Membership in APEX is by invitation only and is granted on the basis of a student's academic standing within their university. To be eligible for membership a student must be an undergraduate at an APEX host school (a university which has an active APEX chapter) and has completed at least one year of studies.

The student must also be placed among the top academic ranks within his or her respective academic program, as determined by the university's administration. At this time APEX is in the process of standardizing the ranking criteria, so please check with specific universities as their policies may differ.

Students who meet the membership criteria will then automatically receive an invitation and application at the end of the academic year in which their eligibility is based. At this point an eligible student should return their application for review by the APEX verification committee. This process is to ensure the validity of the information received and to take preventive measures against fraudulent applications.

Approved members will then receive a formal registration package, which they are required to submit with their one-time membership fee of USD $180. This one-time fee certifies lifetime membership to students and enables them to partake in APEX's annual induction ceremony, where they will receive an official personalized membership certificate and gain access to all APEX member services. Members will then be provided instructions on creating a username and password to access members-only areas of the APEX website, where they can register for events, read monthly newsletters, and check for program information.