NAUW is an organization, a union of thousands of college women graduates who are bound by a powerful mystique. It is composed of women who have consciously chosen this affiliation as a means of self-fulfillment through service. Its official headquarters are in Washington, DC.

We also sponsor conferences, seminars, symposiums and meetings on national, sectional, and local levels and cooperates with other groups, associations, public or private agencies that may be concerned with community problems, cultural interests, educational and world problems

We encourage and assist in the development and establishment of research programs, and we conduct or sponsor research pertaining to the standards and quality of universities, colleges and institutions of higher learning.

We sponsor, promote and conduct educational activities designed to provide community outreach services to learners at every level of development. We extend assistance to those who are out of school but have need of those basic skills necessary to function effectively in our society, and we raise educational standards and achievements in colleges, universities, and institutions of higher learning.

NAUW also works to promote the improvement of education, and, when appropriate, to issue public statements concerning the quality of education. It also awards one or more National Fellowships for Doctoral Study and sectional and local events.

NAUW also publishes and disseminates literature and materials pertaining to education; academic programs; and intellectual and academic achievement and opportunities.