It took us 3 years. While our colony was still a colony, our organization revamped its expansion policy. I think they generally shoot for 3 semesters nowadays.

Likewise, we have requirements that must be met, and our colonization program is in two phases. Phase One can last up to two years. I'd say it usually takes at least one year and is considered complete when all requirements have been met and approved. Phase Two lasts nine weeks and ends with initiation/chartering.

1 year

In APO, there is no specific time line. There are phases that must be completed: Interest Group, then Petitioning Group, then Charter, then an 'after care' period that lasts about a year.

Ideally, the chartering effort should take about a year. There is concern that if a group gets it down in less then a year, there is a real chance they could collapse soon after being chartered (hence the new 'aftercare period'). If the group takes too long (more then two years), there is concern the group doesn't have their act together, and if progress isn't made, the effort could be shut down.

IN Phi Psi it can take anywhere from 1 semester to 2+ years. Generally we go from interest group to chapter charter in about 1 year. If someone is to graduate before that happy day, we let them come back to initiate.

the colony has 18 months to meet all the requirements of being a chapter. if after 18 months the women of the colony have failed to meet requirements, they stay initiated to the grand chapter but lose their chance to charter a chapter.

AD will initiate individual members before chartering, so that's not an issue.

In ZBT it has been done in 1 year but there is at least one colony that's almost 10 years old.

My chapter was colonized and chartered in the same semester.

The DU Chapter at my campus was colonized and chartered within a year.

There was also a Phi Delta Theta colony at one time on the campus, it was a colony for two semesters and then was removed for undisclosed reasons.

Someone asked earlier why I'm interested. I have heard from quite a few sources that Beta tends to coddle our colonies, and it's one of the things that bothers me about our expansion strategy (though I understand the reasoning). I just wanted to make sure it was as abnormal as I thought it was.

On a thread upkeep note, I realize that there are criteria that must be met in order to charter...that's not the question I'm after. I want to know how long it usually takes to complete those. I realize it's going to vary, but please, put what an average amount of time it takes to do these things. I'm not so much concerned about what they are, I'm just interested in the timeframe, and I'm really only interested in the timeframe as it currently stands, not how long it took 30 years ago.