With back-to-school season upon us, one of the most exciting parts of returning to campus, stepping onto campus for the first time, or even just watching the fun unfold from home sorority rush. For many, it’s like the Olympics of college, when all the different Panhellenic orgs at campuses across the country pull out all the stops to recruit their new class of members — and the potential new members (PNMs) pull out all the stops to get into their ideal houses.
If you’ve seen anything from RushTok, you’ll know that some schools are way more competitive when it comes to sorority rush than others. But what actually makes a school competitive for sorority rush? Several factors come together to create a competitive recruitment environment.
First, the size of a school’s Greek community matters; if a school has a lot of sororities on campus, that likely means there are a lot of students interested in joining Greek life each year, which translates to a larger pool of PNMs to compete against. The length and structure of the rush process can also play a role, with some schools having multiple days of the same round of recruitment, meaning PNMs must commit a ton of time and energy to rush. Additionally, the additional requirements a school’s rush process has — such as creating video introductions, gathering recommendation letters, and meeting the academic criteria — can make a rush process even more selective at some schools versus others.
Here’s a look at some of the most competitive schools for sorority rush these days.
Florida State University
Number of Panhellenic sororities: 17
Home to the Seminoles, FSU’s Greek life is bustling. With 17 sororities, the rush process here is intense, with a full week of rush rounds, not counting orientation or bid day.
University of Alabama
Number of Panhellenic sororities: 24
The University of Alabama’s Greek system is legendary. With 24 sororities, rush is practically a marathon — one with millions of eyes watching from TikTok screens all over the country. Expect to submit PNM videos and recommendation letters, and be ready for a weeklong whirlwind of activities. While all PNMs are expected to complete the standard SEC recruitment process, due to the popularity of Bama RushTok, PNMs are held to the highest expectations during rush.
University of Georgia
Number of Panhellenic sororities: 20
At UGA, the Bulldogs know how to make rush exciting. With 20 sororities, the recruitment process is highly saturated, and while UGA doesn’t have a minimum GPA requirement to rush, individual sororities may have high academic standards for their PNMs.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Number of Panhellenic sororities: 18
Illini pride shines through during the rush at UIUC. With 19 sororities, expect a thorough and lively recruitment process that happens over the course of two weekends.
San Diego State University
Number of Panhellenic sororities: 8
This West Coast school has only eight sororities, but that makes the SDSU recruitment process competitive simply because there’s not a large number of sororities on campus to choose from. Despite its smaller size, SDSU’s Panhel rush still garners around on average 1,000 PNMs each season.
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Number of Panhellenic sororities: 14
Badger pride runs deep at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The Midwestern campus is home to 14 sororities, so for those on the fence about where to join, there are plenty of options to pursue — but standards are pretty high here, so keep that in mind.
University of Mississippi
Number of Panhellenic sororities: 11
Ole Miss goes all out for rush. Ole Miss is home to 10 sororities, and PNMs should expect four rounds during rush here. Recommendation letters aren’t required, but are highly encouraged and often used by those who are serious about getting into their top choice houses.
University of Southern California
Number of Panhellenic sororities: 9
In the heart of Los Angeles, USC’s Greek life is as glamorous as its location. With 11 sororities, the recruitment process is competitive. The twist at this school is that PNMs must complete at least 12 units (four classes) at USC before rushing. This means incoming freshmen cannot rush in their first semester, which in turn means many PNMs enter the recruitment process already knowing a lot about each sorority, and vice versa.
Indiana University-Bloomington
Number of Panhellenic sororities: 22
IU Bloomington’s Greek life is expansive, to say the least, with 22 sororities. In fact, nearly 25% of students at this school are in Greek life. While there is not a required GPA, it’s highly encouraged to maintain at least a 2.8 GPA.
Arizona State University
Number of Panhellenic sororities: 14
Some students attend ASU specifically to join one of the campus’ 13 sororities, so be sure to bring your A-game, because everyone else will too.