It began with the initial meeting of 18 women lead by Marion Talbot and her daughter, Emily, that took place at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in November of 1881.  The purpose of this original gathering was to jointly consider their future prospects and form a national organization of female college graduates.

In January of 1882, 65 women met and formed the Association of Collegiate Alumnae (ACA).  The mission of ACA was to ensure the value of their degrees, help extend the privilege of higher education to other women and help educated women fit into a community that would recognize their talents and potential.

Within ten years, the ACA has merged with Western Association of College Alumnae.  With the merger, came the development of a network of branches, regional and state divisions.  Finally, in 1921 the group merged with the Southern Association of College Women (founded in 1903) and became know as the American Association of University Women.  For over a century, AAUW has been the leading advocate for improving women’s access to higher education.