Joining a fraternity or sorority opens doors to experiences and opportunities that extend far beyond the classroom. Members take on meaningful leadership roles, whether by serving on their chapter’s executive board or through involvement in governing councils such as the College Panhellenic Council, Interfraternity Council, or National Pan-Hellenic Council.
Fraternities and sororities create a close-knit community within the larger campus, offering members a sense of belonging and lifelong friendships. Through their involvement, students gain hands-on experience with skills like event planning, budgeting, and recruitment—practical, transferable tools that complement their academic journey and prepare them for life after college.
Service is also a core value of our fraternity and sorority community. Each chapter supports local and/or national philanthropies and is committed to making a positive impact in both High Point and beyond.
Academics remain a priority, with chapters offering resources, support, and incentives to help their members excel. At High Point University, fraternity and sorority members are dedicated to balancing leadership, service, and scholarship.
All fraternities and sororities at High Point University are part of national or international organizations. These larger governing bodies provide structure, guidance, and accountability through headquarters staff, officers, and established policies.
Chapters at HPU are expected to uphold the standards of their national or international organization in addition to university policies. The Fraternity and Sorority Life staff work in partnership with these organizations to support chapter success and ensure alignment with shared values.
Recruitment Information:
High Point University practices open recruitment, meaning first year students may participate during their first semester for our College Panhellenic Council and Interfraternity Council Organizations. The formal recruitment registration form goes live in June and students must register by the registration deadline.
The formal recruitment process happens over several days. Students attend formal recruitment events at the fraternity/sorority houses. Fraternities and sororities are private organizations and each chapter has the right to choose their membership based on their national organization standards. The University is not able to dictate to a chapter who they should accept into membership.
It is important to know that not everyone that participates in formal recruitment will join a chapter. This can be a difficult experience for our students, especially in the first few days after recruitment. The Fraternity and Sorority Life staff strives to help our students learn from this experience, specifically how to deal with disappointment. High Point University offers a variety of different clubs and organizations for our students to be involved in. While 30% of our students are Greek, 70% of our students are not.
Please visit our recruitment page for additional information.
Intake Information:
National Pan-Hellenic Council fraternities and sororities, also known as the Divine Nine, conduct a separate membership intake process than Panhellenic Council sororities or Interfraternity Council fraternities. Chapters are responsible for conducting their own membership intake.
Each organization determines if they will hold intake in either the Fall or Spring semesters. Some NPHC organizations hold informational meetings prior to intake beginning for the semester.
To prepare for intake we recommend the following:
- Research the National Organizations website on membership requirements.
- Focus on your grades, for most NPHC organizations you need at least one semester of grades prior to being eligible to join.
- Attend Organization events prior to intake beginning, the more interest you show in the organization the better.
- Connect with current members of the organization.
- Follow NPHC Council @nphc_hpu and individual organizations on Instagram.
- Research the monetary requirements to join an organization and the time-commitment associated with intake.
If at any time you have questions about the formal recruitment process, please email [email protected].
High Point has a zero tolerance policy for hazing. Hazing is contrary to the institutional values and goals of High Point University and is a criminal offense in the State of North Carolina and will not be tolerated.
The Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life takes all reports of Hazing seriously and urges you to contact our office if these behaviors are occurring on campus. The more information provided, the greater opportunity our office has to stop this behavior. If you are concerned about hazing behavior, please click here to submit a hazing concern report. You can also call the High Point University Hazing Hotline at 336-841-4699.
You can find additional information on hazing here.
There is a cost (dues) associated with being a member of a fraternity/sorority. The first semester of joining a fraternity/sorority can be the most expensive with the average cost being around $800-$1,000. Fees associated with the first semester are generally initiation fees, insurance fees, and badge fees. Often there will be a fee due within days of joining the organization.
Cost of membership for each semester after can be $600-$1,000 a semester. This cost covers national dues, local dues and other privileges of membership. These dues are collected by the national organization and are not affiliated with university fees. The Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life does not have jurisdiction over organization fees, if you have questions about dues, we recommend your student discusses this with their individual chapter advisor.
Our Interfraternity Council and College Panhellenic Council organizations have houses on campus in Greek Village. These houses sleep 15 people and must be filled by the chapter membership. The chapter selects who is living in the house. In some cases, the chapters may have bylaws governing how housing is assigned.
It is important that your student ask questions about their chapters policies for the house. Greek Village housing is Tier 3 housing and is considered priority housing. Once a student has been assigned to live in the house, they may not place themselves on housing wait lists.
Students need support throughout the process of recruitment/intake and new member education. Be supportive and learn as much as you can about fraternity and sorority life by asking questions of your student as he or she meets members in fraternities and sororities. We recommend the following:
- Keep an open mind. Fraternity and sorority life is not for everyone. Just because you may have been a fraternity or sorority member doesn’t mean that it is the right choice for your student.
- Let your student choose the group that he or she feels the most comfortable joining. Fraternities and sororities are different on every campus. Groups that may have been strong on the campus where you attended school may not have the same reputation at High Point University.
- Talk to your student about dangerous behaviors that come with alcohol misuse. Reiterate that underage drinking is illegal and a violation of the Guide to campus life.
- Have frank conversations with your son or daughter about activities that may occur in a group situation, such as hazing, that make them uncomfortable or put them or others at risk. Resources for hazing concerns can be found here.
- Talk to your student beforehand about the financial obligation. Determine who will pay for what and where the limits are.
- Know that the system of fraternity/sorority recruitment at High Point University is competitive. Not everyone who wants to be in a Fraternity or Sorority will receive a bid or the bid that they might want the most.
- Do not become too involved in the sorority and fraternity recruitment/intake process, this is your student’s decision. If your student has questions, please direct them to a Fraternity and Sorority Life staff member. There will be plenty of activities and events for you to attend or even help plan once your student joins one of our organizations.
- Keep the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life contact information on hand if you have any questions or concerns. We are always here to help!
Additional Resources: