Why Join a Certified Honor Society?

Being invited to join an honor society is a recognition of your dedication to your academic pursuits. Accepting such an invitation can significantly benefit your academic and professional journey by providing recognition for your achievements, networking opportunities, and access to exclusive resources. Membership often enhances your resume, opens doors to scholarships and career advancement, and offers leadership development experiences. Additionally, participating in an honor society can connect you with a community of motivated peers and professionals, fostering personal growth and a sense of accomplishment.

Choosing the right honor society is essential for maximizing your academic and professional growth. A well-matched society aligns with your goals, offering relevant opportunities, valuable networking, and meaningful recognition, while a poor fit may result in missed benefits and diminished value.

Simply put, not every honor society is what it appears to be. To be a smart consumer, you need to have a basic understanding of the differences between certified and uncertified honor societies and judge credibility.

Why Joining an ACHS-Certified Honor Society Matters

Students, parents, and campus faculty should beware of predatory organizations that call themselves honor societies without requiring high academic standards for membership. These organizations often charge exorbitant initiation and sometimes ongoing membership fees. They exist primarily to make a profit, rather than to create opportunities for the students they purport to serve. Some have found ways around privacy laws and invite students via email from a national (non-campus) office, without input from a campus academic advisor to verify that the student would qualify as a high achiever. Others have gained a foothold at some institutions and may even have a faculty advisor, but they do not meet the minimum standards to qualify for certification. The only way to be certain is to do your research, and ACHS certification is a significant seal of approval.

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.

Download the ACHS's Honor Society Legitimacy Checklist Here.

Honor Society Member Recruitment

According to the ACHS bylaws, academic achievement and specified eligibility are the sole criteria for membership in an honor society. Membership in ACHS-certified honor societies is by invitation only, and is conducted by campus chapters—without applying social pressures—(such as solicitation or "rushing" to enlist initiates). Likewise, ACHS requires that certified member societies nor any of their chapters discriminate on the basis of any class protected by federal law.

By certifying the quality of member societies, ACHS affirms that elections 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.

To designate criteria for membership eligibility, the Association has classified distinctive groups and set standards for each one as to scholarship and leadership.

For general honor societies, scholarship recognition represents the highest 20 percent of the college class.
For honoring leadership, these societies must choose from the highest 35 percent, while specialized societies, representing particular fields, induct students who rank in the highest 35 percent of the college class.
All of these societies may elect superior graduate students.

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 certified, credible honor society provides prospective employers with instant verification of exemplary performance and achievement, distinguishing members from competing job applicants at a glance. In fact, the US Government's Office of Personnel Management (OPM) offers incoming federal employees a two level pay grade increase for "Superior Academic Achievement" which can be obtained through membership in ACHS-certified honor societies.
Certified honor societies offer student members opportunities to network with high achieving professionals in their field; to hold leadership positions locally, regionally, and nationally; to win valuable scholarships, fellowships, and grants; to publish their research/work as an undergraduate or graduate student; to attend seminars, workshops, and conferences; to participate in campus and community programming that extends and enhances their academic experience; and more.
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 internship scholarships with the Washington Internship Institute, The Fund for American Studies, The Washington Center of Internships and Academic Seminars, The Osgood Center, and The PhD Project.
Members of ACHS-certified honor societies are eligible to receive 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.