About Certified Honor Societies

Founded in 1925, ACHS is the only certifying agency for college and university honor societies. 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.

Why Joining an ACHS-Certified Honor Society Matters

There are many honor societies that may invite you to join. Unfortunately, you may receive an invitation to join an organization that is an honor society in name only, meaning it is a for-profit company that is not an academic honor society at all. Those companies do not meet the strict standards of ACHS-certified honor societies.

Membership in ACHS guarantees that a society meets strict criteria designed to ensure student growth and tangible, lifelong benefits to belonging. Certification for membership is provided by the ACHS credentialing body and awarded only to organizations that complete a qualifying petition for membership.

ACHS strongly encourages all students and their parents to carefully examine invitations to join a society. Is it from an ACHS-certified honor society?  If not, is it from a legitimate honor society, one that is a non-profit organization that bases acceptance on academic standards?  ACHS recommends that you do not commit to a financial obligation until you verify that membership in any non-certified organization is, in fact, an honor that confers real meaning. 

No Honor Invite

See the checklist of standards a certified honor society must meet.

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." OPM.gov Policies