Membership Eligibility Requirements

After reviewing the summary eligibility requirements for the different membership types below, please complete this Membership Interest Form. The AAUP Central Office will contact you with further information. More detailed eligibility and application information can be found in the Guidelines for Membership and the AAUP By-Laws. If your company is not eligible for one of the membership categories, you may wish to consider becoming an AAUP Partner.

Full Members
Associate Members
International Members
Introductory Members
Application Procedure

Full Membership

Full membership is open to US and Canada-based university presses. A university press is defined as the nonprofit publishing arm of a university or college, or a group of such institutions. To qualify for full membership, a press must publish five or more scholarly books a year. "Scholarly" refers to works of original research. Presses are eligible to apply for full membership if they have published 10 or more scholarly titles in the preceding two years. The press must have a committee or board of the faculty that certifies the scholarly quality of the books published through peer review. Full member presses must have at least three full-time equivalent employees, including a director. The director is not required to work at the press full time.

Full members are granted voting rights within the association. Annual dues are on a sliding scale based on net sales, and rates start at $2,504.

Associate Membership

Associate members are the presses or publishing arms of non-degree-granting scholarly institutions and associations. Both the press and the parent institution must be not-for-profit. Associate members should be located within the Americas and publish primarily in English. Associate members should practice commonly accepted standard of editorial review. Associate members must provide a catalog and a description of editorial policy before submitting a formal application.

Associate members are granted voted rights within the association. Annual dues are on a sliding scale based on net sales, and rates start at $2,504.

International Membership

University-affiliated scholarly publishers and presses of non-degree-granting scholarly institutions outside the Americas, and such presses within the Americas that publish primarily in languages other than English, are eligible for international membership. The press must provide evidence demonstrating the scholarly character of its publishing program, but is not expected to meet a particular standard in terms of organization or staffing.

International members cannot vote on association business. Annual dues are generally equal to the lowest dues rate for full and associate members.

Introductory Membership

Introductory membership is open to nonprofit scholarly publishers that do not meet full or associate membership criteria. If they wish to remain in the association, introductory members must apply for permanent membership within three years of admission as an introductory member.

Introductory members cannot vote on association business. Annual dues start at $500.

Membership Application Procedure

To begin the process, request an application via the Membership Interest Form. If your press meets the eligibility requirements, you will be sent an application. Applications and supporting materials must be returned to the AAUP Central Office. Full, associate, and international applications are evaluated by the AAUP Admissions and Standards committee, Board of Directors, and voting membership. A minimum of three months is required to approve an application. Applications for introductory membership are reviewed the Executive Director and are usually processed in two to three weeks.