Phi Kappa Phi Rating, Reviews and Requirements. Is it worth it?

REQUIREMENTS

Phi Kappa Phi membership is earned. Admission is invitation-only and requires nomination approval by a chapter. Requirements include:

• Juniors must have completed at least 72 credit hours, with at least 24 semester hours at their current institution, and rank in the top 7.5 percent of their class.
• Seniors must have completed at least 90 credit hours, with at least 24 semester hours at their current institution, and rank in the top 10 percent of their class.
• Graduate students must have completed at least 18 graduate hours or the equivalent at their institution and rank in the top 10 percent of their class.
• Phi Kappa Phi claims to have over 100,000 active members,  to initiate approximately 30,000 new members annually, currently having 300 college-based chapters.

SUMMARY

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi is an honor society established in 1897 to recognize and encourage superior scholarship without restriction as to area of study and to promote the "unity and democracy of education." The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi is the nation's oldest and most selective all-discipline honor society. Standards for election are extremely high. Phi Kappa Phi's mission is "to recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others." In honoring "those persons of good character who have excelled in scholarship, in whatever field, it will stimulate others to strive for excellence.”

IN DEPTH HISTORY-

• While Phi Beta Kappa was founded in 1776 and  became sufficient as an all-campus honor society for liberal arts colleges, there was no honor society that could serve as such for the universities encompassing both liberal education and also technological and professional education, a mission to which the newly burgeoning land-grant universities of the time were dedicated.
• That changed in 1897. In opposition to what they saw as the separateness and exclusivity promoted by the social fraternities and discipline bound honor societies, Urann, it’s founder, wanted to create a society that was defined by inclusiveness and that unified a campus, constituted by "high rank men drawn from all classes and all groups and all societies"
• In 1899, the first woman was initiated into the Society, Pearl Clayton Swain.
• It would later be asserted that the Society's aim is not to replace older societies, but to "help raise the broader educational program initiated by our government when it established the land-grant system, to appreciation of scholarly worth whether the subject matter be strictly academic or of a more vocational type."
• In 1925 the Society as a whole formally took the position that it would not discriminate on color or race.
• By 1971, 74 years after its founding, Phi Kappa Phi numbered 120 chapters. In the next 12 years, that number would double to 239.

FUN FACTS

Notable Alumni:

• Al Gore- Vice President
• Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States
• Hillary Clinton, 67th United States Secretary of State
• Michael Dukakis, 65th and 67th Governor of Massachusetts

KEY BENEFITS

• Academic Recognition
• Awards
• Career Resources
• Highlight Your Membership
• Internship Opportunities
• Networking
• Partner Discounts
• Society Publications

OUR REVIEW  

Observation #1: They didn’t want to replace older societies, but wanted to be more inclusive. We can definitely get behind that.

Observation #2: It only caters to Junior/Seniors and make it harder for Juniors to join. This seems to nullify their earlier point of being inclusive.

Observation #3: Their benefits are good, but very similar to every other society we’ve reviewed.

CURRENT RANKING: BRONZE LEVEL