average cost of dues?
 

I know it varies at different schools, but I really wanna rush this fall since I will be an incoming freshman, but i'd like to have an idea of how much dues are. It'll kill me to go through the whole process and find out I cant even afford it. Please & thanks! (:

Varies so much within schools too! One other sorority on my campus has dues literally four times higher than ours. They pay as much for their first semester as we do for our first two years.
Maybe you could try contacting your school's Greek Life Office? They might be able to give you an idea.

MOST college panhellenics will provide PNM's with a pamphlet or hand out with a listing of financial obligations for all chapters that may or may not include a breakdown of first/initiation semester fees and things regular chapter dues cover: formals, letter shirts, letter jacket, letter bag, mixers, retreats, etc.

In addition, all chapters should have their financial information displayed during recruitment. My school in particular is required to have it posted at every party during the first three rounds and during the second round will even take out a couple of minutes to explain dues to PNM's. Dont hesitate to ask members about any concerns you have about what costs are. Some chapters may even offer payment plans to both new members and members.

Each chapter on each campus will vary in what their dues do and dont cover. Some chapters assess members for things not covered in dues and other chapters do not. You have a right to know this information BEFORE accepting a bid to join.

^ That said, there are schools out there where the attitude is "if you have to ask, you can't afford it", and asking a sister about dues during recruitment could get you cut out of concern that you'll get sticker shock and depledge when you get your first bill. (Note: I'm a cynic.)

My school is not among them. Each chapter provided little half-sheets with a full breakdown of first-semester dues, indicating which items had to be paid each semester and which had to be paid only once (e.g. badge fee).

I suggest you contact your school's Greek Life office. You can also ask your recruitment counselor - she won't be able to tell you a specific chapter's dues, but she can give average dues amounts and she can tell you whether it's "safe" to bring up the topic at a recruitment party.