11 Biggest Fraternities and Sororities in the US

Which are the biggest fraternities and sororities in the US?

Fraternities and sororities are social organizations for men and women, respectively, and are quite popular in US colleges. Membership for these is usually procured when one is an undergraduate student, but remains in place for life! So, it is natural for the members to be quite attached to the name and activities of the organization they belong to.

Although fraternities and sororities are usually very secretive about their rituals, their purpose is more or less the same: to develop the characters of their members and prepare them for personal and organizational responsibility.

A large fraternity or sorority usually extends throughout the country with some locations scattered overseas as well. This connects people from far off locations to each other, forming a strong bond of brotherhood (or sisterhood). Each location is referred to, in the Greek life, as a chapter and the more chapters, the more spread out the organization will be, which is why we have taken the number of chapters in each fraternity and sorority as our ranking criterion.

First, we extracted the 10 biggest fraternities and the 10 largest sororities from Greek Rank. We used this website as our starting point because it is the only source that provides aggregate and concise information for both regular and cultural organizations. The two lists found were then combined to form one consolidated ranking, where the numbers of chapters were taken from the respective websites of the societies to make our information much more reliable. It is important to note here that some of these websites are not updated regularly so the number might not be very exact. However, the fraternities / sororities mentioned in the list are undoubtedly the biggest because their numbers are much larger when compared to other societies. Where the number of chapters could not be found on the respective website of the organization, we resorted to Greek Rank to provide us with the figure.

Furthermore, we have considered all types of cultural and honor societies to make the list more comprehensive, because almost all organizations, which have historically been associated with a specific race, have expanded their memberships and now admit people of all races. Even though it is still considered quite strange for an African American to be in a white sorority or a Caucasian to be a member of a black sorority, instances of both have been on a growing trend for a while now.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at the 11 biggest fraternities and sororities in the US, but don’t forget also to check our article on the 11 biggest foundations in the world!

11. Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity

Number of chapters: 235

Founded at the University of Alabama in the year 1856, Sigma Alpha Epsilon aspires to turn each and every one of its members into “The true gentleman”. Every new member is required to recite these words by John Walter Wayland and SAE believes that they define the code of conduct of the whole organization. Moreover, these words are considered to be the adhesive that binds all the members together, even though they are geographically dispersed.

The chapters of Sigma Alpha Epsilon span all fifty states, so there is no doubt in anyone’s mind of how huge the society is. A foundation, which collects funds and grants scholarships to the worthiest students, has also been established by this large fraternity.

10. Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity

Number of chapters: 251

This 117-year-old fraternity was founded to reward men on the basis of their character, rather than wealth. It came with the mission to nourish its members mentally, morally and socially.

The members of Tau Kappa Epsilon can be seen in all fields of life with many of them holding important positions in the US government. Undoubtedly, its most famous member was Ronald W. Reagan, the fortieth president of the United States, but many senators, governors, and mayors have also been part of the organization.

9. Iota Phi Theta Fraternity

Number of chapters: 263

Iota Phi Theta was established in 1963 which means that it is not as old as most of the other organizations on our list of biggest fraternities and sororities in the US. However, it has expanded itself in a short amount of time, which is evident from its number of chapters and the facts that it has formed a foundation called the National Iota Foundation (NIF), and that its official publication, Centaur, has evolved from a newsletter into a biannual magazine.

Iota Phi Theta is predominantly an African American society, but it does not discriminate by race when accepting people into their ranks.

8. Kappa Sigma Fraternity

Number of chapters: 320

One of the oldest fraternities, Kappa Sigma ranks 8th on our list of biggest fraternities and sororities in the US. It was founded in 1869 at the University of Virginia with the goal of building better men. The foundation set up by this fraternity, named the Kappa Sigma Endowment Fund, is the oldest of those set up by any other college fraternity. It has, till now, granted scholarships worth over $4.5 million to students who have outdone themselves academically.

Kappa Sigma laid down the foundation of four pillars at its inception: fellowship, leadership, scholarship, and service. To this date, it is building itself upon these values and inculcating them in its members.

7. Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority

Number of chapters: 500

In 1922, at Butler’s University, Arizona, the society of Sigma Gamma Rho, the number 7 on our list of biggest fraternities and sororities in the US was formed. This organization strives to improve the leadership skills and the quality of life of its members. Furthermore, it focuses on public service and education in order to transform the young women that join the organization, into good citizens.

As can be judged from its number of chapters, Sigma Gamma Rho is spread out not only through the United States, but its chapters can also be found in countries as far as Korea!

6. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity

Number of chapters: 686

Alpha Phi Alpha is the first Greek-letter fraternity founded for African Americans in the year 1906 at the prestigious Cornell University. Since its start, this society has striven to provide a forum to colored citizens. However, that should not be taken to mean that being of a particular race is the prerequisite to join Alpha Phi Alpha.  In fact, the first white member was initiated into the society a long time ago, 1964 to be exact.

Alpha Phi Alpha encourages ambition in its members, the sort of ambition that should spark good deeds for humanity. Roland Burris, the man who took the Senate seat vacated by President Barack Obama, is a member of this fraternity.

5. Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity

Number of chapters: 721 (Taken from Greek Rank)

With 721 chapters, Kappa Alpha Psi, the next one on our list of biggest fraternities and sororities in the US has chapters in America, the United Kingdom, Germany, Korea, South Africa and Nigeria. This organization wants its members to achieve success in every field of human endeavor. Not only has it created The Kappa Alpha Psi Foundation but it also runs the Senior Kappa Endowment Fund, which raises funds for those members who have been with the society for a long time and are now more than sixty years old.

4. Omega Psi Phi Fraternity

Number of chapters: 750

Omega Psi Phi, founded in 1911, stresses on brotherhood and maintains the motto – “Friendship is essential to the soul”. The society was formed at Howard University and its scope has grown so much that it is now an international fraternity which is why it has landed the number four spot on our list of 11 biggest fraternities and sororities in the US. Most prominent members of Omega Psi Phi include comedians Bill Cosby and Steve Harvey.

3. Zeta Phi Beta Sorority

Number of chapters: 850 (Taken from Greek Rank)

Founded in 1920, Zeta Phi Beta ranks third on our list and has not yet touched the hundred mark; nevertheless, its expansion has been extraordinary. It was the first fraternity or sorority to have a chapter chartered in Africa.

Moreover, Zeta Phi Beta motivates its members towards academic excellence, unity among women and consciousness of the mind. It passionately highlights the issues prevalent in the society. The National Educational Foundation of the society has been formed exclusively for charitable and academic reasons.

2. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority

Number of chapters: 900

We are continuing our list of biggest fraternities and sororities in the US with Delta Sigma Theta which was founded on January 13 in 1913. It is a huge organization with more than 250,000 women as its members. Most of them are African American college educated females, but again, this society does not differentiate when it comes to race, color and creed. Its chapters can be found in England, Germany, Japan, Jamaica, Liberia, Bermuda and the Bahamas, in addition to the United States of course.

The primary focus of Delta Sigma Theta is in making its members intelligent because, according to their motto, “Intelligence is the torch of wisdom”. Furthermore, Delta Sigma Theta has numerous corporate sponsors, which provide financial support for its conventions and conferences. The most prominent ones include Macy’s, Fox Searchlight and UNICEF.

1. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority

Number of chapters: 993

Head to head with Delta Sigma Theta Sorority when it comes to the number of chapters, Alpha Kappa Alpha has bagged the number one spot on our list of 11 biggest fraternities and sororities in the US.

Alpha Kappa Alpha originated in 1908 with the purpose of providing assistance to women and minorities in every aspect of life. It prides in having more than 283,000 educated women as its members. Alpha Kappa Alpha not only concentrates on high academic standards, but also wants its members to have an excellent ethical standard. It also advocates harmony and friendship among its members so as to promote service to humanity as a whole.