Frequently Asked Questions about NACUA Membership

Basic Requirements and Dues Structure

1. What are the basic eligibility requirements for NACUA institutional membership?

2. My institution’s accreditation status is pending. Is my institution eligible for NACUA membership?

3. What are the basic eligibility requirements for NACUA’s attorney representatives?

4. How does NACUA determine membership dues?

5. My institution has used all of designated representative slots. Can we add additional representatives to its designated number?

6. When do NACUA Memberships renew?

7. How do I determine who an institution’s NACUA Primary Representative is?

For Non-Member Attorneys Representing Eligible Non-Member Institutions

1. My institution does not employ in-house legal counsel. Is my institution eligible for NACUA membership?

2. I represent a non-profit, degree-granting institution located outside of the United States. Is my institution eligible for membership?

3. I am an attorney, and work at a college or university. However, I am not employed by the General Counsel’s office. Am I eligible for NACUA membership?

4. I would like to join NACUA as an Associate Individual Member or on behalf of an Associate Institutional Member. Will I have access to membership benefits immediately once I submit my application?

5. Can non-members attend NACUA’s Annual Conference?

6. I do not currently represent a college or university. Do I need to do so before I am eligible for membership?

For Non-Member Attorneys Employed at Law Firms

1. Are law firms eligible for Institutional or Associate Institutional membership?

2. I am a member of a law firm. Am I eligible for NACUA membership?

3. I am employed at a law firm and represent an institution that is not a NACUA member. Should I apply for Associate Individual membership?

4. I work at a law firm and serve as the primary legal counsel for more than one college or university. How can each of my clients have access to NACUA’s benefits?

Basic Requirements and Dues Structure

What are the basic eligibility requirements for NACUA institutional membership?
NACUA Institutional Members must be accredited, non-profit, degree-granting institutions of higher education. The college or university must employ a licensed attorney in good standing (either as in-house or outside counsel) who then will serve as the institution’s primary representative with respect to NACUA membership.

My institution’s accreditation status is pending. Is my institution eligible for NACUA membership?
An institution must be fully accredited to be eligible for NACUA membership. Once your institution officially receives accreditation, you may apply for membership.

What are the basic eligibility requirements for NACUA’s attorney representatives?
NACUA member representatives must be licensed attorneys in good standing and meet NACUA’s commonality of interest requirements (which can be found by clicking here).

How does NACUA determine membership dues?
Dues are based on an institution’s full-time enrollment and current fund expenditures as most recently reported to the U.S. Department of Education. The amount of dues then determines the number of individual representatives to which a given institution is entitled, including one primary representative who serves as the Institutional Member’s main NACUA contact. View NACUA’s Institutional Dues Matrix.

The dues for NACUA’s remaining membership categories are as follows:

International Members: $710.00
Associate Individual Members: $755.00
Associate Institutional Members: $1330.00
NACUA will prorate membership dues for new Institutional Members, new Associate Institutional Members, and new Associate Individual Members as of March 1- June 30. NACUA does not prorate dues for new additional representatives. Learn more about NACUA’s membership categories.

My institution has used all of its' designated representative slots. Can we add additional representatives to its designated number?
Yes. Members who wish to add attorney representatives beyond the number designated by their institutional dues may do so for an additional fee per attorney.

Institutional Members Fee: $200.00 per attorney.
Associate Institutional Members Fee: $700.00 per attorney To access the additional representative forms click here.

When do NACUA Memberships renew?
All memberships run from September 1 –August 31.
Renewal packets for the next membership year will be mailed in July.

How do I determine who an institution’s NACUA Primary Representative is?
Most often, it is the chief legal counsel of the institution or, if the campus is part of a larger state-wide system, the chief legal counsel of that system. To obtain the name of your primary representative click here.

To check as to whether your institution is already a NACUA member, view a list of institutional members by state or alphabetical.

For Non-Member Attorneys Representing Eligible Institutions

My institution does not employ in-house legal counsel. Is my institution eligible for NACUA membership?
Yes. Approximately one-third of NACUA’s member institutions have a primary representative who is outside legal counsel. Outside counsel may serve as member representatives on behalf of an Institutional Member. Administrators and staff members at the institution would have access to publications, as well as NACUA workshops and virtual seminars, at the preferred member rates. See the For Attorneys at Law Firms section for more details.

I represent a non-profit, degree-granting institution located outside of the United States. Is my institution eligible for membership?
Yes. NACUA offers a membership category for International Institutions. Some attorney representatives for International Institutions practice outside the United States; others represent international colleges and universities from offices within the United States.

I am an attorney, and work at a college or university. However, I am not employed by the General Counsel’s office. Am I eligible for NACUA membership?
Possibly. Some attorneys who are employed outside the General Counsel’s office are listed as additional representatives on their Institutional Member’s representative roster. Other attorneys employed outside the General Counsel’s office choose to apply for Associate Individual Membership. However, your institution’s NACUA primary representative has the sole discretion regarding your eligibility for membership, as well as for determining your most appropriate membership category. See “How do I determine who an institution’s NACUA Primary Representative is?” above for more details on locating your institution’s primary representative.

I would like to join NACUA as an Associate Individual Member or on behalf of an Associate Institutional Member. Will I have access to membership benefits immediately once I submit my application?
No. NACUA’s By-Laws require that its Board of Directors review and approve all applications for Associate Institutional and Associate Individual Membership. Currently, the Board reviews Associate Membership applications in November, March, and June. As the application review process may require clarification of information provided on the application or a request for additional information, NACUA encourages applicants to submit their applications as far in advance of each Board meeting as possible.

Can non-members attend NACUA’s Annual Conference?
Only licensed attorneys currently practicing higher education law are eligible to attend NACUA Annual Conferences. If you are not a member of NACUA, but meet the Conference’s eligibility requirement, NACUA will ask you to send a letter to the Manager of Membership and Outreach Services, affirming that you meet the eligibility requirements.

I do not currently represent a college or university. Do I need to do so before I am eligible for membership?
Yes. To be eligible for NACUA membership, you must currently represent a college or university. If you are interested in learning more about career opportunities in higher education law, NACUA offers a Career Center service.

For Non-Member Attorneys Employed at Law Firms

Are law firms eligible for Institutional or Associate Institutional membership?
Law firms, as an entity, are not eligible to join NACUA as either Institutional or Associate Institutional Members. However, individual attorneys at law firms may be eligible to join NACUA as a primary representative for an Institutional Member, as an additional representative for an Institutional Member, or as an Associate Individual Member. To determine your eligibility, click here.

I am a member of a law firm. Am I eligible for NACUA membership?
Yes, if you currently represent, as a client, an institution or organization that is eligible for NACUA membership. But, no, if you do not have any institutional clients or organizations who are eligible for NACUA membership, even if other attorneys at your law firm do.

NACUA serves over 1,000 outside counsel in various categories of membership. To determine the appropriate membership category click here.

I am employed at a law firm and represent an institution that is not a NACUA member. Should I apply for Associate Individual membership?
No. If the institution you represent is not currently a NACUA member, NACUA asks that you encourage it to apply for Institutional Membership. To be eligible for Associate Individual Membership, you must represent an institution that already is a NACUA member. Please visit the links listed in the “How do I determine who an institution’s NACUA Primary Representative is?” section to see a list of current of NACUA Member Institutions.

I work at a law firm and serve as the primary legal counsel for more than one college or university. How can each of my clients have access to NACUA’s benefits?
NACUA offers a multi-institution discount for outside counsel who serve as the primary representative for more than one eligible college or university. The institution with the largest full-time enrollment and operating expenses will be assessed the full dues amounts. All additional institutions’ dues amounts will be reduced by 50%. However, each Institutional Member would have its full complement of designated attorney representatives.