Spring 2026 Continuous Open Bidding (COB) Information available Dec. 1.

Throughout the year, some Panhellenic sororities participate in COB, known as the Continuous Open Bidding process. COB is less structured and informal way to join a sorority. It is important to note that not all of our Panhellenic chapters may participate in COB.

Important Dates

• Continuous Open Bidding (COB) Interest Form Released: December 1
• COB Open House and Tabling: January 22
• New Member Orientation: February 22
• New Member Orientation Health and Safety Module: TBA
• Fall 2025 Primary Recruitment Registration Opens: May 1
• Chapters eligible for COB: Check @UTKPanhellenic on Instagram for more info

In order to register for recruitment, you’ll need to first have your NetID. Your NetID is the username associated with your accounts for the University of Tennessee, and it is the first part of your University email address, NetID@vols.utk.edu. Discover how to easily find your NetID.

Continuous Open Bidding (COB) process

If you’re interested in learning more about Continuous Open Bidding opportunities throughout the year, please follow our social media or email the Panhellenic Recruitment Team to learn more!

Download the editable COB MRABA form

If you have extended a COB, please notify OSFL within one (1) business day. COB forms will be available during that time of year. Any questions can be directed to Panhellenic advisor, Jordyn Johnson.

As required by the National Panhellenic Conference, there is not a GPA requirement to participate in Primary Recruitment at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

The typical average to extend a sorority membership invitation is a 3.00 cumulative GPA. Women who have below a 3.00 GPA are advised that they are at a greater risk to be released from the Primary Recruitment process due to their academics.

To help students understand how their GPA may affect their Primary Recruitment experience, the Panhellenic Council at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville has adopted grade zones to show how academics may factor in Primary Recruitment. Please note, grades are only one of many factors that chapters will consider in membership selection.

GPA Zones

• Orange Zone = Your options are not likely limited based on your GPA. (3.0+)
• Grey Zone = Your options are more likely to be limited by your GPA. (2.80-2.99)
• White Zone = Your options are very likely to be limited based on GPA. (2.79 and below)

GPA/Transcript Information

The GPA information that will be verified after your registration has been processed may be different from the one provided on your high school transcript. The University of Tennessee has an adjusted GPA scale that is based off of common core classes. This means that your GPA that is entered into our recruitment system is based off the grades earned in things like math, science, English, etc., and may be different than your high school transcript which also counts your non-core classes.  If this is the case, you are more than welcome to provide our office with your high school transcript, and we can notify our sorority chapters what your high school transcript says your GPA is in addition to the official UT GPA. You may do this by emailing a copy of your transcript to Michaela LaFountaine, Panhellenic Coordinator.

A recommendation/reference (also called a REC or RIF) serves as your introduction to the sorority, so their members can get to know you in advance of primary recruitment in the fall. These official forms, which are unique to each individual sorority, are provided by the national organization for their alumnae members to fill out on behalf of potential new members.

Please note that each sorority has its own policy as to whether or not they require a recommendation/reference and that the University of Tennessee Panhellenic does NOT have access to individual sorority recommendation/reference forms.

Only a sorority alumna, or potentially a collegiate member of a sorority, can write a recommendation to her sorority. It is also recommended that the alumna use her sorority’s official recommendation form, which is outlined below. 

Securing letters of recommendation is ultimately not the obligation of the potential new member, so below are a couple of things to keep in mind if you choose to seek out letters of recommendation:

• If a PNM decides she wants to personally seek out alumnae to write a rec of her behalf,  she needs to only secure one recommendation for each of the 14 NPC chapters on campus that accept letters of recommendation at UT that participate in primary recruitment. More than one per chapter is unnecessary.

If a PNM is struggling to find alumna to write letters of recommendation, we encourage reaching out to a local alumni chapter, searching the national website, or contacting the Chapter President by email and asking for recommendations on local alumni who would be willing to write one. 

While there are 26 NPC sororities, when seeking letters of recommendation for recruitment, you ONLY need letters for those 14 National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) sororities participating in primary recruitment at UT. They are Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Gamma Delta, Alpha Omicron Pi, Chi Omega, Delta Delta Delta, Delta Gamma, Delta Zeta, Kappa Delta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Phi Mu, Pi Beta Phi, Sigma Kappa, and Zeta Tau Alpha.

If you cannot find a letter of recommendation for each of the 14 NPC sororities that accept, please do not worry!

While chapter specific letters of recommendation are preferred, for women unable to find an alumna from each of the recognized sororities at the University of Tennessee to write a letter of recommendation, we have added a new option to the recruitment application. This year as part of the recruitment application, women participating in recruitment may elect to submit a generic, supplemental academic letter of recommendation from a teacher, guidance counselor, or principal. The individual writing the letter of recommendation is not required to have been a member of a Greek organization; however, the letter should speak to your character as it applies to leadership, scholarship, community service, and friendship. Please note that this is an optional feature and as such, is not a required part of the online application form. The weight by which these supplemental academic letters of recommendation is up to each chapter’s discretion.

There is no hard submission deadline for recommendation letters. However, we encourage women to turn in recommendation letters for Primary Recruitment by August 1.

2025 Move-In Information

Moving into University Housing requires students to make an appointment to move in. Those that are registered for Primary Recruitment by June 15 are guaranteed an early move-in appointment from Sunday, August 10, to Monday, August 11. Those registered after June 15 may still be eligible for early move-in appointments as they are available, however spots will not be guaranteed. For more information, please visit University Housing’s website and be sure to check your Volmail account regularly!

This is for on-campus housing only.

More information to come on May 1, 2026.