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Office of Greek Life

Transfer Students

Welcome to Vanderbilt! We are excited that you have decided to make VU your new campus home. We recognize that transfer students arrive to our campus from the following three categories:

1. I am not a member of a fraternity/sorority but I am interested in seeking membership.

Across all Councils potential members must:

  • Have at least 12 credits from your previous institution
  • Have a 2.50 or above GPA from your previous institution
  • Not be on disciplinary probation
  • Attend a consent education session

Please see below for Council-specific joining information.

Please attend IFC Transfer/Upperclassmen Kick Off. Following this meeting, you will have the opportunity to visit with individual fraternity members. At this event you will learn about the following registration requirements:

  • The recruitment fee (due by IFC Fall Bid Night)
  • The online registration form

You can participate in fall recruitment events alongside first-year students, but because of your upperclassmen status are eligible to accept a bid during the fall semester. Every IFC chapters does not take new members during the fall semester. It is your decision whether to accept a bid in the fall or wait until the spring with the possibility of having more opportunities for membership. If your chapter(s) of interest are not extending bids you should still continue to attend recruitment events in order to develop relationships with active members.

For more information please contact Cam Alden, Coordinator of Greek Life.

IGC chapters may conduct membership intake in the fall or spring semester and Upperclassmen/transfer students may participate in either semester. Stop by the Office of Greek Life or check out social media to find Information Meeting flyers. Interested students must:

You may also contact: Ashton Sawyers, Coordinator of Greek Life.

NPHC chapters may conduct membership intake in the fall or spring semester. Upperclassmen/transfer students may participate during the fall semester. Stop by the Office of Greek Life periodically to see whether a flyer is posted with information about your desired chapter of affiliation. Flyers will be labeled as “Interest Meeting”, “Informational”, “Rush Tea”, or “Meet N’ Greet”. Also, it is beneficial for you to attend programs sponsored by the chapter(s) including the “Back 2 School” Events being held at the end of August. If your chapter of interest does not hold intake in a particular semester, please continue attending chapter events and checking periodically for intake information. Interested students must:

It is strongly recommended that you attend Greek Mystique where you will have an opportunity to learn about all of the NPHC organizations and meet their current members and alumni.

You are encouraged to contact chapter representatives for more information. You may also contact: Ashton Sawyers, Coordinator of Greek Life.

You have two options to seek membership in one of our nine National Panhellenic Conference chapters. You may participate in our Transfer/Upperclassmen Recruitment known as COB, which stands for Continuous Open Bidding. Membership opportunities during COB are limited because every chapter is not eligible or required to participate in the process.

Informal Recruitment Registration Eligibility Requirements:

  • You must not have been initiated at an NPC chapter at your previous institution.
  • You must Complete a COB Interest Form which will ask for some information about your activities at your previous institution, legacy information, as well as provide our office with permission to release your academic and disciplinary eligibility status to the organizations participating in COB. This form will be available on the Panhellenic Anchorlink page.

COB is an informal way to join a Panhellenic sorority at Vanderbilt. There are fewer chapter options available and your new member class will be significantly smaller but if you make a connection with a chapter and are offered a bid then we encourage you to accept and begin your Panhellenic journey at Vanderbilt. Please note that during this process, you can potentially receive multiple invitations to membership.

If you would like to pursue membership during the formal recruitment process you must wait until the spring semester. During the formal recruitment process all of our chapters are open for membership. You may participate in both COB and formal recruitment. However, if you accept a bid during COB you become ineligible to participate in the formal recruitment process. For more information on the formal recruitment process click HERE.

Questions? Contact Destiny Savage, Assistant Director of Greek Life.

2. I’m a member of fraternity/sorority that has a chapter at Vanderbilt.

For all chapters, please contact the Council advisor who will put you in touch with the chapter president. The chapter president will assist you in navigating the inter/national organization process for transferring into the Vanderbilt chapter. You can also directly contact the inter/national organization to gain more information about the transfer process. It is helpful to contact the Vanderbilt chapter president to make an initial connection with the chapter members.

Please note that if you do not successfully transfer into your chapter of affiliation or do not desire to become a member of that chapter you are ineligible to be a member of a different fraternity/sorority on Vanderbilt’s campus (not including business or other pre-professional fraternities).

3. I’m a member of a fraternity/sorority that does not have a chapter at Vanderbilt.

Unless you were not initiated into an organization at your previous institution, you will not be able to seek Greek membership at Vanderbilt.

This is the first component of the Panhellenic Compact for Panhellenic women. “ A woman who is or who has ever been an initiated member of an existing NPC fraternity shall not be eligible for membership in another NPC fraternity (UA-3).” Similar policies exist for inter/national organizations in the Interfraternity Council and National Pan-Hellenic Council.

The commitment you make to your fraternity/sorority is a lifelong commitment and only in rare and extenuating circumstances will an organization release you from your membership.

We strongly discourage you from being dishonest about your current Greek affiliation in an attempt to become a member of a chapter at Vanderbilt.

Many Greek-lettered organizations have alumni groups in the area and the Office of Greek Life will assist you in finding members of your fraternity/sorority in the area. We encourage you to remain connected with your fraternity/sorority through alumni involvement and to remember the values of your organization as you experience life at Vanderbilt University.