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The Universities of the Third Age (U3As) in the United Kingdom are autonomous, self-help organisations run by the voluntary efforts of their members. The Third Age Trust, of which all U3As are members, is a registered charity and a limited company and is the national and international support and advisory body to local U3As. It is run by a national Executive Committee which is democratically elected by the membership. The word ‘university’ is used in its original sense of people coming together to share and pursue learning in all its forms.

Over 638 U3As in the UK have a membership in excess of 186,000 which is growing at a rate of around 20% per annum. It is the only national education organisation in the UK run entirely by its own members.

The aims and objectives are:
To encourage and enable older people no longer in full-time paid employment to help each other to share their knowledge, skills, interests and experience.

To demonstrate the benefits and enjoyment to be gained and the new horizons to be discovered in learning throughout life.

To celebrate the capabilities and potential of older people and their value to society.