Primary Recruitment

 

How do I join a sorority?

Primary Recruitment is the process by which potential new members visit, preference, and potentially join a sorority chapter at the University of Illinois. This process takes place over the course of two weekends. It is important to register for Primary Recruitment to undergo this process and find a home in the Panhellenic community!

 

When is Primary Recruitment at the University of Illinois?

Primary Recruitment occurs during the Fall semester here at the University of Illinois. For the Fall 2024 recruitment season, it will begin Friday, August 30th-Monday September 2nd. Everyone will take a break from recruitment during the school week, and then will continue for the second weekend of recruitment, Friday, September 6th-Sunday, September 8th, ending with Bid Day on Monday, September 9th.

 

Do I need letters of recommendation?

Letters of recommendation are not required for any of the 19 Primary Recruiting chapters at the University of Illinois. You may still submit them when you register for recruitment, but they do not guarantee invitations back in any round. Each chapter’s individual policy takes letters of recommendation into consideration differently. 

 

When will registration close?

Registration will open on April 15th, 2024. All incoming freshmen and currently eligible University of Illinois Urbana Champaign students will be permitted to register. Registration will close at noon on Friday, August 30th, 2024. 

 

Eligibility

 

Is there a GPA requirement to be eligible for Panhellenic Recruitment at the University of Illinois?

Each chapter has a different expected GPA requirement, which is displayed on the finance sheet that you will receive during the First Invitational round of recruitment.

 

I am a transfer student. Can I participate in Panhellenic Recruitment at the University of Illinois?

Yes, transfer students are eligible and encouraged to register for Panhellenic Sorority Recruitment. If you have not been initiated into a National Panhellenic Conference sorority at any university, you are eligible to participate in Primary Recruitment.

 

Are Parkland Pathway students eligible for Panhellenic Recruitment?

No, Parkland Pathway students are not eligible for Panhellenic Recruitment. The National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) has set an eligibility requirement of being a "fully matriculated" student to join any of their organizations. Students in the Parkland Pathway program are not fully matriculated at the University of Illinois.

 

I accepted a bid from a chapter last fall during primary recruitment, but I am no longer in that chapter. Can I go through primary recruitment again?

You must wait until the next Primary Recruitment cycle to go through the Recruitment process after signing an MRABA if you were not initiated into a sorority. If you accepted a bid but were not initiated in the previous fall (Fall 2023), you may go through the Primary Recruitment process this fall (Fall 2024). However, if you accepted a bid and at any point you were initiated, you would have been a member of a National Panhellenic Chapter and therefore are ineligible for Primary Recruitment, even if you are no longer a member of that chapter. 

 

Cost

 

How much does it cost to register for Primary Recruitment?

Primary Recruitment Registration costs $65 and can be paid upon submission of the registration form. 

 

What is the cost of membership to join a Panhellenic Sorority?

Membership costs or “dues” vary for each chapter. You will receive a finance sheet from each chapter that you are invited back to during the First Invitational round of recruitment. 

 

Terminology

 

During recruitment, there can be a lot of unfamiliar terms. We have collected the most common recruitment-related terms here. Our hope is that with these definitions, you can enter the recruitment process more confidently and prepared. 

 

Bid Day: Bid Day is the last day of Panhellenic Recruitment. It is when potential new members receive bids to join chapters and become new members. Usually, during Bid Day, each chapter will hold a fun activity for the new members to meet and get to know the rest of the chapter. 

 

First Invite: The second round of recruitment, this refers to the first invitational round where PNMs can be invited back to up to 13 chapters. This round centers around the individual philanthropies of each chapter. 

 

Intentional Single Preference: When a PNM only lists one chapter on her MRABA following the preference round of primary recruitment.

 

Legacy: A daughter, sister, or granddaughter of an initiated sorority member. Being a legacy does not guarantee a PNM a bid to a particular sorority. Each chapter has its own definition and policy for legacies during recruitment.

 

Membership Recruitment Acceptance Binding Agreement (MRABA): This is a one-year binding agreement signed by a potential new member (PNM) when ranking chapters after the preference round of recruitment. When a PNM signs her MRABA, she agrees to accept a bid from any chapter listed on the agreement (maximum of two listed). If the PNM denies a bid from one of the two chapters listed on the MRABA, she cannot accept a bid from any other organization for a year or until the next primary recruitment period. The PNM is eligible for continuous open bidding or snap bidding if she signs a MRABA, but does not receive a bid.

 

New Member: Refers to a woman who has accepted a bid from a sorority, but is not an initiated member. 

 

Open House: This refers to the first round of Primary Recruitment where PNMs visit all 19 National Panhellenic Primary Recruiting Chapters at the University of Illinois over the course of two days. 

 

Panhellenic: refers to the council under which all primary recruiting chapters reside.

 

Potential New Member (PNM): A woman who is eligible and registered to participate in sorority recruitment

 

Preference Round: The last round of sorority primary recruitment. After this round PNMs are eligible to submit their preference sheets and MRABA to be eligible to receive a bid. 

 

Quota: The number of potential new members that each sorority chapter can offer bids to during primary recruitment. This is determined with a formula using the number of chapters and the number of women in the final round of the recruitment process. 

 

Recruitment Counselor: A current sorority chapter member that serves as a recruitment guide. She is a resource for any questions or concerns during primary recruitment. Each PNM is assigned a Recruitment Counselor throughout the entire primary recruitment process.

 

Second Invite: The second invitational round of Primary Recruitment centers around the sisterhood values of each respective chapter, and the PNM can be invited back to up to 7 chapters.