Skip to main content

Benefits of Membership

Some of the benefits of Greek life are obvious and easy to spot: living with your friends in a big house, enjoying a full social calendar, engaging in meaningful philanthropy, all while a college student. But fraternity and sorority membership has been shown to provide benefits that pay off for decades to come.

Better Mental Health in School

Amidst the "loneliness crisis" affecting young people all around the world, fraternities foster a strong sense of belonging and support. Fraternity members have more positive attitudes and greater confidence, but also are more comfortable reaching out to offer help or to ask for it.

  • Fraternity members report higher levels of positive mental health, and less depression or anxiety than unaffiliated members.5
  • Nearly 80% of fraternity men report excellent to good mental health and wellbeing.1
  • When members seek help, they are twice as likely to turn to a brother than anyone else.1
  • Fraternities provide an environment where members can have tough conversations.1
  • Since the global pandemic, fraternity men are reducing the number of times they drink per week; consuming drinks at a rate of one or fewer per hour; setting a limit on the number of drinks they consume; and alternating non-alcoholic with alcoholic beverages.7

Better Preparation for Life

Tony Cashen and Tom Eisenbrown

Research has shown that fraternity membership prepares men for success in college and careers regardless of background or socioeconomic status before college. Fraternities members develop strong leadership skills, earn higher GPAs on average than the all-campus average, and benefit from scholarships, training, and alumni support. They are healthier and more confident.

  • 83% of members indicate stronger leadership confidence as a result of their fraternity membership.1
  • Fraternity members show significantly higher learning gains than their peers in their first year of college.2
  • Despite being less diverse than students in general, fraternity/sorority members reported higher levels of interaction with people different from themselves than did other students.2
  • Fraternity alumni are twice as likely to feel that their alma maters prepared them well for life after college and that they gained important job-related skills.4
  • Fraternity alumni find jobs more quickly after graduation and are more engaged in the workplace.4
  • Fraternity alumni are more likely to be thriving in every aspect of well-being: career, community, financial, physical and social well-being.4
  • Fraternity members leverage their networks, with almost half stating that another member helped them find an internship or job and provided them with career advice.4

Research

  1. Fraternities & Values of Single Sex Experience, University of Tennessee Knoxville PERC
  2. The Fraternity/Sorority Experience Revisited: The Relationships between Fraternity/Sorority Membership and Student Engagement, Learning Outcomes, Grades, and Satisfaction with College; Pike and Wiese, Journal of Campus Activities Practice and Scholarship; in press
  3. Perspectives on Fraternity and Sorority Life; Positive Youth Development, EverFi
  4. Fraternities and Sororities: Experiences and Outcomes in College, Work and Life; Gallup 2021
  5. Mental Health and Wellness for Fraternity and Sorority Members; Biddix, Assalone and Grace
  6. Greek Values and Attitudes: A Comparison with Independents; Baier and Whipple
  7. Fostering a More Safe and Inclusive Environment for all Members; Vector Solutions 2022
  8. Peer Accountability; Plaid 2022

Additional Reading