Membership is open to any college or university conducting an officially designated baccalaureate or graduate degree program in fisheries or wildlife (either a degree granting department or a department with a formally recognized option or specialty emphasis). Current membership includes representatives from universities throughout the United States. All full members pay annual dues of $500 per institution. Associate (non-voting) membership is open to those institutions whose program does not meet full membership criteria or which is unable to pay full membership dues. Associate members pay annual dues of $100.
NAUFWP is a non-profit, 501 (c) (3) organization and is governed by a set of bylaws, the "Articles of Organization", which is available upon request. The major decision-making body is the General Assembly, composed of one voting representative from each full member institution. Operational responsibility is delegated to the Executive Committee, which includes the elected president, president-elect, and secretary-treasurer, the four appointed standing committee chairs (research, academic, international, and extension), and the four elected regional representatives.