frequently asked questions

Recruitment registration opened on May 1st, 2026. Follow @utkpanhellenic on Instagram, and keep up with our website for updates!

You will have the opportunity to share some information about yourself when you create your registration. You will be able to share specifics about any leadership involvement, extracurricular activities, community service, part-time jobs, etc. Additionally, you will be asked a few free-response questions about your interest in the sorority experience. Take your time on these because they will allow the chapters to get to know you a little more prior to Recruitment. You will also have the opportunity to upload your resume, a current picture, and an academic letter of recommendation. Please note that while you may submit your registration, it won’t be complete until you upload your 60 second Go Greek video via the Google form you’ll receive in your registration confirmation email!

Yes, you will have the ability to edit your registration by logging back into your account. However, you are highly encouraged to limit the amount of editing and fully complete your registration when your account is created as chapters may miss edits made, especially the closer it gets to Primary Recruitment.

Yes, you should have received a confirmation email. The most common reason why you may have not is because you may have entered your email incorrectly. If you are using your new UTK email, make sure you have typed in @vols.utk.edu. The second most frequent problem is that the email may be going to your spam folder, so be sure to check there. The third most frequent problem is that your payment did not go through, and you will be unable to log back into your account. If this is the case, you will need to complete a new registration and try a different method of payment. 

Since every high school utilizes a different grading system and may weight certain courses differently, the Panhellenic Council utilizes the UTK calculated core GPA in an effort to have every potential new member enter into the Recruitment period on the same level.

For first-year student admission, the University of Tennessee calculates a core GPA based upon a four-point grading scale in high school courses in sixteen areas:

• 4 units of English

• 2 units of Algebra

• 1 unit of Geometry

• 1 unit of advanced math (precalculus, calculus, trigonometry, statistics)

• 3 units of natural science

• 1 unit of American history

• 1 unit of European history, world history, or world geography

• 2 units of a single foreign language

• 1 unit of visual or performing art

• Courses in the list above that were taken as Honors are given an additional half-quality point, and courses that were taken as Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or Dual Enrollment are given an additional quality point in the calculation of the core GPA.

If your Core GPA (which can be received through the Office of Admissions) differs dramatically from your high school transcript, you can upload a copy of your transcript to your registration account so that chapters can have access to both numbers.

If you are registered for Panhellenic Recruitment by June 15th (Priority Recruitment Registration deadline), you will be guaranteed an early move-in appointment! Those registered after June 15th will not be guaranteed early move-in appointments, and may be assigned appointments after August 10th. For more information about move-in, please visit the University Housing's website, and be sure to check your VOLmail regularly!

More information about move-in will come from University Housing.

Individuals moving into an off-campus apartment building will need to work directly with the leasing agents. The Panhellenic Council is unable to provide temporary housing prior to people’s leases beginning.

Lunch will be provided during select rounds of Recruitment. More information on provided meals will be available closer to Recruitment. You will be responsible for providing meals at all other times during the week of Recruitment. When you register for Recruitment, please be sure to identify any food allergies or dietary restrictions. Throughout Recruitment, we will also be providing light snacks.

Recommendation letters are written by an alumna of one of our Panhellenic sororities on behalf of the potential new member.  Recommendation letters are done through the individual national sororities, not through the Panhellenic Council. For information about each organization’s recommendation letter process, please visit the national organization’s website or our Panhellenic Lookbook.

All letters must be submitted prior to August 1st to ensure that chapters have adequate time to review the information.

Recommendation letters are best when they are written by someone who knows the PNM and can speak to their character. We encourage PNMs to seek out individuals that they know, but if an individual is unable to secure a recommendation for any of our sororities, please do not stress! Recommendation letters will not make or break your Recruitment experience.

Please note that each sorority has its own policy as to whether or not they require a recommendation/reference and that the University of Tennessee Panhellenic does NOT have access to individual sorority Recommendation/Reference forms.

Typically, a sorority alumna, or potentially a collegiate member of a sorority, can write a recommendation to her sorority. It is also recommended that the alumna use her sorority’s official recommendation form, which can usually be found on the sorority’s national website or in the sorority’s national magazine. 

Securing letters of recommendation is ultimately NOT the obligation of the potential new member, so below are a couple of things to keep in mind if you choose to seek out letters of recommendation:

• If a PNM decides she wants to personally seek out alumnae to write a rec. on her behalf, she need only secure ONE recommendation for every chapter that accepts letters of recommendation. More than one per chapter is unnecessary.

• If a PNM is struggling to find alumna to write letters of recommendation, we encourage reaching out to a local alumni chapter, searching the national website, or contacting the Chapter President by email and asking for recommendations on local alumni who would be willing to write one.

Additionally, many sororities have changed their policies and no longer require letters of recommendation. They can be helpful for the chapter to learn more about you, but are not a deciding factor if you do not have them. Do not stress over finding a recommendation for every chapter!

While there are 26 NPC sororities, when seeking letters of recommendation for Recruitment, you ONLY need letters for those 14 National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) sororities participating in Formal Recruitment at UTK. They are: Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Gamma Delta, Alpha Omicron Pi, Chi Omega, Delta Delta Delta, Delta Gamma, Delta Zeta, Kappa Delta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Phi Mu, Pi Beta Phi, Sigma Kappa, and Zeta Tau Alpha.

Supplemental Academic Letters of Recommendation

While chapter specific letters of recommendation are preferred, for women unable to find an alumna from each of the recognized sororities at the University of Tennessee to write a letter of rec., there is another option. As a part of the Recruitment application, women may elect to submit a generic, supplemental academic letter of recommendation from a teacher, guidance counselor, or principal. The individual writing the letter of recommendation does not have been a member of a Greek organization. However, the letter should speak to the PNMs character as it applies to leadership, scholarship, community service, and friendship. Please note that this is an optional feature and as such, is not a required part of the online application form. The weight by which these supplemental academic letters of recommendation is up to each chapter’s discretion. 

Supplemental Academic Letters of Recommendation can be submitted directly through CampusDirector during registration.

A Gamma Chi, or Recruitment Counselor, is a member of one of our 14 chapters at the University of Tennessee who has taken on the role of an impartial member, disaffiliated from her chapter, in order to provide an unbiased opinion for the potential new members.

No. Many women choose to go through the Formal Recruitment process as a sophomore or junior for various reasons. Sororities accept women of all ages, as long as they are full-time students and in good standing at the University of Tennessee.

Formal Recruitment is a more structured process whereas Informal Recruitment is carried out through Continuous Open Bidding. This can happen at any time during the school year, except during Formal Recruitment.

Yes, all of our chapters have the ability to set their own GPA requirements, and many have different policies and expectations for GPA requirements set by their international and/or national organization. While academics are very important, your GPA is not the only factor that is taken into account for membership selection, and you are encouraged to talk with each chapter about their academic requirements.

Some PNMs may come into the Recruitment process only wanting to join a few specific organizations and may experience feelings of disappointment if this want is not satisfied. The Panhellenic Council encourages you to keep an open mind during the Recruitment process in order to find an organization that is best suited for you.

When you show up on Bid Day, your chapter is looking forward to seeing you run home. Trust the process and give the chapter a try! This happens more than you might think, and women end up loving their chapter.

Each sorority has different requirements for events and time commitments. Many have optional and mandatory events, but working a part-time job is very possible. Many students in our community hold part-time jobs while participating in their sorority. Chapters understand that many college students have jobs and do their best to work with members to meet financial, attendance, and other obligations. Additionally, many of our members pay for their dues through summer and part-time jobs.

Some of the best questions to ask a chapter member are about her personal experiences with Greek life. Other possible questions include:

• What does your chapter mean to you?

• How have you benefited from being a member of your sorority?

• What kind of scholarships and award programs does your chapter have?

• What is your philanthropy, and how does your chapter support it?

• What kind of leadership opportunities does your chapter offer?

Remember: the way you get to know a chapter is by asking questions that matter to you.

During Recruitment, the number of chapters a potential new member can visit will vary from one person to the next. It is very common to not have a full schedule. The number of events you attend is not important, but the conversations you have during these rounds will help you make your final decisions about your top choices for membership. However, PNMs are expected to attend all events to which they are invited to throughout the Recruitment process. Failure to attend an event may result in a lack of invitations the following round or removal from the Recruitment process completely. Additionally, if you miss a round you were assigned, you will have to sit out the next round.

Once you have signed the MRABA after Preference Round, you are bound to accept membership from one of the sororities listed on the agreement. If you do not accept membership from any of the chapters listed on the agreement, you must wait another calendar year before accepting an invitation for membership to a Panhellenic sorority. Not accepting a bid during the Formal Recruitment process will make you ineligible to participate in COB.

The ultimate decision of accepting an invitation for membership rests with you. If you do not feel that being a part of a sorority is for you, you can choose to decline the bid.

Statistically, women who are involved on campus have a higher GPA. The All-Panhellenic GPA is historically higher than the Undergraduate GPA and All-Women GPA. Each chapter has its own academic requirements that will help you stay on track during your time at this university.

Absolutely! The Panhellenic Council prides itself in having so many of its members involved in other campus organizations. Women who are more involved on campus are more likely to graduate on time and have a higher GPA.

No. Recruitment focuses on the values of membership and sisterhood, therefore, PNMs and chapter members are not allowed to go onto Fraternity property, and must avoid consumption of alcohol during the duration of Recruitment. In addition, absolutely no woman will participate in Fraternity recruitment. In accordance with Title IX, women cannot partake in Fraternity Recruitment events if our organizations want to continue as single sex organizations.

Yes! Panhellenic unity is so important to our community. We love working together on different service projects, fundraising, and other events.

Any university sanctioned events (orientation, academic advising appointments, etc.) are required, so you, unfortunately, may miss some events during Primary Recruitment. Please notify your Gamma Chi, who will make sure that absences are passed along to each of the chapters.

You will receive communication from your Gamma Chi, both by phone and by email, prior to the week of Primary Recruitment.