An alumni association is an association of graduates (alumni

Alumnus

An alumnus , according to the American Heritage Dictionary, is "a graduate of a school, college, or university." An alumnus can also be a former member, employee, contributor or inmate as well as a former student. In addition, an alumna is "a female graduate or former student of a school, college,...

) or, more broadly, of former students. In the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 and the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, alumni of universities

University

A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...

, college

College

A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...

s, school

School

A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...

s (especially independent schools), fraternities, and sororities often form groups with alumni from the same organisation. These associations often organise social events, publish newsletters or magazines, and raise funds for the organisation. Many provide a variety of benefits and services that help alumni maintain connections to their educational institution and fellow graduates. In the US, most associations do not require its members to be an alumnus of a university to enjoy membership and privileges.

Additionally, such groups often support new alumni, and provide a forum to form new friendships and business relationships with people of similar background.

Alumni associations are mainly organised around universities or departments of universities, but may also be organised among students that studied in a certain country. In the past, they were often considered to be the university's or school's old boy society (or old boys network). Today, alumni associations involve graduates of all age groups and demographics.

In Anglo-Saxon countries, membership of an alumni association often goes without saying. In continental Europe

Continental Europe

Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands....

, alumni associations are getting more and more popular as universities receive less money from governments and depend more on networking within civil society for funding.

Alumni associations are often organised into chapters by city, region, or country.

Corporate alumni

Alumni associations can also include associations of former employees of a business. An alumnus of a company is a person who was formerly employed by it. These associations are growing in popularity and becoming an important part of a personal business network.

List of Alumni associations

• Greater Richmond Alumni Chapter
• University of Washington Alumni Association
• University of Kentucky
• Alumni Association of RV College of Engineering, Bangalore, India
• Auburn Alumni Association
• California Institute of Technology Alumni Association
• Cal Poly Pomona Alumni Association
• Cornell Black Alumni Association, Inc.
• College of Charleston Alumni Association
• University of Florida Alumni Association
  University of Florida Alumni Association
  The University of Florida Alumni Association is an alumni organization for former students of the University of Florida. It was founded in 1906 by the graduating class of that year and is still around today.-History:...
  
  
• Georgia Tech Alumni Association
  Georgia Tech Alumni Association
  The Georgia Tech Alumni Association is the official alumni association for the Georgia Institute of Technology . Originally known as the Georgia Tech National Alumni Association, it was chartered in June 1908 and incorporated in 1947. Its offices have been in the L. W. "Chip" Roberts, Jr...
  
  
• University of Illinois Alumni Association
• Indiana Wesleyan University Alumni Association
• Michigan State University Alumni Association
• Purdue Engineering Alumni Association
• Stanford University Alumni Association
• University of Saskatchewan Alumni Association
• Texas Exes
  Texas Exes
  The Ex-Students' Association of The University of Texas is the association of former students of the University of Texas at Austin....
  
  , more formally The Ex-Students' Association of The University of Texas (at Austin)
• The Association of Former Students
  The Association of Former Students
  The Association of Former Students is the official alumni association of Texas A&M University. The Association attracts over 400,000 members and has 242 clubs worldwide...
  
   (Texas A&M University)
• Texas Tech Alumni Association
  Texas Tech Alumni Association
  The Texas Tech Alumni Association is the alumni association for former students of Texas Tech University. The organization was founded in 1927 and sponsors multiple programs for Texas Tech University and its alumni.-History:...
  
  
• Bruin Alumni Association
  Bruin Alumni Association
  The Bruin Alumni Association is a conservative group for alumni of University of California, Los Angeles. It has no official affiliation with the University of California or the official UCLA Alumni Association...
  
   (UCLA—not affiliated with the school or its official alumni association)
• UCSD Alumni Association
• University of Washington Alumni Association
  University of Washington Alumni Association
  The University of Washington Alumni Association is a 501 non-profit organization. It is a membership organization for alumni and friends, as it does not require one to be a graduate, of the University of Washington...
  
  
• Association des Centraliens de Lyon
• Grenoble INP Alumni
• The Warsash Association (ex-Cadets & students of The Warsash Maritime Academy, originally The School of Navigation.)
• SABIS school network (http://www.sabis.com/)
• Alumni Association of Benadir University
• NTU Alumni Association
• ISTOM Alumni
• Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management Alumni
• Erasmus Mundus Students and Alumni Association
• OCEANS Network