Understanding Sorority Life at Georgia Tech

With students returning to campus this month, many first-year students are experiencing life on a college campus for the first time.

With that comes a slew of new people, experiences, and challenges that make one’s time in college so memorable. This includes exploring Greek life and many new students’ involvement in a fraternity or sorority.

Greek life is new to many incoming first-year students and a source of anxiety for students trying to find their way through college. To help understand the sororities’ role in campus life at the Georgia Institute of Technology, here’s a rundown of some common questions we hear from students at Georgia Tech.

Sororities are very popular at Georgia Tech.

The university offers students more than a dozen sorority options, including traditional Greek sororities and multicultural organizations. There are fewer sororities at Georgia Tech than there are fraternities. However, sorority chapters tend to be much larger – sometimes double the size – of the average fraternity.

What percent of Georgia Tech students participate in sororities?

Around 26% of undergraduates at Georgia Tech participate in Greek Life.

This statistic, marketed by the Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life, amounts to over 4,300 undergraduates who join a fraternity or sorority during their time at Georgia Tech.

What are the benefits of being in a sorority at Georgia Tech?

There are three primary benefits to joining a sorority at Georgia Tech.

This first is the social component. Since sororities are primarily social organizations, many students find Greek life the foundation of their friendships while in college.

The second is academic success. Most sororities have grade point average requirements to join and maintain membership, and Greeks at Georgia Tech have an average GPA of 3.56, which is higher than the university average.

The final significant benefit is service. Greek chapters are known for their philanthropic efforts, and joining a sorority is an easy way to get involved in service for the chapter, university, national causes, or local community.

Over 4,300 undergraduates join a fraternity or sorority while at Georgia Tech.

How many sororities are there at Georgia Tech?

There are 15 sororities at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

All Greek organizations at Georgia Tech are governed by one of four governing councils, which coordinate Greek activities and serve as a liaison between the individual chapters and the university. These governing councils include traditional Greek councils and councils specific to multicultural and academic sororities and fraternities on campus. The three councils that govern sorority life at Georgia Tech are the Collegiate Panhellenic Council, the National Pan-Hellenic Council, and the Multicultural Panhellenic Council.

The Collegiate Panhellenic Council is specific to sororities, while the National Pan-Hellenic Council and Multicultural Panhellenic Council govern both fraternities and sororities. The nine sororities at Georgia Tech governed by the Collegiate Panhellenic Council (CPC) are:

  1. Alpha Chi Omega
  2. Alpha Delta Pi
  3. Alpha Gamma Delta
  4. Alpha Phi
  5. Alpha Xi Delta
  6. Alpha Omega Epsilon
  7. Kappa Alpha Theta
  8. Pi Mu
  9. Zeta Tau Alpha

The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) governs historically black sororities and fraternities across the country. Georgia Tech represents 8 of the 9 Greek organizations chartered under the National Pan-Hellenic Council. The four sororities governed by the NPHC at USF are:

  1. Alpha Kappa Alpha
  2. Delta Sigma Theta
  3. Sigma Gamma Rho
  4. Zeta Phi Beta

The Multicultural Panhellenic Council (MPC) governs culturally-oriented sororities and fraternities at Georgia Tech, including Greek chapters for specific racial, ethnic, and social groups on campus. The two sororities governed by the MPC are:

  1. Delta Phi Lambda
  2. Sigma Sigma Rho

The other governing council at Georgia Tech, the Interfraternity Council, governs fraternities on-campus.

Georgia Tech has sororities with official and unofficial chapter houses.

When does sorority rush begin at Georgia Tech?

The sorority rush process at Georgia Tech takes place at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters.

However, the primary rush process is in the fall, and not all sororities participate in continuous open bidding in the spring. For the Fall 2022 semester, the rush, known as recruitment, is taking place from August 17th – 22nd, with online registration forms due by August 17th. The process involves a series of events hosted by each chapter for prospective new members to meet members and learn the differences between the organizations. It ends with Bid Day when prospective new members are offered bids to join one of their preferred sororities, although not every prospect receives a bid.

How much does it cost to join a sorority at Georgia Tech?

Students who join a sorority at Georgia Tech can expect to pay the following costs to enter and maintain an active membership with their sorority.

It’s important to note that these are the standard dues and fees to be a member but do not include additional out-of-pocket expenses for social events, including formals, off-campus outings, and socials with other Greek chapters.

New Member Fees

  • Average: $211
  • Range: $55 – $400
  • Chapter Dues (per semester)
  • Average: $727
  • Range: $215 – $1,193
  • Meal Plans (per semester)
  • Average: $1,249
  • Range: $500 – $2,820
  • Chapter House Rent (per semester)
  • Average: $3,674
  • Range: $2,500 – $4,160

Do sororities have their own houses at Georgia Tech?

Yes, some sororities at Georgia Tech have official chapter houses on-campus, while others have unofficial residences in which members live.

Georgia Tech sponsors an area of campus known as the Greek Sector, which includes houses for sororities, fraternities, and religious organizations on campus. There are a total of 39 houses in the Greek sector, and the sororities with on-campus houses include:

  1. Alpha Kappa Alpha
  2. Alpha Omega Epsilon
  3. Delta Phi Lambda
  4. Delta Sigma Theta
  5. Sigma Gamma Rho
  6. Sigma Sigma Rho
  7. Zeta Phi Beta
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