The Portland National College Fair put more than 200 colleges and universities in Hall D at the Oregon Convention Center. Admission was free. The 2026 edition ran Sunday 18 October from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Pacific and Monday 19 October from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
The two windows carry six and a half hours of floor time. The plan below runs on the published clocks.
Six and a half hours of floor time
The Sunday window carries three and a half hours. The Monday window carries three.
The address is 777 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR 97232. The building sits in the Lloyd District, eight miles from Portland International Airport.
Sunday lunch at 11:30, hall at 12:30
Set the meal for 11:30 a.m. That leaves 90 minutes before the 1:00 p.m. open.
Stir Bistro and Lounge sits in the MLK Lobby as a full-service restaurant. Two Portland Coffee Roasters cafes serve coffee, pastries and sandwiches.
Book the meal before arrival and carry water.
The bag check at the door
NACAC's letter to schools names a bag screening process at the entrance and asks students to limit what they bring.
Reach the hall at 12:30 p.m. and hold half an hour for the screening.
Registration runs ahead of the fair and produces a barcode. The letter accepts that barcode on a phone screen or on paper. On-site registration also runs.
The organiser's Attendee App keeps the barcode, a floor map and notes on each college visited.
Two programs inside the two windows
Financial aid presentations run on both days. The College Advising Center runs alongside them for a student with no shortlist. The letter names both programs and publishes no start time for either.
College Matchmaking runs through registration. A student answers a set of questions and receives a list of institutions that fit the answers.
No cash in the building
The Oregon Convention Center runs cashless. The drive-through parking booths take credit and debit cards and touchless payment only.
Lockers run through LocketGo at three points: the MLK Lobby, the Holladay Lobby and the Ginkoberry Concourse. A guest reserves one on a mobile device with a credit card.
A cash-only guest converts notes to a Visa card at the reverse ATM down the hallway left of the MLK Lobby welcome desk. The card loads once and carries no fee. Five ATMs sit in the building.
The Sunday night
Sixteen and a half hours separate the 4:30 p.m. Sunday close from the 9:00 a.m. Monday open. Dinner, a bed and breakfast fit inside that gap.
Book the night of 18 October for both windows. A group that attends Sunday alone books the Saturday night. A group that attends Monday alone books the Sunday night.
Monday to a noon close
The Monday window opens at 9:00 a.m. and closes at 12:00 p.m. A departure at 2:00 p.m. leaves two hours for the hall exit, the luggage and the airport run.
Ask for the checkout hour in writing. Ask where bags sit after checkout.
Arriving without a car
TriMet MAX light rail stops 300 times a day at the corner and connects to Portland International Airport. The Portland Streetcar A Loop reaches the NE MLK and Hoyt stop every 15 minutes. TriMet bus 6 stops at NE MLK and Holladay.
Drivers use the underground garage. It holds 800 spaces, with entry from NE Lloyd Blvd or NE First Ave. Entry costs $15 for up to 18 hours and carries no in-and-out privilege. Event days charge a dynamic $15 to $25 at the gate. The gate opens at 6:00 a.m. daily, and the garage bans overnight parking.
566 metered spaces sit within three blocks of the building.
Mobility, booked per day
Ten accessible spaces sit on garage level P1 and 11 on P2. Complimentary wheelchairs and mobility scooters run first come, first served, or by reservation inside 30 days.
A reservation needs collection within one hour and photo ID at the welcome desk. Book one reservation for each day of a two-day visit.
The Sunday-only version
One window and no hotel night works for a family that lives in the region. Lunch at 11:30 a.m., hall at 12:30 p.m., session 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., home the same evening.
A Monday visitor books the Sunday night. That room-night is the only one the two-window plan needs.
The plan on one page
Saturday night for a group that attends Sunday only. Sunday lunch at 11:30 a.m. Hall at 12:30 p.m. Session 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Check-in, dinner, bed. Monday hall at 9:00 a.m. Session to 12:00 p.m. Departure from 2:00 p.m.
One room-night covers the gap between the windows. Six and a half hours of floor time sits inside them.