Pi Beta Phi is an international women's fraternity founded in 1867. It was the first national secret college society for women based on Greek-letter fraternities for men.
Chapter types Originally, Pi Beta Phi recognized three types of chapters: College, Associate, and Alumnae. "College" chapters were equivalent to today's Active, collegiate chapters. "Associate" was defined, not as a "colony" as some organizations use the term today, but as a non-collegiate chapter where "members could be obtained possessing the same educational attainments as those possessed by members of the collegiate chapters." By 1884 no further Associate chapters (~Community-based) were created, with the fraternity's determination that none would be created in the future. "Alumnae" chapters had similar privileges as College chapters, except that they did not initiate new members. Alumnae chapters soon evolved into the modern alumnae clubs found today.
Discontinuation of Associate chapters (~Community chapters) and the adoption of a state naming system occurred during the period 1884–1888.
Naming convention For the first 21 years, chapters were granted names from the same series, without a "state" modifier. Some of these names were reused, as indicated by a (1) or (2) next to a chapter name. By 1888, a critical juncture was reached where any currently active chapters were renamed with a state modifier, a practice that continues today. Several Associate (~Community) chapters from the earlier, I.C. Sorosis period were granted state-series names even if they were dormant; but most were at small schools that had been closed for a decade or more. For clarity, these are listed in a separate section at the end of this list. By 1888 too, the Fraternity had fully shifted away from creating chapters at women's finishing schools, 2-yr schools, small seminaries, or simply non-academic "Associate (~Community) chapters", placing all its focus on 4-year schools.
Chapters Following is a list of Pi Beta Phi chapters.Pi Beta Phi Chapter List, accessed 7 Mar 2024 Active chapters noted in bold, inactive chapters and dormant schools noted in italics.