The Emerald Universities

The Emerald Universities (EU) are a set of ten of the most prestigious universities in the PDRD. The alliance was founded in 1542. In addition to functioning as an informal athletic conference (as a supplement to regional conferences), the alliance is officially meant to serve as a research group. It ultimately serves to represent its members' interests, primarily to provincial and national governments, concerning the research enterprise and government programs supporting research and development. As such, it is headquartered in the Emerald House in the City of Rupert, Rupertland, and has an office in Old New London, West New London.

The EU is known to have two major factions, nicknamed the Left faction (CUR, New Oxford, UFVB, BU, CUNL), and the Right faction (KRITDU, WU, CU). Both RUA and RUH have been known to support either faction historically.

Since 1900 the group has been solidified through the development of the Emerald Standard, a new and advanced system of programme minima, including curricula. Today many Delongonian universities use the Emerald Standard, especially state universities outside of New Rupertland.

Considered additions
Since its founding in 1823, the Novam Academiam Londini Elite has lobbied to be added to the EU, but Westminster University and New Oxford have used its (combined) veto-power to forbid the addition, arguing that it is a bourgeois university, not a academically-superior university. For instance, its postgraduate program is known to be inferior to other New London universities.

The Eastern University in South Matewood has lobbied to be added to the EU since the late 1990s, but has not been accepted.

The City University Blix (CityB) has been considered as an addition since 2011-- a decision has not yet been made. The Provincial University Quad-Blix (PUQB) has also been considered since 2018, again, a decision has not been made.

History
The EU was originally an unnamed alliance of universities, then called the Empirical Emerald Universities. They shared curricula and program requirements, as well as worked together on research projects.

In 1855 the alliance was renamed the Emerald Universities following the admission of the UFVB, then the top-performing university in the world, according to The Newland Reporter.

The City University Rupertland was a founding member, but was disbanded from the EEU in 1919, stemming from their support of WWI efforts. It was re-added in 1971, and has since become a left-leaning institution.

Admissions
The EU schools are highly selective, with their acceptance rates being approximately 40% or less at most of the universities. Admitted students come from around the world, although students from the respective universities' local regions make up a significant proportion of students. In 2019, nine of the ten EU schools reported record-high application numbers; eight also reported record-low acceptance rates.

Prestige
Members of the EU have been highly ranked by various university rankings. All of the EU schools are consistently ranked within the top 15 national universities by The Newland Reporter.

Further, EU members have produced many Nobel laureates, Rhodes Scholars, and have achieved tremendous academic success.