The Consortium is a powerful force for the advancement of higher education in and around the nation's capital. Comprised of thirteen universities and two colleges, the Consortium provides 130,000 students with opportunities to benefit from the combined resources of its members. Consortium institutions educate students from all 50 states as well as more than 14,000 from around the world. Students and faculty from over 150 countries and all continents can be found here.

As an intellectual resource the Consortium is unsurpassed: combined library holdings contain over nine million volumes augmented by an equal number of microforms, audiovisuals and government documents. Some of the world's foremost scholars and scientists teach on Consortium campuses. The variety of offerings of the member campuses, coupled with the resources of the nation's capital, create a unified campus of unequalled intellectual activity and cultural diversity.

The Consortium is a tax-exempt, non-profit organization governed by the officers and representatives of the participating universities and colleges. Founded in 1964, the Consortium's mission has always been to support cooperative endeavors no single institution could accomplish by itself.

Consortium institutions serve their communities in many ways. Together, the Consortium institutions employ 76,000 people and add more than $12 billion annually into the region's economy. In addition, members enrich the area's cultural life by providing free access to numerous cultural events held on their campuses. The Consortium's record of public service is augmented by its impressive history of working with the area's government, business, school and community leaders to improve educational opportunities for all.