Enhance your professional career by developing and strengthening your knowledge in higher education law to make informed decisions for your institution—become a NACUA Member!
As a member you gain access to 5,000 attorneys to help solve problems and discuss current issues that will keep up to date on legal topics of interest. Whether you participate in meeting planning, join a committee, or participate in online discussions with your peers, a NACUA membership is essential to advance your practice and career.
To get started, review the membership categories below and click the join link to download the corresponding membership application. All completed applications can be returned to membership@nacua.org. Payment of membership dues is not required until application is approved.
Membership Year
September 1 – August 31
Eligibility / Review Process
Your application will be reviewed to determine if you and/or your institution meet the eligibility criteria for the category for which you are applying and is subject to approval by the Chair of the Committee on Membership and Member Services and the NACUA Board of Directors.
Institutional Membership
Eligible Institutions: Accredited, non-profit, degree-granting institutions represented by licensed attorney(s) in the United States and internationally.
Dues: For U.S. institutions, please refer to the dues matrix. All dues amounts are calculated based on information provided to the U.S. Department of Education annually. International institutional membership dues are $895.
Additional Information:
- Primary representative for the institution receives all NACUA membership benefits.
- Additional attorney representatives (determined by enrollment category on the dues matrix) are also entitled to all member services and receive most membership mailings.
- For any representatives beyond the allotted number, an additional fee of $240 is assessed per individual.
- To add a new primary representative to an existing member institution, click here.
- To add a new additional attorney representative to an existing member institution, click here. (Learn more about who can apply for this category here)
Associate Institutional Membership
Eligible Organizations:
- Nonprofit Higher Education Associations are defined as those that have formal institutional memberships and whose members pay dues to those associations. These organizations will be considered eligible provided they are represented by counsel who meet the criteria and requirements stated on the application.
- Regional or State Coordinating Boards or Systems, whose institutional members are non-profit, accredited degree-granting institutions of higher education that are existing members of NACUA. The applicant must submit at least one endorsement from current NACUA member institutions who share a formal relationship or agreement with the organization.
- Museums, Libraries, University Foundations, and University Research Institutes that have a formal relationship or agreement with a Regular Member Institution (e.g., joint degree program), and that receive endorsement from that Member Institution’s primary representative. The applicant must submit at least one endorsement from current NACUA member institutions who share a formal relationship or agreement with the organization.
- Athletic Conferences provided that the primary representatives of conference institutions are consulted about the application to ensure that the conference’s associate institutional membership is consistent with NACUA’s mission and principal requirements of commonality of interest. The applicant must submit at least two endorsements from current NACUA member institutions who are part of the athletic conference before the application will be considered.
- Note: This category is not open to law firms or proprietary corporations.
Dues: $1,730
Additional Information:
- Each Associate Institutional Member must designate a primary representative and may designate one additional attorney representative.
- For additional representatives beyond the allotted number, an additional fee of $745 is assessed per individual.
- Primary representative for the organization receives all NACUA membership benefits.
- Additional attorney representatives are entitled to all membership services and receive most membership mailings.
- To add a new primary representative to an existing member institution, click here.
- To add a new additional attorney representative to an existing member institution, click here.
Associate Individual Membership
Eligible Individuals:
- Are judged by the NACUA Board of Directors to have a commonality of interest with the member institutions of the Association.
- Must be licensed attorneys in good standing; however, the representatives may not be attorneys who regularly handle, or are regularly engaged to handle (either as in-house or outside counsel), the legal affairs of an accredited non-profit institution of higher education that is eligible to be an institutional member of the Association. Click here to learn more
- Open to attorneys who represent a member institution on a more limited basis or who are otherwise employed by a member institution.
Dues: $980
Emeritus Membership
Eligible Individuals:
- Must be fully retired from the practice of law
- Are not otherwise eligible to be either a representative of a regular institution or an associate institution, or to be an associate individual member
- Must have been a member of NACUA in good standing for a minimum of ten (10) years prior to eligibility for this category
- Individuals will not be required to maintain active licensure in any state
- Individuals are not eligible for this membership category if they are, or will be, engaged on either a limited or regular basis in legal matters on behalf of colleges and universities
Dues: $185
Questions?
The NACUA membership department is here to help! Contact us at 202.833.8390 or membership@nacua.org. You can also visit our Frequently Asked Questions page for more information.