Association of American Universities The Association of American Universities ( AAU ) is an organization of leading research universities devoted to maintaining a strong system of academic research and education . It consists of 60 universities in the United States ( both public and private ) and two universities in Canada . Organization . The AAU was founded in 1900 by a group of fourteen Ph . D . - granting universities in the United States to strengthen and standardize American doctoral programs . Today , the primary purpose of the organization is to provide a forum for the development and implementation of institutional and national policies , in order to promote strong programs in academic research and scholarship and undergraduate , graduate , and professional education . Benefits . The largest attraction of the AAU for many schools , especially nonmembers , is prestige . For example , in 2010 the chancellor of nonmember North Carolina State University described it as " the pre - eminent research - intensive membership group . To be a part of that organization is something N . C . State aspires to . " A spokesman for nonmember University of Connecticut called it " perhaps the most elite organization in higher education . You ' d probably be hard - pressed to find a major research university that didn ' t want to be a member of the AAU . " In 2012 , the new elected chancellor of University of Massachusetts Amherst , a nonmember of AAU reaffirmed the Framework goal of elevating the campus to AAU standards , which aspire them to become a member in the near future , calling it as a distinctive status . Because of the lengthy and difficult entrance process , boards of trustees , state legislators , and donors often see membership as evidence of the quality of a university . The AAU acts as a lobbyist in its headquarters in the city of Washington , D . C . for research funding for its members . The association holds two annual meetings . The fall meeting is conducted on a member campus while the spring meeting is held in Washington . Separate meetings are held for university president s , provost s , and other officials . Because the meetings are private they offer the opportunity for discussion without media coverage , and prominent government officials , businessmen , and others often speak to the groups . Statistics . As of 2004 , AAU members accounted for 58 % of U . S . universities ' research grants and contract income and 52 % of all doctorates awarded in the United States . Since 1999 , 43 % of all Nobel Prize winners and 74 % of winners at U . S . institutions have been affiliated with an AAU university . Approximately two - thirds of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 2006 Class of Fellows are affiliated with an AAU university . The faculties at AAU universities include 2 , 993 members of the United States National Academies ( 82 % of all members ) : the National Academy of Sciences , the National Academy of Engineering , and the Institute of Medicine ( 2004 ) . Membership . AAU membership is by invitation only , which requires an affirmative vote of three - fourths of current members . Invitations are considered periodically , based in part on an assessment of the breadth and quality of university programs of research and graduate education , as well as undergraduate education . The association ranks its members using four criteria : Research spending , the percentage of faculty who are members of the National Academies , faculty awards , and citation s . Two thirds of members can vote to revoke membership for poor rankings . annual dues are $ 80 , 500 . Founding members are bolded , and year of admission is shown in parentheses .