Just curious how much you or your student pay for Greek life dues? Also how much for any additional incidentals? (not including housing) Son just pledged a fraternity and we were surprised how expensive it is, especially since it’s a school with somewhat low-key Greek life. But just trying to see if it’s actually expensive relative to other schools. Luckily we can afford it, but he will be working extra this summer to pay for future years.
I wish I could answer…but our kids were responsible for earning all of their discretionary spending money. Since it was money they earned, we didn’t track how they spent it…at all. They earned it, they spent it.
But every family makes its own decisions regarding this.
My daughter did not pledge a sorority but she did say…it wasn’t a bargain…mostly because Of the events and parties which involved fancy clothes. But that was her school.
ETA…some folks here have reported that living in the Greek house was actually less expensive than living in the dorms. So…worth checking that out!
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It cost more than that. Formals. I’ve bought more dresses. Like can’t you wear one twice ? And then food, hotels…yes hotels. Not at my daughters but her bf goes to Denver. Their formal was in Aspen.
We paid an up front. I’ll have to check. I think $1600 a year or so I think and monthly $40 or so. Plus other ad hoc fees. But some run in the thousands.
My wife says it varies by semester and that we got off cheap vs others. But that’s for girls.
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A few years ago, our son’s annual dues were around $750 or so at midwest public flagship with about 10% greek life participation. He paid the annual dues out of his summer earnings/school year job. He did live in house for 1-2 years which was much cheaper than any university or off-campus housing. There were costs associated with formals, fundraisers etc., but on balance, probably not a lot more than if he’d had an active social life as an “independent.”
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Both my girls attend(ed) large southern (ACC) state universities (my younger one is currently a sophomore). Her dues are about $600 a semester. Her school does not have separately owned sorority houses - they are owned by the university. There is no separate sorority meal plan.
Older daughter’s dues: (I happen to still have copies of the bills in an email folder - she graduated college in 2017). Her college had separately owned sorority houses and a sorority meal plan. For the semesters she didn’t live in the house, her dues were $2400. This included $800 for the sorority meal plan, which was mandatory for every member. It also included about $700 to cover the costs of the house (they had a live-in house mother, who earned a salary and a chef). When she lived in the house, the amount went up to about $4000, which included the rent to live in the house (plus they got a parking spot which in her college town, is a Golden Ticket). This was 2013-2017, so I’m guessing it’s gone up now.
Older daughter went to college in-state so there was some flexibility with being able to pay for add-ons, like a sorority (plus, the year she lived in the house was the cheapest housing year by far, compared to off campus rents & parking). Both my husband and I were very active in our sorority/fraternity and support our kids wanting to join as well.
We pay more for younger daughter to attend college out of state, so she pays for her dues each semester. Next year she will live on campus in the sorority house and be back on the school meal plan (both of which will be billed along with the tuition bill) and that will be less expensive than what it currently costs to live off campus and buy/prepare her own meals.
Both girls paid for their own extras like formal/date party dresses and the travel costs if they went somewhere.
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My D did not join Greek life, but we looked into it and it was about $1000-$1200 a quarter, depending on which one, at UCLA
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My S joined a fraternity last year as a freshman at a large ACC school. His dues are approximately $500/semester and so far he hasn’t had any additional expenses.
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ummm – expensive from our point of view. but considering covid year it was the saving grace of meeting people, it was worth it. we pay around 8500 a year. this includes weekday meals, not living in the house though.
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It will vary, but the first (pledge) semester is always the most expensive. Their are one-time fees that are all front-loaded. My dd is at an ACC school and, so far, the sorority has been very transparent about semester costs. There haven’t been any surprises. In addition, at her school, it is less expensive to live in Greek housing than the dorms.
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I have 3 who joined a fraternity/sorority, I have no idea how much dues are, what formals cost, what they spent on suits/dresses.
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I told my son that if he joined a frat, anything exceeding the cost of normal living expenses, which include housing and food, was on him. He chose not to live in the frat house. We pay for his off-campus housing. He pays his own dues. A blind guess is about $400 a semester?
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Mine were both in sororities. One lived in the house (which was very convenient for study abroad as she didn’t have to break a lease or get housing when she returned). Her room and board, plus dues, at the house was about $4000/sem, which was less than room and board in the dorms. I think the dues part was about $600/sem if she didn’t live in the house.
The other was about $350/sem extra for the sorority. This covered food at events, the ‘parlor fee’ for the meeting room at the house, incidentals, the national dues. The university owned the townhouse complex the Greek houses shared (a converted complex, so it had a pool, volleyball pits, BBQ grills, etc. Kind of nice. ) Cost to live there was the same as the dorms but no meal plan required (the rooms had kitchens and private baths) so that saved a lot (meal plans were expensive), but daughter chose not to live at the complex (her housing was much much cheaper living off campus).
There were a few events but most didn’t cost any extra. My kids were pretty savvy about shopping the Macy’s sales or thrift stores for dresses (or borrowing them) Neither had ‘little sisters’ which can cost a lot as there are gifts involved. Neither house had a t-shirt for every event like some of the southern houses do. Beware the ‘T-shirt Fee.’
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