While the settings and circumstances of eligible institutions differ in many respects, the common commitments of eligible institutions include the following:

1.  A commitment to education in the tradition of the liberal arts and sciences.
2. Provision of an education that prepares graduates to seek and critically analyze information, be open to different perspectives and life experiences, reach informed and principled conclusions, and develop a commitment to civic engagement and responsibility
3. Community-based learning, which conceives residential and academic experience as integrally related and reinforcing of one another
4. Crafted or personalized educational experience that emphasizes individual interactions and relationships amongst faculty members, students and staff

Furthermore, the defining characteristics of the educational experience of participating institutions are listed below.

1. Employment of English as the principal language of instruction
2. Focus on student learning as the first priority
3. Presence of capable and well-educated faculty and staff members
4. Provision of an excellent educational experience
5. Provision of diverse classroom and external learning opportunities
6. Selectivity in admitting high-quality students
7. Non-profit status
8. Accreditation as an independent and free-standing institution
9. Governance by a board of directors/trustees/governors