The Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) is a charitable organisation that was established in 1913 which has over 400 member institutions in over 40 countries across the Commonwealth of Nations."ACU members" acu.ac.uk. Retrieved 01 March 2024. The ACU is the world's oldest international network of universities. Its mission is to promote and support excellence in higher education for the benefit of individuals and societies throughout the Commonwealth and beyond.
The Association of Commonwealth Universities is governed by its member institutions through an elected council. As the ACU is a UK-registered charity, council members also act as its Trustees. The ACU Council comprises up to 23 members: 20 elected council members, up to two co-opted council members and, if the Honorary Treasurer is co-opted rather than elected, the Honorary Treasurer.
History In 1912, the University of London took the initiative to assemble 53 representatives of universities in London to hold a Congress of Universities of the Empire. They decided they needed a "bureau of information". Its affairs would be handled by a committee representing universities at home and abroad. In 1913 the office opened as the Universities Bureau of the British Empire. They incorporated under licence of the Board of Trade in 1919 and received a grant of £5000 to operate an office premises, with the understanding that the universities of the Empire would fund its maintenance. In 1948 the name was changed to Association of Universities of the British Commonwealth, and in 1963 it changed to its current name.
Anastasios Christodoulou was the Secretary General of the Association of Commonwealth Universities from 1980 to 1996.
In 1986, Queen Elizabeth II became patron of the Association of Commonwealth Universities. In 2019, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex became patron of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, a role which she held until February 2021. King Charles III was announced as the organisation's patron in May 2024.
Membership Currently 40 countries from the Commonwealth are represented in the Association.
Criteria Member universities are divided into full and associate categories, with the latter not holding voting rights. Full members must: Be legally incorporated and based in the Commonwealth, or have chosen to retain membership in the ACU when the country where they are based left the Commonwealth. Be authorised to provide higher education. Hold their own degree awarding powers. Have at least 250 full time equivalent students, of which over half are studying at degree level. Have graduated at least one cohort of students. The criteria for associate membership are similar, except that the requirement to be able to award their own degrees is replaced by a requirement that their students may be awarded degrees of another institution under a franchise, license or other collaborative agreement, and that the institution whose degrees are being awarded is itself eligible for full membership of the ACU and is located in the Commonwealth.
List of Commonwealth Universities (ACU)
Australia Charles Sturt University Curtin University Edith Cowan University Griffith University Macquarie University Murdoch University RMIT University University of Adelaide University of Newcastle University of Canberra University of Melbourne University of Southern Queensland University of Sydney University of Tasmania University of the Sunshine Coast University of Wollongong University of New South Wales Western Sydney University
Bangladesh Asian University for Women Gazipur Agricultural University () Bangladesh Agricultural University () Bangladesh Open University () Bangladesh University of Business and Technology () Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology () BGMEA University of Fashion & Technology () Daffodil International University () International Islamic University, Chittagong () International University of Business Agriculture and Technology () Islamic University, Bangladesh () Jahangirnagar University () Khulna University () Metropolitan University, Sylhet () Shahjalal University of Science and Technology () Southern University, Bangladesh () University of Asia Pacific () University of Chittagong () University of Dhaka () World University of Bangladesh ()
Barbados University of the West Indies at Cave Hill
Botswana University of Botswana
Brunei Darussalam Sultan Sharif Ali Islamic University () University of Technology Brunei ()
Cameroon The University of Bamenda University of Buea University of Yaounde I ()
Canada Athabasca University Dalhousie University Kwantlen Polytechnic University MacEwan University McGill University () McMaster University Memorial University of Newfoundland Queen's University at Kingston Toronto Metropolitan University University of Alberta () University of British Columbia University of Calgary University of Guelph University of Lethbridge University of Manitoba () University of Northern British Columbia University of Ontario Institute of Technology University of Ottawa () University of Regina () University of Saskatchewan University of Toronto University of Waterloo Vancouver Island University Western University York University ()
Cyprus Cyprus Institute of Marketing The Philips College University of Cyprus University of Nicosia ()
Dominica All Saints University School of Medicine
Eswatini University of Eswatini
Fiji Fiji National University University of Fiji The University of the South Pacific
Ghana Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration Kumasi Polytechnic Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology University for Development Studies University of Cape Coast University of Education Winneba University of Ghana University of Mines and Technology University of Professional Studies, Accra Valley View University
Gibraltar University of Gibraltar
Guyana Texila American University University of Guyana
Hong Kong Chinese University of Hong Kong () The University of Hong Kong ()
India Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research Acharya Nagarjuna University Alagappa University Aligarh Muslim University Amity University, Noida Amity University Rajasthan Andhra University Annamalai University Apeejay Stya University Assam Don Bosco University Awadhesh Pratap Singh University Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila Vishwavidyalaya B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology Baba Farid University of Health Sciences Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University Banasthali University Bangalore University Berhampur University Bhagwant University Bharathiar University Bharathidasan University Birla Institute of Technology Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani Bundelkhand University, Jhansi Career Point University, Kota Central Agricultural University Central University of Gujarat Central University of Kashmir Central University of Punjab Central University of Tibetan Studies Chandigarh University Charotar University of Science and Technology University of Engineering & Management (UEM), Jaipur Cochin University of Science and Technology Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya Dharmsinh Desai University Dibrugarh University Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Open University Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University, Delhi Dravidian University English and Foreign Languages University Fakir Mohan University Gandhigram Rural University Ganpat University Gauhati University GITAM University Gujarat Forensic Sciences University Gulbarga University Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology Guru Nanak Dev University Gurukula Kangri University Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University Himachal Pradesh University Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education ICFAI University, Dehradun ICFAI University, Meghalaya ICFAI University, Mizoram ICFAI University, Nagaland ICFAI University, Sikkim ICFAI University, Tripura I. K. Gujral Punjab Technical University Indian Institute of Science Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad Jai Narain Vyas University Jamia Hamdard Jamia Millia Islamia Jawaharlal Nehru University Jayoti Vidyapeeth Women's University Jharkhand Rai University JSS University Kakatiya University Kannur University Karnatak University Dharwad Karnataka State Open University KIIT University Kurukshetra University Kuvempu University Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences Lovely Professional University Madhya Pradesh Bhoj Open University Madurai Kamaraj University Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University Maharishi Markandeshwar University Solan Sadopur Mullana Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati University Maharshi Dayanand University
Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication Manipal Academy of Higher Education Manipur University Manonmaniam Sundaranar University Maulana Azad National Urdu University Mohanlal Sukhadia University Mother Teresa Women's University NALSAR University of Law National Law University, Delhi National Law University, Jodhpur National Law University Odisha Nirma University North-Eastern Hill University O. P. Jindal Global University Osmania University Panjab University Patna University Pondicherry University Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences Punjabi University Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law Rajiv Gandhi University Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences Sambalpur University Sanskriti University Sant Gadge Baba Amravati University Saurashtra University School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi Sharda University Shivaji University Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University Sikkim Manipal University Solapur University South Asian University Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology Sri Krishnadevaraya University Sri Padmavati Mahila Visvavidyalayam Sri Ramachandra University SRM Institute of Science and Technology Swami Ramanand Teerth Marathwada University Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University Tamil Nadu Open University Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University Tamil University Tata Institute of Social Sciences Tezpur University The Northcap University Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University Tripura University University of Allahabad University of Calcutta University of Calicut University of Delhi University of Hyderabad University of Jammu University of Kerala University of Lucknow University of Madras University of Mumbai University of Mysore University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya Utkal University Vels University Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr. Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology Vidya Pratishthan's College of Engineering, Baramati Vinoba Bhave University Visva-Bharati University Visvesvaraya Technological University Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University
Jamaica Caribbean Maritime Institute The University of the West Indies University of Technology, Jamaica
Kenya Catholic University of Eastern Africa Kenyatta University Maseno University Moi University Mount Kenya University South Eastern Kenya University Strathmore University Technical University of Kenya Machakos University United States International University Africa University of Nairobi
Lesotho National University of Lesotho
Malawi Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources Mzuzu University University of Malawi
Malaysia Asia e University Asia Metropolitan University