Association of American Universities facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Association of American Universities

Formation	February 28, 1900; 125 years ago (1900-02-28)
Founded at	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Type	501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
Headquarters	William T. Golden Center for Science and Engineering, Washington, D.C., U.S.
Location	United States Canada
Membership	71
President	Barbara Snyder
Chair	Carol Folt

The Association of American Universities (AAU) is a group of top research universities in America. It helps make sure that research and education at these universities stay strong. The AAU started in 1900. It includes 69 universities in the United States and two in Canada. To join the AAU, a university must be invited. Three-quarters of the current members must vote yes for a new university to join.

What is the AAU?

The AAU was created on February 28, 1900. Fourteen universities that offered Ph.D. degrees started it. Their goal was to make American doctoral programs better and more standard. At that time, American universities were starting to focus more on research. This was like the German model of higher education.

However, American universities didn't have standard rules. This made European universities think less of them. Many American students chose to study in Europe for their advanced degrees. To fix this, presidents from five major universities sent invitations. They asked nine other universities to meet in Chicago. The meeting happened in February 1900. They wanted to improve and set higher standards for education.

In 1914, the AAU started checking the quality of undergraduate programs. This was called "accrediting." German universities used the "AAU Accepted List" to see if a college's graduates were ready for advanced studies. By the 1920s, other groups started doing this. So, the AAU stopped accrediting schools in 1948.

For its first 60 years, the AAU was a place for university leaders to talk. They discussed education topics informally. In the 1970s, the AAU changed its role. It became more active in speaking up for its members. It hired more staff and its leader became a public voice.

Today, the AAU has 71 universities from the U.S. and Canada. All these universities are dedicated to research. The main goal of the AAU is to help create policies. These policies strengthen research, learning, and education. This includes programs for undergraduate, graduate, and professional students.

Why is AAU Membership Important?

Many schools want to join the AAU because it brings them prestige. This means being part of a highly respected group. Since the AAU started, it has been a group of the best universities. New university presidents often aim to get their school into the AAU. For example, a leader from North Carolina State University called it "the most important research group."

Being an AAU member shows that a university is high quality. This is important for their leaders, state lawmakers, and people who donate money.

The AAU also works as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C.. This means they speak to government officials. They ask for money for research and higher education. They also discuss rules that affect research universities. The association holds two meetings each year in Washington. University presidents and other officials have their own meetings. These meetings are private. This allows them to talk openly. Important government and business leaders often speak at these meetings.

AAU Presidents

AAU by the Numbers

As of 2004, AAU members received a lot of research money. They got 58 percent of all U.S. universities' research grants. They also awarded 52 percent of all doctorates in the United States. Since 1999, 43 percent of all Nobel Prize winners were connected to an AAU university. This number goes up to 74 percent for winners at U.S. institutions. About two-thirds of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences members in 2006 were from AAU universities. The teachers at AAU universities include 2,993 members of the United States National Academies. This is 82 percent of all members. These academies include the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine (2004).

Here are some more facts about AAU universities:

• Undergraduate students: 1,044,759 (7 percent of all students nationally)
• Undergraduate degrees awarded: 235,328 (17 percent nationally)
• Graduate students: 418,066 (20 percent nationally)
• Master's degrees awarded: 106,971 (19 percent nationally)
• Professional degrees awarded: 20,859 (25 percent nationally)
• Doctorates awarded: 22,747 (52 percent nationally)
• Postdoctoral fellows (researchers after their Ph.D.): 30,430 (67 percent nationally)
• Students studying abroad: 57,205
• National Merit/Achievement Scholars (2004): 5,434 (63 percent nationally)
• Faculty (teachers and researchers): approximately 72,000

Who Can Join the AAU?

Joining the AAU is by invitation only. Three-quarters of current members must vote yes for a new university to join. Invitations are sent out from time to time. This depends on how good a university's research and graduate programs are. They also look at undergraduate education.

The AAU uses four main things to rank its members:

• How much money they spend on research.
• The percentage of teachers who are members of the National Academies.
• Awards won by teachers.
• How often their research is mentioned by others (citations).

Universities that are not members but have strong research and education might be invited. If a current member's research and education quality drops too much, they might lose their membership. A two-thirds vote by members can remove a university. As of 2022, the yearly fee to be a member is $139,500. All 69 U.S. members of the AAU are also known as "Highest Research Activity (R1) Universities." This is a special classification for top research schools.

Current Members

Institution	State or province	Control	Established	Year joined	Total students	Medical school (LCME accredited)	Engineering program (ABET accredited)	Land-Grant Institution (NIFA)	Federally funded R&D exp. (Dollars in thousands)
Arizona State University	Arizona	Public	1885	2023	144,800		Y		309,094
Boston University	Massachusetts	Private	1839	2012	36,729	Y	Y		413,102
Brandeis University	Massachusetts	Private	1948	1985	5,808				44,205
Brown University	Rhode Island	Private	1764	1933	8,619	Y	Y		215,067
California Institute of Technology	California	Private	1891	1934	2,231		Y		326,401
Carnegie Mellon University	Pennsylvania	Private	1900	1982	12,908		Y		259,160
Case Western Reserve University	Ohio	Private	1826	1969	12,201	Y	Y		380,423
Columbia University	New York	Private	1754	1900	29,250	Y	Y		904,346
Cornell University	New York	Private	1865	1900	21,904	Y	Y	Y	636,481
Dartmouth College	New Hampshire	Private	1769	2019	6,571	Y	Y		155,445
Duke University	North Carolina	Private	1838	1938	14,600	Y	Y		901,807
Emory University	Georgia	Private	1836	1995	14,513	Y			568,149
George Washington University	District of Columbia	Private	1821	2023	26,457	Y	Y		161,867
Georgia Institute of Technology	Georgia	Public	1885	2010	29,370		Y		940,488
Harvard University	Massachusetts	Private	1636	1900	21,000	Y	Y		628,683
Indiana University Bloomington	Indiana	Public	1820	1909	42,731		Y		360,300
Johns Hopkins University	Maryland	Private	1876	1900	23,073	Y	Y		2,971,816
Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Massachusetts	Private	1861	1934	11,319		Y	Y	531,056
McGill University	Quebec	Public	1821	1926	36,904	Y	Y		N/A
Michigan State University	Michigan	Public	1855	1964	51,316	Y	Y	Y	381,504
New York University	New York	Private	1831	1950	61,950	Y	Y		668,381
Northwestern University	Illinois	Private	1851	1917	21,208	Y	Y		618,771
Ohio State University	Ohio	Public	1870	1916	60,540	Y	Y	Y	636,902
Pennsylvania State University	Pennsylvania	Quasi-public	1855	1958	45,518	Y	Y	Y	681,159
Princeton University	New Jersey	Private	1746	1900	8,010		Y		218,390
Purdue University	Indiana	Public	1869	1958	52,211		Y	Y	352,890
Rice University	Texas	Private	1912	1985	8,212		Y		105,345
Rutgers University–New Brunswick	New Jersey	Public	1766	1989	41,565	Y	Y	Y	351,660
Stanford University	California	Private	1891	1900	15,877	Y	Y		860,125
Stony Brook University	New York	Public	1957	2001	26,814	Y	Y		184,154
Texas A&M University	Texas	Public	1876	2001	77,491	Y	Y	Y	505,355
Tufts University	Massachusetts	Private	1852	2021	11,024	Y	Y		150,081
Tulane University	Louisiana	Private	1834	1958	13,462	Y	Y		127,544
University at Buffalo	New York	Public	1846	1989	30,183	Y	Y		218,231
University of Arizona	Arizona	Public	1885	1985	40,223	Y	Y	Y	374,936
University of California, Berkeley	California	Public	1868	1900	36,204		Y	Y	468,542
University of California, Davis	California	Public	1905	1996	34,175	Y	Y	Y	468,468
University of California, Irvine	California	Public	1965	1996	29,588	Y	Y	Y	291,393
University of California, Los Angeles	California	Public	1919	1974	42,163	Y	Y	Y	848,138
University of California, Riverside	California	Public	1907	2023	26,809	Y	Y	Y	114,257
University of California, San Diego	California	Public	1960	1982	30,310	Y	Y	Y	970,696
University of California, Santa Barbara	California	Public	1944	1995	25,057		Y	Y	161,241
University of California, Santa Cruz	California	Public	1965	2019	19,457		Y	Y	107,082
University of Chicago	Illinois	Private	1890	1900	14,954	Y	Y		456,806
University of Colorado Boulder	Colorado	Public	1876	1966	32,775	Y	Y		507,892
University of Florida	Florida	Public	1853	1985	55,781	Y	Y	Y	467,739
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign	Illinois	Public	1867	1908	44,520	Y	Y	Y	420,953
University of Iowa	Iowa	Public	1847	1909	31,065	Y	Y		314,346
University of Kansas	Kansas	Public	1865	1909	27,983	Y	Y		200,117
University of Maryland, College Park	Maryland	Public	1856	1969	37,631		Y	Y	750,447
University of Miami	Florida	Private	1925	2023	19,402	Y	Y		265,212
University of Michigan	Michigan	Public	1817	1900	43,426	Y	Y		970,636
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities	Minnesota	Public	1851	1908	52,376	Y	Y	Y	652,384
University of Missouri	Missouri	Public	1839	1908	35,441	Y	Y	Y	182,432
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	North Carolina	Public	1789	1922	29,390	Y			827,158
University of Notre Dame	Indiana	Private	1842	2023	12,809		Y		124,411
University of Oregon	Oregon	Public	1876	1969	22,980				97,238
University of Pennsylvania	Pennsylvania	Private	1740	1900	24,630	Y	Y		873,318
University of Pittsburgh	Pennsylvania	Quasi-public	1787	1974	28,649	Y	Y		814,647
University of Rochester	New York	Private	1850	1941	10,290	Y	Y		334,503
University of South Florida	Florida	Public	1956	2023	49,766	Y	Y		206,552
University of Southern California	California	Private	1880	1969	48,500	Y	Y		601,747
University of Texas at Austin	Texas	Public	1883	1929	51,913	Y	Y		536,296
University of Toronto	Ontario	Public	1827	1926	97,678	Y	Y		N/A
University of Utah	Utah	Public	1850	2019	32,994	Y	Y		367,040
University of Virginia	Virginia	Public	1819	1904	24,360	Y	Y		332,993
University of Washington	Washington	Public	1861	1950	43,762	Y	Y		1,083,090
University of Wisconsin–Madison	Wisconsin	Public	1848	1900	43,275	Y	Y	Y	740,854
Vanderbilt University	Tennessee	Private	1873	1950	12,795	Y	Y		666,282
Washington University in St. Louis	Missouri	Private	1853	1923	14,117	Y	Y		681,353
Yale University	Connecticut	Private	1701	1900	13,609	Y	Y		689,270

Former Members

Map of AAU Schools

AAU's Work in Government

In 2014, the AAU supported a law called the Research and Development Efficiency Act. They believed this law would help universities. It would reduce the amount of paperwork and rules. These rules are currently placed on universities that do research for the government. The AAU said that government rules for grant money are often confusing. They can also be ineffective or just repeat other rules. This wastes researchers' time. It means they have less time for new discoveries. It also costs universities more money to follow all the rules.

Similar Groups Around the World

Other countries have groups similar to the AAU. These include:

• Russell Group (United Kingdom)
• U15 (Germany)
• League of European Research Universities (Europe)
• BRICS Universities League (BRICS countries)
• Association of East Asian Research Universities (mainland China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan)
• C9 League (China)
• Group of Eight (Australia)
• RU11 (Japan)
• U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities (Canada)

See Also

• List of higher education associations and alliances
• List of research universities in the United States