Associations are the result of several changes in higher education in Flanders. The decrees on the universities (1991) and the university colleges or 'hogescholen' (1994) shifted more autonomy and responsibility to the institutional level, introduced new concepts such as quality assessment and assigned new missions to the university colleges.

After signing the Bologna Declaration in 1999, the Flemish Minister of Education started a process to reform the Flemish higher education system. The Flemish Parliamentadopted a new Higher Education Act on 4th April 2003. One result of this transformation process is the officially registered co-operation between a university and one or more university colleges, known as 'association'.

One such association is Ghent University Association, a non-profit collaboration consisting of Universiteit Gent, Hogeschool Gent, Arteveldehogeschool ans Hogeschool West-Vlaanderen.

The goal of associations is to improve the co-operation between its members. Education and research are the main points of interest, but a fair amount of attention and effort goes to fields such as quality assurance, recognition of prior learning, student facilities, internationalisation and infrastructure.