At Denison, we want to give first-year students time to adjust to college life, focus on academics, and learn about the variety of involvement opportunities available to them before participating in recruitment. Therefore students become eligible to join in their second semester on campus.

Recruitment & Intake

If you are interested in joining a fraternity or sorority, you will enter a process called “membership intake” or “recruitment.” Each of Denison’s four fraternity and sorority councils has its own recruitment processes, which are outlined below. Pending eligibility, all Denison students are welcome and encouraged to explore and become a part of these national communities.

Eligible students must have completed 12 credit hours at Denison (or a previous institution) and have earned at least a 2.500 cumulative grade point average or higher. Students who are currently on disciplinary probation status are ineligible to join. Credits from AP or summer courses do not allow first-year students to join in their fall semester.

Interfraternity Council (IFC)

Composed of men’s fraternities, the IFC is a self-governing institution, seeking to develop and maintain fraternity life and interfraternal relations by promoting unity and growth of its member organizations. The IFC is the governing body for the majority of the North American Interfraternity Conference fraternities.

IFC organizations include:

The IFC hosts their primary semi-structured recruitment process each spring semester during the first two weeks of class. There is a nominal fee for registration, which opens in November for the following spring. In addition, IFC fraternities may host fall recruitment events.

All recruitment events for IFC fraternities are advertised on WhatToDU. For information about IFC, please contact ifc@denison.edu.

National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC)

NPHC is the governing body of the historically African American fraternities and sororities, also known as the Divine Nine. NPHC coordinates activities to develop leadership skills, positive relationships, and citizenship through community service and outreach. Organizations that are a part of NPHC embrace the continuance of social actions, political empowerment, and economic development.

Denison is home to five Divine Nine organizations:

If you are interested in joining an NPHC organization, you are encouraged to conduct your own research into the Divine Nine organizations. You should plan to attend informational sessions in the fall and/or spring semester, which will provide an overview of the organization’s membership requirements, financial obligations, and what to expect from the intake process.

Not all NPHC organizations conduct intake processes in the fall and/or spring semesters.

If you are interested in receiving more information may submit the fraternity & sorority life intake interest form and/or contact nphc@denison.edu.

Multicultural Greek Council (MGC)

MGC is the governing body for multicultural and multiethnic fraternities and sororities. The council fosters relationships within the multicultural community, promotes scholarship, service, respect, and camaraderie and cultural awareness. MGC organizations include:

We encourage you to do your own research on our organizations at Denison. To learn more, you should plan to attend informational sessions in the fall and/or spring semester. These will provide an overview of the organization’s membership requirements, financial obligations, and what you can expect during the intake process.

Not all MGC organizations conduct intake or recruitment processes in the fall and/or spring semesters.

If you are interested in receiving more information, please complete the fraternity & sorority life intake interest form and/or contact mgc@denison.edu

Panhellenic Council (PHC)

Panhellenic women strive for individual excellence in scholarship and leadership, and to promote community through service and fellowship. PHC is the governing body for women’s organizations, responsible for organizing programming and educational opportunities, communication efforts, and supporting the Panhellenic community.

PHC organizes the primary recruitment period, held in the spring semester, during which a mutual selection process introduces potential members to the entire Panhellenic community.

PHC organizations include:

Panhellenic Council hosts the primary recruitment process over the second weekend of each spring semester. Registration for primary recruitment will open in November. A $35 non-refundable registration fee supports recruitment operations and the National Panhellenic Conference staff that support our campus during recruitment. Once registration opens, the fee can be paid electronically during registration or by check/cash in the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life.

Continuous open bidding is an informal recruitment process that typically takes place in the spring or fall semesters. Because each organization has a maximum membership total, not all Panhellenic sororities will be eligible for an informal recruitment process. If organizations have openings during the spring or fall semesters, students may be eligible to join.

Students who are interested in receiving communication can fill out the fraternity & sorority life intake interest form and contact panhellenic@denison.edu

For More Information

If you have any questions concerning fraternity or sorority recruitment/intake, please see our staff contact information