Like begets Like.
No problem atomicPACMAN07. Greek life isn’t for everybody. Only about 1/3 of students participate overall. There’s a big visual because of the many houses, but Greeks are not the majority.
I have yet to see a college student of any stripe be unable to find a party somewhere! 
@Southlander first and foremost I want to get to know people academically. Those professional fraternities sound like a bargain and I will definitely look into them. I have no doubt though that I will explore the social aspect of campus through other means without a heavy hit to the pocket 
Well, good. There are a lot of things to learn at college. Only some of them are learned in classrooms!
We found, on the lower end, fraternity costs ranged from $300-$500 per month not including housing. The fees can change depending on what they bill for the month. They may add in items such as national chapter dues, formal dues, shirt fees… which would cause the monthly statement to increase. Remember this is a 12 month cycle. The summer bills tended to be a little lower. We understood the fees going in, considered the cost over 4 years and made our decision.
How do we find out the ones that cost $8000/semester?? and which ones might be more reasonable? Is there anyway to find out prior to accepting a bid?
@holli518, check this FAQ:
http://www.uapanhellenic.com/faq.html
ETA: This is for Panhellenic Council sororities, which tend to be much more expensive than others, from what I understand.
Here is the cost for IFC fraternities:
http://www.alabamaifc.com/financial-information.html
So I think @mrnostalgia has it about right.
Wow - that seems awfully expensive!
Yes, indeedy! 
I think other councils’ fraternities aren’t nearly as expensive, however.
National Pan-Hellenic Council: https://ofsl.sa.ua.edu/councils/nphc/
United Greek Council: https://ofsl.sa.ua.edu/councils/ugc/
I wonder about fraternities for my son that are affordable and not too detrimental on grades for serious students.
Can anyone recommend a few that their students enjoyed that didn’t break the bank or the GPA?
What is your student’s intended major, @crimsonhyde?
Theta Tau, the co-ed engineering fraternity, might fit the bill: https://muthetatau.org/
@LucieTheLakie Probably CS … At the moment. Or maybe math.
Mallet Assembly is considered an honors program “recommended to all academically-minded, intelligent, independent young people”.
http://www.mallet-assembly.org/index.php?title=Main_Page
As LucieTheLakie suggested, the UA’s co-ed engineering fraternity, which is part of the United Greek Council linked above ^^
Both are co-ed, lower cost and don’t require you to live in specific housing and fit the academic/honors/engineering society interest.
Thanks @Claire3
That’s an expensive party no??
It is for my pocketbook, @Michthebeech. But apparently plenty of families are able and willing to shell out the big bucks.
@LucieTheLakie don’t know how I’m going to disappoint my daughter because her friend told her all about it and how fun it is and how she was able to make such lasting friendships. But I feel those are pretty expensive friends and it’s too expensive for my budget too.
@Michthebeech, I don’t have a daughter, but if I did and she were interested in sorority life, I’d urge her to look into one of the less expensive sororities and those which aren’t part of the Panhellenic Association. Here’s a link to their 2016 rush booklet, which breaks down the costs on p. 22
http://issuu.com/alabamapanhellenic/docs/ua_greek_chic_2016/22?e=3052583/36323676
I’m sure she wouldn’t be the only student on a budget, and I’m sure many young women work to pay for their sorority dues. Still, it’s a major financial commitment and they’re very up front about that. But the Panhellenic Association isn’t the only game in town, and she might find a nice group of sisters at one of the other chapters.
Panhellenic Association sororities: http://www.uapanhellenic.com/main.html
National Pan-Hellenic Council: https://ofsl.sa.ua.edu/councils/nphc/
United Greek Council: https://ofsl.sa.ua.edu/councils/ugc/