Welcome to Greek Life at The George Washington University!!

At GW, Greek Life is just one part of a balanced undergraduate experience. The fraternity or sorority experience is a great way to create a sense of home within the wonders of GW and the city. It is all about friendship, leadership, scholarship, community service, philanthropy, and brotherhood/sisterhood that compliment your classroom experience. It’s about being a part of a community with over 1,500 undergraduate Greek-affiliated students on campus. It’s about enhancing the GW and DC communities through service and social functions. It’s about nearly 150 years of tradition, and establishing life-long friendships.

Fraternity and sorority members at GW are: involved in virtually all other student organizations, performing thousands of hours of community services, writing for the two campus newspapers, in leadership positions with the Student Association and Program Board, on the Student Judicial Board, CI Cabinet members, varsity athletes, working internships throughout DC, spending a semester overseas, and so much more. Their chapter membership allows them to bring those experiences back to a family-like group to share and learn. Their fraternity or sorority membership accentuates their GW experience in a way that connects them to the entire community.

Greek Life has a rich history at GW and is one of our most enduring traditions. These men and women are committed to their academics, volunteer time in the community, develop and strengthen their leadership skills, and form a network that reaches far beyond the campus boundaries.

How to Join

Each of the four governing councils for fraternities and sororities have their own structure for recruiting members. The recruitment process for Panhellenic sororities is very structured, and will occur from September 15-19; IFC fraternities have a less formal, but still structured process, that begins on September 25; the Multi-cultural Greek Council and NPHC fraternities and sororities have an intake process that is chapter based, there will be an informational meeting  for those interested in late-September. Please visit the Greek Life website at http://gwired.gwu.edu/sac/greek for more specific details.

Unrecognized Fraternities

There are currently two national fraternities (Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Sigma Alpha Mu) operating on campus without the support and recognition of the University. If you son shows interest in joining either of these fraternities, please make sure to learn as much as possible about the status of these groups. Detailed information can be found at the Greek Life web site. There is also a third group claiming to operate as a fraternity, Alpha Pi Epsilon (APEs). This group does not have any external support from a national organization, lacks liability insurance, and has a track record of hazing, serious risk management issues, and intimidation. We strongly urge you to not permit your son to affiliate with this group. The APEs should not be confused with Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity. The Greek Life web site has additional information on APEs.

Contact Us at greeks@gwu.edu