248 students from 43 schools take part in the very first Magic Kingdom® College Program.

The participants live at Snow White Village Campground in Kissimmee, FL, and could take part in 11 non-credited classroom sessions called “Leisure Time Business Management Studies.” 

The International Program begins with 90 World Showcase Fellowship Program students, in conjunction with the opening of eight World Showcase pavilions at EPCOT. 

Walt Disney World welcomes more than 200 students on the one-year J-1 visa for the first Cultural Representative Program. 

Vista Way Apartments opens its doors as the new apartment complex for College Program and International Program participants – the first of multiple communities that will become home to our ever-growing program over the next few decades. 

The Disney College Program debuts on the World Wide Web!

The program’s very first website goes online and allows recruiters a brand-new way to connect with future participants. 

The Disney Culinary Program welcomes its first participants to work in our world-class, award-winning dining locations across Walt Disney World Resort.

DORMS – the Disney Onsite Resident Management System – launches.

DORMS was created to provide a streamlined process to register for housing and link with roommates and has grown today to also allow participants to register for events, receive email communication and more.

The Disney Alumni Association, an exclusive community for those who have successfully completed a program, launches online. Today, the Disney Alumni Association boasts over 40,000 members!  

The Walt Disney Company and American Campus Communities break ground on Flamingo Crossings Village, the new state-of-the-art housing community purpose built with our program in mind. 

The very first participants move into Flamingo Crossings Village just in time to celebrate the 40-year anniversary of Disney Programs.