I’m always wary of industry financed research but sometimes it can point to more nuanced truths, and show that it’s possible for organizations to perpetuate awful things and produce worthwhile benefits simultaneously. In this case, there’s evidence that fraternities and sororities, despite their considerable drawbacks, may provide important support networks and strengthen people skills that help their members in college and afterward.  

Gallup administered online surveys to 10,000 adults across the country who graduated from college in the past 15 years, and compared responses of those who had been members of a fraternity or a sorority with those who hadn’t. The report, Fraternities and Sororities: Experiences and Outcomes in College, Work and Life, is slated to be released this week and was commissioned by North-American Interfraternity Conference and the National Panhellenic Conference, two advocacy groups for fraternities and sororities.

• Fraternity and sorority members were more likely to say they formed relationships with mentors and professors, were extremely active in extracurricular activities and worked in internships.

• More than half of fraternity and sorority alumni said they had a job immediately after or within two months of graduating college compared with only 36 percent of unaffiliated college graduates.

• More than half of Greek alumni said they had donated to their alma mater in the past year compared with only 10 percent of unaffiliated alumni. 

• Three earlier studies found that membership in a fraternity or sorority harmed academic performance and led to lower grades, particularly during the rushing and pledging seasons. 

• Research funded by fraternity and sorority advocacy groups has been more positive. But it’s impossible to say if Greek membership helped students build better people skills and resiliency or if the kind of people who choose to join fraternities and sororities would have thrived anyway.

Gallup, Inc. (2021) Fraternities and Sororities: Experiences and Outcomes in College, Work and Life.  

Gallup-Purdue Index. (2014) Fraternities And Sororities: Understanding Life Outcomes 

Mara, Jack et al. “Social Animal House: The Economic and Academic Consequences of Fraternity Membership.” Political Economy: Taxation (2018). 

Andrew De Donato, James Thomas. (2017) “The effects of Greek affiliation on academic performance,” Economics of Education Review. 

William E. Even and Austin C. Smith. (2020) “Greek Life, Academics, and Earnings.” J. Human Resources. 

Biddix, J. Patrick (October 2014) “Sorority Membership and Educational Outcomes: Results from a National Study”  

Biddix, J. Patrick  (May 2021) “National Panhellenic Conference Sorority Member Experiences During COVID-19” 

Mental Health Study FFE Research Grant Report 2020 Postsecondary Education Research Center at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville 

Pike, Gary R. "Membership in a Fraternity or Sorority, Student Engagement, and Educational Outcomes at AAU Public Research Universities." Journal of College Student Development, vol. 44 no. 3, 2003, p. 369-382. Project MUSE,  

Pike, Gary R. “The Greek Experience Revisited: The Relationships between Fraternity/Sorority Membership and Student Engagement, Learning Outcomes, Grades, and Satisfaction with College”  Research Report prepared for the North American Interfraternity Conference March 2020.