Almost every four-year college in America has a fraternity or sorority somewhere on campus, which makes “has Greek life” a useless thing to filter on. The number that actually tells you something is how many students join. It ranges from under 1% to more than three quarters, and that spread decides whether Greek life is a club you could join or the organising fact of your social calendar.
426 colleges publish participation rates for both fraternities and sororities. Among them, the highest is Austin College, where roughly 77% of undergraduates are Greek-affiliated. 128 schools clear 20%, the threshold we use for the Greek Life Strong collection.
The 12 Highest Greek Participation Rates
Ranked by the average of the two reported rates, which approximates the share of the whole student body in a fraternity or sorority. Figures come from each school’s Common Data Set reporting.
Austin College (Sherman, TX)
76%
in Fraternities
77%
in Sororities
77%
Combined
1,165 undergraduates, 48% acceptance rate. See the full profile for tuition, campus safety and the rest of the lifestyle data.
Welch College (Gallatin, TN)
75%
in Fraternities
72%
in Sororities
74%
Combined
226 undergraduates. See the full profile for tuition, campus safety and the rest of the lifestyle data.
DePauw University (Greencastle, IN)
75%
in Fraternities
65%
in Sororities
70%
Combined
1,905 undergraduates, 57% acceptance rate. See the full profile for tuition, campus safety and the rest of the lifestyle data.
North American University (Stafford, TX)
50%
in Fraternities
70%
in Sororities
60%
Combined
609 undergraduates. See the full profile for tuition, campus safety and the rest of the lifestyle data.
The University of the South (Sewanee, TN)
52%
in Fraternities
65%
in Sororities
59%
Combined
1,607 undergraduates, 57% acceptance rate. See the full profile for tuition, campus safety and the rest of the lifestyle data.
Appalachian State University (Boone, NC)
45%
in Fraternities
66%
in Sororities
56%
Combined
19,444 undergraduates, 90% acceptance rate. See the full profile for tuition, campus safety and the rest of the lifestyle data.
Hampton University (Hampton, VA)
45%
in Fraternities
65%
in Sororities
55%
Combined
3,727 undergraduates, 62% acceptance rate. See the full profile for tuition, campus safety and the rest of the lifestyle data.
New College of Florida (Sarasota, FL)
45%
in Fraternities
65%
in Sororities
55%
Combined
843 undergraduates, 73% acceptance rate. See the full profile for tuition, campus safety and the rest of the lifestyle data.
York University (York, NE)
46%
in Fraternities
64%
in Sororities
55%
Combined
428 undergraduates, 52% acceptance rate. See the full profile for tuition, campus safety and the rest of the lifestyle data.
Texas Christian University (Fort Worth, TX)
47%
in Fraternities
59%
in Sororities
53%
Combined
11,026 undergraduates, 44% acceptance rate. See the full profile for tuition, campus safety and the rest of the lifestyle data.
Hanover College (Hanover, IN)
58%
in Fraternities
48%
in Sororities
53%
Combined
1,031 undergraduates, 84% acceptance rate. See the full profile for tuition, campus safety and the rest of the lifestyle data.
Hannibal-LaGrange University (Hannibal, MO)
45%
in Fraternities
60%
in Sororities
53%
Combined
410 undergraduates, 73% acceptance rate. See the full profile for tuition, campus safety and the rest of the lifestyle data.
How to Read These Numbers
Fraternity and sorority rates are reported separately, as a share of men and a share of women, so a school with 40% of men in fraternities and 20% of women in sororities is a different place from one with 30% of each. Both average to 30%. The two figures are shown on every card above and on every school profile for exactly that reason.
High participation does not oblige you to rush. Even at the top of this list a substantial share of students never join. What it changes is the social default, which is worth knowing before you enrol rather than during your first September. Schools that report Greek organizations without publishing participation rates are left out here rather than assumed either way, and their profile pages say so. For a closer look at where recruitment itself is most competitive, see the hardest sorority rush schools.
If you want the wider set rather than the extremes, the Greek Life Strong collection holds every school above 20%, and you can layer on tuition, state, campus safety and lifestyle filters from there.