Launched in 1989, the Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources, or the University Consortium for short, is a commitment made among leading Southeast Asian higher education institutions to share academic expertise and resources.

Initiated by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) in 1989, the University Consortium was seen by SEARCA and its five founding members as a viable approach to pursuing agricultural human resource development in Southeast Asia by linking top agricultural universities in the region to facilitate free exchange of information, facilities, and expertise.

Today, the University Consortium is an effective network linking strong universities in Southeast Asia, Canada, Germany, and Japan. The members of UC Searca are Bogor Agricultural Univesity (IPB), Gadjah Mada University (UGM), University Putra Malaysia (UPM), Kasetsart University (KU), University of The Philippines Los Banos (UPLB), Searca, Tokyo NODAI, University of British Columbia (UBC), Georg-August University of Goettingen, and University of Brawijaya.