The Academic Cooperation Association’s Secretariat is located in Brussels, in order to create and maintain close working relations to the European institutions.

ACA was founded in June 1993 by the British Council, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the Netherlands Organization for International Cooperation in Higher Education (NUFFIC).

In 1999, the association started its own publication series, the ACA Papers on International Cooperation in Higher Education.

[3] Most of the books emerged from ACA's projects in the field of analysis and research on internationalisation of higher education.

It also highlights important events, presents recent research on education and training matters and informs on the latest European Union funding opportunities.