The expansion of Greek letter organizations into Canada was an important stage of the North American fraternity movement, beginning in 1879 with the establishment of a chapter of Zeta Psi at the University of Toronto. In 1883, the same fraternity established a chapter at McGill University. Other early foundations were Kappa Alpha Society at Toronto in 1892 and at McGill in 1899, and Alpha Delta Phi at Toronto in 1893 and at McGill in 1897. The first sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta, was established in Toronto in 1887. In 1902, the first international chapter of Phi Delta Theta was established at McGill University as the Quebec Alpha. [1]
The development of the fraternity system in Canada has made great progress in these two universities. In 1927 Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities reported the existence of 42 chapters at the University of Toronto and 23 chapters at McGill University. A few chapters were also reported from the University of British Columbia, University of Calgary, Carleton University, Dalhousie University, University of Manitoba, Queen's University, University of Western Ontario, McMaster University, Wilfrid Laurier University, University of Waterloo, Brock University and University of Alberta. [2]
Following is a list of Canadian fraternities. Chapter counts included Canadian chapters only for international fraternities. Organizations that are inactive in Canada are indicated in italic.
Organization | Symbols | Charter date and range | Founding location | Type | Scope | Affiliation | Active Canadian chapters | Status in Canada | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Acacia | Ακακία | May 12, 1904 | University of Michigan at Ann Arbor | Social | International | NIC | 1 | Active | |
Alpha Delta Phi | ΑΔΦ | October 29, 1832 | Hamilton College | Social and literary | International | NIC | 3 | Active | |
Alpha Epsilon Pi | ΑΕΠ | November 7, 1913 | New York University | Jewish | International | FFC | 10 | Active | [3] |
Alpha Kai Omega | ΑΚΩ | 1929 | W. D. Lowe High School | Sports | Local | Independent | 1 | Active | |
Alpha Kappa Psi | ΑΚΨ | October 5, 1904 | New York University | Professional (business) | International | PFA | 2 | Active | [4] |
Alpha Omega | ΑΩ | 1907 | Baltimore, Maryland | Professional (dentistry) and Jewish | International | PFA | 3 | Active | [lower-alpha 1] |
Alpha Phi Alpha | ΑΦΑ | December 4, 1906 | Cornell University | Social, African-American | International | NIC, NPHC | 1 | Active | |
Alpha Phi Omega | ΑΦΩ | December 16, 1925 | Lafayette College | Service | International | PFA | 1 | Active | [5] |
Alpha Sigma Phi | ΑΣΦ | December 6, 1845 | Yale University | Social | International | FFC | 3 | Active | [6] |
Alpha Tau Omega | ΑΤΩ | September 11, 1865 – xxxx ? | Virginia Military Institute | Social | International | NIC | 0 | Inactive | |
Beta Theta Pi | ΒΘΠ | August 8, 1839 | Miami University | Social | International | NIC | 3 | Active | |
Brotherhood of Omicron | Ο | January 1965 | Concordia University | Secret society | Local | Independent | 1 | Active | [7] |
Delta Chi | ΔΧ | October 13, 1890 | Cornell University | Social | International | NIC | 1 | Active | |
Delta Kappa Epsilon | ΔΚΕ | June 22, 1844 | Yale University | Social | International | NIC | 7 | Active | [8] |
Delta Lambda Phi | ΔΛΦ | October 15, 1986 | Washington, D.C. | Social, Gay/Bisexual | International | NIC | 0 | Inactive | |
Delta Sigma Phi | ΔΣΦ | December 10, 1899 – xxxx ? | City College of New York | Social | International | NIC | 0 | Inactive | |
Delta Tau Delta | ΔΤΔ | October 1858–xxxx ? | Bethany College | Social | International | NIC | 0 | Inactive | [lower-alpha 2] |
Delta Upsilon | ΔΥ | November 4, 1834 | Williams College | Social | International | NIC | 4 | Active | |
Episkopon | Επισκοπῶν | 1858 | University of Toronto | Secret society | Local | Independent | |||
FarmHouse | FH | April 15, 1905 | University of Missouri | Social | International | NIC | 1 | Active | [9] |
Gamma Beta Lambda | ΓΒΛ | October 2, 1963 – xxxx ? | Vancouver, British Columbia | Social | Local | Independent | 0 | Inactive | |
Kappa Alpha Society | KA | November 26, 1825 | Union College | Literary and social | International | NIC | 2 | Active | |
Kappa Sigma | ΚΣ | December 10, 1869 | University of Virginia | Social | International | Independent | 9 | Active | |
Lambda Chi Alpha | ΛΧΑ | November 2, 1909 | Boston University | Social | International | Independent | 3 | Active | [10] |
Lambda Phi Epsilon | ΛΦΕ | February 25, 1981 | University of California, Los Angeles | Asian-interest | International | NIC | 2 | Active | [11] |
Omega Psi Phi | ΩΨΦ | November 17, 1911 | Howard University | Social, African-American | International | NPHC | 1 | Active | |
Omega Theta Alpha | ΩΘΑ | September 5, 2002 | University of Ottawa | Social | Local | Independent | 1 | Active | [12] [13] |
Omega Xi | ΩΞ | 2011–xxxx ? | University of Saskatchewan | Social | Local | Independent | 0 | Inactive | |
Phi Beta Sigma | ΦΒΣ | January 9, 1914 | Howard University | Social, African-American | International | NPHC | 1 | Active | |
Phi Delta Theta | ΦΔΘ | December 26, 1848 | Miami University | Social | International | Independent | 11 | Active | [14] |
Phi Gamma Delta | ΦΓΔ | May 1, 1848 | Jefferson College | Social | International | NIC | 5 | Active | |
Phi Kappa Pi | ΦΚΠ | March 22, 1913 | McGill University and University of Toronto | Social | National | Independent | 4 | Active | [15] |
Phi Kappa Sigma | ΦΚΣ | August 16, 1850 | University of Pennsylvania | Social | International | NIC | 1 | Active | |
Phi Sigma Kappa | ΦΣΚ | March 15, 1873 – xxxx ? | University of Massachusetts Amherst | Social | International | NIC | 0 | Inactive | |
Pi Kappa Alpha | ΠΚΑ | March 1, 1868 | University of Virginia | Social | International | NIC | 4 | Active | |
Pi Lambda Phi | ΠΛΦ | March 21, 1895 – xxxx ? | Yale University | Social | International | NIC | 0 | Inactive | [16] |
Psi Lambda Phi | ΨΛΦ | March 27, 2014 | St. Thomas University / University of New Brunswick, Fredericton | Social/Charitable | Local | Independent | 0 | Inactive | |
Psi Upsilon | ΨΥ | November 24, 1833 | Union College | Social | International | NIC | 1 | Active | |
Sigma Alpha Epsilon | ΣΑΕ | March 9, 1856 | University of Alabama | Social | International | NIC | 1 | Active | |
Sigma Alpha Mu | ΣΑΜ | November 26, 1909 | College of the City of New York | Social | International | NIC | 1 | Active | |
Sigma Chi | ΣΧ | June 28, 1855 | Miami University | Social | International | NIC | 10 | Active | |
Sigma Nu | ΣΝ | January 1, 1869 – xxxx ? | Virginia Military Institute | Social | International | NIC | 0 | Inactive | |
Sigma Phi Delta | ΣΦΔ | April 11, 1924 | University of Southern California | Professional (engineering) | International | PFA | 2 | Active | |
Sigma Pi | ΣΠ | February 26, 1897 | Vincennes University | Social | International | NIC | 0 | Inactive | |
Sigma Thêta Pi | ΣΘΠ | September 21, 2003 | Université Joseph Fourier and Université Pierre Mendès-France | Social | International | Independent | 2 | Active | [17] |
Tau Kappa Epsilon | TKE | January 10, 1899 | Illinois Wesleyan University | Social | International | Independent | 3 | Active | |
Theta Chi | ΘΧ | April 10, 1856 | Norwich University | Social | International | NIC | 1 | Active | |
Theta Delta Chi | ΘΔΧ | October 31, 1847 | Union College | Social | International | NIC | 1 | Active | |
Theta Gamma | ΘΓ | January 1912 – xxxx ? | St. Lawrence University | Social | International | 0 | Inactive | [18] [lower-alpha 3] | |
Theta Sigma | ΘΣ | 1974–xxxx ? | Concordia University | Social | Local | Independent | 0 | Inactive | |
Theta Tau Nu | ΘΤΝ | 2013–20xx ? | University of New Brunswick, Fredericton | Social | Local | Independent | 0 | Inactive | |
Xi Alpha Pi | ΞΑΠ | September 28, 2008 | University of Toronto Scarborough | Multicultural-interest | Local | Independent | 1 | Active | [19] |
Zeta Beta Tau | ΖΒΤ | December 29, 1898 | City College of New York | Jewish | International | NIC | 1 | Active | [20] |
Zeta Psi | ΖΨ | June 1, 1847 | New York University | Social | International | NIC | 13 | Active | [21] |
Following is a list of Canadian sororities. Chapter counts included Canadian chapters only for international fraternities. Organizations that are Inactive in Canada indicated in italic.
Organization | Symbols | Nickname | Charter date and range | Founding location | Type | Scope | Affiliation | Active Canadian chapters | Status in Canada | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alpha Chi Theta | ΑΧθ | Al-Chi-Ta | April 20, 2013 | University of Victoria | Social | Local | Independent | 1 | Active | [22] [23] |
Alpha Epsilon Phi | ΑΕΦ | A E Phi or Phisters | October 24, 1909 | Barnard College | Jewish | International | NPC | 1 | Active | |
Alpha Delta Pi | ΑΔΠ | A D Pi | May 15, 1851 | Wesleyan College | Social | International | NPC | 2 | Active | |
Alpha Gamma Delta | ΑΓΔ | A G D or Alpha Gam or Gams | May 30, 1904 | Syracuse University | Social | International | NPC | 8 | Active | |
Alpha Gamma Phi | ΑΓΦ | AGP | July 27, 2015 | Nipissing University | Social | Local | Independent | 1 | Active | |
Alpha Kappa Alpha | ΑΚΑ | AKAs | January 15, 1908 | Howard University | African-American | International | NPHC | 1 | Active | |
alpha Kappa Delta Phi | αΚΔΦ | aKDPhi KDPhi | February 7, 1990 | University of California, Berkeley | Asian-interest | International | NAPA | 1 | Active | |
Alpha Omega | ΑΩ | A-Oh's | October 27, 1993 | Wilfrid Laurier University | Social | Local | Independent | 1 | Active | [24] |
Alpha Omega Epsilon | ΑΩΕ | November 13, 1983 | Marquette University | Professional (engineering) | International | PFA | 2 | Active | ||
Alpha Omicron Pi | ΑΟΠ | AOII Alphas Alpha O's | January 2, 1897 | Barnard College | Social | International | NPC | 7 | Active | |
Alpha Phi | ΑΦ | A-Phi | October 10, 1872 | Syracuse University | Social | International | NPC | 8 | Active | |
Alpha Pi Beta | ΑΠΒ | APiB | 1994 | University of Northern British Columbia | Social | Local | Independent | 1 | Active | [25] |
Alpha Pi Phi | ΑΠΦ | App's or Apple Pi's | February 26, 2009 | Carleton University | Social | International | Independent | 10 | Active | |
Alpha Psi | ΑΨ | A-Psis | June 24, 2004 | University of Alberta | Social | Local | Independent | 1 | Active | [26] |
Alpha Sigma Chi | ΑΣΧ | ASX Sigs | December 9, 2008 – 20xx ? | University of Ontario Institute of Technology | Social | Local | Independent | 0 | Inactive | [27] |
Beta Delta Pi | ΒΔΠ | Bucknell Female Institute | Social | International | 0 | Inactive | ||||
Ceres | Ceres | October 12, 1985 | Colorado State University | Social and agriculture | International | 1 | Active | |||
Chi Sigma Xi | ΧΣΞ | CSX | April 1, 2010 | University of Toronto Scarborough | Multicultural | Local | Independent | 1 | Active | [28] |
Delta Alpha Theta | ΔΑΘ | DATs | October 5, 2005 | University of Windsor | Social | National | 3 | Active | ||
Delta Delta Delta | ΔΔΔ | Tri Delta | November 27, 1888 | Boston University | Social | International | NPC | 2 | Active | |
Delta Eta Iota | ΔΗΙ | DHI | January 10, 2008 | University of Lethbridge | Social | Local | Independent | 1 | Active | [29] |
Delta Gamma | ΔΓ | DG or DeeGee | December 25, 1873 | Lewis School for Girls | Social | International | NPC | 2 | Active | |
Delta Phi Epsilon | ΔΦΕ | DPhiE | March 17, 1917 | New York University Law School | Social | International | NPC | 3 | Active | |
Delta Phi Nu | ΔΦΝ | DFN | May 14, 2008 | Fleming College | Social | Regional | 4 | Active | ||
Delta Pi | ΔΠ | November 2, 1989 | York University | Jewish and social | Regional | 2 | Active | [30] | ||
Delta Psi Delta | ΔΨΔ | DPsiD DPD | September 15, 1991 | Carleton University | Social | Regional | 4 | Active | ||
Delta Sigma Theta | ΔΣΘ | Deltas | January 13, 1913 | Howard University | Predominantly Black/Service | International | NPHC | 1 | Active | |
Delta Zeta | ΔΖ | DZ | October 24, 1902 | Miami University | Social | International | NPC | 1 | Active | |
Gamma Delta Nu | ΓΔΝ | GDN | April 10, 2016 | York University | Social | Local | Independent | 1 | Active | [31] |
Gamma Phi Beta | ΓΦΒ | Gamma Phi, G-Phi-B or G-Phi | November 11, 1874 | Syracuse University | Social | International | NPC | 3 | Active | |
Iota Beta Chi | IBX | IBX or IBChi | January 6, 1997 | Dalhousie University | Social | National | Independent | 2 | Active | |
Kappa Alpha Theta | ΚΑΘ | Theta or KAT | January 27, 1870 | DePauw University | Social | International | NPC | 4 | Active | |
Kappa Beta Gamma | KBГ | Betas or KBG | January 22, 1917 | Marquette University | Social | International | Independent | 13 | Active | [32] |
Kappa Kappa Gamma | ΚΚΓ | Kappa | October 13, 1870 | Monmouth College | Social | International | NPC | 4 | Active | |
Kappa Phi Xi | ΚΦΞ | KPX | September 4, 2018 | York University | Social | Local | Independent | 1 | Active | |
Kappa Sigma Psi | ΚΣΨ | Kappa KSP | January 30, 2016 | University of Ontario, Institute of Technology | Social | Regional | 2 | Active | ||
Nu Delta Mu | ΝΔΜ | NDM | April 27, 2011 | Université de Montréal | Social | International | Independent | 1 | Active | [33] [34] |
Nu Omega Zeta | ΝΩΖ | Nu Girls | September 7, 2011 | McMaster University | Black-focused and social | Local | Independent | 0 | Inactive | [35] [36] [37] |
Nu Sigma Pi | ΝΣΠ | Nu Sigs | September 14, 1997 | University of Ottawa | Social | Local | Independent | 1 | Active | [38] |
Omega Phi Sigma | ΩΦΣ | OPS | November 18, 2010 | University of Ottawa | Social | Local | Independent | 0 | Inactive | [39] |
Omega Pi | ΩΠ | Pi's | April 20, 1985 | Dalhousie University, Saint Mary's University, Mount Saint Vincent University, Nova Scotia Community College, University Sainte-Anne, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, University of King's College | Social | Regional | Independent | 1 | Active | [40] |
Omega Sigma Chi | ΩΣΧ | O-Sigs | April 12, 2010 | Brock University | Social | Local | Independent | 1 | Active | [41] [42] |
Phi Sigma Sigma | ΦΣΣ | Phi sigs | November 26, 1913 | Hunter College | Social | International | NPC | 0 | Inactive | |
Pi Alpha Gamma | ΠΑΓ | October 18, 2011 | St Thomas University | Social | Local | Independent | 0 | Inactive | [43] | |
Pi Beta Phi | ΠΒΦ | Pi Phi | April 28, 1867 | Monmouth College | Social | International | NPC | 4 | Active | |
Pi Nu Epsilon | ΠΝΕ | November 1914 | State University of New York at Canton | Social | International | Independent | 0 | Inactive | [44] | |
Sigma Beta Phi | ΣΒΦ | February 29, 2008 | University of Ottawa | Black and Social | Local | Independent | 1 | Active | [45] [46] | |
Sigma Gamma Rho | ΣΓΡ | Sigmas or SGRhos | November 12, 1922 | Butler University | African-American | International | NPHC | 1 | Active | [47] |
Sigma Lambda Gamma | ΣΛΓ | March 15, 2004 | University of Waterloo | Social | Local | Independent | 1 | Active | [48] | |
Sigma Psi Alpha | ΣΨΑ | SPAs | September 11, 2009 | University of Ottawa | Social | Local/Regional | Independent | 0 | Inactive | |
Tau Lambda Xi | ΤΛΞ | Xis, TAU, TAO | November 13, 2017 | Dalhousie University, Saint Mary's University, Mount Saint Vincent University, Nova Scotia Community College, and Nova Scotia College of Art and Design | Social | Local | Independent | 1 | Active | [49] |
Tau Sigma Phi | ΤΣΦ | Tau Sig | September 9, 2007 | Carleton University | Social | National | Independent | 5 | Active | [50] |
Theta Sigma Psi | ΘΣΨ | Theta's, TSP | November 6, 2011 | University of Ottawa | Social | Local | Independent | 1 | Active | [51] |
Xi Delta Theta | ΞΔΘ | Xi Delt | January 22, 1993 | Carleton University | Social | Local | Independent | 1 | Active | [52] |
Zeta Beta Omega | ΖΒΩ | ZBO or Zee Bees | December 3, 2018 | University of Toronto | Jewish | Local | Independent | 1 | Active | [53] |
Zeta Beta Psi | ΖΒΨ | April 15, 2009 | Thompson Rivers University | Social | Local | Independent | 0 | Inactive | [54] | |
Zeta Lambda Zeta | ΖΛΖ | Zetas ZLZs | February 17, 2010 | Université de Montréal | Social | International | Independent | 2 | Active | [55] |
Zeta Tau Omega | ΖΤΩ | ZETs | November 28, 1967 | Concordia University | Social | Local | Independent | 1 | Active | [56] |
Zeta Theta Xi | ΖΘΞ | ZOEs | September 14, 2010 | University of Ottawa | Social | Local | Independent | 1 | Active | [57] |
Cultural interest fraternities and sororities, in the North American student fraternity and sorority system, refer to general, social organizations oriented to students having a special interest in a culture or cultural identity.