Member Login
Search

Benefits of ACHS Membership

ACHS member societies can benefit from the following: 

  • Excellence Guarantee: Membership in ACHS ensures that a society meets strict criteria designed to ensure student growth and tangible, lifelong benefits. Certification for membership is provided by the ACHS credentialing body and awarded only to organizations that complete a qualifying petition for membership and pass a cyclical compliance review.

  • Gain Exposure: In addition to being displayed on the certified member directory on the ACHS website. Students interested in joining an honor society are encouraged through ACHS to consider certified options. 

  • Work with a Collective of Certified Honor Societies: ACHS members work together to uphold high standards and to combat predatory groups that claim to be honor societies. Collectively, our message extends deeply into the academic community across the country, and our reach is far broader than that of any individual society. In addition, by working together, certified societies are able to isolate outliers who do not live up to our rigorous criteria.

  • Attend the ACHS Annual Meeting: ACHS provides an annual meeting for member societies to promote mutually beneficial communication, to share best practices of each organization, to find answers to society operational questions, to govern ACHS, and to challenge each other to uphold high honor standards.

  • Contribute Knowledge & Expertise to the Honor Society Community: ACHS endeavors to collect a body of knowledge that will be of value to the honors community and other audiences. ACHS certified societies are encouraged to contribute their knowledge and best practices through collaboration with fellow members, ACHS initiatives, and in public forums. The official representatives for ACHS certified societies can participate in online groups where they can ask and answer relevant honor society questions on an as needed basis throughout the year.

  • Represent Superior Academic Achievement: By certifying the quality of its member societies, ACHS affirms that elections of students to honor society membership should represent Superior Academic Achievement. Standards set by the Association require membership participation in society governance in electing officers and board members, setting authority in organizational affairs, and keeping bylaws current.

  • Shared Legal Representation through ACHS: Member societies may benefit from shared legal representation through ACHS on matters that impact a majority of our member societies (e.g., copyright infringements, misrepresentation, etc.). This cooperative approach can yield quicker results for larger societies, and can be particularly meaningful for smaller societies that may not be able to afford legal representation.

  • Federal Benefits of Membership in an ACHS Member Honor Society: One tangible benefit of belonging to an ACHS-certified honor society is the potential for increased pay for federal jobs. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management states that "Membership in a national honor society meets one of the requirements for entrance at the GS-7 level in numerous professional and technical occupations in the Federal service." See Superior Academic Achievement at OPM.gov Policies.

  • Receive regular updates and communications: ACHS certified societies receive regular updates and communications through the ACHS members email list including industry news, opportunities, and more. In 2025/26, ACHS will also be debuting a quarterly newsletter.

Is your honor society interested in becoming ACHS-certified? Learn more about membership requirements and petitioning here. 

 

Benefits of Membership with an ACHS Certified Member Society

ACHS’s membership consists of the certified honor societies, rather than the members belonging to said societies. However, benefits of ACHS membership also apply to the honor societies’ members. 

  • Membership in an ACHS member society carries with it a tangible acknowledgment of merit for Federal employment. As long as the applicant meets the requirements as described in the job announcement, honor society membership may fulfill one of the requirements for entrance at the GS-7 level in numerous professional and technical occupations in the Federal Service.

  • Student members of each ACHS member society may qualify for scholarships for programs and internships provided by our partners. Learn more about available opportunities here.

  • ACHS sets the standards for organizational excellence and scholastic eligibility, as well as assuring member participation in governance so that the interests of individual members are advanced.

Certified member societies of the Association of College Honor Societies can be found at this quick link.