Frequently Asked Questions

IFC fraternities may give out bids for membership during the spring and summer months before the start of classes. Although the Alabama Interfraternity Council does not host formal recruitment rounds, recruits will have the opportunity to meet and interact with chapters during the structured recruitment period August 12th-19th, 2024. The IFC Recruitment Schedule will consist of a Welcome Week Cookout August 15th, Open House Events from August 12th-14th and lastly New Member Intro Night and Bid Signing August 19th. For more information, please refer to the IFC Recruitment Schedule.

Fall 2024 IFC Recruitment's registration cost is $175. If you plan to move in early, should you not have a bid then the early move-in fee is an additional $180. 

The Alabama Interfraternity Council requires that all new member education programs begin on August 23, 2024 and end no later than October 4th, 2024. Chapters may initiate before or after the October date on a case by case basis. However, all new member activities, programs, and education must be completed by October 4th, 2024.

Potential New Members who are interested in joining a fraternity have the option to move in on August 11th, 2024. However, Potential New Members who have already received a bid to a fraternity do not need to move in on August 11th, 2024. Chapters should not request or require that any new member or potential new member arrive on campus prior to their selected move-in dates. All move-in arrangements and registrations should be made through the Office of Housing & Residential Communities. If you are interested in learning more about your housing options, and to schedule your move-in date, please visit the Housing & Residential Communities website (https://housing.sa.ua.edu/) or you can call their office at (888)-498-BAMA or (205)-348-6676.

We encourage you to reach out to the recruitment chairs of the chapters and let them know you are participating in recruitment this year. Many organizations host events during Bama Bound. If you’re interested in a particular organization, and they are not holding an event while you are at Bama Bound, reach out to the recruitment chairmen and see if you can set up a meeting to introduce yourself. Additionally, there is an IFC information session at Bama Bound that will provide more information on IFC fraternities including a tabling event held June 25th & 26th and July 9th & 11th at Lakeside Dining.

It’s OK to not be able to visit during the summer. We encourage men to begin to contact recruitment chairs before you arrive on campus, and schedule times to meet them in person as soon as you’re at UA. New Members are still being recruited until September, so the whole month of August is open to meet brothers of the various chapters. For those individuals that have not received a bid prior to arriving on campus in the fall, the Alabama Interfraternity Council will be hosting a number of recruitment events beginning on August 12th, 2024 and continuing though August 19th, 2024 These events will occur in the evening and all IFC fraternities will be participating. During these events, anyone interested in learning about an IFC fraternity may visit a chapter, meet its members, and pursue membership in that organization.

A bid is an invitation to join an organization’s new member program. Each chapter gives out as many bids as they want, until they have their ideal new member class. If you are interested in receiving a bid from a chapter it is important to make your interest known. Interested men can begin the recruitment process by getting in touch with the chapters’ recruitment chairmen, and then attending chapter hosted recruitment events to meet more of the brothers. If any family members or friends are in fraternities it is recommended that you use their contacts to get in touch with UA chapters, and to help you meet more people. We encourage men to meet with as many fraternities as possible to see which one feels right, and meeting as many brothers as possible is beneficial throughout the recruitment process.

In order to receive a bid, potential new members must sign up on Campus Director, and a list of all recruitment chair contact information can be found on the IFC website under the recruitment tab.

In order to officially accept a bid from any organization, you must be registered for recruitment with the IFC. By registering for recruitment your name and information is made available to all the IFC fraternities. However, just because you registered for recruitment does not mean you will receive a bid for membership. Remember, recruitment is about getting to know the chapters, and letting the chapters get to know you. It is important that you make an effort to meet as many fraternity men as possible throughout the recruitment process. You can register for IFC Fraternity Recruitment via the CampusDirector Registration Form.

Greek-letter organizations have been self-sufficient since their inception. Fraternities and sororities pay their own way through dues, membership fees and one-time new member or initiation fees. Cost of membership in a Greek organization varies, depending on the organization and housing options. However, the cost of living in a fraternity house is generally comparable to living on campus. For more information, please visit OFSL Financial Information.

Dues cover costs associated with fraternity membership, including meal plans, social events, leadership development, and other programs. As a freshman, you are required UA meal plan will be downgraded to the Greek 55 meal plan, upon accepting a bid and being added to the chapter roster of a fraternity with a chapter required meal plan. Living in the house is a separate fee, but dues are inclusive, in that they cover most every other aspect of joining a fraternity.

IFC fraternities do not require letter of recommendation for recruitment, although it is recommended to utilize any friend or family connections to reach out to chapters. A letter of recommendation does not guarantee that a bid for membership will be extended.

We recommend joining a fraternity in the fall semester of your freshman year. The transition to college from high school can be difficult, and getting involved on campus, especially in a fraternity, can help to ease the transition. Also, many students point to their early involvement in a fraternity as a key factor in developing leadership skills and furthering their campus involvement. If you do decide to join a fraternity after your freshman year, chapters will take sophomore and upper class new members.

If you’re just getting to campus and have not received a bid, don’t worry you still have time to join a fraternity. First you will want to contact the rush chairmen for houses you are interested in, and see what events they have going on. Additionally, you will meet many new friends during your first few weeks at UA, and some of them may also be going through recruitment. Join up with friends, and any contacts you may know, to go to recruitment events and to meet members of the chapters. The most important part of recruitment is meeting new people and finding the chapter with which you feel the most comfortable.

Congratulations! You are on your way to becoming an initiated brother. There is no limit to the number of bids a potential new member may receive, however, you can only accept a bid from one chapter. Upon receiving a bid for membership you have three options, you can either accept, decline, or defer acceptance.  If you decline your bid, then you are no longer accepting the chapter’s invitation for membership.   You may still receive and accept bids from other chapters, but you have removed your option for that specific chapter’s offer for membership. Should you choice to defer your acceptance, then the formal invitation is pending, before a formal acceptance or decline needs to be given to the chapter. If you have accepted a bid from a chapter you will need to log into your IFC CampusDirector Account and officially accept your bid. Once you have accepted a bid from a chapter you can no longer accept bids from other organizations. Make sure that you have communicated with your family, asked all necessary questions, and taken the time to reflect before accepting a bid for membership.

No. Each IFC chapter decides if they are going to take a Spring Recruitment class.

No. Chapters host recruitment events individually, and by invitation only. If you are interested in  learning about recruitment events for a specific organization you are encouraged to reach out to the Recruitment chair for that chapter.

All men, who are full-time UA students, are eligible to participate in IFC Spring Recruitment provided that they have never been initiated into another IFC fraternity. Also, while the IFC does not require a specific grade point average to participate in IFC Spring Recruitment, it is strongly recommended that prospective members have at or above a 2.5 college GPA. In order to receive a bid from an IFC fraternity you must register for Spring Recruitment.