Pledging a fraternity or sorority could add more than $10,000 to college costs over four years

As the fall semester gets underway on college campuses, as many as 750,000 undergraduates will be a part of fraternity and sorority life. It’s a decision that comes with benefits and costs.

One recent Temple University graduate joined her sorority in her sophomore year at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, when she was feeling lonely and isolated.

Her dues ranged from around $200 a semester during COVID, she said, to about $380 after in-person gatherings resumed her junior year.

The money, paid by her parents, went toward tickets to formal dances, as well as costs incurred by her sorority’s national headquarters, and T-shirts and other clothes that members wore for events such as recruitment, she said.

Despite Greek life’s issues, including a history of sexual assault and racism in some organizations, this 2023 graduate — who asked not to be named so as to not be associated with negative aspects — said the pros of her experience made the nearly $2,000 total in fees worthwhile.

She made friends she believes she’ll have for life, and advanced to a leadership position, which gave her confidence, improved her public-speaking skills, and helped her secure internships and her first job.

“The thing with sorority life was we always said you get out what you put in,” she said. “I put in a lot of time and energy.”

On average, Greek life participation at U.S. colleges costs between $1,000 and $4,750 per semester, according to personal finance website Bankrate, though the exact price differs depending on university and Greek organization. In the Philadelphia area, however, the cost skews lower, ranging from a couple hundred dollars to around $1,300.

Here are the basics on what Philadelphia-area fraternities and sororities charge members.

Chapter dues and other membership fees can range from $60 to $1,250 a semester.

Locally, most colleges don’t provide a breakdown of Greek life costs. Neither Drexel University, Temple University, Penn State University, nor Villanova University provide public estimates on their Greek life websites.

At the University of Pennsylvania, fraternity members who don’t live in fraternity housing pay a minimum of $544 and a maximum of $1,250 a semester, while sorority members who don’t live in Greek housing pay between $470 and $1,326 a semester. U.S. News estimates about 20% of male-identifying students at Penn are in fraternities.

At Temple, where Greek life is not as prevalent, active members pay on average $265 per semester toward their membership, university spokesperson Stephen Orbanek said. Membership fees range from $60 to $650 depending on the organization, he added.

At Penn State, sorority fees each semester range from $200 to $600 a semester.

The cost for the first semester of membership is usually steeper.

At Penn, for example, fraternity new-member dues range from $325 to $1,200 a semester, while returning members pay $200 to $1,000. New sorority member dues range from $575 to $931 a semester, also more than the $250 to $709 that returning members pay.

Not all colleges have fraternity or sorority housing, and the costs vary.

At Penn, a semester’s rent in a fraternity house is $4,689 to $5,930, as well as a $250 to $600 security deposit. Sorority members pay $4,262 to $5,439 for housing, plus a $300 to $500 deposit.

That means Penn Greek life members are actually paying a price similar to or less than the university’s annual rate for on-campus housing, which is either $12,166 or $15,958 this year depending on room type.

Locally, the total bill can be anywhere from $500 to more than $10,000 for four years of membership, excluding housing costs.

Yes.

But it’s not through the university financial aid office, since Greek life costs are usually billed separately.

Scholarships are available, but you should contact your potential chapter directly for specific information about what is offered and how to apply.

It depends whom you ask.

Phoebe Galbraith, 30, says yes. With help from her parents, she paid more than $1,500 a semester for membership in Alpha Xi Delta at Boise State University from 2012 to 2016.

“A lot of times you heard the joke of, ‘Well, you pay for your friends’ ” when you join Greek life, said Galbraith, who now lives in South Philadelphia. “You don’t. Those friendships are going to form regardless. … All of my bridesmaids except for one, I met through sorority life.”