Joining the Panhellenic Council

Register for Formal Panhellenic Recruitment!

Registration will go live on September 10th, and you must register to participate in the Formal Panhellenic Recruitment process by 11:59 PM on December 17, 2023! If you are interested in participating in Panhellenic Preview Day, you must register by 11:59 PM on October 29, 2023.

Joining a Panhellenic Sorority

Throughout the fall semester, potential new members will be invited to engage with current sorority members in order to learn more about membership in the Panhellenic community. Joining a Panhellenic organization is a process of mutual selection for potential new members and sorority chapters, and all pre-joining and joining activities focus on giving you the opportunity to meet members in all of our chapters. There will be limited opportunities for upperclassmen and transfer students to join Panhellenic organizations in the fall semester with the primary joining process happening at the beginning of the spring semester for all students.

Eligibility Requirements For All Potential New Members

In order to be eligible to join a Panhellenic sorority, a potential new member must:

• Have at least a 2.50 grade point average and have completed at least 12 credit hours. If you do not meet this GPA or credit hour minimum, you may complete an appeal on the Panhellenic Anchor Link page, but there is no guarantee that your appeal will be granted. The appeal process information will be available in December.

• Not currently be on disciplinary probation. Students can be placed on disciplinary probation for violations of state law and university policy, including but not limited to underage consumption of alcohol, intoxication, possession or use of fake identification, fighting or drug usage.

• Attend a Consent Education Session. Project Safe, our center for sexual misconduct and prevention response, host these sessions specifically for potential fraternity and sorority members.
• If participating in formal recruitment, completion of online registration through ICS and complete grade and conduct release found on the Anchor Link registration form. Online registration will open for upperclassmen and transfer students and first-year students on September 10, 2023. There will be a separate sign up for the Continuous Open Bidding process.

Panhellenic Recruitment Process

There are two ways to join Panhellenic at Vanderbilt.

1. Continuous Open Bidding
   Fall 2023 Virtual COB Information Session available here!
   Each fall and in the spring following formal recruitment, a few of our sororities will have limited opportunities available for upperclassmen women (defined as sophomore, junior, and senior women) and transfer students to gain membership in their chapter. This joining process is called Continuous Open Bidding (COB) or informal recruitment. During the fall, our community typically hosts an Information Session to discuss what is important to know in seeking to join the Panhellenic community. Following that information session, only those organizations that have openings will continue to host events or meetings with potential new members at their discretion. Due to its informal nature, COB looks very different from the formal recruitment process that you may be more familiar with and each participating chapter gets to schedule and host the events/meetings of their choosing. Some organizations may choose to host small events with multiple potential new members and active members while others may choose to meet potential new members for lunches or coffee. Potential New Members will be given the contact information for participating organizations and are encouraged to contact any groups who have open spots that they are interested in joining. As a caveat, even though a group may be eligible to participate in COB, they may choose to not do so. As an upperclassman or transfer student you still have the opportunity to go through the primary joining process that happens at the beginning of the spring semester. If you are offered a bid in the fall you are not obligated to take the invitation but instead can wait to experience the formal recruitment process and have a chance at exploring membership in all of our chapters. If you accept a bid in the fall then you are ineligible for formal recruitment in January.
2. Formal or Primary Recruitment 
   The formal sorority recruitment process at Vanderbilt does not occur until the spring semester and includes an opportunity for potential new members, including first years and upperclassmen, to meet with all Panhellenic organizations and through a process of mutual selection narrow their options down to one organization to join. Learn more about pre-recruitment and formal recruitment events.

There are many benefits to joining a Panhellenic organization. Members have the opportunity to make lifelong friends, find academic support, network with alumnae, and engage in community service. For more information about joining a Panhellenic sorority, in general, visit The Sorority Life website.

Panhellenic Recruitment Counselors

As potential new members (PNMs) register for the formal recruitment process, they will be assigned a guide called a Recruitment Counselor (RC). An RC is an upperclassman member of a sorority who is disaffiliated from her particular chapter and has been selected to serve as a mentor to a group of potential members before, during, and after the formal recruitment process. The Recruitment Counselor is there to provide an unbiased perspective on the Panhellenic experience and serves as a resource who can answer questions about sorority life at Vanderbilt. These sorority members undergo multiple hours of training to ensure that they are able to provide all PNMs with the best guidance through the formal recruitment process.  If you have any questions about the recruitment counselor program, you can contact Destiny Savage.

Panhellenic Recruitment Resources

• 2023– 2024 Sorority Recruitment Calendar
• Overview of Recruitment Rounds
• Code of Ethics
• Current Bylaws, Standing Rules, and Code of Ethics
• Current Recruitment Rules 
• Transfer Students 

Panhellenic Financial Information

All organizations with an exclusive use facility participating in the Greek Facility Management Program pay additional fees as listed below:

• Greek Facility Management Fee: Non-residents pay $322/semester through their student account
  • NPHC Non-residents pay $161/semester
  • Zeta Tau Alpha Non-residents pay $187/semester