Membership in a sorority is voluntary and is the result of mutual selection. Formal recruitment is a time set aside, usually once a year, for sorority members and unaffiliated women to become better acquainted. Continuous informal recruitment also occurs on some campuses throughout the school year. Offers of membership during informal recruitment may occur at any time during the process of getting acquainted.
Membership recruitment ends with offers of membership to many of those who have entered the process.
Each sorority has certain fixed expenses including dues, new member fees, initiation fees, and housing fees (determined by local campus facilities). An average cost for membership is included in the sorority membership recruitment brochure. The campus Panhellenic office also will provide this information upon request. During formal recruitment, each chapter should furnish a detailedstatement of member financial obligations.
Recruitment differs on each of more than 600 campuses where there are NPC sororities, so it is important to get information from a particular campus student activities office to understand the times and requirements of recruitment. Often information is available on university Web sites.