# Association of College Honor Societies

The Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS) is a voluntary association of national collegiate and post-graduate honor societies. It was established on December 30, 1925 by six organizations, including Alpha Omega Alpha, the Order of the Coif, Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, Sigma Xi, and Tau Beta Pi.

## History

The Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS) was formed in 1925 to create a network of affiliated societies and promote standards for scholarship and leadership on campus. The founding societies intended to establish and maintain desirable standards for groups wishing to call themselves honor societies. These standards included criteria for membership, governance, and chapter operation.
Representatives of Alpha Omega Alpha, the Order of the Coif, Phi Beta Kappa, and Sigma Xi attended its preliminary meeting held on October 2, 1925. When ACHS was officially established on December 30, 1925, its founding members were Alpha Omega Alpha, the Order of the Coif, Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, Sigma Xi, and Tau Beta Pi.
Since then, more than 65 honors societies have joined ACHS, becoming an international organization. However, not all legitimate honor societies apply for membership in ACHS. ACHS coordinates member organizations and facilitates communications between them. It also provides both scholarships to members of its member organizations.
The honor society standards set by the Association of College Honor Societies are mentioned by the U.S. government's Office of Personnel Management for entry into government employment at GS-7 Level: "Applicants can be considered eligible based on membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies listed... by the Association of College Honor Societies. Agencies considering eligibility based on any society not included in the following list must ensure that the honor society meets the minimum requirements of the Association of College Honor Societies."
In 2024, ACHS had 65 active member societies located in North America. Its headquarters are at 30 North Gould Street #29147 in Sheridan, Wyoming.

## List of member organizations

As of 2024, 65 organizations are affiliated with the ACHS.
| Society | Greek letters | Discipline | Founded | Joined ACHS |
| Alpha Beta Gamma | ΑΒΓ | Business and Professional Studies | 1970 | 1996 |
| Alpha Chi | ΑΧ | All Academic Fields | February 22, 1922 | February 1955 |
| Alpha Epsilon | ΑΕ | Agricultural, Food, and Biological Engineering | May 14, 1959 | 1968 (Associate); 1970 (Full) |
| Alpha Epsilon Delta | ΑΕΔ | Premedical | April 28, 1926 | April 22, 1945 |
| Alpha Epsilon Rho | ΑΕΡ | Electronic Media | April 30, 1943 | 2009 |
| Alpha Eta Mu Beta | ΑΗΜΒ | Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering | March 15, 1979 | 2013 |
| Alpha Iota Delta | ΑΙΔ | Decision, Information, and Operations Sciences | 1971 | 2009 |
| Alpha Kappa Delta | ΑΚΔ | Sociology | November 21, 1920 | 1967 |
| Alpha Kappa Mu | ΑΚΜ | General Scholarship | November 26, 1937 | 1952 |
| Alpha Lambda Delta | ΑΛΔ | First-year Success/Freshmen | May 31, 1924 | 1939 |
| Alpha Phi Sigma | ΑΦΣ | Criminal Justice | January 1942 | 1981 |
| Alpha Pi Mu | ΑΠΜ | Industrial Engineering | January 5, 1949 | February 1952 (Associate); February 1959 (Full) |
| Alpha Sigma Lambda | ΑΣΛ | Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning | 1946 | 2011 |
| Alpha Sigma Mu | ΑΣΜ | Materials Science and Engineering | January 1932 | 1965 |
| Alpha Sigma Nu | ΑΣΝ | General Scholarship - Jesuit Institutions of Higher Education | June 4, 1915 | 1975 |
| Beta Gamma Sigma | ΒΓΣ | Business and Management | February 19, 1913 | February 27, 1937; 1990 (Readmitted) |
| Beta Kappa Chi | ΒΚΧ | Natural Sciences and Mathematics | January 31, 1923 | 1961 |
| Beta Phi Mu | ΒΦΜ | Library and Information Studies and Information Technology | August 1948 | 1969 |
| Chi Sigma Iota | ΧΣΙ | Counseling | January 1, 1985 | 2001 |
| Delta Epsilon Sigma | ΔΕΣ | General Scholarship in Colleges and Universities with a Catholic Tradition | April 13, 1939 | 1967 |
| Delta Mu Delta | ΔΜΔ | Business Administration | November 18, 1913 | 1963 |
| Epsilon Pi Phi | ΕΠΦ | Emergency Management | 2006 | 2017 |
| Epsilon Pi Tau | ΕΠΤ | Professions in Technology | March 13, 1929 | 2005 |
| Gamma Theta Upsilon | ΓΘΥ | Geography | May 15, 1931 | 1976 |
| Kappa Mu Epsilon | ΚΜΕ | Mathematics | April 18, 1931 | 1968 |
| Kappa Omicron Nu | ΚΟΝ | Human Sciences | February 21, 1990 | February 25, 1951 |
| Kappa Tau Alpha | ΚΤΑ | Journalism and Mass Communication | March 10, 1910 | February 25, 1951 |
| Lambda Pi Eta | ΛΠΗ | Communication | 1985 | February 1996 |
| Lambda Sigma | ΛΣ | Student Leadership, Scholarship and Service | November 7, 1922 | 1981 |
| Mortar Board | | Scholarship, Leadership, and Service | February 15, 1918 | February 27, 1937 |
| Mu Kappa Tau | ΜΚΤ | Marketing | 1966 | 1996 |
| National Society of Collegiate Scholars | | Scholarship, Leadership, and Service | April 30, 1994 | 2004 |
| Omega Chi Epsilon | ΩΧΕ | Chemical Engineering | Spring 1931 | 1967 |
| Omega Rho | ΩΡ | Operations Research, and Management Science | April 1, 1976 | 1983 (Associate); 1986 (Full) |
| Omicron Delta Epsilon | ΟΔΕ | Economics | January 1, 1963 | 1965; 1981 (Readmitted) |
| Phi Alpha | ΦΑ | Social Work | 1962 | January 2019 |
| Phi Alpha Theta | ΦΑΘ | History | March 17, 1921 | April 22, 1945 –2012; 2017 (Readmitted) |
| Phi Beta Delta | ΦΒΔ | International Education | February 27, 1986 | 2013 |
| Phi Eta Sigma | ΦΗΣ | Freshman Scholarship | March 22, 1923 | February 27, 1937 – 2011; 2018 (Readmitted) |
| Phi Lambda Sigma | ΦΛΣ | Pharmacy Leadership | March 1965 | 2018 |
| Phi Sigma | ΦΣ | Biological Sciences, All Pure and Applied Fields | March 17, 1915 | 1950 |
| Phi Sigma Iota | ΦΣΙ | Foreign Language, Literature, and Cultures | October 1922 | 1950 |
| Phi Sigma Tau | ΦΣΤ | Philosophy | October 21, 1955 | 1958 |
| Phi Upsilon Omicron | ΦΥΟ | Family and Consumer Sciences | February 10, 1909 | 1979 |
| Pi Delta Phi | ΠΔΦ | French | 1906 | 1967 |
| Pi Gamma Mu | ΠΓΜ | Social Sciences | December 1, 1924 | 1953 |
| Pi Kappa Lambda | ΠΚΛ | Music | May 17, 1918 | February 24, 1940 |
| Pi Sigma Alpha | ΠΣΑ | Political Science | October 1, 1920 | 1949 |
| Pi Tau Sigma | ΠΤΣ | Mechanical Engineering | March 16, 1915 | March 1, 1947 |
| Pi Theta Epsilon | ΠΘΕ | Occupational Therapy | 1959 | February 1996 |
| Psi Beta | ΨΒ | Psychology at Two-Year Colleges | November 5, 1981 | 1994 |
| Psi Chi | ΨΧ | Psychology | September 4, 1929 | 1965 |
| Rho Chi | ΡΧ | Pharmacy | May 19, 1922 | March 1, 1947 |
| Sigma Beta Delta | ΣΒΔ | Business, Management, and Administration | January 16, 1994 | 1994 |
| Sigma Delta Pi | ΣΔΠ | Spanish | November 14, 1919 | 1966 |
| Sigma Lambda Alpha | ΣΛΑ | Landscape Architecture | September 24, 1977 | 1983 (Associate); 1986 (Full) |
| Sigma Lambda Chi | ΣΛΧ | Construction Management Technology | April 30, 1949 | 1991 |
| Sigma Pi Sigma | ΣΠΣ | Physics and Astronomy | December 11, 1921 | 1945 |
| Sigma Tau Delta | ΣΤΔ | English Language and Literature | December 12, 1922 | 1972 |
| Sigma Theta Tau | ΣΘΤ | Nursing | October 4, 1922 | 1959 |
| Tau Beta Pi | ΤΒΠ | Engineering | June 15, 1885 | December 30, 1925 |
| Tau Sigma Delta | ΤΣΔ | Architecture and Allied Arts | May 1913 | February 28, 1948 |
| Theta Alpha Kappa | ΘΑΚ | Religious Studies and Theology | Fall 1976 | 1985 (Associate); 1986 (Full) |
| Upsilon Pi Epsilon | ΥΠΕ | Computing and Information Disciplines | January 10, 1967 | 1997 |
| Xi Sigma Pi | ΞΣΠ | Forestry | November 24, 1908 | 1966–1999; 2017 (Readmitted) |
* ↑ Founded as Beta Epsilon Phi on December 1, 1941.
* ↑ Merged with Gamma Pi Epsilon March 30, 1973.
* ↑ Kappa Omicron Nu founded in 1990 through consolidation of Omicron Nu (founded April 1912) and Kappa Omicron Phi (founded December 11, 1922)). (Omicron Nu admitted to ACHS 1951, readmitted 1968, Kappa Omicron Phi admitted 1972)
* ↑ November 7, 1922 as Cwens, March 6, 1976 as Lambda Sigma
* ↑ Association of College Honor Societies founding organization.

## Former members

While the Association of College Honor Societies remains the largest trade association of honor societies, some former members have resigned from ACHS membership to operate independently. Of these, several have emerged into successor groups that remain part of the ACHS or have gone dormant.
Recently, four of the oldest independent honor societies, including three of the original six founding members of the ACHS, have formed a new coordinating organization called the Honor Society Caucus.
| Society | Greek letters | Discipline | Founded | Joined ACHS | Left ACHS | Status |
| Alpha Delta Mu | ΑΔΜ | Social Work | Fall 1976 | 1983 (Associate); 1986 (Full) | February 9, 2007 | Independent |
| Alpha Omega Alpha | ΑΩΑ | Medical | August 25, 1902 | December 30, 1925 | 1977–1998 | Independent |
| Chi Epsilon | ΧΕ | Civil Engineering | May 22, 1922 | 1953 | 2023 | Independent |
| Delta Phi Delta | ΔΦΔ | Art | January 10, 1909 | 1961 | 1977–1988 | Independent |
| Delta Sigma Rho | ΔΣΡ | Forensics | April 13, 1906 | February 1955 | August 18, 1963 | Merged into Delta Sigma Rho-Tau Kappa Alpha |
| Delta Sigma Rho-Tau Kappa Alpha | ΔΣΡ-ΤΚΑ | Forensics | August 18, 1963 | February 27, 1937 (ΤΚΑ); February 1955 (ΔΣΡ) | November 2013–January 2014 | Independent |
| Delta Tau Alpha | ΔΤΑ | Agriculture | March 19, 1960 | 1992 | 2023 | |
| Eta Kappa Nu | ΗΚΝ | Electrical and Computer Engineering | October 28, 1904 | March 1, 1947 | 2008 | Independent |
| Golden Key | | General | November 29, 1977 | 2005 | December 31, 2013 | Independent |
| Iota Sigma Pi | ΙΣΠ | Women in the sciences, especially chemistry | 1900 or 1902 | February 1955 | 1957–1963 | Independent |
| Kappa Delta Pi | ΚΔΠ | Education | March 8, 1911 | 1974 | 2008 | Independent |
| Lambda Iota Tau | ΛΙΤ | Literature of all Languages | December 3, 1953 | 1965 | 2015 | Merged with Sigma Tau Delta |
| National Collegiate Players/Pi Epsilon Delta | ΠΕΔ | Theatre Honors | June 8, 1919 | 1963 | 1977–1988 | Independent |
| Omicron Delta Kappa | ΟΔΚ | Leadership and Scholarship | December 3, 1914 | March 3, 1930 | 2005 | Honor Society Caucus |
| Omicron Nu | ΟΝ | Human Sciences | April 23, 1912 | February 25, 1951; 1968 (Readmitted) | 1990 | Merged into Kappa Omicron Nu |
| Order of the Coif | | Law | 1902 | December 30, 1925 | 1947–1957 | Independent |
| Phi Beta Kappa | ΦΒΚ | Liberal Arts | December 5, 1776 | December 30, 1925 | December 15, 1937 | Honor Society Caucus |
| Phi Kappa Phi | ΦΚΦ | All Fields | March 15, 1897 | December 30, 1925 | 2006–2007 | Honor Society Caucus |
| Pi Alpha Alpha | ΠΑΑ | Public Affairs and Administration | 1974 | 1983 (Associate); 1984 (Full) | 2017 | Independent |
| Pi Omega Pi | ΠΩΠ | Business Education Teachers | June 13, 1923 | 1965 | 2023 | |
| Scabbard and Blade, National Society of | | Reserve Officer Training Corps | Fall 1904 | 2010 | 2022 | Independent |
| Sigma Gamma Tau | ΣΓΤ | Aerospace Engineering | February 28, 1953 | February 27, 1965 | 2001 | Independent |
| Sigma Tau | ΣΤ | Engineering | February 24, 1904 | March 3, 1930 | 1963 | Merged into Tau Beta Pi |
| Sigma Xi | ΣΞ | Scientific Research | November 1886 | December 30, 1925 | 1933 | Honor Society Caucus |
| Tau Alpha Pi | ΤΑΠ | Engineering Technology | 1953 | 2000 | 2023 | |
| Tau Kappa Alpha | ΤΚΑ | Forensics | May 13, 1908 | February 27, 1937 | August 18, 1963 | Merged into Delta Sigma Rho-Tau Kappa Alpha |
* 1 2 3 4 5 Association of College Honor Societies founding organization.
* ↑ Founded by two groups of civil engineering students at the University of Illinois in 1922.
* ↑ Founded as Pallet Club at U of Kansas on January 10, 1909. On May 28, 1912, plans for a national organization were completed, Delta Phi Delta adapted as name
* 1 2 3 Delta Sigma Rho and Tau Kappa Alpha merged on August 18, 1963, to form Delta Sigma Rho-Tau Kappa Alpha.
* ↑ Merged with Tau Beta Pi in 1974.