This is a list of FSILGs, or fraternities, sororities, and independent living groups (ILGs) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

MIT's Greek system

The first, or pioneer fraternity on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) campus was Chi Phi, established in 1873. However many of the early professors and deans of the Institute held fraternity memberships from their own collegiate days, as by the time Chi Phi at MIT had appeared fraternities had ''already'' been thriving at America's earliest campuses for almost 100 years. MIT's third president, Francis Amasa Walker was a member of as an undergrad at Yale. As of 2020, MIT hosts 29 academic fraternities, 10 academic sororities, 12 national or local honors societies and recognition organizations, 2 professional societies, 5 Independent Living Groups, and 1 service- or religious-focused chapter. Within this article, the terms "Fraternity" and "Sorority" are used somewhat interchangeably, with men's and co-ed groups normally using Fraternity, and women's groups using either Fraternity or Sorority. For convenience, the term "Greek Letter Society" is a generic substitute. The word "Greek" in this case refers to the use of Greek Letters for each society's name, and not to Greek ethnicity. For brevity, the sections below make extensive use of Greek letters, one of the first items in a new member's instruction program. Most fraternities use two or three Greek letters to signify their symbolic or secret names; a few use non-Greek words. The main listing for each fraternity or sorority shows their full name at least once, with references and Wikilinks as available.

History

Many MIT fraternities are located in Boston because the Institute was originally located in the Back Bay neighborhood, and had no dormitories to house its students. The fraternities and various dining clubs met a need for room and board that was not provided by the operations of the campus. Fraternity housing has continued to expand, both in terms of the size and quality of the individual buildings as well as the number of chapters. In 1900 the percentage of fraternity men at "Technology", as was the name of the school at that time, was 16.1%; today the percentage is almost 50% of men, and 30% of women. Several of MIT's fraternity buildings are today listed on the National Register of Historic Places or are otherwise notable. These include former governors mansions, college deans mansions, and homes of various early leaders who once resided there. Quality facilities remain a focus for many groups. A cursory search of Institute yearbooks will show that dining, and later, fine dining, has remained of particular interest to participants. Many chapters and ILGs extol the quality of their gourmet or commercial kitchens in their photo tours and rush materials. MIT moved to its Cambridge campus in 1916, and newer independent living groups have sprouted up or moved in around it. Many early chapters had been situated along Newbury Street, convenient to the old campus, but because of the move, today, MIT doesn't have a specific Greek Row; instead, chapters are scattered on both sides of the Charles River in Boston, Cambridge and the surrounding towns. 1916 also saw the emergence of the campus Inter-fraternity Conference. Its responsibilities included coordination of recruitment (rush), intramural Greek athletics such as baseball and bowling, among other competitions. One early tradition established by the IFC with support of 'Tech faculty was a trophy for the best scholarship record. This handsome grandfather clock would be passed on to the chapter with the best overall grade average at the completion of each term. The MIT yearbook, ''The Technique'', has provided a window to the growth and popularity of MIT's Greek organizations for almost 150 years
Early editions are available online

Demographic change

From the 1860s through WWII, MIT students were almost entirely male, thus the formation of women's fraternities (~sororities) came about rather late, in comparison. By the 2000s, the Institute's undergraduate gender ratio reached near parity. En route to this more balanced, modern phase, a period of demographic and political change in the 1960s and 1970s, following larger national trends, resulted in the conversion of several all-male, nationally affiliated living groups into local co-ed groups, and led to the expansion of all-female and co-ed housing options. Most of the resultant fraternities, sororities and independent living groups are coordinated through the Office of Fraternities, Sororities and Independent Living Groups (FSILGs), though some independent "MIT-area" chapters do arise from time to time, along with those that serve students from multiple schools in Boston and the surrounding cities.

Recruitment traditions

Traditionally,

rush Rush(es) may refer to: Places United States * Rush, Colorado * Rush, Kentucky * Rush, New York * Rush City, Minnesota * Rush Creek (Kishwaukee River tributary), Illinois * Rush Creek (Marin County, California), a stream * Rush Creek (Mono Cou ...

at MIT occurred during Residence/Orientation (R/O) Week, which was the final week of each summer before the start of the fall semester. All incoming freshmen and transfer students would arrive on campus a week before Registration Day, the official start of the fall semester. During R/O Week, the incoming class would participate in orientation activities, take the so-called writing test to attempt to test out of the MIT Writing Requirement, and participate in residence selection. All students were free to participate in the fraternity, sorority, and independent living group rush. Those students who did not end up in an off-campus living group would also participate in the dorm selection process (see Housing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology).

New rush system

The old rush system was supported behind the scenes by the 24-hour week-long "R/O Clearinghouse", a system for keeping track of freshman students as they threaded their way through a maze of fraternity rush events interleaved with other MIT orientation activities. Whenever a freshman checked into or checked out of a fraternity activity, that frat's R/O liaison person was supposed to call the R/O Clearinghouse to update what was essentially a real-time database to track the whereabouts of the new students. R/O Clearinghouse physically consisted of a bank of telephones staffed by volunteers in a large room equipped with computer terminals, located in the MIT EECS Department. The volunteers were drawn from MIT service fraternities and dorm residents who were supposed to be impartial with respect to the different competing fraternities. The dorm volunteers were motivated at least in part by the knowledge that an unsuccessful fraternity rush would result in even greater overcrowding of the MIT dormitory system. which simply lacked the physical space to accommodate every new student. Freshman housing rush was eliminated in an initiative led by MIT president

Charles Vest Charles "Chuck" Marstiller Vest (September 9, 1941 – December 12, 2013) was an American educator and engineer. He served as President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from October 1990 until December 2004. He succeeded Paul Gray a ...

in the wake of the September 1997 death of

Phi Gamma Delta Phi Gamma Delta (), commonly known as Fiji, is a social fraternity with more than 144 active chapters and 10 colonies across the United States and Canada. It was founded at Jefferson College, Pennsylvania, in 1848. Along with Phi Kappa Psi, Phi ...

(Fiji) freshman Scott Krueger. Beginning with the 2002–2003 academic year, all freshmen were required to live on campus. This was made possible by the completion of a new undergraduate dorm which opened that year,

Simmons Hall Housing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) consists of eleven undergraduate dormitories and nine graduate dorms. All undergraduate students are required to live in an MIT residence during their first year of study. Undergraduate d ...

. Since then, MIT has continued to build or renovate more dormitories, including an expansion of choices for graduate students as well (see Housing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology#Graduate_dorms). A much-toned-down echo of the old rush still occurs with the so-called dormitory rush process, in which new students decide their dormitory preferences, based in part upon special events staged by various dorms to introduce newcomers to their distinctive living arrangements. However, dormitories do not choose which new students to admit, but can only influence prospective new members to express a greater or lesser preference for specific dorms on their respective entries in the dorm lottery process. The pressure to quickly find housing has been lifted by MIT's guarantees that every freshman student will find space in an on-campus dorm and that undergraduate students can remain in the dorm system for up to 4 years. The old fraternity rush has been depressurized, with recruiting spread out throughout the first academic year, and less-frantic rush events for prospective new members.

Fraternities

Fraternities constituting the

Interfraternity Council The North American Interfraternity Conference (or NIC; formerly known as the National Interfraternity Conference) is an association of college, intercollegiate men's List of social fraternities and sororities, social Fraternities and sororities, ...

(IFC) are listed by dates of local founding and noted with national conference membership. These are (with several exceptions) men's organizations, voluntarily coordinating their efforts within the IFC as a self-governing body. Almost 50% of campus men participate in one of these chapters.MIT IFC history
accessed June 19, 2020 As part of IFC or national organization self-governance or University disciplinary action, chapters may be suspended (de-recognized) or closed for a time. For consistency, if a chapter is closed and/or forfeits its ''housing'', it will be listed here as a dormant chapter, ''italicized'', while active chapters or those suspended for a brief time are in bold. See the Office for Fraternities, Sororities and Independent Living Groups (FSILGs) for current IFC members and for expansion support.

Gallery of fraternities

File:ADP-MIT.jpg, Home of Alpha Delta Phi's ''Lambda Phi chapter'' at MIT, 2017 Image:alphathetasigmachihouse.jpg, Home of Sigma Chi's ''Alpha Theta chapter'' at MIT, in 2004 File:No6Club House.jpg, Home of "Number Six Club," Delta Psi's ''Tau chapter'' at MIT, in 2004 Image:ThetaChiBetaHouse.jpg, Home of Theta Chi's ''Beta chapter'' at MIT, in 2008 File:Omicron_Chapter_of_Phi_Sigma_Kappa,_at_MIT,_1940s.jpg, Home of Phi Sigma Kappa's ''Omicron chapter'' at MIT, circa 1940s Active Fraternity Chapters * - Chi Phi, 1873-1878, 1890 (NIC)According to the November 2018 FSILG historical listing of current and predecessor groups
accessed June 16, 2020. Baird's Manual is also available online here
The Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage
* - Sigma Chi, 1882 (NIC) * - Theta Xi, 1885-1897, 1901 (NIC) * - Delta Psi / Number Six Club, 1889 (NIC), co-ed * - Delta Tau Delta, 1889 (NIC) * - Theta Delta Chi, 1890-1892, 1906 (NIC) * - Phi Beta Epsilon (local), 1890 * - Delta Kappa Epsilon, 1890 (NIC) * - Sigma Alpha Epsilon, 1892-1999, 2009 (NIC) * - Pi Lambda Phi, 1897-1901, 1920 (NIC)Some historically Jewish organizations are active and flourishing, others have closed or merged. Why? See the Talk page for more information. * - Phi Sigma Kappa, 1902 (NIC) * - Theta Chi, 1902 (NIC) * - Phi Kappa Sigma, 1903 (NIC) * - Zeta Beta Tau, 1911–22, 1961 (NIC) * -

Theta Tau Theta Tau () is a professional engineering fraternity. The fraternity has programs to promote the social, academic, and professional development of its members. Today, Theta Tau is the oldest and largest professional engineering fraternity and h ...

, 1912-1930, 2016 (PFA) * -

Beta Theta Pi Beta Theta Pi (), commonly known as Beta, is a North American social fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. One of North America's oldest fraternities, as of 2022 it consists of 144 active chapters in the Unite ...

, 1913-2011, 2013 (NIC) * - Kappa Sigma, 1914Both ΦΔΘ and ΚΣ nationals withdrew from the NIC in 2002. ΛΧΑ severed ties in 2015. TKE resigned its membership in 2016. ΣΦΕ withdrew in 2019. ΦΣΚ withdrew in 2002 but rejoined in 2006. * - Phi Kappa Theta, 1918 (NIC) * -

Tau Epsilon Phi Tau Epsilon Phi (), commonly known as TEP or Tep, is an American fraternity with 14 active chapters, 3 active colonies, and 10 official alumni associations chiefly located at universities and colleges on the East Coast. The national headquarters ...

, 1919-1930, 1957 (NIC), co-ed * -

Sigma Nu Sigma Nu () is an undergraduate Fraternities and sororities in North America, college fraternity founded at the Virginia Military Institute on January 1, 1869. The fraternity was founded by James Frank Hopkins, Greenfield Quarles and James McIlva ...

, 1922-1974, 1995 (NIC) * -

Phi Delta Theta Phi Delta Theta (), commonly known as Phi Delt, is an international secret and social fraternity founded at Miami University in 1848 and headquartered in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta, along with Beta Theta Pi and Sigma Chi form the Miami Triad ...

, 1932 * - Alpha Epsilon Pi, 1951-1990, 1990 (NIC)In the Spring of 1990, the ''Mu Tau chapter'' of ΑΕΠ participated in a major reorganization by the national organization, which discharged 45 of the 55 MIT ''Mu Tau chapter'' members who were not Jewish. The ten remaining members - all Jewish - who were invited to remain in the fraternity declined the offer to stay, and went on to form a local group called ''Delta Pi'', which later affiliated with national fraternity, Sigma Nu. ΑΕΠ immediately recruited a new roster of members, continuing uninterrupted chapter operations in the Fall of 1990. * - Sigma Phi Epsilon, 1952 * - Kappa Alpha Psi, 1975 (NPHC) and (NIC) * -

Alpha Delta Phi Alpha Delta Phi (), commonly known as Alpha Delt, ADPhi, A-Delt, or ADP, is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity. Alpha Delta Phi was originally founded as a literary society by Samuel Eells in 1832 at Hamilton College in Cli ...

, 1976 (NIC)MIT'
''Lambda Phi chapter'' of ΑΔΦ (website)
is located at 351 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA. The chapter was founded in 1976 through the assistance of the brothers of the half century-dormant Lambda Phi fraternity, which was a local fraternity at MIT from 1906 to 1925. That was a literary fraternity that had, in its early days, unsuccessfully petitioned to join Alpha Delta Phi. Their petition had been rejected because ΑΔΦ considered MIT at that time to be an engineering trade school (!) and thus not compatible with their literary tradition. Henry Leeb (MIT Class of 1915) remained friends with members of ΑΔΦ, but died only 3 weeks after the current chapter was approved. The chapter was named in honor of that predecessor group. * - Nu Delta (local), 1977 * - Zeta Psi, 1979 (NIC) * -

Alpha Phi Alpha Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. () is the oldest intercollegiate historically African American fraternity. It was initially a literary and social studies club organized in the 1905–1906 school year at Cornell University but later evolved int ...

, 1989 (NPHC) and (NIC)Non-residential, this is th
''Rho Nu chapter'' of ΑΦΑ (website)
an historically black organization. Also known as the "Rheckless" ''Rho Nu chapter'', the fraternity was established on September 26, 1989. This chapter includes men from MIT, Harvard University, Babson College, and Tufts University. * - Phi Sigma Rho Colony, 2016 women's Chapters whose names changed :: ''Navajo Club (local), 1878-1890, interim group that became '' :: ''Number 6 Club (local), 1887-1889, became '' :: - ''Alpha Epsilon (local), 1902–1906, became '' :: - ''Lambda Phi (local), 1906-1925, inspired '' :: - ''Kappa Theta (local), 1908-1913, became '' :: - ''Delta Kappa Phi (local), 1912-1914, became '' :: - '' Sigma Alpha Mu, 1917-1973 (NIC), became Fenway House'' :: - '' Phi Kappa, 1918-1959, became '' :: - '' Phi Beta Delta, 1920–1941, Jewish, (see )''In a 1941 national merger between Phi Beta Delta and Pi Lambda Phi, the ''Massachusetts Theta chapter'' of Phi Beta Delta was merged in that year with the older ''Delta Nu chapter'' of Pi Lambda Phi, welcoming its alumni into that fraternity. However, the resulting chapter kept the ''newer'' chapter name of ''MA Theta chapter''. :: - ''

Phi Sigma Delta Phi Sigma Delta (), colloquially known as Phi Sig, was a fraternity established in 1909 with a predominantly Jewish membership at Columbia University. It eventually opened at least 47 chapters. The Fraternity merged with Zeta Beta Tau in 1970, reti ...

, 1921-1927, Jewish, (see )'' :: ''Sigma Nu Club (local), 1921-1922, became '' :: - ''

Phi Mu Delta Phi Mu Delta () is a small, national fraternity founded on March 1, 1918 at the Universities of Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The fraternity is focused on the ideals of democracy, service, and brotherhood. History Phi Mu Delta was o ...

(NIC), 1922-1977, became '' :: - ''Psi Delta (local), 1922-1932, became '' :: - '' Sigma Omega Psi, 1922–1935?, Jewish, became '' :: ''Alpha Club (local), 1929-1929, became ΑΚΠ (see ΑΣΦ)'' :: - '' Alpha Kappa Pi, 1929-1940, became ΑΣΦ'' :: ''Pegis Club (local), 1948-1952, became '' :: ''Dover Club (local), 1956-1961, became '' :: - ''

Pi Kappa Alpha Pi Kappa Alpha (), commonly known as PIKE, is a college fraternity founded at the University of Virginia in 1868. The fraternity has over 225 chapters and colonies across the United States and abroad with over 15,500 undergraduate members over 30 ...

, 1970-1981, 2010-11 (NIC), became pika'' :: - ''Delta Pi (local), 1990-1995, became '' Dormant Chapters :: - ''

Alpha Tau Omega Alpha Tau Omega (), commonly known as ATO, is an American social fraternity founded at the Virginia Military Institute in 1865 by Otis Allan Glazebrook. The fraternity has around 250 active and inactive chapters and colonies in the United Stat ...

, 1885-1887, 1905-2009 (NIC), dormant'' :: - ''

(FIJI), 1889-1894, 1899-1998 (NIC), dormant''Fiji maintains a policy for its members that severely limits use of its Greek letters to a handful of approved usages, such as their official ring, chapter plaques and memorial markers. Thus you will see "Fiji" on shirts, but not the fraternity's Greek letters. :: - '' Delta Upsilon, 1891-2014 (NIC), dormant'' :: - ''Delta Sigma (local), 1894-1898, dormant'' :: - '' Delta Sigma Phi, 1904-1908 (NIC), dormant'' :: - '' Theta Nu Epsilon, 1904-1916 (NIC), dormant''According to its Wikipedia page, the MIT chapter of this fraternity was the ''Zeta Phi chapter'' which died in 1916. It first appears on pp.232-233 of the 1911 ''MIT Technique'' yearbook.Baird's and other sources note ΘΝΕ was an ill-favored national due to its recruitment of sophomores who were already members of other fraternities, and a policy of secrecy about the active members - those same sophomores tapped each year. It was NOT an honorary, nor a service society. (Freshmen were not included, juniors and seniors were advisory only.) Hence, ΘΝΕ became a bit of a pariah, and members were pressured to quit ΘΝΕ lest they be expelled from their primary fraternities at some of their schools (according to the 1923 ΦΣΚ ''Rand History''); in 1913 the NIC advocated ''vigorously against'' its collegians joining ΘΝΕ. Struggling for a workable path to legitimacy, several varying models developed on ΘΝΕ's campuses: chapters became standard fraternities, and others, public inter-fraternity groups. At Alabama, it even became a political machine. In the 1930s, with the adoption of changes, ΘΝΕ briefly joined the NIC, but ceased operations during WWII. Several chapters re-emerged after WWII, reforming the society as a smaller entity, with some becoming co-ed in the 1970s. The fraternity reports only a few chapters that remain active today. --All information compiled from Baird's 19th, from the cited ΘΝΕ website, and a note about Theta Nu Epsilon in ΦΣΚ's Rand History, in a reference cited under that other fraternity, p.190. :: - '' Lambda Chi Alpha, 1912-2014, dormant'' :: - ''

Tau Delta Phi Tau Delta Phi (), whose members are commonly known as Tau Delts, is a national Fraternities and sororities in North America, social fraternity founded on , in New York City. Since its inception, dozens of chapters have been founded and thousands o ...

, 1919-1929, 194x-1991+/- (NIC), Jewish, dormant'' :: - '' Alpha Mu Sigma, 1921-1926, Jewish, dormant'' :: - '' Alpha Phi Delta, 1928-37, 1939-43, 1948-53 (NIC), Italian-American, dormant'' :: - '' Alpha Sigma Phi, 1929-1940, 2012-2014 (NIC), dormant''

Sororities

Sororities, listed with dates of local founding and national conference membership, are women's organizations, voluntarily coordinating their efforts within MIT's Panhellenic Association (PHA). For convenience, the term "sorority" is used throughout, though some of these organizations are "women's Fraternities," and were so named prior to the popularization of the term sorority. The terms are synonymous. Over 30% of campus women participate in one of these chapters. Sorority properties are generally owned or leased by a chapter's alumni club, though some chapters do not have housing. As part of PHA or national organization self-governance, or University disciplinary action, chapters may be suspended (de-recognized) or closed for a time. If a chapter is closed and/or forfeits its housing, it will be listed as a dormant chapter. See the office for Fraternities, Sororities and Independent Living Groups (FSILGs) for current PHA members and for expansion support. :(NPC) indicates members of the

National Panhellenic Conference The National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) is an umbrella organization for 26 (inter)national women's Fraternities and sororities, sororities throughout the United States and Canada. Each member group is autonomous as a social, Greek alphabet#Use ...

:(NPHC) indicates members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council Active Chapters ''MIT Panhellenic Association'' * - Alpha Phi, 1984 (NPC) * - Alpha Chi Omega, 1986 (NPC) * - Sigma Kappa, 1989 (NPC) * - Kappa Alpha Theta, 1991 (NPC) * - Alpha Epsilon Phi, 1995 (NPC) * - Pi Beta Phi, 2008 (NPC) * - Delta Phi Epsilon, 2015 (NPC) ''MIT Sororities, Multicultural Greek Council''
These organizations serve MIT students as members of the MGC. * -

Alpha Kappa Alpha Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. () is the first intercollegiate historically African American sorority. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at the historically black Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of sixteen stud ...

, 1977 (NPHC) * -

Delta Sigma Theta Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. () is a historically African American sorority. The organization was founded by college-educated women dedicated to public service with an emphasis on programs that assist the African American community. Delta ...

, 1980 (NPHC) ''MIT-Area Sororities, outside of the FSILG'' * - Chi Lambda Mu / Clam, 2014 co-ed Sororities whose names changed
:: - ''Eta Sigma Mu (local), 1890-1895, became The Cleofan.'' :: ''Bon 3 Club (local), 1968-2014, became '' :: ''Club Amherst (local), 1981-1984, became '' :: ''The Thalians (local), 1985-1986, became '' :: - ''Sigma Iota Phi (local), 1992-1995, became '' Dormant sorority chapters
:: ''-None-''

Independent Living Groups (ILGs)

Pika--mit-fsilg-cooperative-housing--house-art-with-swirl-500px

MIT's Independent Living Groups or ILGs participate in some of the broader Greek events, but maintain many of their own traditions as cooperative homes. Some developed as former fraternities that left their national associations during the early 1970s as part of a move toward co-education which was not compatible with their national organizations. MIT's five ILGs coordinate themselves through a separate Living Group Council (LGC). Each ILG property is owned by a corporation populated mainly or entirely by alums, and then leased to residents. Active ILG Houses * Student House, 1930 co-ed * Fenway House, 1973 co-ed * - Epsilon Theta, 1974 co-ed * Women's Independent Living Group (WILG), 1976 * pika, 1981 co-ed Dormant ILGs : ''5:15 Club, 1933-1986''

Multicultural Greek Council (MGC)

Originally ethnic or language-affiliated, these organizations are now fully integrated – as are MIT's general Greek letter organizations and ILGs. They make up the fourth Greek Council within FSILG. Their historical affiliation may be reviewed by reading their local or national histories. Some of the men's groups also participate in IFC events, and the women's groups in PHA events. MGC chapters are non-residential and often serve several schools in the Boston area. Additional schools are listed in the references for each group. They may or may not be under the authority of the Office of FSILG. Further, the historically Black Greek associations (NPHC and NPC) have adopted a heightened focus on alumni and adult programming, usually with distinct alumni chapters that also exist locally. On the MIT campus, the inter-Greek councils will, as needed, cooperate on programs and policies, as do individual chapters from among the several Greek councils. Listed by date of local founding and national conference membership, these are either men's or women's organizations, voluntarily coordinating their efforts within the larger Multicultural Greek Council (MGC). See the FLILG office for current MGC chapters.
Active Men's NPHC or NALFO chapters * - Kappa Alpha Psi, 1975 (NPHC) and (NIC) * -

, 1989 (NPHC) and (NIC) Active Men's NPHC or NALFO chapters ''outside of FSILG'' * - Lambda Upsilon Lambda, 1994 (NALFO), Latino Dormant Historically Ethnic Men's chapters :: - '' Psi Alpha Kappa, 1901-1904, Latin American, dormant'' :: - ''Pi Delta Phi (local), 1916-1921, Latin-American, became ΦΛΑ (see ΦΙΑ)'' :: - ''

Phi Lambda Alpha Phi Lambda Alpha (), established in 1919 at the University of California, Berkeley was the first Latin American–based Greek Lettered collegiate fraternity in the Western United States. Phi Lambda Alpha (ΦΛΑ) fraternity established communicati ...

, 1921-1931?, Latin-American, became ΦΙΑ'' Active Women's NPHC or NAPA chapters * -

, 1977 (NPC) * -

, 1980 (NPC) Dormant Historically Ethnic Women's chapters :''-None-''

Professional fraternities

Professional societies work to build friendship bonds among members, cultivate their strengths that they may promote their profession, and provide mutual assistance in their shared areas of professional study. Listed by date of local founding with national conference membership, these are primarily co-ed organizations, of a specific professional interests. Membership in a professional fraternity may be the result of a pledge process, much like a social fraternity, and members are expected to remain loyal and active in the organization for life. Within the group of societies dedicated to professional fields of study, for example, law societies, membership is exclusive; however, these societies may initiate members who belong to other types of fraternities. Professional Societies are known for networking and post-collegiate involvement. Governance varies from faculty-managed to purely student run.
(PFA) indicates members of the

Professional Fraternity Association The Professional Fraternity Association (PFA) is an American association of national, collegiate, professional fraternities and sororities that was formed in . Since PFA groups are discipline-specific, members join while pursuing graduate (law, me ...

. * -

, 1912 (PFA), engineering Dormant Professional Fraternities :: - '' Alpha Chi Sigma, 1919-1954, 19xx-2009 (PFA), chemistry, dormant'' :: '' Scarab, 1921, architecture, national disbanded.'' :: - '' Kappa Eta Kappa, 1924-1944 (PFA), electrical engineering, computer engineering or computer science, dormant'' :Others? Numerous professional societies could be listed here, some have/had a long history on campus.

Honor and recognition fraternities

Honor societies In the United States, an honor society is a rank organization that recognizes excellence among peers. Numerous societies recognize various fields and circumstances. The Order of the Arrow, for example, is the National Honor Society of the Boy Sc ...

recognize students who excel academically or as leaders among their peers, usually within a specific academic discipline. Members commonly include the society on their résumé/CV, which may serve to bolster grad school acceptance, publishing merit, and professional opportunities. Graduating students

Listed by date of local founding with national conference membership, these are co-ed, non-residential, achievement-based organizations that self-select members based on published criteria. At graduation, or at times of formal academic processionals, graduates, administrators, Ph.D. holders, and post-doctoral fellows wear academic robes in the colors of their degree, school, and other distinction, according to a voluntary Intercollegiate Code that governs customs such as formal academic regalia. In addition, various colored devices such as stoles, scarfs, cords, tassels, and medallions are used to indicate membership in a student's honor society; cords and mortarboard tassels are most common. Phi Beta Kappa, the first honor society, locally founded at MIT in 1971, has used Pink and Sky blue since its national founding in 1776. Hence, students tapped for ΦΒΚ may wear tassels or other society-approved items, in these colors. Like most schools, MIT allows such regalia for honor society members. Stoles are less common, but they are used by a few honor societies. In academic circles, colors are well-known and follow long-standing protocols
The ACHS website lists the colors
for their 68 member organizations, and the

Honor society In the United States, an honor society is a rank organization that recognizes excellence among peers. Numerous societies recognize various fields and circumstances. The Order of the Arrow, for example, is the National Honor Society of the Boy Sc ...

WP page lists others. Many honor societies invite students to become members based on scholastic rank (the top x% of a class) and/or grade point, either overall, or for classes taken within the discipline for which the honor society provides recognition. In cases where academic achievement would not be an appropriate criterion for membership, other standards are required for membership (such as completion of a particular ceremony or training program). These societies recognize past achievement. Pledging is not required, and new candidates may be immediately inducted into membership after meeting predetermined academic criteria and paying a one-time membership fee. Some require graduate enrollment. Because of their purpose of recognition, most honor societies will have much higher academic achievement requirements for membership than professional societies. It is also common for a scholastic honor society to add a criterion relating to the character of the student. Some honor societies are invitation only while others allow unsolicited applications. Finally, membership in an honor society might be considered exclusive, i.e., a member of such an organization cannot join other honor societies representing the same field. Governance requires a faculty sponsor and each society remains faculty-guided, usually with alumni input.
(ACHS) indicates members of the

Association of College Honor Societies The Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS) is a predominantly American, voluntary association that serves a number of functions with respect to national collegiate and post-graduate honor societies. ACHS coordinates member organizations, faci ...

. Active Honor Societies * -

Tau Beta Pi The Tau Beta Pi Association (commonly Tau Beta Pi, , or TBP) is the oldest engineering honor society and the second oldest collegiate honor society in the United States. It honors engineering students in American universities who have shown a ...

, 1922 (ACHS), engineering honors *

Scabbard and Blade Scabbard and Blade (S&B) is a college military honor society founded at the University of Wisconsin in 1904. Although membership is open to Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) cadets and midshipmen of all military services, the society is mod ...

, 1924 (ACHS), military honors * - Chi Epsilon, 1928 (ACHS), civil engineering honors * - Sigma Xi, 1934, graduate science and engineering honors * - Eta Kappa Nu 1939, IEEE affiliation, electrical engineering, computer engineering honors * -

Pi Tau Sigma Pi Tau Sigma () is an international honor society in the field of mechanical engineering, with most chapters established in the United States. It honors mechanical engineering students who have exemplified the "principles of scholarship, characte ...

, 1947 (ACHS), mechanical engineering honors * -

Phi Lambda Upsilon Phi Lambda Upsilon National Honorary Chemical Society () was founded in 1899 at the Noyes Laboratory of the University of Illinois. Phi Lambda Upsilon was the first honor society dedicated to scholarship in a single discipline, chemistry. Object ...

, 1956 (ACHS), chemistry honors * - Delta Sigma Rho-Tau Kappa Alpha, 1956, forensics honors * - Sigma Delta Psi, 1966, Disbanded national athletics honorary * - Phi Beta Kappa, 1971, academic honors * -

Alpha Nu Sigma Alpha Nu Sigma () is an American nuclear engineering honor society affiliated with the American Nuclear Society. Alpha Nu Sigma was established to "recognize high scholarship, integrity, and potential achievement among outstanding degree-seeking ...

, 1980?, nuclear energy honors * -

Sigma Pi Sigma Sigma Pi Sigma (), founded at Davidson College on December 11, 1921, is the oldest and only American honor society for physics and astronomy. It is an organization within the Society of Physics Students and the American Institute of Physics and ...

, 1983 (ACHS), physics honors *

Arnold Air Society The Arnold Air Society (AAS) is a professional, honorary, service organization. AAS is open to officer candidates in Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) and at the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA), and is formally affiliated ...

(A-1), 19xx, Air Force cadet honors * National fraternity key societies - There are dozens of these, scholarship honors Dormant Honor Societies :: -

Pi Delta Epsilon The Society for Collegiate Journalists (SCJ) is an American honor society for student journalists. It was formed on June 1, 1975 as a merger between the two journalism honor societies Pi Delta Epsilon (ΠΔΕ) and Alpha Phi Gamma (ΑΦΓ). Many ...

, 1910-1927+, Journalism honors (see the Society for Collegiate Journalists) :: ''Triglyph, 1921-1927+, Architectural honors'' :: - ''Sigma Alpha Beta (local), 1923-19xx, Military honors'' :: - ''Alpha Sigma Delta, 1924-1927+, radio communication honors'' :: - '' Delta Omega, 1924-1944, public health honors'' :: ''Mortar and Ball, 1925-1933+, Coast Artillery honors, dormant'' :: ''

Angel Flight Angel Flight is the name used by a number of groups whose members provide free air transportation for passengers in need of medical treatment far from home and perform other missions of community service. Such a non-profit organization may be lo ...

, 19xx, auxiliary to Arnold Air Society, became Silver Wings'' :: '' Order of Omega, 1992-201x, Greek Life leadership honors, dormant?''This was the ''Mu Zeta chapter'' of Order of Omega, installed February 7, 1992. Per national website. :Others? Numerous local honor societies were formed, some enjoying a long tenure.

Service fraternities

Service fraternities formed with the intent of providing campus and community service. Listed with dates of local founding and national conference membership, if any, these are non-residential organizations. These organizations are self-governed. * -

Alpha Phi Omega Alpha Phi Omega (), commonly known as APO, but also A-Phi-O and A-Phi-Q, is a coeducational service fraternity. It is the largest collegiate fraternity in the United States, with chapters at over 350 campuses, an active membership of over 25,0 ...

, 1936 co-ed

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Mit Fraternities, Sororities, And Ilgs Massachusetts Institute of Technology student life MIT