Meet the Greeks: Demystifying Northwestern’s four sorority, fraternity councils

Daily file photo by Seeger Gray

Throughout the year, each of NU’s Greek life councils offer recruitment for prospective members to join their chapters and take part in traditions that have been integral to the NU student experience since 1859.

Laura Horne, Senior Staffer

October 12, 2025

Northwestern is home to four councils that compose its Fraternity and Sorority Life: the Interfraternity Council, the Multicultural Greek Council, the National Pan-Hellenic Council and the Panhellenic Association.

Throughout the year, each council offers recruitment for prospective members to join their chapters and take part in traditions that have been integral to the NU student experience since 1859.

Interfraternity Council

NU’s Interfraternity Council is composed of nine chapters: Delta Tau Delta, Lambda Chi Alpha, Phi Gamma Delta, Phi Mu Alpha, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Sigma Chi, Sigma Nu, Sigma Phi Epsilon and Zeta Beta Tau.

With the exception of Phi Mu Alpha, a musical fraternity, each of these chapters have on-campus houses on North Campus’s “Fraternity Quad.” Throughout Fall Quarter, freshmen can meet the chapters and members at various events. Fraternities officially extend invitations — called bids — to freshmen during IFC Recruitment Week in January, and students typically live in their chapters’ house the following academic year. Sigma Phi Epsilon has historically had a house but will not be recruiting this cycle.

Recruitment for upperclassmen is less structured, as fraternities can extend bids any time during the academic year. IFC chapters are expected to engage in philanthropic activities, and many host fundraising events throughout the year.

Multicultural Greek Council

The Multicultural Greek Council consists of nine chapters — three fraternities, five sororities and one coed organization — with Latine, Asian and multicultural affiliations: Alpha Psi Lambda, Kappa Delta Chi, Kappa Phi Lambda, Kappa Pi Beta, Lambda Theta Alpha, Lambda Upsilon Lambda, Omega Delta Phi, Sigma Lambda Gamma and Sigma Psi Zeta.

MGC’s chapters are dedicated to service, social advocacy and cultural awareness, and facilitate their own recruitment processes through events like “Meet the Greeks,” “Taste of MGC” and a winter banquet.

National Pan-Hellenic Council

The National Pan-Hellenic Council was established at Howard University in 1930 to coordinate African American Greek sororities and fraternities.

Five organizations originally made up the NPHC, but that number has grown to nine over the years — known as the “Divine Nine.” Seven chapters constitute NU’s NPHC: Alpha Phi Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Psi Phi, Phi Beta Sigma, Sigma Gamma Rho and Zeta Phi Beta.

NPHC organizations each host their own recruitment process, and host events including tailgates, Founders Day celebrations and clothing drives in alignment with their tradition of service and social change.

Panhellenic Association

NU is currently home to seven active Panhellenic chapters: Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Phi, Chi Omega, Delta Delta Delta, Delta Gamma, Kappa Alpha Theta and Kappa Delta. Gamma Phi Beta is expected to return to NU in January 2026.

Each chapter provides housing for members in the “Sorority Quad” on South Campus. Each chapter also supports a specific philanthropy which they fundraise for throughout the year.

The primary recruitment timeline for PHA is collaborative and typically occurs over Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend. From Thursday to Sunday, prospective members visit all chapters before accepting a bid from just one. Some chapters also participate in Continuous Open Bidding, in which chapters handle recruitment individually on a rolling basis.

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— Northwestern NPHC hosts first annual yard show in celebration of Black Greek life

— Multicultural Greek Council welcomes new fraternity, strives to break stereotypes about Greek life