Panhellenic Recruitment

All sorority women including collegians, alumnae, College Panhellenics, Alumnae Panhellenics, inter/national organizations and the National Panhellenic Conference should actively promote the OVERALL sorority experience and membership opportunities in organizations. This should be done through all forms of communication (e.g., print, digital, in-person) in the spirit of Panhellenic unity and desire to reach out to all women to share the opportunity for sorority membership. College and Alumnae Panhellenic rules should not infringe on the rights of individuals, chapters and/or organizations in the content or forms of communication to promote the sorority experience.

The intention of this guideline was to inform and allow PNMs to be encouraged to participate in Formal Recruitment across all campuses. Additionally, chapters are allowed to ONLY contact women to promote the overall Panhellenic experience before registration. If you have been contacted by a chapter(s), please know that the intention of this communication should be to promote the entire Panhellenic experience, not just one chapter. Whether or not you have been contacted by a chapter member, this communication should not affect your Recruitment experience. We hope that you will have an open mind and a positive attitude going forward into this Recruitment season. 

On February 20, 2019 the University of Oklahoma Panhellenic Association voted to adopt a resolution regarding financial transparency during Panhellenic recruitment processes. In a spirit of transparency and accountability, this information will be provided to potential new members and other Panhellenic constituents before, during, and after the University of Oklahoma Formal Recruitment process.

We are still working on the 2023 Panhellenic Financial Transparency Report. Click the link below to download and view the 2021 - 2022 Panhellenic Financial Transparency Report, outlining all required costs of Panhellenic membership. 

It is important to be as informed as possible regarding the costs associated with obtaining a college education. Understanding the financial obligations associated with sorority membership is just as important.

Each student joining a sorority should be aware of the dues, fees and other expenses that are involved and should consider these when making financial plans to attend college. During Formal Recruitment, a potential member should ask sorority members about financial obligations and payment options. Each sorority sets its own fees and housing costs as well as payment schedules.

Chapters report yearly member fees and expenses.  We are still working on the financial breakdown for 2023 - The financial breakdown for Panhellenic membership at the University of Oklahoma for the 2022 - 2023 academic year is below.

Yes! The Panhellenic team has been working closely with our friends in the Camp Crimson program. Students will be able to fully participate in both programs. There will not be any overlap for mandatory events for either program. We encourage all students to fully participate in Camp Crimson to build community here at OU. 

Just like there is a governing body at the collegiate level for Panhellenic chapters, there are local Alumnae Panhellenic organizations around the country. Many of these local organizations have early deadlines to assist potential new members with obtaining letters of recommendation. Please note that you do NOT need to register with these groups in order to participate in Formal Recruitment at OU. 

The ONLY paperwork requirement needed to participate in Formal Recruitment at OU is completing our campus registration form which will open on May 15, 2021 and close on August 1, 2021. 

Alumnae Panhellenic registration forms, recommendation letters, or letters of support are not requirements of the College Panhellenic recruitment process.

The Panhellenic Association does not require a specific grade point average to participate in formal recruitment.  However, each sorority has a minimum grade requirement to be considered for membership and initiation.  The average grade point for a freshmen to join is around a 3.2. and the average grade requirement for an upper-class student is around a 3.0. These grades are pulled from university records. 

Entering freshmen can expect to be scored on the grades that they were admitted to the university with. Upperclassman can expect to be scored on their overall GPA from the Spring 2023 semester. 

Should your academic records ever be updated with the university records office from what you were admitted with, please notify Panhellenic as well so we can make those changes in our records. You can simply email Panhellenic (panhellenic@ou.edu) with your name, student ID number, and a brief message telling us that your academic records have changed with the university. 

*Please note, when you submit your final transcript to the University of Oklahoma, Panhellenic will not be notified of changes unless you reach out to our team. Should you wish to update your GPA, you must first submit your updated or final transcript to the Office of Admissions and Records in an official, sealed document and then notify Panhellenic of this change. We will work with Admissions and Records to update your GPA.

Some chapters look for a four year commitment; however most of our groups do consider upperclassman in their process. Fewer upperclassmen go through and fewer join chapters. We cannot predict any one person’s recruitment experience.  The best advice is to go through the process with an open mind.  

A legacy can be defined differently by each chapter, but most commonly, a legacy is defined as a potential new member who is the sister, daughter, or granddaughter of an alumnae sorority member. Legacy policies for each organization on our campus can be found here. 

If you are legacy you are not guaranteed a bid to your legacy's chapter.  It does not hurt or help to be a legacy; it just notifies our chapters that you have a family member that was a part of that specific organization.  Each chapter looks at the individual going through and will make their decision on what is best for their group at that time.  We would encourage you to go through the process with an open mind. 

Should you have questions about letters of recommendation, check out our web page covering this topic!  You can find the link below. 

Learn more about Panhellenic letters of recommendation

It is important to recognize that formal recruitment is a mutual selection process. All students will visit every chapter during the first round (Open House), but the remaining rounds are by invitation only. Just as the chapters are narrowing down the number of women attending each round of events, potential members may only accept a certain number of invitations to each round. If a potential new member maximizes their options on preference round, a bid is guaranteed from one of the chapters.

The registration fee is refundable, however there is a $15 service charge. Refunds must be made by August 1st and sent into the Panhellenic office via email. You can email us at panhellenic@ou.edu.

The Panhellenic Association will verify grade and test information from a potential new member based off of what she was admitted to the University of Oklahoma with (often 7 semesters of a high school GPA). If a potential new member's academic records are updated with the university, please email Panhellenic (panhellenic@ou.edu) with your name, student ID number, and a brief message explaining that your academic records with Panhellenic need to be updated.

*Please note, when you submit your final transcript to the University of Oklahoma, Panhellenic will not be notified of changes unless you reach out to our team. Should you wish to update your GPA, you must first submit your updated or final transcript to the Office of Admissions and Records in an official, sealed document and then notify Panhellenic of this change. We will work with Admissions and Records to update your GPA.

Not this year! Our Formal Recrutiment process is occuring later than previous years - after move in for our campus residents. You will not be required to live in the residence halls for recruitment but are expected to be on campus for all in-person recruitment events, including meetings with your Rho Gamma small groups.

Please note that students who do not have a meal plan with the university will be provided lunch on August 17th and August 18th but all other meals are not covered by the recruitment registration fee. 

Helpful hints: 

• Consider bringing a change of shoes. There can be a lot of walking during recruitment from chapter facility to chapter facility and bringing a change of shoes is strongly advised.
• Plan ahead. Many students find it helpful to bring a bag with them with face towels, personal fans or cosmetic products. 
• Be sure to bring a water bottle! August in Oklahoma is hot! Make sure you bring a water bottle to stay hydrated between events. 
• Don’t be afraid to ask for tips. Recruitment guides are great resources for students participating in the recruitment process and can provide helpful hints and tricks for a positive experience.