The Association of American Universities, an organization founded in 1900, comprises 71 of the United States’ and Canada’s leading research universities. As the Association of American Universities — not to be confused with AAU basketball — details on its website: 

“Founded in 1900, the Association of American Universities is composed of America’s leading research universities. AAU’s 71 research universities transform lives through education, research, and innovation. Our member universities earn the majority of competitively awarded federal funding for research that improves public health, seeks to address national challenges, and contributes significantly to our economic strength, while educating and training tomorrow’s visionary leaders and innovators.“

The primary benefit that accrues to AAU members is prestige. Schools like the University at Buffalo and Case Western Reserve get to align themselves with the most prestigious schools in the nation, relying on the principle of strength in numbers. AAU also acts as a major lobbying force in the D.C. area, with members advocating for legislation that facilitates their goals to further knowledge, research, and education. 

71 Universities Comprise the Association of American Universities (AAU)

So which of America’s universities are members of the Association of American Universities? Wonder no more. The member institutions are as follows, with the year they joined in parentheses:

Public American Universities of the AAU

• Arizona State University (2023)
• Georgia Institute of Technology (2010)
• Indiana University (1909)
• Michigan State University (1964)
• The Ohio State University (1916)
• The Pennsylvania State University (1958)
• Purdue University (1958)
• Rutgers University – New Brunswick (1989)
• Stony Brook University – The State University of New York (2001)
• Texas A&M University (2001)
• University at Buffalo – The State University of New York (1989)
• The University of Arizona (1985)
• University of California, Davis (1996)
• University of California, Berkeley (1900)
• University of California, Irvine (1996)
• University of California, Los Angeles (1974)
• University of California, Riverside (2023)
• University of California, San Diego (1982)
• University of California, Santa Barbara (1995)
• University of California, Santa Cruz (2019)
• University of Colorado, Boulder (1966)
• University of Florida (1985)
• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1908)
• The University of Iowa (1909)
• The University of Kansas (1909)
• University of Maryland at College Park (1969)
• University of Michigan (1900)
• University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (1908)
• University of Missouri, Columbia (1908)
• The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1922)
• University of Oregon (1969)
• University of Pittsburgh (1974)
• University of South Florida (2023)
• The University of Texas at Austin (1929)
• The University of Utah (2019)
• University of Virginia (1904)
• University of Washington (1950)
• The University of Wisconsin – Madison (1900)

Private American Universities of the AAU

• Boston University (2012)
• Brandeis University (1985)
• Brown University (1933)
• California Institute of Technology (1934)
• Carnegie Mellon University (1982)
• Case Western Reserve University (1969)
• Columbia University (1900)
• Cornell University (1900)
• Dartmouth College (2019)
• Duke University (1938)
• Emory University (1995)
• Harvard University (1900)
• The George Washington University (2023)
• The Johns Hopkins University (1900)
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1934)
• New York University (1950)
• Northwestern University (1917)
• Princeton University (1900)
• Rice University (1985)
• Stanford University (1900)
• Tufts University (2021)
• Tulane University (1958)
• The University of Chicago (1900)
• University of Miami (2023)
• University of Notre Dame (2023)
• University of Pennsylvania (1900)
• University of Rochester (1941)
• University of Southern California (1969)
• Vanderbilt University (1950)
• Washington University in St. Louis (1923)
• Yale University (1900)

Canadian Universities of the AAU

• McGill University (1926) 
• University of Toronto (1926)

All Universities in North America Covet Membership in the AAU

Some of these institutions have been members since the AAU’s beginnings in 1900 (like the University of California, Berkeley, and Harvard University), while others joined more recently (like Arizona State University and The George Washington University in 2023). But if you’re wondering if all of our nation’s (and Canada’s) universities would wish to be members of this prestigious organization, the answer is a definitive yes. Many of these schools had to launch hard-fought membership campaigns, which took many years. And if our readers are wondering why it took one Ivy League school — Dartmouth — so long to gain membership, realize that Dartmouth is, as former Secretary of State Daniel Webster once so famously said in the Supreme Court case, “a small college. And yet, as I have said, there are those who love it.” Indeed — who needs a fancy nonprofit to bring you prestige when you have the most loyal and active alumni base in all of higher education?