In general, the initial new member semester is the most expensive due to some one-time fees. Most colleges and sororities have payment plans if you need it, and each sorority’s dues should be shared during recruitment. Interviews with over a dozen current fraternity and sorority members have shown that, in addition to dues—which are not published anywhere by fraternities, unlike sororities—many of the costs associated with Greek life don’t become apparent until after the rush process is complete. The new member fees vary by chapter and range from $670 to $1,940 Once you are an initiated member, the price of dues decrease for your remaining semesters. 490 Riverside Drive, Rm 414, New York, NY 10027, Announcing Spectator’s 145th managing board, House Hunters: Try one of these unconventional places to live next semester, Roommates 101: Finding the right roommate. Huge parties and living accommodations aren't free, people. Usually, the first semester of membership is the most expensive because of one-time membership fees. For the six sorority chapters under the Columbia Panhellenic Council, dues average $650 for new members and about $400 for returning members, with some houses decreasing dues based on the season or length of membership. Other fees may include membership education, social activities, national and local dues, and upkeep on the chapter house If you’ve planned important chapter initiatives that are costly, yet the benefits to the chapter outweigh the cost of losing them, put your scissors away. The cost of membership varies from chapter to chapter. I wouldn’t know about all this stuff if my best friends weren’t in sororities now,” the Columbia College sophomore said. And although the open structure of sorority recruitment allows potential members to interact with all sororities at the same time, there is a mutual selection process in which both the potential members and sororities rank their preferences at the end of each day, with no guarantee that low-income students will be selected by the sororities that have lower dues or provide better scholarship opportunities. Dues are around $400 for sororities per semester. “[Declining the bid] definitely does decrease my chances of getting in next time because it made me seem like I didn’t want it.”. At the University of Florida, sorority members pay around $3,700 per year, and that includes housing. All rights reserved. Penn State and the University of Mississippi don't offer housing for sororities, but members must pay either monthly or per semester to be a part of them. Regular members pay between 250 to 320 dollars each semester. Many groups use financial management companies, which offers online access and monthly payment plans. That adds up to $14,800 for all four years. Members also have to pay for apparel like t-shirts (everyone has to match), alcohol, social events like other fundraisers, clothes for themed parties and gifts for younger members. According to interviews with members, however, most chapters’ dues fall between $400 and $600, while dues for pledges can be slightly higher than those for returning members. This cost is doubled if the brother or sister pays for their date––which is often the norm, especially for fraternities. While not one of the largest sororities in the country, Phi Mu has arguably the best sorority house at its University of Alabama chapter. Badge fee. Annual dues for new members can reach upwards of $1,200, and for returning members, a fee of around $800. New initiate bond card and certificate fee. She included all costs, from housing to little things like beer cozies and sweatbands worn for events. Greek life can be a rewarding and special experience, both during your college years and post-grad, too. For both fraternities and sororities, a large part of these dues—usually around 50 percent—goes to the corresponding national organization. On the other hand, schools like University of California, Berkeley and the University of Florida offer housing for sororities, and the fee to be a member is included in the per semester or per year cost. Weighing the price of becoming a sister for life is different for every person. The first semester will be the most expensive because recruitment, registration and initiation fees are piled on everything else. Despite the widespread appeal of Greek life as a means to find community, for many, the community it offers is unapproachable from the start because of the baseline cost of dues. Another method to avoiding these additional costs is the decision to make dues more all-inclusive—a system employed by Columbia’s chapter of Beta Theta Pi—which allows for the costs of all social events like formals and retreats, as well as extra costs of drinks and food, to be covered by dues. Associated expenses include those of badges or pins, which vary from school to school. Obviously, sororities are organizations that need some funding to function. Membership dues and housing costs are the most expensive costs of sororities. Even with efforts undertaken to make Greek life more accessible, low-income students said that the explicit costs of Greek life—and pressure to cover implicit costs—ultimately contribute to a sense of alienation. Of the 11 fraternities in the Columbia Interfraternity Council, eight did not respond to Spectator’s requests to disclose dues. But sorority members at the University of California, Berkeley cough up $3,500 to $4,200 per semester including housing and food. I'm sorry that I cannot be implicit, but initiation fees, dues and donations for various activities add up rather quickly. Before joining, create a plan on how you will afford the dues and be prepared to commit financially. At the end of the day, there is no cheap way to do sorority life. Here are some examples, but keep in mind every school and chapter are different. Social events such as formal, semi-formal, crush, retreat, and Big-Little week—where older members welcome new members—optional, but they remain integral to being a part of the community. We use advertising revenue to subsidize the cost of providing journalism to the campus, and to fund over fifty students who are on our work-study program. Contracts of chapters with housing typically include room and board, as well as social fees, local and national dues, and some incidentals. That adds up to $5,200 just to be in a sorority. “It’s going to have to come out of the [work study] wages that I make here, and that’s like three months worth of wages for me to join a sorority just for one semester.”. Those funds are often insufficient to support the need presented by potential members—and are sometimes insufficiently advertised those those debating Greek life. You’ll make friends who have similar values as you, but that also come with a diversity of backgrounds, interests, lifestyles, and more. However if you drop out of the sorority after you have been initiated, you are NEVER able to go through sorority recruitment again!! It does not include the cost of the formal attire that many people buy or rent for the event, or the cost of transportation to and from the venue, which is usually off-campus. Yet, most of these events are not covered by dues and require members to pay out-of-pocket if they want to participate. There are not-so-tiny fines of upwards $100 for each breaking of a fraternity or sorority rule. Cost of Sororities and Fraternities: Active Member Dues. Copyright Spectator Publishing Company. The number of students who express interest in joining fraternities or sororities has increased every year, with hundreds of students going through the rush process last year and close to 20 percent of the student body currently involved in Greek life. What is the most expensive sorority? (Campus Explorer), Here's What It Cost Me to Be in a Sorority for 4 Years. The only Columbia-wide offering is the Panhellenic Award, a need-blind form of aid eligible for students in the six Panhellenic sororities. “Let’s say I do join one; once I’m in it, what am I going to do when I have to be the odd one out that says ‘I can’t go to that because I can’t afford it’?” the Columbia College sophomore said. It is expensive to join either sorority, but I cannot give you a number amount as it is not a concrete amount annually. Women pay national and chapter dues, plus new member fees, which all vary by organization. Dues can be expensive. Beta’s dues are $600, which falls on the higher end of the spectrum for fraternities, but—according to President Justin Borczuk, CC ’18—they help prevent brothers from having to pay out-of-pocket. Regular chapter membership dues, which can certainly also add up, are other hidden costs that many do not think about. At Penn State, sorority members pay $350 to $600 per semester, which adds up to $2,800 to $4,800 total. Another formative part of the sorority experience is having a “big,” an upperclassman whose role is to welcome a new member—a “little”—into the community. But, not all college kids have to pay fines for missing meetings or getting too drunk at parties like sorority members do. “Everyone gets a ton of apparel like shirts, water bottles, hats, and pants, and it’s just a lot to afford.”. Some—like Alpha Omicron Pi, Kappa Alpha Theta, and Sigma Nu—have in-chapter scholarship funds that funnel alumni donations or fundraising money toward aid for dues. After initiation into the sorority, the dues are reduced for the following semesters. Sorority members pay dues each semester. Others—like Delta Gamma or Sigma Delta Tau—have funds where sisters can contribute to the dues of other sisters. “I was kind of looking for like a home base. According to data from the 2015-2016 school year, the least amount a UCF student would have to pay as a new member of a sorority is $956 per semester at Delta Zeta, compared with the highest amount – $2,346 – at Delta Delta Delta. It is important to remember that sorority membership is the most expensive during the first semester due to one-time new member fees (i.e. Is it expensive to be in a sorority? Initially joining will be the most expensive aspect, but it is still expensive after you become a member. At the University of Michigan, a larger public college, dues for the first semester of sorority membership range from $220 (an unhoused chapter) to $1,753 (a housed, on-campus sorority). With the help of student loans and loaned money from her parents, DiGangi was able to make it work. I was never part of a sorority myself. “Currently, I don’t know how I’m going to afford a little because during Big-Little week, every day there’s a theme, and the big buys a bunch of stuff for their Little and that can add up to be super expensive,” Alpha Chi Omega member Joanna Paik, SEAS ’20, said. Considering this, what is the most expensive sorority? For the most part, joining a sorority will add expenses to an already expensive four-year experience. Because each house has varying dues and support, low-income students who are not accepted into a more-supportive house of choice may be unable to join an organization at all. This standardization is facilitated by the use of payment plans, which allow members to pay their dues in scheduled installments over a longer period of time. “I can’t even imagine a first-year really understanding the cost.”. Although sororities started reporting the dues associated with each chapter during recruitment last year, fraternities still do not publicize their dues to non-members. However, once you are initiated, the dues decrease, but how much it decreases depends on the individual chapter. “I know that the pool of people who rush and get in is most likely people who don’t come from a low-income background, so people are deterred because they can’t see themselves in that kind of community in general. This average includes what is required. This can present a problem for students trying to decide which fraternity to invest time and effort into rushing during the short, two-week process. “I think you’re in the dark. Advertise | Donate | Read the latest issue | Newsletter. The first semester of membership if the most expensive due to many one-time fees (house corporation fee, initiation fee, etc.). Again, this is dependent on the school and sorority, but with all the activities you do in a sorority, dues can be expensive. However, most Greek life organizations on campus have attempted to provide aid in ways that vary widely from chapter to chapter. This is a big commitment for many students who are on a tight budgets. And while most fraternities and sororities have begun to implement scholarships and other forms of institutional aid, these initiatives are scattered and inconsistent across houses. Similar efforts to increase transparency have taken place at Dartmouth, which posts clear financial information regarding dues, costs, and aid on the university’s website, making the information available to students even before they step foot on campus. Other universities have assembled task forces or conducted studies to address the wealth gap within Greek life, with varying degrees of success. While most fraternities and sororities have begun to implement forms of institutional aid, these initiatives are outpaced by student need. Costs are paid directly to the fraternity/sorority. and we suggest that you anticipate the total fees using the higher projections provided below. A report published by the Working Group on Campus Social and Residential Life at Princeton explored the demographics of students who participate in Greek life, 75 percent of whom had a family income of over $75,000 per year. Please consider helping us out by whitelisting our site in three easy steps. It is important to remember that sorority membership is the most expensive during the first semester due to one-time new member fees (i.e. These regular dues can set you back between $20 to … Additional information regarding the average chapter dues at the University of Alabama may be… Greek life for international students. ] Pledging and initiation can be the most expensive processes of Greek life. During “Big-Little week,” each big surprises their little with gifts, food, and clothes. Click on your ad-blocker icon and select 'Options'. pledging, initiation, badge or pin fee, etc.) After four years there, sisters will have paid $28,000 to $33,600 to be in a sorority. Students in this position said in many cases that they would rather drop out of recruitment or forfeit their bid than reveal their economic status. There are a lot of the cost factors people overlook before joining a sorority. Fraternities and sororities pay their own way through dues, membership fees and one-time new member or initiation fees. Get the latest news and top stories delivered to your inbox. For the six sorority chapters under the Columbia Panhellenic Council, dues average $650 for new members and about $400 for returning members, with some houses decreasing dues based on the season or length of membership. Students who rush said that they see Greek life as one of the few clear ways to make friends and fulfill a lacking sense of community, especially on an isolating campus like Columbia’s. “SDT does a really good job of making resources available, but I could definitely see there being a pressure to buy new clothes and other stuff.”. Remember that even though these costs can be expensive, they are often cheaper than normal on-campus dorm housing. Greek life for international students. ] The first semester as a sister is usually the most expensive, and sorority girls at the University of Georgia, for example, will find themselves paying $1,570 in Panhellenic dues … According to data from the 2015-2016 school year, the least amount a UCF student would have to pay as a new member of a sorority is $956 per semester at … Yikes! So yeah, joining a sorority is a bigger financial decision than you'd think amidst the fun and excitement of rush week. With rush geared toward meeting brothers and becoming accustomed to Greek life, the burden falls on the shoulders of those rushing to learn about the financial options offered at each fraternity. My college experience wasn't cheap, but I didn't have to pay initiation fees, recruitment fees or buy matching apparel for anything. Most new members are also responsible for social expenses and numerous extra fees, too. Type 'www.columbiaspectator.com' into the smaller textbox and click 'Add Domain'. According to data from the 2015-2016 school year, the least amount a UCF student would have to pay as a new member of a sorority is $956 per semester at Delta Zeta, compared with the highest amount – $2,346 – at Delta Delta Delta. Girls joining a sorority chapter will pay the most amount of money their first semester, between 500 and 700 dollars according to the fall 2012 Formal Sorority Recruitment booklet. However, the cost of living in a fraternity or sorority house is generally comparable […] Members are required to pay dues, whether by month, quarter, semester or year. For them, it doesn’t seem like a sustainable social scene,” Sigma Delta Tau member Ngbemeneh said. As fraternity rush comes to a close and next semester’s sorority recruitment approaches, the prospect of participating in Greek life will remain out of reach to many low-income students unable to afford the steep costs associated with being a member of a fraternity or sorority. That's all on top of living costs. If you’re a small chapter, sisters may not need to pay too much comparatively, but sorority dues can often reach over $1,000 per student per semester. And then there are colleges with expensive membership fees that don't include anything else, like at the University of Southern California, where sorority members have to pay an additional $1,300 per year. This strategy—common across both fraternities and sororities—is one of the primary methods of alleviating the overwhelming price of semester dues. Being part of a sorority or fraternity gives you a lifelong sisterhood or brotherhood, respectively. Once a student has been invited to join a fraternity or sorority, he or she pay an initiation feeto obtain full membership. Some people think joining a sorority is basically "buying friendship," but anyone who has joined one will tell you that's not always true. You can see how much the costs vary. In an article on Credit.com, Christine DiGangi broke down each expense by looking at her old credit card and sorority billing statements and estimating cash costs. The average cost of New Member Dues is $1,700 for Fall semester. The remaining money contributes to social events, philanthropy, house maintenance, and other chapter-specific costs. Although a Big can resort to cost-effective options—like handmade gifts—and a number of chapters offer ways to obtain hand-me-down apparel for discounted prices, many choose not to, citing pressure to impress their Little and housemates and, in many cases, to post pictures of the gifts on social media. After the newness has worn off, sisters and brothers are responsible for paying active member dues every semester. Sure, a t-shirt costs $20 one time, but after many different events each semester, it all adds up quickly. She lived in the sorority house for some, but not all, of her four years in college. Dues, what you must pay to participate in the sorority, can range from $250 – $1000 PER SEMESTER! All sororities are willing to work with their members on an individual basis to create payment plans if necessary. • Most of the fraternities and sororities have reduced dues for members on co-op • New member dues are typically more expensive • The student would live in the fraternity house over the summer (most of the sorority houses close for the summer; but you can imagine that finding on- or off- “I’m not ashamed of my background, but it’s humiliating when you have to explain your entire life story,” the Columbia College sophomore said. 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