Founded in 1900, the Association of American Universities is composed of America’s leading research universities. AAU’s 65 research universities transform lives through education, research, and innovation. Our universities earn the majority of competitively awarded federal funding for academic research and are educating tomorrow’s visionary leaders and global citizens.
AAU universities create jobs, produce innovative technologies, and boost local economies. In 2018 alone, AAU paid $82 billion in salaries to 780,060 employees, produced 4,826 patents, and fostered the creation of 663 start-ups. 41 AAU universities are in the top 50 for producing venture capital-backed entrepreneurs, and 427 start-up companies were generated in the university's home state in 2018.
In 2017, AAU institutions awarded 50% of all research doctoral degrees and 18% of all undergraduate degrees in STEM and Social Sciences
AAU universities provide excellent value to their students. Students from AAU universities receive 73% of their financial aid from their institutions, and default at lower rates; 2.8%, compared to 6.9% and 14.3% for non-profit and for-profit universities respectively.
Federal agencies rely on universities to perform critical research in the national interest - AAU universities perform the majority of that research. $25.6 billion in federally funded basic research, or 61% of the total amount funded, is performed by faculty at AAU universities. Agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services (including NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Department of Defense (DoD) alone funded $21.3 billion in university research to improve the lives of Americans.
