

Retired memberships include all Professional & Academic  member benefits, one free Chapter membership, and one free Special Interest Group (SIG) membership. To qualify as a retired member, you must be a current member of STC with 10 consecutive years of membership, be 65 years of age or older, and work, on average, 20 hours per week or less.  For more information about our retiree membership, contact us at membership@stc.org.

Sustaining membership is a long-term membership choice for those who wish to pledge their support to the technical communication profession by making a 15-year membership commitment. When you join as an STC Sustaining Member, you align yourself with the largest association created for technical communication professionals like you. Supporting STC and your professional development in this way means that you have a clear career path, you understand the professional support you will need to be successful, and you are eager to be involved with the ongoing development of your Society and its programs. Whether you are a tech comm student, new to the profession, or well established in your career path, everyone qualifies to be a Sustaining Member!

As a Sustaining Member, you will pay a one-time fee which will activate your STC membership for 15 years, saving you time, money, and resources! Each year, your membership will automatically renew. STC offers two levels of Sustaining membership, so you can find the benefits and price that work best for you. Click here for more information.

Does your organization have five or more technical communicators on staff who are interested in joining STC? If so, look into our Corporate Value Program (CVP) membership to save on dues for your entire team. Click here for details.

Corporate Value Program Members

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All STC memberships are individual. STC is a U.S.-based company and all rates and fees listed are in U.S. dollars (USD).

Individuals joining STC for the first time (or former members whose membership has lapsed more than one year) pay Society dues, a $15.00 enrollment fee, and chapter and SIG fees (if applicable). Because the full range of STC products and services is available online to members immediately upon activation, STC dues are nonrefundable and nontransferable. All STC memberships operate on a calendar year cycle and expire on 31 December.

Questions? Contact STC membership at +1 (703) 522-4114 or email membership@stc.org. You can also visit our Membership FAQs page for assistance.

Membership Brochure and FAQ

Adjusted Rates for Emerging Markets

For members who are residents in emerging countries and territories, you are eligible for reduced membership rates in the Professional & Academic and Student categories. Any other category can be purchased at the standard rate.

Additional Information

Members may add the following a la carte menu items:

  • $25 per chapter (emerging nations: $10)
  • $15 or $10 per SIG COP or COI(emerging nations: $5)
  • $75 for printed copies of Technical Communication*

* Includes U.S. postage. For Technical Communication, international postage rate is $20 for Canada and $40 for other countries.

Gold, Student, and Retired membership categories receive free chapters and SIGs as a part of their membership package. Fees would apply to communities added past the free allotment. See the above membership category descriptions for full details. For a full list of communities, visit www.stc.org/communities/.