Each year approximately 80 seniors from Notre Dame's College of Arts and Letters and College of Science are invited to membership in Phi Beta Kappa. The single most important criterion for election is the student's academic record. Students cannot apply for membership in the Society. Their selection is carried out by a group of faculty, themselves members of Phi Beta Kappa, carefully examining student transcripts and recommending to the full membership of the local chapter those students deemed deserving of membership. The Notre Dame Chapter then invites the students chosen to membership in the Society.
Initiation takes place during graduation weekend.