As students get settled back on campus for the start of the semester, many find themselves looking to explore the social and student organizations that serve an essential role in fostering an authentic college experience.
Greek life is new to many incoming first-year students and a source of anxiety for students trying to find their way through college.
To help understand fraternities’ role in campus life at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, here’s a rundown of some common questions we hear from UIUC students.
Are fraternities popular at UIUC?
Yes, fraternities are very popular at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
UIUC has one of the largest Greek populations in the country in terms of the number of fraternity chapters available for undergraduate students, which includes multicultural, academic, and religious fraternity options.
Campus life is heavily influenced by Greek life, given the proximity of most fraternity and sorority houses to the center of campus.
What percent of UIUC students participate in fraternities?
Around 20% of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign undergraduates participate in Greek life during college.
There are 87 Greek organizations on campus, with over 6,300 undergraduate members.
This is based on current enrollment figures estimates from the Office of Fraternity & Sorority Affairs, which markets that 6,366 undergrads are involved in one of the 87 Greek organizations on campus.
The Interfraternity Council at UIUC markets itself as having the world’s most prominent Greek Life community.
How many fraternities are there at UIUC?
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has 49 fraternities, including traditional Greek, multicultural, religious, and academic chapters on campus.
All Greek chapters at UIUC are governed by one of four governing councils, which coordinate Greek activities and serve as a liaison between the individual chapters and the university.
The three councils that govern fraternity life at the University of Illinois are the Interfraternity Council, the Black Greek Council, and the United Greek Council.
The Interfraternity Council is specific to fraternities, while the Black Greek Council and United Greek Council govern fraternities and sororities.
The Interfraternity Council (IFC) at UIUC includes traditional Greek chapters and religious and academic-focused fraternities.
The 34 fraternities at the University of Illinois governed by the IFC are:
- Alpha Delta Phi
- Alpha Epsilon Pi
- Alpha Gamma Rho
- Alpha Gamma Sigma
- Alpha Sigma Phi
- Alpha Tau Omega
- Beta Sigma Psi
- Beta Theta Pi
- Chi Psi
- Delta Chi
- Delta Kappa Epsilon
- Delta Upsilon
- FarmHouse
- Kappa Delta Rho
- Kappa Sigma
- Omega Delta
- Phi Delta Theta
- Phi Gamma Delta
- Phi Kappa Psi
- Phi Kappa Tau
- Phi Kappa Theta
- Phi Sigma Kappa
- Pi Kappa Alpha
- Sigma Alpha Epsilon
- Sigma Chi
- Sigma Nu
- Sigma Phi Delta
- Sigma Tau Gamma
- Tau Kappa Epsilon
- Theta Chi
- Theta Xi
- Triangle
- Zeta Beta Tau
- Zeta Psi
The Black Greek Council (BGC) is the governing organization for UIUC’s historically black Greek fraternities and sororities and has had a presence at UIUC for over 100 years.
The four fraternities governed by the BGC at UIUC are:
- Alpha Phi Alpha
- Iota Phi Theta
- Kappa Alpha Psi
- Phi Beta Sigma
The United Greek Council (UGC) governs culturally-oriented sororities and fraternities at UIUC, including chapters for specific racial, ethnic, and social groups on campus.
The 11 fraternities governed by the UGC are:
- Alpha Iota Omicron
- Beta Chi Theta
- Chi Sigma Tau
- Kappa Pi Beta
- Lambda Upsilon Lambda
- Lambda Phi Epsilon
- Lambda Theta Phi
- Omega Delta Phi
- Phi Iota Alpha
- Sigma Beta Rho
- Sigma Lambda Beta
The other governing council at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the Panhellenic Council, governs sororities on campus.
When does the fraternity rush begin at UIUC?
Fraternities at UIUC have two types of rush processes: recruitment and intake.
All UIUC chapters of the Greek system are governed by four councils, which coordinate events and activities and act as liaisons between the chapters and the university.
Fraternities that the Interfraternity Council governs are considered a “general social fraternity” and host recruitment events starting in the fall and spring semesters. However, the fall tends to be the most popular of the two, with not all fraternities offering a spring recruitment option.
The recruitment process requires advance online registration for prospective new members to express interest in joining one of the IFC fraternities while ensuring that the prospective new member meets the academic criteria required to join since most fraternities have a grade point average requirement for membership.
Fraternity recruitment takes place at the start of the spring semester every year.
The multi-day event allows each IFC chapter to host events for prospective new members to meet current members and learn the differences between the fraternities.
The process ends with a Bid Day when new members are offered a bid to join their preferred fraternity, although not all students who participate in recruitment are offered a bid
Multicultural and academic fraternities host a general intake process whereby interested students can join the organization. It is much less formal than the recruitment process of social fraternities.
How much does it cost to join a fraternity at UIUC?
Fraternity members at UIUC can expect to pay a few hundred dollars each semester in membership dues, not including the cost of housing if a member is living in one of the chapter houses.
The UIUC chapter may collect these dues, but they are often paid to the fraternity organization’s national headquarters.
The national chapter manages costs and payments for each university chapter, of which the University of Illinois is a part. Typically new members have higher dues for their first semester.
Beyond membership dues, fraternity members can expect to pay out-of-pocket for their frat’s or council events throughout the year.
Do fraternities have their own houses at UIUC?
Yes, most fraternities at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have their own chapter houses.
Fraternities that are governed by the Black Greek Council or United Greek Council do not have chapter houses, but 25 of the 34 fraternities within the IFC do have houses, including the academic and religious-affiliated chapters.
Fraternity houses at UIUC are concentrated just a few blocks west of the Main Quad between Gregory Street to the south and John street to the north.
This 12-block area is where 21 fraternity houses are located, with the remaining four on the east side of South Quad.
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