List of fraternities and sororities at Cornell University
The Cornell University Greek system dates to the first months of university operation during the autumn of 1868. Cornell's co-founder and first president, Andrew Dickson White was a strong promoter of fraternities as a means of teaching self-governance to young students. Among its leaders, other strong supporters of the Greek system were Presidents Edmund Ezra Day and Frank H.T. Rhodes.
Among general organizations, Cornell currently recognizes 32 Interfraternity Council fraternities, 13 Panhellenic Association sororities, and 11 Multicultural Greek & Fraternal Council fraternities and sororities.
Interfraternity Council
Fraternities constituting the Interfraternity Council are listed by dates of local founding and noted with national conference membership. These are men's organizations, voluntarily coordinating their efforts within the IFC. As part of IFC or national organization self-governance or University disciplinary action, chapters may be suspended or closed for a time. For consistency, if a chapter is closed and/or forfeits its housing, it will be listed here as a dormant chapter, italicized, while active chapters or those suspended for a brief time are in bold. See the Office of Student Life for current recognized IFC members.Active chapters
- ΖΨ - Zeta Psi, 1868
- ΧΦ - Chi Phi, 1868-1881, 1888
- ΚΑ - Kappa Alpha Society, 1868-1990, 2007
- ΑΔΦ - Alpha Delta Phi, 1869
- ΧΨ - Chi Psi, 1869-1875, 1885-2014, 2016
- ΔΥ - Delta Upsilon, 1869
- ΦΚΨ - Phi Kappa Psi, 1869-1877, 1885
- ΔΚΕ - Delta Kappa Epsilon, 1870-2013, 2017
- ΘΔΧ - Theta Delta Chi, 1870-1999, 2003
- ΦΔΘ - Phi Delta Theta, 1872
- ΒΘΠ - Beta Theta Pi, 1879
- ΦΓΔ - Phi Gamma Delta, 1888
- ΦΣΚ - Phi Sigma Kappa, 1889
- ΔΧ - Delta Chi, 1890
- ΔΤΔ - Delta Tau Delta, 1890
- ΣΧ - Sigma Chi, 1890
- ΣΦ - Sigma Phi, 1890
- ΔΦ - Delta Phi, 1891
- ΚΣ - Kappa Sigma, 1892-2010, 2012
- ΑΖ - Alpha Zeta, 1901, co-ed
- Seal and Serpent, 1905 local
- Acacia, 1907
- ΖΒΤ - Zeta Beta Tau, 1907-2013, 2014
- ΑΣΦ - Alpha Sigma Phi, 1909
- ΣΑΜ - Sigma Alpha Mu, 1911-1912, 1915-1973, 1985
- ΚΔΡ - Kappa Delta Rho, 1913
- ΛΧΑ - Lambda Chi Alpha, 1913
- ΑΓΡ - Alpha Gamma Rho, 1914
- ΑΕΠ - Alpha Epsilon Pi, 1917-1976, 1978-2001?, 2005
- ΠΚΑ - Pi Kappa Alpha, 1917-2010, 2013
- ΣΠ - Sigma Pi, 1917
- ΠΚΦ - Pi Kappa Phi, 1921-1986, 1990-2001, 2002
- ΦΚΤ - Phi Kappa Tau, 1930-1994, 2000
- ΣΧΔ - Sigma Chi Delta, 1981 co-ed local
- ΑΛΜ - Alpha Lambda Mu, 2014
Dormant chapters
Panhellenic Council
Sororities constituting the Panhellenic Council are listed with dates of local founding and national conference membership, these are women's organizations, voluntarily coordinating their efforts within the PHC. As part of PHC or national organization self-governance, or University disciplinary action, chapters may be suspended or closed for a time. If a chapter is closed and/or forfeits its housing, it will be listed as a dormant chapter. Active groups in bold, dormant groups in italics. See the Office of Student Life for current PHA members.Active chapters
- ΚΑΘ - Kappa Alpha Theta, 1881-1965, 1980
- ΚΚΓ - Kappa Kappa Gamma, 1883-1969, 1977
- ΔΓ - Delta Gamma, 1885
- ΑΦ - Alpha Phi, 1889, reorganized 1998
- ΔΔΔ - Delta Delta Delta, 1913
- ΚΔ - Kappa Delta, 1917-1969, 1975
- ΣΔΤ - Sigma Delta Tau, 1917
- ΑΞΔ - Alpha Xi Delta, 1918-1964, 2005
- ΠΒΦ - Pi Beta Phi, 1919
- ΑΕΦ - Alpha Epsilon Phi, 1920
- ΦΣΣ - Phi Sigma Sigma, 1954-1969, 2011
- ΑΧΩ - Alpha Chi Omega, 1984
- ΦΜ - Phi Mu, 2014
Multicultural Greek Letter Council
Sororities and Fraternities constituting the Multicultural Greek Letter Council were originally affiliated with specific ethnicities or languages. Most of these organizations are now fully integrated as are the rest of Cornell's Greek letter organizations. All MGLC chapters are. Listed with dates of local founding and national conference membership, these are men's and women's organizations that voluntarily coordinate their efforts within the MGLC. As part of MGLC or University self-governance during disciplinary action, chapters may be suspended for a time. Unless the suspensions result in long-term closure of the chapter or forfeiture of a building, they should not be removed from this list. Active groups in bold, dormant groups in italics. See the Office of Student Life for current MGLC members. The inter-Greek councils often cooperate on programs and policies, as do individual chapters from among the several Greek councils.Men's
- ΑΦΑ - Alpha Phi Alpha, 1906
- ΚΑΨ - Kappa Alpha Psi, 1978
- ΦΒΣ - Phi Beta Sigma, 1979
- ΩΨΦ - Omega Psi Phi, 1982
- ΛΥΛ - Lambda Upsilon Lambda, 1982
- ΛΘΦ - Lambda Theta Phi, 1995
- ΠΔΨ - Pi Delta Psi, 1998
- ΛΦΕ - Lambda Phi Epsilon, 1999
- ΙΦΘ - Iota Phi Theta, 2005
- MALIK - MALIK, 2015
- ΑΚΑ - Alpha Kappa Alpha, 1937-1952, 1979
- ΔΣΘ - Delta Sigma Theta, 1975
- ΛΠΧ - Lambda Pi Chi, 1988
- ΣΓΡ - Sigma Gamma Rho, 1990
- ΣΛΥ - Sigma Lambda Upsilon, 1993
- αΚΔΦ - alpha Kappa Delta Phi, 1997
- ΩΦΒ - Omega Phi Beta, 1999
- ΚΦΛ - Kappa Phi Lambda, 2000
- ΛΘΑ - Lambda Theta Alpha, 2004
Dormant chapters
Honor, professional, and service societies
These organizations have a similarly long pedigree on the Cornell campus, but are largely non-residential. Members of the social and academic fraternities and sororities may join or be asked to join, as may non-Greek students. Multiple affiliations are allowable. The cut-off line where any campus organization falls within these headings or without is somewhat arbitrary; those formed prior to 1990 are listed under these subheadings in various volumes of the Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities, which for more than a century has been the data source of record for such organizations. Newer groups have been placed in categories which match Baird's categories. The latest, 1991 version of Bairds was published before the national development of some of the societies here, and therefore, position and inclusion is, in some cases, assumptive.Honor and recognition societies
recognize students who excel academically or as leaders among their peers, often within a specific academic discipline. Many honor societies invite students to become members based on scholastic rank and/or grade point, either overall, or for classes taken within the discipline for which the honor society provides recognition. In cases where academic achievement would not be an appropriate criterion for membership, other standards are usually required for membership. These societies recognize past achievement. Pledging is not required, and new candidates may be immediately inducted into membership after meeting predetermined academic criteria and paying a one-time membership fee. Because of their purpose of recognition, most honor societies will have much higher academic achievement requirements for membership than professional societies. It is also common for a scholastic honor society to add a criterion relating to the character of the student. Some honor societies are invitation only while others allow unsolicited applications. Finally, membership in an honor society might be considered exclusive, i.e., a member of such an organization cannot join other honor societies representing the same field. Governance varies from faculty-guided to purely student run.Listed by date of local founding with national conference membership, these are co-ed, non-residential, achievement-based organizations that self-select members based on published criteria.
Active chapters
- ΦΒΚ - Phi Beta Kappa, 1882, academic honors
- ΣΞ - Sigma Xi, 1886, graduate science & engineering honors
- ΦΔΦ - Phi Delta Phi, 1888, law honors
- Sphinx Head Society, 1890, local, character, leadership and service
- Quill and Dagger, 1893, local, character, leadership and service
- Scabbard and Blade, 1906, military
- ΑΩΑ - Alpha Omega Alpha, 1910, graduate medical honors
- ΤΒΠ - Tau Beta Pi, 1910, engineering honors
- ΗΚΝ - Eta Kappa Nu, 1912, electrical engineering, computer engineering honors
- Order of the Coif, 1914, law school graduates honors
- Mortar Board, 1918, scholarship, leadership and public service honors
- ΚΟΝ - Kappa Omicron Nu, 1919, humanities honors
- ΠΑΞ - Pi Alpha Xi, 1923, horticulture honors
- ΑΚΔ - Alpha Kappa Delta, 1925, sociology honors
- ΦΖ - Phi Zeta, 1925, graduate veterinary medicine honors
- ΧΕ - Chi Epsilon, 1925, civil engineering honors
- ΠΔΦ - Pi Delta Phi, 1936, French honors
- Block and Bridle Club, 1937, animal livestock honors
- ΑΕΔ - Alpha Epsilon Delta, 1946, pre-health honors
- ΠΤΣ - Pi Tau Sigma, 1948, mechanical engineering honors
- ΨΧ - Psi Chi, 1948, psychology honors
- ΠΜΕ - Pi Mu Epsilon, 1953, mathematics honors
- ΦΤΣ - Phi Tau Sigma, 1957, food science and technology honors
- ΟΔΕ - Omicron Delta Epsilon, 1961, economics honors
- ΣΘΤ - Sigma Theta Tau, 1968, nursing honors
- Order of Omega, 1979, Greek society leadership honors
- Golden Key International Honour Society, 1989, high achievement in academics, leadership & service
- ΩΡ - Omega Rho, 1995, operations research, management science honors
- ΑΕ - Alpha Epsilon, 1998, agricultural, food, and biological engineering honors
- NSCS - National Society of Collegiate Scholars, 1999, high achievement
- ΛΠΗ - Lambda Pi Eta, 2001, communications honors
- ΒΓΣ - Beta Gamma Sigma, 2004, business academic honors
- ΠΑΑ - Pi Alpha Alpha, 2006, public administration honors
- Red Key Society, 2007, local, Athletics and community-building honors
- NRHH - National Residence Hall Honorary, 2007, residence hall leadership honors
- ΔΑΠ - Delta Alpha Pi, 2012, high achievement with disabilities
- Irving Literary Society, 1868-1887, restarted 2014, local, literary honors
- AAS - Arnold Air Society, 19xx, Air Force cadet honors
- ΔΣΡ-ΤΚΑ - Delta Sigma Rho-Tau Kappa Alpha, 1911-1999 ?, forensics honor, dormant?
- ΦΚΦ - Phi Kappa Phi, 1920-1979, 1983-2013, honors, all disciplines, dormant
- ΣΓΕ - Sigma Gamma Epsilon, 1921-1965, earth sciences honors, dormant
- ΔΦΑ - Delta Phi Alpha, 1933-20xx, German honors, dormant
- ΠΕΔ - National Collegiate Players or Pi Epsilon Delta, 1960-19xx, theater honors, national disbanded
- ΑΛΔ - Alpha Lambda Delta, 1961-1986, freshmen honors, dormant
- ΦΗΣ - Phi Eta Sigma, 1961-1973, freshman honors, dormant
- ΑΠΜ - Alpha Pi Mu, 1968-1972, industrial engineering honors, dormant
- ΣΔΠ - Sigma Delta Pi, 1975-20xx, Spanish and Portuguese honors, dormant?
- ΠΣΑ - Pi Sigma Alpha. 2003-20xx, political science honors, dormant?
Professional societies
Listed by date of local founding with national conference membership, these are primarily co-ed and non-residential organizations, of an array of professional interests. Membership in a professional fraternity may be the result of a pledge process, much like a social fraternity, and members are expected to remain loyal and active in the organization for life. Within the group of societies dedicated to a professional field of study, for example, law societies, membership is exclusive; however, these societies may initiate members who belong to other types of fraternities. Professional Societies are known for networking and post-collegiate involvement. Governance varies from faculty-managed to purely student run.
Active chapters
- ΓΑ - Gamma Alpha, 1899 biological science graduate students
- ΦΔΕ - Phi Delta Epsilon, 1904, medical
- ΑΨ - Alpha Psi, 1907, veterinary medicine,
- ΩΤΣ - Omega Tau Sigma, 1911, veterinary
- ΑΧΣ - Alpha Chi Sigma, 1913, chemistry
- ΣΔΕ - Sigma Delta Epsilon or GWIS, 1921, graduate women in science
- ΦΑΔ - Phi Alpha Delta, 1925, pre-law
- ΦΣΠ - Phi Sigma Pi, 1994, leadership and scholarship
- ΑΚΨ - Alpha Kappa Psi, 1998, business
- ΣΑ - Sigma Alpha, 2002, women's, agriculture
- ΔΣΠ - Delta Sigma Pi, 2004, business
- ΦΓΝ - Phi Gamma Nu, 2008, business
- ΠΛΣ - Pi Lambda Sigma, 2017, government
- ΠΣΕ - Pi Sigma Epsilon, 2011, sales and marketing
- ΚΑΠ - Kappa Alpha Pi, 2011, pre-law
- ΘΤ - Theta Tau, 2012, engineering
- ΦΒΛ - Phi Beta Lambda-FBLA, 19xx, business
- ΝΣΝ - Nu Sigma Nu, 1900-19xx, medical professional, national disbanded
- ΑΚΚ - Alpha Kappa Kappa, 1901-1941, medical professional, national disbanded
- ΑΕΙ - Alpha Epsilon Iota, 1901-1913, medical professional, national disbanded
- ΔΘΦ - Delta Theta Phi, 1903-1953, law, dormant
- ΓΗΓ - Gamma Eta Gamma, 1909-1918, law, dormant
- ΣΔΧ - Sigma Delta Chi, 1920-1959, journalism, dormant
- ΦΧ - Phi Chi, 1921-1956, medical, dormant
- ΚΒΠ - Kappa Beta Pi, 1921-1939, was women's legal, dormant
- ΦΛΚ - Phi Lambda Kappa, 1928-1947?, medical, dormant
- ΚΔΕ - Kappa Delta Epsilon, 1933-1960, education, dormant
- ΚΦΚ - Kappa Phi Kappa, 1934-1956, education, dormant
- ΦΔΓ - Phi Delta Gamma, 1940-1953, women graduate students, dormant
Service societies
- ΑΦΩ - Alpha Phi Omega, 1927, service
- Greeks Go Green, 20xx, local, environmentalism
Building and property ownership
Cornell University Residence Plan of 1966
During AY 1948-1949, Cornell University President Edmund Ezra Day formally distanced the University leadership from the increased discrimination which he observed at Cornell since 1910. His speech at the time marked the beginning an effort to end such unlawful practices, a goal to which the University remains committed. Following hearings into discrimination within Cornell's system of private fraternities and sororities, fifteen fraternities liquidated private holdings and entered into the Cornell University Residence Plan of 1966, or CURP'66, an agreement which required all signatories to refrain from unlawful discrimination. The majority of CURP ’66 houses are on the Cornell West Campus. The Plan created a system of 'living and learning' by Small Residence.Each Group House was to be maintained by a Priority Group electing its Group Sponsor. Phi Kappa Psi, for instance, sponsored Group House No. IV d/b/a/ The Irving Literary Society, and developed its parcel on Cornell's West Campus. Cornell desired an academic atmosphere in student residence “units” providing appropriate facilities for intellectual and cultural activities and by encouraging student participation in these pursuits. CURP ’66 was not simply the creation of University-owned fraternities and sororities, but a plan to provide a supplement to the University-maintained dormitory complex, the existing Cornell Greek System, off-campus apartments and rooming houses. The vision was to organize “Small Residences” together, regardless of their national or local orientation as fraternities or cooperatives. The University program provided for no discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color or national origin. The issue of gender was addressed in the equal promotion of female, male and gender neutral Group Houses. In 1997, Cornell's president, Hunter Rawlings, reaffirmed the Board of Trustees' commitment to the Cornell University Residence Plan of 1966.
The current CURP ’66 was created from an existing University leasing system dating to the 1881 decision by Andrew Dickson White to favor fraternities over dormitories. White thought fraternities “’ arouse in the students a feeling of responsibility both for the care of the property and for the reputation of the house... fastens upon duties and responsibilities similar to those of men in the active world was among the better solutions of the problems ... students in American universities.’” White’s vision, in turn, develop from the professional analysis of American architect and planner, Frederick Law Olmsted, who saw the erection of residential clubhouses on Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act as a reform over the barracks-like dormitories used by existing American universities and colleges. Like White, Olmsted felt clubhouses maintained by the students would form part of the educational experience. They were to be modeled on the typical rural household of the era, small country villas thought to avoid the negative aspects of the Industrial revolution.
CURP signatories
- Group House No. I, possessed by Delta Kappa Epsilon, signatory since 1960, 13 South Avenue ;
- Group House No. II, possessed by Delta Tau Delta, signatory since June 8, 1960, 104 Mary Anne Wood Drive ;
- Group House No. III, Chi Phi, signatory since Nov. 15, 1960, 107 Edgemoor Lane ;
- Group House No. IV, "Ivy," possessed by Phi Kappa Psi, signatory since Nov. 30, 1959, 525 Stewart Avenue, service deliveries to 120 Mary Anne Wood Drive; Phi Psi is also the successor organization to the Irving Literary Society. First to sign into the revised Group Housing Plan in 1959, it was fourth in accession due to negotiations over the sale of its property at 312 Thurston Avenue, the former Wyckoff Mansion ;
- Group House No. V, possessed by Sigma Phi Epsilon, signatory since 1962, 109 McGraw Place ;
- Group House No. VI, possessed by Delta Upsilon, signatory since 1962, 6 South Avenue ;
- Group House No. VII, occupied by Phi Sigma Sigma, and formerly possessed by Kappa Alpha, which was a signatory in 1991, 14 South Avenue;
- Group House No. VIII, possessed by Zeta Psi, signatory since 1963, 534 Thurston Avenue, ;
- Group House No. IX, since been torn down, once occupied by Sigma Alpha Mu, and formerly possessed by Chi Omega, signatory since 1963, 10 Sisson Place, on North Campus;
- Group House X, occupied by University Residence Life, 201 Thurston Avenue, and formerly possessed by Lambda Upsilon Lambda, signatory since 1965, when the CURP program was closed out in favor of a return to individual leasing.
Chapters with University-owned facilities under other agreements
- Kappa Alpha Theta, 519 Stewart Ave
- Psi Upsilon, 2 Forest Park Ln
- Sigma Phi, 1 Forest Park Ln
- Kappa Sigma, 600 University Avenue
- Lambda Upsilon Lambda, 722 University Avenue
- Phi Gamma Delta, 118 McGraw Pl
- Sigma Alpha Mu, subleased from Sigma Alpha Epsilon, 122 McGraw Pl
- Sigma Phi Epsilon, 109 McGraw Pl
Chapters with privately owned facilities
- Acacia, 318 Highland Rd
- Alpha Chi Omega, 210 Thurston Ave
- Alpha Delta Phi, 777 Stewart Ave
- Alpha Epsilon Phi, 435 Wyckoff Rd
- Alpha Epsilon Pi, 140 Thurston Ave
- Alpha Gamma Rho, 203 Highland Ave
- Alpha Phi, 411 Thurston Ave
- Alpha Sigma Phi, 804 Stewart Ave
- Alpha Tau Omega, 625 University Ave
- Alpha Xi Delta, 40 Ridgewood Rd
- Alpha Zeta, 214 Thurston Ave
- Beta Theta Pi, 100 Ridgewood Rd
- Chi Psi, 810 University Ave
- Delta Chi, 102 The Knoll
- Delta Delta Delta, 118 Triphammer Rd
- Delta Gamma, 117 Triphammer Rd
- Delta Phi, 100 Cornell Ave
- Kappa Alpha Theta, 519 Stewart Ave
- Kappa Delta, 109 Triphammer Rd
- Kappa Delta Rho, 312 Highland Rd
- Kappa Kappa Gamma, 508 THurston Ave
- Lambda Chi Alpha, 125 Edgemoor Ln
- Phi Delta Theta, 2 Ridgewood Rd
- Phi Kappa Tau, 106 The Knoll
- Phi Mu, 509 Wyckoff Rd
- Phi Sigma Kappa, 702 University Ave
- Pi Beta Phi, 330 Triphammer Rd
- Pi Kappa Alpha, 17 South Ave
- Seal and Serpent, 305 Thurston Ave
- Sigma Chi, 106 Cayuga Heights Rd
- Sigma Delta Tau, 115 Ridgewood Rd
- Sigma Nu, 230 Willard Wy
- Sigma Pi, 730 University Ave
- Tau Kappa Epsilon, 105 Westbourne Ln
- Theta Delta Chi, 800 University Ave
- Zeta Beta Tau, 1 Edgecliff Pl