Fraternity and Sorority Life

Fraternity and sorority membership offers numerous benefits, including opportunities for leadership development, academic and personal growth, career networking, alumni engagement, meaningful community service, and the formation of lifelong friendships.

The Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life engages students in diverse learning experiences through co-curricular involvement that fosters personal and organizational development. We advocate for the fraternal movement by educating, advising, and empowering fraternity and sorority members to live following the values of their organization and our community. 

• The beginning of fall semester is the main time the fraternities and sororities recruit new members to join their organizations. There are many events planned during the first month of the fall semester to give you opportunities to meet the chapters and learn what they have to offer you. 
• Chapters in our fraternity and sorority community are represented by three councils. Each council has a different recruitment process for welcoming new members.  Visit the council pages below to learn more about their recruitment and how to join one of their chapters.

• Membership in a fraternity or sorority is typically open to college or university students who meet specific criteria.

• Some criteria include student status (enrolled, good standing), academics (GPA), fees and dues

• Please See below for additional information regarding different council requirements for joining: 

  • National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) Requirements
    
    
  • Panhellenic Council
    
    
  • GPA :

    • Incoming freshman, minimum GPA of 2.6

    • If you have a semester or multiple semesters of college under your belt, you must have a minimum GPA of 2.4.

    • If you have additional questions about individual chapter scholarship requirements, you can inquire further about minimum GPA requirements during Recruitment.
      
      
  • Recruitment :
    • In order to be eligible to participate in Sorority Recruitment you must be a full-time University of Akron student taking 12 or more credit hours. You must have a high school GPA of a 2.6 or a college GPA of a 2.4 in order to participate.
      
      
• Interfraternity Council
  
  • Recruitment – How to Join

• Each organization includes a new member orientation period, which varies in duration according to specific local and (inter)national guidelines. Throughout this process, you and your fellow new members will attend weekly meetings to explore the organization’s history and values, take part in leadership retreats, engage in community service initiatives, and participate in activities aimed at fostering connections between new members (also known as pledges, associates, or candidates) and the initiated members.

• The time commitment varies based on the experience you want to gain from joining FSL. Chapters have different mandatory requirements or events. We recommend you reach out to chapters to gain more information regarding time commitment.

• The cost of joining a fraternity or sorority varies, and dues may cover national insurance, leadership opportunities, and initiation fees. Membership dues in a semester may range from $200 to over one thousand dollars depending on chapter operations and if housing is part of the experience.

• Dues may cover things like national insurance, leadership development opportunities, programming offerings, and initiation/national fees.

• First year of membership may cost more in comparison to following years due to one-time fees related to initiation, education materials, and paraphernalia.

• Most organizations offer payment plans for members. The FSL office of UA encourages students to ask questions about membership costs before joining an organization to fully understand the financial expectations of membership.

• No, Fraternities and sororities fall into two distinct categories :
  • Social: These organizations are affiliated with the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life. A complete list of recognized chapters is available.

  • Professional, Honorary, or Community-Service Based: These groups typically function independently from the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life and are recognized by the SOuRCe Office. Most of these organizations are not limited to one gender.

    • Additionally, a student who joins one social fraternity or sorority is not permitted to be initiated into another social organization.

    • However, dual membership is possible in Greek-letter organizations that are professional, honorary, or community service-based, as these are not classified as social organizations.

Fraternities and sororities are designed to offer support throughout a student’s academic journey. We believe these organizations should enhance a student’s academic achievements by offering resources, academic support programs, and incentives for success. For a deeper look into the academic performance of the fraternity and sorority community, as well as individual chapters, please refer to the community grade reports.

• At the University of Akron, the decision to consume alcohol is a personal one, and many fraternity and sorority members choose not to drink at all. Additionally, some chapters do not host events where alcohol is present.
• For new member education, many organizations require participation in alcohol awareness programs, either through chapter-specific training or online resources like GreekLife.edu.
• The University of Akron, Guidelines for Student Organization, Fraternity and Sorority Use of Alcohol