Understanding Sorority Life at the University of South Florida

With students returning to campus this month, many first-year students are experiencing life on a college campus for the first time.

With that comes a slew of new people, experiences, and challenges that make one’s time in college so memorable. This includes exploring Greek life and involvement in a fraternity or sorority for many new students.

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 the sororities’ role in campus life at the University of South Florida, here’s a rundown on some common questions we hear from students at USF.

Yes, sororities are very popular at the University of South Florida.

Especially given the housing options available to some sorority chapters within the USF Greek Village. The university notes that around 8% of all USF undergraduates participate in Greek life, which amounts to over 3,700 students. There are slightly fewer sororities at USF than there are fraternities. However, sorority chapters tend to have more members, making them a bit more popular than fraternities.

How many sororities are there at the University of South Florida?

There are 22 sororities for undergraduate students at the University of South Florida.

All Greek organizations at USF are governed by one of four governing councils, which coordinate Greek activities and serve as a liaison between the individual chapters and the university. These governing councils include traditional Greek councils and councils specific to multicultural and academic sororities and fraternities on campus. The three councils that govern sorority life at the University of South Florida are the Panhellenic Council, the National Panhellenic Council, and the Multicultural Greek Council. The Panhellenic Council is specific to sororities, while the National Pan-Hellenic Council and Multicultural Greek Council govern fraternities and sororities.

The ten sororities at the University of South Florida governed by the Panhellenic Council (PC) are:

  1. Alpha Delta Pi
  2. Alpha Omicron Pi
  3. Chi Omega
  4. Delta Delta Delta
  5. Delta Gamma
  6. Gamma Phi Beta
  7. Kappa Delta
  8. Sigma Delta Tau
  9. Sigma Kappa
  10. Zeta Tau Alpha

The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) governs historically black sororities and fraternities across the country, and USF has representation for all 9 Greek organizations chartered under the National Pan-Hellenic Council. The four sororities governed by the NPHC at USF are:

  1. Alpha Kappa Alpha
  2. Delta Sigma Theta
  3. Sigma Gamma Rho
  4. Zeta Phi Beta

The Multicultural Greek Council (MGC) governs culturally-oriented sororities and fraternities at USF, including Greek chapters for specific racial, ethnic, and social groups on campus. The eight sororities governed by the MGC are:

  1. Alpha Kappa Delta Phi
  2. Chi Upsilon Sigma
  3. Delta Phi Omega
  4. Delta Tau Lambda
  5. Kappa Phi Lambda
  6. Mu Sigma Upsilon
  7. Omega Phi Beta
  8. Sigma Lambda Gamma

The other governing council at USF, the Interfraternity Council, governs fraternities on-campus.

There are 22 sororities for undergraduate students at the University of South Florida.

When does the sorority rush begin at USF?

The sorority rush process at USF, also known as recruitment, is overseen by the governing council of the sororities.

The Panhellenic Council hosts recruitment once per year after the start of the fall semester, usually at the beginning of September. This process may vary for sororities governed by the NPHC, which does not coordinate recruitment on behalf of the governed sororities.

The recruitment process for PC-governed sororities begins with an online registration process, during which prospective members provide information about themselves and their interest in joining. Students must also submit transcripts confirming their high school or undergraduate grade point average, as most sororities have academic requirements for joining. Once registered, prospective sorority members are invited to join a series of events hosted by the chapters. These are usually themed events celebrating sisterhood, philanthropy, and the aspects that make each sorority unique among other Greek branches. The weeklong process ends with a Bid Day when prospective members are offered a bid to join one of their preferred sororities. Not all prospective members are offered a bid, as selectivity varies by chapter.

How much does it cost to join a sorority at USF?

Prospective members looking to join a sorority at the University of South Florida can expect to pay at least a few hundred dollars each semester in membership dues.

These dues, which are collected by the local chapter but usually managed by the national headquarters of the sorority, cover the cost of chapter materials, initiation fees, and social events.

Typically new members have higher dues than active members, as they are just joining the sorority. These dues do not cover the cost of housing – if the chapter has a house within the USF Greek Village – nor do they cover expenses for the various social events hosted by the sorority throughout the year. The financial commitment of joining a sorority should be heavily considered before the start of recruitment.

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Do sororities have their own houses at USF?

The University of South Florida has a Greek Village on campus that houses 12 Greek chapters in two and three-story houses on the north side of the USF campus.

Most Greek Village houses serve sororities that are part of the Panhellenic Council. Still, the entire village only provides housing for 340 students, which isn’t enough to house all members of the chapters that do have houses on-campus. The sororities at USF that have houses within Greek Village are:

  1. Alpha Delta Pi
  2. Gamma Phi Beta
  3. Sigma Delta Tau
  4. Zeta Tau Alpha
  5. Sigma Kappa
  6. Delta Gamma
  7. Delta Delta Delta
  8. Chi Omega
  9. Kappa Delta
  10. Alpha Omicron Pi

To supplement these housing options, many sorority members rent off-campus apartments or homes to live with other members of their chapter. These houses and apartments offer additional opportunities for chapter members to live with one another during their time in college, even though they are not designated as chapter residences by USF.

Other housing options at the University of South Florida

For Greek and non-Greek students looking for off-campus housing that provides convenient access to campus and an array of floor plan options, there’s no better choice than Halo 46!

Halo 46 is located just blocks from the northern edge of the USF campus, north of Greek Village, at 14500 N 46th Street. Halo 46 offers fully-furnished two, three, four, and five-bedroom apartments specifically designed for University of South Florida students. Halo 46 offers residents a resort-style pool, gaming courtyard, 24-hour fitness center, study rooms, a computer lounge, a pet park, resident courtyard, and onsite management & maintenance team.

For availability, roommate matching, and pricing information, contact the team at Halo 46 today at (813) 358-5957!