Sorority and Fraternity Costs

[WonderWoman]

I am thinking about rushing next semester, but I am not sure how much sororities and fraternities cost. I am a legacy for Delta Gamma, but I don't know if sororities are too expensive for my budget. Can someone help me out with this? Thanks!

[PenguinTrax]

The best way to find out about costs is to contact the Greek Life office on your campus. They will have average fees for the sororities on campus. A number of factors will apply: is there a chapter house or lodge and will you be required to live there and eat meals at the house (keep in mind, though, that this means you won't be paying for dorm food or lodging). The national fees vary from sorority to sorority, so that makes a difference as well.

My advice to you is to check out the costs before Rushing - even though they are required to disclose the costs during Rush, if you know up front that you and your parents can't afford it, you shouldn't go through Rush.

Also keep in mind that even if you are a legacy, that is not a guarantee that you will receive a bid from that sorority. Rush with an open mind and pledge where you heart feels most at home.



------------------
Fraternally,
Barbara

If you have to go around telling everyone you're in charge you're not
much of a leader.

[cbroom]

The costs are different for each house at each campus. There are one that pay outrageous amounts, but I only pay $30 per month. Talk to the active Greeks o your campus to find out, or contact the Greek Life office, they should have that information.

CFB
Chi Phi
Psi Zeta '01

[gphiangel]

I just joined and our dues are some what expensive,i pay $60 a month for 6 monthes, but they are worth it. we do alot of things to help the community and the money helps do it. If you ask me i'd pay more if they raised the dues but check with the organization and see if they can put you on a payment plan that helps if you have a limited budget.

[SilverTurtle]

My chapter's dues were very small, mostly because we didn't reside in a house. However, we still made every effort to meet needs of members who couldn't afford them. (Working out payment plans or what-have-you).

[Jae]

Wow your dues are low! I'm a Delta Chi from Ohio State and my dues are $260 per month if you live in the house, $385 per month if you don't, and I know other greeks whose dues are higher.

[PiKappPlayer]

Count yourselves all very lucky to be paying that little. The Real Estate prices in California are crazy espeically in the Bay Area where I go to school at UC Berkeley. I pay $680 a month for dues, rent, and food at our house. Which believe it or not is actually $2000 cheaper than living in the the dorms, but a lot more fun. Pricing is relative I am sure Pi Kapp's at other schools pay far less.

[vtqt79]

Wow I think everyone can count themslves lucky. My sorority is new on campus (one year) and we just got lucky enough to purchase a house for us instead of waiting for on campus housing (Special Purpose housing space for us would not taken place till 2008). But when the chapter found out how much it would be to have the house we all turned it down. It would have been $300 a semester even if you didn't live in the house on top of the $300 a semester that we pay in dues and if you had lived in the house it would have been $400 a month to live there plus the $300 a semester for housing and $300 a semester in dues. As much as we would like to stay a top house and stay there, there was just NO way for us to be able to pay that much...so we are still waiting....

[mwedzi]

My goodness, i had no idea some people's dues were that high. I never really knew, first-hand, the financial exclusiveness of joining some houses. We have a house (though we did't when I pledged) and our dues were small fractions of what I heard on this board. And I'm from a small chapter, too. I mean, if the house note is, say $1000/month, and you have a house of 50 members, how can it add up to so much (these figures are not the case in my house, let me say)? I just don't understand.

[SoCalGirl]

Mwedzi- If the house rent was $1000/month I wouldn't understand how it could get too high either. But you have to add on utilities, food, insurance, etc. etc.

But how you'd find a house for $1000/month for 50 members, that's what I'd like to see.

We don't have houses at my school. Part of the reason is that we'd want a house near school. That means La Jolla, CA. In La Jolla you can't get a 3 bedroom 2 bath for less than a couple million dollars. It's mostly beach front and all expensive as hell. We'd have to have a house that is no where near school to get the size we'd need. And we'd still be looking at millions of dollars.

[equeen]

Wow...and I thought $60 per semester was a lot!

[-sketchball-]

it costs $1400/yr to belong to my chapter, plus you have to purchase a 6-meal plan whether or not you live in the house. you pay about $2000/yr more in rent if you want to live in the house, plus you must pay for the full-board plan if you live in.

[This message has been edited by -sketchball- (edited July 05, 2000).]

[mwedzi]

I don't know anything about other sorority's or fraternity's situations, so I guess I can't be presumptous. We were less than 20, though, and managed to carry a house for relatively small dues. The house was only for 6 people to live in and they divied up the rent since they got the housing, though we all contributed to utilities and food. We were all pretty poor, so none of us would have been able to be in a sorority if it had been that expensive. i would have really missed out.

anyway, as others have said, all groups will let you know before during rush. It does take money at almost every place, though.

[SiKeS]

Here are some averages I got from Mizzou.. Keep in mind these are probably a few years outdated...

The AVERAGE costs are:
Sorority First Year
In-house: $4,380
Out-of-house: $1,400

Sorority Second Year and Following
In-house: $3,955
Out-of-house: $1,055

Fraternity Costs
In-house: $4,395


And I doubt thats including others fees.. (national dues, initiation fee, etc)

[Mandelion]

At my school I think it ranges from about 250-600 a semester.
Obviously, as you can see from how different everyone's dues are, you should visit the Greek Life office at your school.

Good Luck