Membership Stipulations

           

An invitation to join Phi Beta Kappa recognizes and honors exceptional academic achievement in the arts and sciences.


Membership in Phi Beta Kappa is granted by invitation from individual chapters. Currently, more than 290 institutions of higher education host a Phi Beta Kappa chapter. While all chapters begin with a shared set of national stipulations, each one determines its own process for selecting and inviting new members. National guidelines establish the minimum criteria for consideration. Many chapters adopt additional and more rigorous requirements, as defined in their governing documents and approved by their membership.

Building on these shared stipulations, chapters develop constitutions and bylaws that reflect their specific institutional contexts. Typically, each chapter identifies a pool of eligible students using quantifiable academic measures and then elects members through a voting process that reflects a holistic evaluation of its criteria.

Because each chapter interprets and applies the national stipulations in its own way, there is no single answer to questions such as “How do I receive an invitation?” or “Do I qualify for membership?” Eligibility and selection processes vary across institutions.

The national stipulations outlined below provide a general framework grounded in the aims of a bachelor’s degree, which is expected to foster skills in communication, analytical and critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and literacy across multiple forms of information. Phi Beta Kappa builds on these expectations by emphasizing the distinctive features of an arts and sciences education, while allowing each chapter to implement these principles in ways that reflect its campus context.

As a leading standard bearer for quality arts and sciences education, Phi Beta Kappa defines the liberal arts and sciences to include the arts, humanities, mathematics, natural sciences, and social sciences. Students eligible for membership will engage across this range of disciplines, developing introductory-level proficiency in diverse tools, methodologies, vocabularies, perspectives, and habits of mind.

Stipulation 1: BREADTH OF STUDY  

Eligible students must be candidates for a bachelor’s degree and have completed three-quarters of their college-level coursework for such a degree in the liberal arts and sciences. 

 

Stipulation 2: LANGUAGE STUDY   

Candidates shall demonstrate knowledge of a second or non-native language at a college level.

 

Stipulation 3: DEPTH OF STUDY  

\Weight shall be given to the breadth and depth of study in the liberal arts and sciences... beyond the major, including advanced electives.

 

Stipulation 4: QUANTITATIVE THINKING 

Candidates shall take at least one course in mathematics, logic, or statistics with appropriate liberal arts content.

 

Stipulation 5: CHARACTER

An invitation to Phi Beta Kappa should be extended to persons demonstrating behaviors consistent with the highest standards and principles of the institution’s student code of conduct.

 
These stipulations were adopted as of June 18, 2025 (and emerged from the previous two Triennial Councils).

A Rare Honor

10% of U.S. colleges and universities have Phi Beta Kappa chapters. These chapters select only about 10 percent of their arts and sciences graduates to join.

Find a School

Search our Chapter Directory