Understanding Sorority Life at Georgia State University

With students returning to campus this month, many first-year students are experiencing life on a college campus for the first time.

With that comes a whole slew of new people, experiences, and challenges that make one’s time in college so memorable. For many new students, this includes exploring Greek life and involvement in a fraternity or sorority. 

Greek life is new to many incoming first-year students and a source of anxiety for students trying to find their way through college. To help understand the role that sororities play in campus life at Georgia State University, here’s a rundown on some common questions we hear from GSU students. 

Sororities are one of several social and extracurricular options available to Georgia State University students looking to get involved on-campus. Compared to other universities of similar size, sororities aren’t as popular at Georgia State as you might expect. 

This is due to the fact that GSU’s main campus in Atlanta is in a large, metropolitan area where students have lots of opportunities to experience life outside of campus. Compared to a small college town, GSU students have more options in Atlanta for how they spend their time. GSU also has a considerable number of commuter students who don’t live on-campus, making it a less socially connected campus than some other state colleges and universities. 

What percent of Georgia State students participate in sororities?

The Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life at Georgia State University states that about 5% of undergraduates at GSU’s Atlanta campus are part of a Greek organization. This is relatively low compared to most large state schools but is due in part to GSU being a mix of commuter and on-campus students with looser affiliations to the university than some other Atlanta-area colleges and universities. 

What are the benefits of being in a sorority at Georgia State?

Georgia State University markets both the social and academic benefits of joining a sorority for current students. Sororities help foster social bonds on-campus and encourage active participation in campus life that help students succeed academically. As a result, GSU students who are involved in Greek life have higher grade point averages than those who are not. Of course, the primary benefit of joining a sorority is the social component as well as past involvement from family members and legacy affiliations with sorority groups. 

All sororities at GSU are governed by one of the four greek councils on-campus.

How many sororities are there at Georgia State University?

As of the Fall 2022 semester, there are 15 sororities and women’s fraternities at Georgia State University. The most recent organization to join Greek life at GSU is Alpha Sigma Rho, which opened a chapter at Georgia State during the Spring 2022 semester. The list of active chapters available for GSU students includes:

  1. Alpha Sigma Rho
  2. Alpha Kappa Alpha
  3. Alpha Omicron Pi
  4. Alpha Xi Delta
  5. Delta Phi Lambda
  6. Delta Phi Omega
  7. Delta Sigma Theta
  8. Delta Zeta
  9. Lambda Theta Alpha
  10. Omega Phi Beta
  11. Sigma Gamma Rho
  12. Sigma Lambda Upsilon
  13. Sigma Sigma Rho
  14. Theta Nu Xi

All sororities at GSU are governed by one of the four greek councils on-campus. The four governing councils of Greek organizations at Georgia State are:

  1. Interfraternity Council
  2. Multicultural Greek Council
  3. National Pan-Hellenic Council
  4. Panhellenic Council

When does the sorority rush begin at Georgia State University?

Georgia State University allows students of any year to join a fraternity or sorority. This is not the case at all schools, some of which limit first-year students from joining Greek organizations, but GSU believes that participation in a Greek organization helps enhance student success since sororities have a grade point average requirement in order to remain a member. The university also advertises that students who participate in Greek life have a higher grade point average than non-Greek students. 

The sorority rush at GSU takes place throughout the school year and is scheduled by the governing council under which each sorority is housed. The governing councils will advertise the start of rush, or membership intake, for each of their sororities two weeks before the process begins. Typically these take place at the beginning of each semester, but it varies by council. 

How much does it cost to join a sorority at Georgia State University?

Members of a sorority can expect to pay a few hundred dollars each semester in membership dues. These dues are often not to the specific Georgia State sorority chapter but instead go to the national headquarters of the sorority, which manages costs and payments for each university chapter. Beyond membership dues, sorority members can expect to pay out-of-pocket for sorority or council events throughout the year. A portion of the costs may be covered by membership dues, but others require additional expenses for current members. 

These costs do not include housing if a sorority member at Georgia State opts to live in the on-campus Greek Townhouses, managed by GSU University Housing. 

Do sororities have their own houses at Georgia State University?

No, sororities at Georgia State University do not have their own housing on or off-campus. Instead, GSU offers nine Greek Townhouses that are managed by the University Housing office and are only available for sorority and fraternity members. Of the nine townhouses, four of them are reserved for sororities. 

These townhouses are limited and can only house a total of 139 Greek students, so a vast majority of sorority members end up living together in other on-campus housing or in off-campus apartments. 

the-mix-student-apartments-atlanta-concept

At The Mix, you can live the Georgia State University dream within a walking distance to campus.

Other housing options at Georgia State University

The Mix is one of the most popular off-campus apartment communities at Georgia State University and offers a range of floor plan options for Greek and non-Greek students to choose among. Located at 120 Piedmont Ave NE, The Mix is just a few blocks away from GSU’s main campus in Atlanta and offers one through four-bedroom furnished housing options specifically for Georgia State University students. 

The Mix is a fully amenitized building and offers GSU students their own resort-style pool, 24-hour fitness center, study rooms, a recording studio, a rooftop lounge, and more. For information on availability, roommate matching, and current specials for Fall 2022 housing, contact the team at The Mix today at (888) 458-5772!