Selective. Interdisciplinary. Supportive.
Why Join?
Standards for election are extremely high. Membership is by invitation only to the top 7.5 percent of second-semester juniors and the top 10 percent of seniors and graduate students. Because Phi Kappa Phi is highly selective, membership is a stamp of excellence that is recognized by graduate and professional school admissions committees and employers alike.
See the full Selection Criteria below.
See the full Selection Criteria below.
Unlike other honor societies whose undergraduate members may include freshmen and sophomores, Phi Kappa Phi celebrates upperclassmen, graduate, and professional students who prove to be strong scholars throughout their academic careers. Phi Kappa Phi also brings together scholars from different disciplines to promote lifelong learning as a collaborative effort.
Membership in Phi Kappa Phi recognizes and rewards academic success. New members are initiated at a ceremony and reception/banquet held on their campus. They receive a personalized membership certificate and card and are presented with the official Phi Kappa Phi pin at the initiation ceremony. Personalized press releases announcing membership also are available.
Membership Benefits
Phi Kappa Phi membership offers lifelong benefits for personal and professional growth.
- Members are eligible to apply for numerous Scholarships and Awards, valued at more than $1,000,000 annually. The Society's extensive award programs provide everything from $15,000 Fellowships for graduate school to $1,000 Love of Learning grants for continuing education and professional development.
- You will become part of a select community of top scholars and professionals. The roster of more than 1.75 million members boasts doctors, lawyers, politicians and soldiers, plus educators, administrators, scientists and researchers, not to mention athletes and coaches, bankers and businesspeople, writers and performers, and professionals in just about every other discipline imaginable. They're often leaders in their field and committed to serving others.
- Phi Kappa Phi logo graphics and verification letters are available to enhance your résumé. While Phi Kappa Phi is much more than a line on a résumé, it is an impressive line nonetheless. When it's time to apply for a job, a scholarship, or a graduate program, our materials will help you highlight your membership in the nation's oldest, largest, and most selective all-discipline honor society.
- Phi Kappa Phi corporate partners provide discounts to members. By partnering with companies such as The Princeton Review, AT&T, Carbonite, Dell, HP, and Lenovo, Phi Kappa Phi is able to offer valuable discounts and services to its members, often at negotiated savings. Check the national website for an up-to-date look at the wide range of discounts.
- Regular online seminars reach out to students and professional members with timely information on everything from job searches to the economy. Phi Kappa Phi Forum, the Society's flagship quarterly magazine, features a variety of timely, relevant articles from influential scholars, educators, writers and other authorities; many contributors are also active members.
- A Career Center specifically for Phi Kappa Phi members has thousands of job opportunities posted within its network, from internships to high-level positions. In addition, the Career Center focuses on professional networking and offers a multitude of relevant career resources — all within a user-friendly environment that can be customized to your individual needs.
- Phi Kappa Phi provides a variety of networking and leadership opportunities for members. Online social and professional networking opportunities are available through Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, along with a comprehensive online membership directory and message board. Leadership positions are available at the chapter and national levels.
Explanation of Dues
As a new Phi Kappa Phi member, you will pay certain national and chapter fees. The national initiation fee is $77, which includes the first year of national dues. An $8 mandatory shipping fee will be added to your membership to cover the cost of mailing your certificate and pin directly to you. There is also a chapter fee of $20, so the payment your first year is $110.
After your first year as a Phi Kappa Phi member, the annual membership renewal fee is $42 and is required to be an active member and receive the full benefits of membership in subsequent years (there is also a Life Membership option). You can also choose to support and strengthen our chapter through paying local dues, currently $25.
The annual national membership fee is separate from your local chapter fees. Chapter fees, which vary and go directly to the chapter, cover the cost of the initiation banquet or reception and other local events, programs and awards. Our chapter does not currently charge a separate initiation fee.
Please see Explanation of Dues at the national website for more information.
Selection Criteria
- Because Phi Kappa Phi recognizes and promotes academic excellence in all fields of higher education, one's field of study may be in any discipline.
- Undergraduate students in any department of a college or university having a Phi Kappa Phi chapter who have completed at least twenty-four (24) semester hours or the equivalent at that institution.
- Juniors must have completed at least 72 semester hours/108 quarter hours and rank in the top 7.5% of their class.
- Seniors must have completed at least 90 semester hours/135 quarter hours and rank in the top 10% of their class.
- Graduate and professional students must have completed at least 18 semester hours/ 27 quarter hours at their institution and rank in the top 10% of their class.
- Eligibility may be determined separately for each academic unit within a member institution, e.g., department, school or college.
- Transfer credits are considered in determining class rank.
- Faculty, professional staff, and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction also may be eligible for membership.