In North America, fraternities and sororities ( and ) are social clubs at colleges and universities. They are sometimes collectively referred to as Greek life or Greek-letter organizations, as well as collegiate fraternities or collegiate sororities to differentiate them from general, non-university-based fraternal organizations and fraternal orders, friendly societies, or benefit societies.

Generally, membership in a fraternity or sorority is obtained as an undergraduate student but continues thereafter for life by gaining alumni status. Some accept graduate students as well; some also provide honorary membership in certain circumstances. Individual fraternities and sororities vary in organization and purpose, but most – especially the dominant form known as social fraternities and sororities – share five common elements:

Secrecy Single-sex membership Selection of new members based on a two-part vetting and probationary process known as rushing and pledging (or orientation) Ownership and occupancy of a residential property where undergraduate members live A set of complex identification symbols that may include Greek letters, armorial achievements, ciphers, badges, grips, hand signs, passwords, flowers, and colors

Fraternities and sororities engage in philanthropic activities; host social events; provide "finishing" training for new members, such as instruction on etiquette, dress, and manners; and create networking opportunities for their newly graduated members. Fraternities and sororities can be tax-exempt 501(c)(7) organizations in the United States.

History

Establishment and early history The term fraternity is derived from the Latin word , which means "brother". Similarly the term "sorority", is derived from the Latin word , meaning "sister". However, use of the word sorority began only in 1874, spreading slowly, well after the establishment of the first "women's fraternities", a moniker some groups still use today. As a result, a fraternity can consist of men, women, or a mixture of the two. Members of fraternities and sororities address members of the same organization as "brother" in the case of fraternities or "sister" in the case of sororities.

The first fraternity in North America to incorporate most of the elements of modern fraternities was Phi Beta Kappa, founded at the College of William and Mary in 1776. The founding of Phi Beta Kappa followed the earlier establishment of two other secret student societies on that campus dating back to 1750. In 1779, Phi Beta Kappa expanded to include chapters at Harvard and Yale. By the early 19th century, the organization transformed itself into a scholastic honor society and abandoned secrecy.

Social fraternities

In 1825, Kappa Alpha Society, the first fraternity to retain its social characteristic, was established at Union College in Schenectady, New York. In 1827, Sigma Phi and Delta Phi were also founded at the same institution, creating the Union Triad. The further birthing of Psi Upsilon (1833), Omicron Kappa Epsilon (1834), Chi Psi (1841), and Theta Delta Chi (1847) collectively established Union College as the Mother of Fraternities. The social fraternity Chi Phi, officially formed in 1854, traces its roots to a short-lived organization founded at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey in 1824, bearing the same name.

In the 19th century, college fraternities represented the intersection between dining clubs, literary societies, and secret initiatory orders such as Freemasonry. Their early growth was widely opposed by university administrators, though the increasing influence of fraternity alumni, as well as several high-profile court cases, succeeded in largely muting opposition by the 1880s. The first fraternity meeting hall or lodge seems to have been that of the Alpha Epsilon chapter of Chi Psi at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1845, leading to a tradition in that fraternity to name its buildings "lodges". As fraternity membership was punishable by expulsion at many colleges at this time, the house was located deep in the woods.

Social sororities

Sororities, originally called women's fraternities, began to develop in 1851 with the formation of the Adelphean Society Alpha Delta Pi.Wesleyan Female College, originally Georgia Female College and now simply Wesleyan College, was the origin of the first two sororities, both the Adelphean Society and the Philomathean Society. The Adelphean, founded in 1851, eventually became Alpha Delta Pi, while The Philomathean, founded in 1852, eventually became Phi Mu. Together, these sororities are known as the Macon Magnolias. Several other unrelated Philomathean Societies emerged during the 19th century, including literary societies at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and at New York University in Manhattan. However, fraternity-like organizations for women did not take their current form until the establishment of Pi Beta Phi in 1867 and Kappa Alpha Theta and Kappa Kappa Gamma in 1870. The term sorority was used by a professor of Latin at Syracuse University, Frank Smalley, who felt the word "fraternity" was inappropriate for a group of ladies. The word comes from Latin , meaning "sister," "cousin, daughter of a father's brother," or "female friend." The first organization to use the term "sorority" was Gamma Phi Beta, established in 1874.

The development of women's fraternities during this time was a major accomplishment in women's rights and equality. By their mere existence, these organizations defied the odds; the founding women advanced their organizations despite many factors working against them. The first "women's fraternities" not only had to overcome "restrictive social customs, unequal status under the law and the underlying presumption that they were less able than men," but at the same time had to deal with the same challenges as fraternities with college administrations.

Today, both social and multicultural sororities are present on more than 650 college campuses across the United States and Canada. The National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) serves as the umbrella organization for 26 international sororities. Founded in 1902, NPC is one of the oldest and largest women's membership organizations, representing more than four million women at 655 college and university campuses and 4,500 local alumni chapters in the U.S. and Canada.

Internationalization

United Kingdom In 1867, the Chi Phi fraternity established its Theta chapter at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, marking the first foray of the American social fraternity outside the borders of the United States. At the time, many students from the American South were moving to Europe to study because of the disrepair southern universities fell into during the American Civil War. One such group of Americans organized Chi Phi at Edinburgh; however, during the Theta chapter's existence, it initiated no non-American members. With declining American enrollment at European universities, Chi Phi at Edinburgh closed in 1870.

In 2001, Alpha Kappa Psi established a chapter at the University of Manchester in England. This was followed by Zeta Psi at Oxford University in 2008, and Zeta Beta Tau at the University of Nottingham and the in University of Birmingham in 2011. Alpha Epsilon Pi established a chapter at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and city chapters in Birmingham and Leeds, England. In 2026, Theta Tau established a chapter at the University of Manchester.

Canada

In 1879, Zeta Psi established a chapter at the University of Toronto. Zeta Psi's success in Toronto prompted it to open a second Canadian chapter at McGill University, which it chartered in 1883. Other early foundations were Kappa Alpha Society at Toronto in 1892 and at McGill in 1899, and Alpha Delta Phi at Toronto in 1893 and at McGill in 1897.

The first sorority outside the United States, Kappa Alpha Theta, was established in Toronto in 1887. By 1927, there were 42 fraternity and sorority chapters at the University of Toronto and 23 at McGill University. A few chapters were also reported at the University of British Columbia, Carleton University, Dalhousie University, University of Manitoba, Queen's University, University of Western Ontario, Wilfrid Laurier University, University of Waterloo and Brock University.

Philippines

The arrival of the fraternity system in Asia accompanied the introduction of the American educational system in the Philippines. The first fraternities were established in the University of the Philippines. The now-defunct Patriotic and Progressive Rizal Center Academic Brotherhood (Rizal Center Fraternity), a brotherhood of Jose Rizal followers, was founded in 1913. This was followed by the Rizal Center Sorority. The first Greek-letter organization and fraternity in Asia, the Upsilon Sigma Phi, was founded in 1918. The first Greek-letter sorority, UP Sigma Beta Sorority, was recognized in 1932. As of 2026, Tau Gamma Phi, Alpha Kappa Rho and Alpha Phi Omega have a combined 200+ chapters in the Philippines.

Religion

Many early fraternities referred to Christian principles or to a Supreme Being in general, as is characteristic of fraternal orders. Some, such as Alpha Chi Rho (1895) and Alpha Kappa Lambda (1907), only admitted Christians, while others, such as Beta Sigma Psi (1925) and Phi Kappa Theta (1959), catered to students belonging with certain denominations of Christianity, such as Lutheranism and Catholicism.

Due to their exclusion from Christian fraternities in the United States, Jewish students began to establish their own fraternities in 1895 and 1920, with the first one being Zeta Beta Tau, founded in 1898.

Although many of the religion-specific requirements for many fraternities and sororities have been relaxed or removed, there are some today that continue to rally around their faith as a focal point, such as Beta Upsilon Chi (1985) and Sigma Alpha Omega (1998).

Multiculturalism

Numerous Greek organizations in the past have enacted formal and informal prohibitions on pledging individuals of different races and cultural backgrounds. This began with historically White fraternities and sororities excluding African Americans. Historically Black fraternities and sororities were spearheaded thereafter in response.

Racist policies have since been abolished by the North American Interfraternity Conference, and students of various ethnicities have come together to form a council of multicultural Greek organizations. The National Multicultural Greek Council, officially formed in 1998, is a coordinating body of 19 Greek organizations, including nine fraternities and ten sororities with cultural affiliations.

The first multicultural sorority, Mu Sigma Upsilon, was established in November 1981 at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The formation of this Greek organization allowed for the emergence of a multicultural fraternity and sorority movement, giving birth to a multicultural movement.

Professional fraternities and sororities

The main purpose of professional fraternities and sororities is to promote the interests of a particular profession, and their membership is generally restricted to students and alumni in particular academic disciplines or industries.

Service fraternities and sororities

The term service fraternities and sororities is used to describe Greek life organizations whose primary purpose is to facilitate and accomplish acts of community service; this is in contrast to certain social fraternities and sororities or religious fraternities and sororities that participate in philanthropy and community service as a non-primary (secondary or tertiary) mission.

Structure and organization Gender exclusivity