The Asia-Pacific Association for International Education (APAIE) was established by a Founding Committee consisting of university representatives from thirteen countries/regions in the Asia-Pacific on 3 December 2004 at Korea University in Seoul, Korea.  It was officially launched in March 2006 during the inaugural APAIE Conference in Seoul.  The founding members are Griffith University (Australia), Sun Yat-sen University (Taiwan), Kasetsart University (Thailand), Waseda University (Japan), Korea University, University of Philippines (Los Banos), Brawijaya University (Indonesia), National University of Singapore (Singapore), University of Hawaii, Manoa (USA), University of Delhi (India), University of Auckland (New Zealand), Chinese University of Hong Kong (China), and Renmin University of China (China).

The mission of APAIE is to achieve greater cooperation amongst those responsible for international education and internationalization in Asia-Pacific institutions and to promote the quality of international programs, activities, and exchanges for the harmony and advancement of the Asia-Pacific region. The Association promotes dialog and cooperation between institutions in the Asia-Pacific region and those outside of the region. Towards this aim, the Association devotes itself to the principles of mutual respect, diverse and representative membership, and collective progress.

APAIE seeks to bring together international educators active in Asia-Pacific higher education and other relevant organizations to promote communication, networking, and professional development. The Association would like to facilitate the exchange and mobility of students, staff, and scholars, and the advancement of academic collaboration inter-regionally. APAIE strives to provide a channel for benchmarking for the advancement of members and their institutions, to recommend good practices and policy in cooperation with various institutions and agencies, and to effectively represent the views of its membership with regard to international education.

NUS has been a member of the Board of Directors of APAIE since 2004.