Daily Beast & Newsweek Release Their Top 25 National Fraternities and Sororities List
The Daily Beast and Newsweek Magazine have released their 2012 College Rankings List, and it’s pretty much like every other college rankings list you’ve ever seen. There are categories for prettiest campus, biggest party schools, happiest colleges, etc. They did however also take the time to rank the top 25 fraternities and sororities nationally. The explanation of their rankings, and the rankings themselves, are below. I’m not going to lie, some of the criteria they used for these rankings seemed… odd, or at least not as fully encompassing as they should/could have been, but with that said the rankings, especially the top 5 for each category, turned out more or less how I thought they would. There were, however, a few surprises.
Top 25 Sororities
To analyze which sororities have the largest national footprint, most devoted sisters, and greatest philanthropic footprint, we compared the 26 Panhellenic Conference sororities based on the number of active collegiate chapters, the number of Twitter followers and Facebook fans (to measure alumni and member interest) and the amount of money the sorority’s non-profit fund donated to 501(c)(3) organizations according the most recent public filing (funds were normalized using a per-chapter ratio). Funds donated to individual chapters, classified as a 501(c)(7) non-profit social club, were not considered for this aspect of the ranking.
We attempted to get an accurate count of the current number of active collegiate chapters from a variety of sources, and contacted all sororities to verify. Several sororities and The National Panhellenic Conference declined to participate or comment for this article due to their governance policies.
25. Theta Phi Alpha
Active Collegiate Chapters: 94
Twitter Followers: 1,831
Facebook Fans: 5,122
Funds donated through the Theta Phi Alpha Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $6,76124. Alpha Epsilon Phi
Active Collegiate Chapters: 45
Twitter Followers: 3,103
Facebook Fans: 1,290
Funds donated through the Alpha Epsilon Phi Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $23,57123. Sigma Delta Tau
Active Collegiate Chapters: 61
Twitter Followers: 3,281
Facebook Fans: 4,120
Funds donated through the Sigma Delta Tau Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $13,25022. Alpha Sigma Alpha
Active Collegiate Chapters: 86
Twitter Followers: 3,640
Facebook Fans: 11,553
Funds donated through the Alpha Sigma Alpha Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $10,37521. Alpha Sigma Tau
Active Collegiate Chapters: 80
Twitter Followers: 3,567
Facebook Fans: 6,379
Funds donated through the Alpha Sigma Tau Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $54,34020. Phi Sigma Sigma
Active Collegiate Chapters: 109
Twitter Followers: 3,347
Facebook Fans: 12,908
Funds donated through the Phi Sigma Sigma Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $78,67519. Sigma Sigma Sigma
Active Collegiate Chapters: 108
Twitter Followers: 4,479
Facebook Fans: 16,514
Funds donated through the Sigma Sigma Sigma Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $40,60018. Alpha Xi Delta
Active Collegiate Chapters: 116
Twitter Followers: 6,792
Facebook Fans: 16,569
Funds donated through the Alpha Xi Delta Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $47,20017. Alpha Gamma Delta
Active Collegiate Chapters: 112
Twitter Followers: 7,090
Facebook Fans: 13,581
Funds donated through the Alpha Gamma Delta Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $234,76516. Sigma Kappa
Active Collegiate Chapters: 112
Twitter Followers: 8,900
Facebook Fans: 21,572
Funds donated through the Sigma Kappa Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $67,07015. Phi Mu
Active Collegiate Chapters: 115
Twitter Followers: 10,043
Facebook Fans: 24,369
Funds donated through the Phi Mu Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $77,00014. Gamma Phi Beta
Active Collegiate Chapters: 125
Twitter Followers: 6,892
Facebook Fans: 20,829
Funds donated through the Gamma Phi Beta Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $497,67513. Alpha Chi Omega
Active Collegiate Chapters: 133
Twitter Followers: 8,684
Facebook Fans: 28,918
Funds donated through the Alpha Chi Omega Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $106,67512. Delta Zeta
Active Collegiate Chapters: 158
Twitter Followers: 9,332
Facebook Fans: 14,986
Funds donated through the Delta Zeta Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $281,66811. Kappa Alpha Theta
Active Collegiate Chapters: 129
Twitter Followers: 8,344
Facebook Fans: 19,218
Funds donated through the Kappa Alpha Theta Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $695,24210. Alpha Phi
Active Collegiate Chapters: 157
Twitter Followers: 11,065
Facebook Fans: 13,915
Funds donated through the Alpha Phi Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $3429359. Alpha Omicron Pi
Active Collegiate Chapters: 191
Twitter Followers: 7,938
Facebook Fans: 15,401
Funds donated through the Alpha Omicron Pi Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $521,3808. Delta Delta Delta
Active Collegiate Chapters: 138
Twitter Followers: 11,133
Facebook Fans: 21,600
Funds donated through the Delta Delta Delta Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $264,5087. Kappa Delta
Active Collegiate Chapters: 142
Twitter Followers: 12,789
Facebook Fans: 13,492
Funds donated through the Kappa Delta Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $414,7936. Pi Beta Phi
Active Collegiate Chapters: 135
Twitter Followers: 8,900
Facebook Fans: 27,585
Funds donated through the Pi Beta Phi Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $522,6965. Chi Omega
Active Collegiate Chapters: 174
Twitter Followers: 10,189
Facebook Fans: 35,569
Funds donated through the Chi Omega Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $85,9714. Alpha Delta Pi
Active Collegiate Chapters: 142
Twitter Followers: 11,217
Facebook Fans: 34,945
Funds donated through the Alpha Delta Pi Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $120,9573. Kappa Kappa Gamma
Active Collegiate Chapters: 108
Twitter Followers: 12,039
Facebook Fans: 31,602
Funds donated through the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $624,5002. Delta Gamma
Active Collegiate Chapters: 147
Twitter Followers: 11,835
Facebook Fans: 32,717
Funds donated through the Delta Gamma Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $792,4991. Zeta Tau Alpha
Active Collegiate Chapters: 159
Twitter Followers: 11,995
Facebook Fans: 40,647
Funds donated through the Zeta Tau Alpha Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $384,039
Top 25 Fraternities
For all the attention devoted to the hazing practices and bullying of a few collegiate fraternities, the average Greek frat brother is more active in his community and has a higher G.P.A. than his non-fraternity peers. (Ed. Note: Boom roasted) In order to compare the 75 fraternities that are members of the North-American Interfraternity Conference, we first considered the number of active collegiate chapters for each. We also considered the number of alumni who are currently members of the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as the alumni, if any, who became president. Lastly, we considered the amount of money the fraternity’s non-profit fund donated to 501(c)(3) organizations according the most recent public filing (funds were normalized using a per-chapter ratio). Funds donated to individual chapters, classified as a 501(c)(7) non-profit social club, were not considered for this aspect of the ranking.
25. Delta Upsilon (ΔY)
Active Collegiate Chapters: 76
Number of Congressional Alumni: 3
Number of Presidential Alumni: 1
Funds donated through the Delta Upsilon Foundation to 501(c)(3)s:$35,02224. Phi Beta Sigma (ΦBΣ)
Active Collegiate Chapters: 152
Number of Congressional Alumni: 2
Number of Presidential Alumni: 1
Funds donated through the Phi Beta Sigma Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $023. Phi Kappa Sigma (ΦKΣ)
Active Collegiate Chapters: 48
Number of Congressional Alumni: n/a
Number of Presidential Alumni: n/a
Funds donated through the Phi Kappa Sigma Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $157,84322. Delta Chi (ΔX)
Active Collegiate Chapters: 135
Number of Congressional Alumni: 4
Number of Presidential Alumni: 1
Funds donated through the Delta Chi Foundation to 501(c)(3)s:$23,60321. Beta Theta Pi (BΘΠ)
Active Collegiate Chapters: 128
Number of Congressional Alumni: 7
Number of Presidential Alumni: n/a
Funds donated through the Beta Theta Pi Foundation to 501(c)(3)s:$020. Iota Phi Theta (IΦΘ)
Active Collegiate Chapters: 270
Number of Congressional Alumni: 1
Number of Presidential Alumni: n/a
Funds donated through the Iota Phi Theta Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $019. Sigma Alpha Mu (ΣAM)
Active Collegiate Chapters: 52
Number of Congressional Alumni: n/a
Number of Presidential Alumni: n/a
Funds donated through the Sigma Alpha Mu Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $123,95018. Alpha Tau Omega (ATΩ)
Active Collegiate Chapters: 132
Number of Congressional Alumni: n/a
Number of Presidential Alumni: n/a
Funds donated through the Alpha Tau Omega Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $114,71117. Pi Kappa Phi (ΠKΦ)
Active Collegiate Chapters: 155
Number of Congressional Alumni: 2
Number of Presidential Alumni: n/a
Funds donated through the Pi Kappa Phi Foundation to 501(c)(3)s:$73,76516. Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE)
Active Collegiate Chapters: 292
Number of Congressional Alumni: 3
Number of Presidential Alumni: 1
Funds donated through the Tau Kappa Epsilon Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $015. Pi Kappa Alpha (ΠKA)
Active Collegiate Chapters: 224
Number of Congressional Alumni: 4
Number of Presidential Alumni: n/a
Funds donated through the Pi Kappa Alpha Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $58,40614. Lambda Chi Alpha (ΛXA)
Active Collegiate Chapters: 192
Number of Congressional Alumni: 6
Number of Presidential Alumni: 1
Funds donated through the Lambda Chi Alpha Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $50,23813. Phi Kappa Tau (ΦKT)
Active Collegiate Chapters: 77
Number of Congressional Alumni: 3
Number of Presidential Alumni: n/a
Funds donated through the Phi Kappa Tau Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $102,60912. Kappa Alpha Psi (KAΨ)
Active Collegiate Chapters: 408
Number of Congressional Alumni: 5
Number of Presidential Alumni: n/a
Funds donated through the Kappa Alpha Psi Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $011. Delta Tau Delta (ΔTΔ)
Active Collegiate Chapters: 130
Number of Congressional Alumni: 6
Number of Presidential Alumni: n/a
Funds donated through the Delta Tau Delta Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $90,45710. Alpha Phi Alpha (AΦA)
Active Collegiate Chapters: 414
Number of Congressional Alumni: 6
Number of Presidential Alumni: n/a
Funds donated through the Alpha Phi Alpha Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $09. Kappa Alpha Order (KA)
Active Collegiate Chapters: 124
Number of Congressional Alumni: 5
Number of Presidential Alumni: n/a
Funds donated through the Kappa Alpha Order Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $118,1158. Sigma Phi Epsilon (ΣΦE)
Active Collegiate Chapters: 240
Number of Congressional Alumni: n/a
Number of Presidential Alumni: n/a
Funds donated through the Sigma Phi Epsilon Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $219,5387. Alpha Gamma Rho (AΓP)
Active Collegiate Chapters: 70
Number of Congressional Alumni: 4
Number of Presidential Alumni: n/a
Funds donated through the Alpha Gamma Rho Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $1,397,8916. Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEΠ)
Active Collegiate Chapters: 155
Number of Congressional Alumni: 1
Number of Presidential Alumni: n/a
Funds donated through the Alpha Epsilon Pi Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $178,0675. Sigma Nu (ΣN)
Active Collegiate Chapters: 175
Number of Congressional Alumni: 8
Number of Presidential Alumni: n/a
Funds donated through the Sigma Nu Foundation to 501(c)(3)s:$143,9214. Theta Chi (ΘX)
Active Collegiate Chapters: 133
Number of Congressional Alumni: 2
Number of Presidential Alumni: n/a
Funds donated through the Theta Chi Foundation to 501(c)(3)s:$278,9623. Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI)
Active Collegiate Chapters: 123
Number of Congressional Alumni: 3
Number of Presidential Alumni: 1
Funds donated through the Phi Gamma Delta Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $424,5252. Sigma Alpha Epsilon (ΣAE)
Active Collegiate Chapters: 246
Number of Congressional Alumni: 9
Number of Presidential Alumni: 1
Funds donated through the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Foundation to 501(c)(3)s: $242,2251. Sigma Chi (ΣX)
Active Collegiate Chapters: 246
Number of Congressional Alumni: 11
Number of Presidential Alumni: 1
Funds donated through the Sigma Chi Foundation to 501(c)(3)s:$1,436,883
- [via The Daily Beast]
They haven’t produced any presidents? They must not be a good fraternity.
12 years ago at 10:23 amGrover Cleveland
12 years ago at 4:43 pm^^great name.
12 years ago at 5:46 pmI’m confused. The list is titled “Top 25 Fraternities” but TKE is on there.
12 years ago at 10:24 amYes, and even though i’m not a Deke, where the hell are they? Don’t they have like 5 presidential alumni?
12 years ago at 11:08 amYeah, DKE has the most presidents out of any national fraternity, 5 I do believe. I also wondered why Phi Delt wasn’t on there too.
12 years ago at 11:34 amPDT is not on there because it only takes into account those in the NIC. I had to do a double take when I realized we weren’t on there as well.
12 years ago at 2:51 pmEh, i can live with 11th place.
12 years ago at 3:44 pm^^^ Hayes, Teddy Roosevelt, Ford, G.H.W. Bush, G.W. Bush.
12 years ago at 3:45 pmThis list was clearly well thought out.
^Add FDR to that list too. He was a Deke at Harvard (Alpha), although that chapter is no longer active.
12 years ago at 7:02 pmThey rated fraternities based on number of presidents and congressman, and yet DKE (5 Presidents), Phi Delt (take your pic of Reps. and Senators), and Kappa Sig (good handful of Senators, Governors, and Reps.) are nowhere to be found. Glad they threw in some NPHC chapters though, you know, to be diverse.
12 years ago at 9:21 pm^^^ But FDR was also a member of some other fraternity at the same time.. So I’m never sure who gets to claim him.
12 years ago at 8:25 pmIt would be interesting to see where Phi Delt, Kappa Sig, and Phi Sig would land on this “list” of the top fraternities.
12 years ago at 10:25 am^ this, and what the fuck are fiji and DU doing on that list?
12 years ago at 10:46 amHasn’t DU been co ed for a couple years.
12 years ago at 10:59 amPhi Delt, KSig, Phi Psi, and DKE should definitely have been on here. Phi Sig…eh. While the only PSK chapter I know of is pretty much top-tier at their school, they’re not all that hot nationally.
12 years ago at 11:25 am^
12 years ago at 11:28 amHaze Hipsters, first off- thats one badass name. Second, no need to get butthurt man. Maybe one day a girl will come over and party with yall
12 years ago at 11:29 amKappa Sigma isn’t in NAIC. The do not apply for this ranking.
12 years ago at 11:40 amJust like Kappa Sigma, Phi Delt is not a member of the NIC either.
12 years ago at 12:59 pm^ That’s kinda what I was getting at. Phi Delt, Kappa Sig, and Phi Sig were just three that I knew were not members of the NIC. One would think the second largest weekly news magazine, after Time, would do a little more research on their articles and not leave out three fraternities that are all well over 100 years old.
12 years ago at 2:21 pm^^^ cool sigma chi is about to be 157 years old congrats hitting that century mark
12 years ago at 4:48 pmYou do know PDT came before Sigma Chi? Did you not learn about the Miami Triad in pledge training, AsigUntil_iDie?
12 years ago at 11:48 amThey don’t shut down bad chapters and they will colonize anywhere. Must be too busy performing fellatio on one another.
12 years ago at 10:25 amCan I be as cool as you?
12 years ago at 9:10 pmThey don’t have a national philanthropy, must not donate anything whatsoever as a whole.
12 years ago at 10:27 am“Ctrl F” must be broken, I cant seem to find the term kitchen anywhere in the sorority rankings.
12 years ago at 10:31 am^ that joke sucked ass
12 years ago at 3:53 pm^Let me suck your ass.
12 years ago at 4:00 pmIHSV
12 years ago at 10:36 amSo how did the black fraternity make it on here? The writers must have not been trying to discriminate
12 years ago at 10:37 amIt was probably one of the eight million new requirements that were part of Obamacare.
12 years ago at 10:43 am^ this too. why the fuck are the divine nine up there
12 years ago at 10:47 am^^ I wouldn’t be surprised
12 years ago at 11:02 amAffirmative action: all black members in fraternities get free membership and dues are paid by the taxpayer. This is to make up for systematic discrimination against those who have historically not been able to be in fraternities. By letting them in free we can diversify greek life!
It’s scary how that actually sounds believable.
12 years ago at 11:09 am^^^^
12 years ago at 12:37 pmYou get what you vote for. Fuckers.
^hahahaha Ron Paul 2012!!!
12 years ago at 2:25 pmBizarre. Best fraternities based on the number of congressional alumni and
12 years ago at 10:38 amnumber of presidential alumni while the best sororities are based on Twitter and Facebook. wow.
Shitty reporting. If I had to make a list, I’d have based it off of total philanthropic money, famous alumni, F500 CEOs, congressional and presidential alumni, size, and age.
12 years ago at 11:46 amwhat is famous?
11 years ago at 12:28 am^
12 years ago at 12:35 pm^^^ Speak when spoken to and learn how to clean a dish.
12 years ago at 12:46 pm^You’re not funny. Go away.
12 years ago at 1:16 pmI’ll save you the time and research. Under those qualifications, it’d still be Sigma Chi at the top.
12 years ago at 4:20 pm^either that or Kappa Sig
12 years ago at 8:36 pmI definitely respect a couple of the fraternities on this list, but it’s clear shitholes like Sig ep won’t be able to maintain in years to come. Money donated and political alumni come from a time before their pussification.
Also, this list is total bullshit. The Kappa Sigma Military Heroes Campaign is a separate corporate entity from Kappa Sigma National Fraternity, and I would put money that we raise a lot more than, say, Sammy. I can also point to Senators and Congressmen who I have the privilege of calling brother. I would also put other large, respectable, and powerful IFC fraternities like Phi Psi, Phi Delt, and Chi Psi above the engineering and n1@@er shit I see here.
Fuck this list, fuck TKE, fuck Pike, and FUCK Sig Ep. Get on our level.
AEKDB
12 years ago at 10:44 am^ this. AEKDB Brother.
12 years ago at 10:48 amHey remember these are just the fraternities in the conference and Kappa Sigma decided to leave it because of disagreement on the conference future goals and we really dont need them.
12 years ago at 11:02 ami didnt read that close, but I also didnt know the conference had multiculturals… I thought that was multicultural greek council. Anyhow the exclusion of Phi Sig, Phi Delt, and Kappa Sig renders the rankings moot.
12 years ago at 11:10 am^^^Someones mad that they didn’t make the list, proving once again Sigma Chi is superior to all others. In Hoc
12 years ago at 11:12 amsharing a list with Alpha phi alpha, TKE, Pike, Sig Ep, and the scum of the nation’s greek system. TFTC?
Also we have 23 congressional alumni, hot shot. Go blow a shotgun.
12 years ago at 11:19 am^^ Easy brother. Although the KSig chapter at my school is by and large full of geeds, they definitely should have made the national list (along with Phi Delt, DKE, and Phi Psi).
By the way, almost none of the totals of congressional alumni are right.
12 years ago at 11:23 amAgreed brother, kick ass name by the way. I’m just surprised how angry people get by bullshit rankings and other content on this site. Instead of having an aneurysm they should calm down and throw in a lip and drink a beer, but maybe we can do that because we’re not insecure little princesses who need validation of their worth.
12 years ago at 12:05 pmWe aren’t in NAIC because we don’t aim for under achievement. I want to see a list with every statistic challenged.
A-B
12 years ago at 1:31 pmKappa Sig is one of the strongest southern fraternities. Also out west I guess its ok but I can’t speak for the north; I don’t know anyone in any chapter above UVA. Regardless this list is bullshit and this reporter is a GEED
12 years ago at 6:11 pmhttp://www.kappasigma.org/fraternity/facts
You can find all the stats right there…
Plus we have one of the best alumni and party animals of all time, Jimmy Buffett. I need a fuckin’ boat drink after reading this horseshit.
12 years ago at 8:16 pm^^^ Please, do explain to me how the actions/policies of the NAIC have in any way actually affected my fraternity or my chapter.
12 years ago at 8:28 pm^^Congrats, you got a flaming liberal as one of your most prominent members. You must be so proud
12 years ago at 9:54 pm^
12 years ago at 11:43 pm^^AEKDB
12 years ago at 12:54 pm