Get that UT acceptance letter?
Hook em! You’re officially a Longhorn. Welcome to the University of Texas!
UT has one of the largest, most fun (and as such – most competitive) sorority recruitment processes in the entire country. Each year over 1,400 potential new members (PNMs) sign up for fall sorority recruitment and the numbers continue to grow. Due to the competitiveness of UT, most potential new members choose to begin preparing for recruitment about a year to six months in advance.
Also, if you haven’t already read it, we’d recommend you start by reading our famous blog post: “How to Prepare for Sorority Recruitment at the University of Texas.” It received a crazy amount of views this year, and it addresses a TON of common questions, myths, and rumors regarding UT rush.
When does sorority recruitment take place? Does UT have spring recruitment too?
At UT Austin, formal sorority recruitment is a weeklong process with four rounds. It takes place in August, right before the fall semester’s classes begin. Some rounds are a day and others stretch over multiple days. It’s followed by bid day, where potential new members celebrate after receiving a max of 1 bid, aka, an invitation to join a sorority.
While Spring sorority recruitment does exist, it’s extremely informal. It’s also important to note that most chapters opt out of participating, as chapters who participate are required to come back from Christmas break earlier to set up and get ready. Houses that have met the quota (have enough members) are not obligated to participate.
If you want to maximize your chances of receiving a bid and meet as many chapters as possible, we’d highly recommend you participate in fall recruitment!
Do sorority members (actives) live in the UT chapter houses?
At the University of Texas, active members are allowed and encouraged to live in the off-campus sorority houses, especially if the actives choose to be an officer. Different sororities have different rules and recommended years to live in the house. For some sororities, it’s a big deal to live in the house sophomore year, while others recommend all junior-year members reside there.
It’s technically mandatory that every spot in the house is filled, but there’s usually a long waiting list of girls eager to live in the house (think: private chefs preparing you a full meal plan, great location in West Campus, affordable rent, maids, spacious living space and private pool, and of course – all of your sisters). It’s competitive to get in unless you’re an officer (automatic invite), so if living in the sorority house isn’t your thing, don’t worry – you can still live in a dorm or off-campus housing. Freshmen do not live in the sorority houses.
The University of Texas (UT Austin) Panhellenic Sorority Chapters
(All links below go to chapter-maintained websites.)
- Alpha Chi Omega
- Alpha Delta Pi
- Alpha Xi Delta
- Alpha Phi
- Alpha Epsilon Phi
- Chi Omega
- Delta Delta Delta
- Delta Gamma
- Kappa Delta
- Kappa Kappa Gamma
- Pi Phi
- Theta
- Zeta
Click here to see photos of all the UT sorority houses. <– These pics were taken by Hiking in Heels so you could get a better idea of the look and feel for each house. (Some of the photos were super tiny and hard to see on the chapter-run websites.)
University of Texas 2023 Formal Sorority Recruitment Schedule & Other Important Dates
*updated with 2023 recruitment dates!
- Thursday, June 1st, 9:00 AM CST: Recruitment Registration OPENS. Registration is $175.
Things due with registration: Social sorority resume, academic transcripts, and photo are required for registration. PNMs are unable to register until they have their final GPA. **Super important note: this does NOT mean PNMs have to wait until June 1st to turn their Letters of Recommendation in!! - Monday, August 7th, 11:59 PM CST: Recruitment Registration CLOSES.
**Just because this is the date it closes does not mean PNMs should wait until then. PNMs who wait until the deadline can put themselves at a significant disadvantage during recruitment. - Tuesday, August 15th: Opening Convocation & Open House Day
- Wednesday, August 16th: Philanthropy Day 1
- Thursday, August 17th: Philanthropy Day 2
- Friday, August 18th: Sisterhood Round (formerly called Skit Night)
- Saturday, August 19th: Preference Round
- Sunday, August 20th: Bid Day
Each year, as we mentioned above, around 1,400 PNMs sign up to participate in UT’s fall recruitment. Typically about 900 girls receive bids. Due to the competitiveness of UT, most girls begin preparing for recruitment about a year to six months in advance.
University of Texas Specific Pre-Recruitment MUST-KNOW INFO going into 2023
Sorority recruitment does NOT begin in August.
- Even though the University of Texas Panhellenic website says otherwise, recruitment DOES NOT BEGIN IN AUGUST with formal recruitment. The sororities start making lists of PNMs they’re excited about in February/March of the girls’ senior year. At UT Austin, it’s not just important – it’s absolutely essential to get on the recruitment team’s radar as soon as you commit so that the chapter is aware of your existence.
At the University of Texas, Letters of Recommendation are a MUST.
- How does a PNM get on a recruitment team’s radar if they don’t know current members at that chapter? One way is with Letters of Recommendation / also called Recruitment Information Forms (RIFs).
- If you do not know anyone in the chapters (and even if you do) you should STILL obtain these.
- UT Austin has an extremely competitive recruitment process, and you absolutely need these if you plan to rush here.
- Why? Aside from the fact that turning these in shows interest, if you don’t personally know anyone and you aren’t able to register for recruitment until May (when UT’s registration typically goes live), turning in Letters of Recommendation helps the sorority chapters:
- 1) know of your existence
- 2) get to know you before recruitment and most importantly – get excited about you!
Think of it this way: if the chapters don’t know about you ahead of time, they can’t get excited about you during recruitment and it’s easier to slip through the cracks. It’s like expecting a cute guy from one of your 100+ person college classes who doesn’t know you yet to ask you out. You could be the cutest, sweetest, most interesting girl in the class, but if you haven’t introduced yourself, a date’s pretty unlikely, right?
Do not ignore the deadlines!
There are 1,400-1,500+ of you and 4-6 members on each chapter’s recruitment team.
- In order to maximize your chances of receiving more invites back, for the University of Texas, Letters of Recommendation are due on – or even better, before – May 1, regardless of the listed dates on the UT Austin University Panhellenic website & Instagram account, University of Texas sorority websites, and your city’s local Panhellenic Association’s suggested dates.
- Yes, technically you can turn them in later, but think of this like you would a job application.
- If a company opens a job application for 90 days, sure you absolutely can apply the day before they take it down. But if they’ve already found the right candidates and they’re excited about them, and there are only so many open jobs – what do you think your chance of getting that job is going to be? Less likely than the earlier applicants with similar qualifications – that’s for sure.
- Ignore the misleading deadlines you see that are designed to make everyone feel included and have your Letters of Rec turned in by May 1st if you want to maximize your chances of receiving more invites from more chapters. (If you’re reading this after May 1st – deep breath, don’t panic. You’re behind, BUT it’s still better to turn them in ASAP vs. not at all. Not sure if it’s still worth doing? Depends on how far along in the summer you are.) *If you’re unsure if you’ve missed the window for recommendations, you’re welcome to contact us and we can help you fully understand what to do / when it’s due / and how to expedite this process.
- We can help PNMs navigate this entire process surrounding what these letters are, where to turn them in, and who can/should complete them, but we can’t do anything after the window to turn them in closes. What are Letters of Recommendation (LORs), Recruitment Information Forms (RIFs), and Letters of Support (LOS)? Read our 5-min blog post.
The University of Texas sorority recruitment process requires a mandatory PNM Video assignment that’s due with sorority registration.
- PNMs are required to answer specific prompts and record a video of themselves answering these.
- This video is due along with registration over the summer prior to formal recruitment and will be factored into your PNM score and impact whether or not you return for round 2. Take it seriously and turn it in early!
- We help PNMs with scripting, filming tips, and suggestions on how to be more memorable in their videos with 1×1 coaching sessions, so if you want guidance – that’s what we’re here for!
Plan to participate in sorority recruitment at the University of Texas this fall? Don’t risk slipping through the cracks!
Work with a sorority recruitment coach that went to UT herself, specializes in University of Texas sorority recruitment, and cheers as tons of our girls happily receive their bids every year!!
A lot of the big decisions with rushees involve paperwork and are made months before recruitment.
We know exactly what the Director of Recruitment Records is looking for on your resume, how the sororities will rank your rec letters on a scale (and how you can get a higher ranking), how best to prepare your rush packets, how the bid list ordering and cut process works, and what you should actually be discussing during each round. (Hint – it’s not what the Panhellenic guides will tell you!)
Working with a sorority recruitment coach maximizes a PNM’s odds and gives your daughter an advantage long before she steps foot on campus for recruitment so she can go in more relaxed and confident.
It’s just like the SAT – it’s better to go in prepared. Let’s get you (or your daughter) recruitment ready.
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