Omicron Delta Kappa - Membership Selection

Membership Selection

To be eligible for membership in OΔΚ, an individual must obtain at least junior or senior academic standing. Unlike Phi Beta Kappa, which limits membership to the liberal arts & sciences, ΟΔΚ is open to students of all areas of study, but they must exhibit outstanding leadership distinction in at least one of the five areas of scholarship, athletics, campus/community service, social/religious activities, and campus government; journalism, speech and the mass media; and creative and performing arts. Members may be chosen either annually or semi-annually depending on the traditions of the individual Circles. The number of students selected each year is limited to, at the most, less than 3% of the total undergraduate population, but most Circles limit membership to less than the top one quarter of one percent of students on their respective campuses.

Unlike most college honor societies that accept all potential members who meet the selection criteria and pay the required fees, ΟΔΚ only chooses a very select group from a pool of potential and qualified students through a process known as tapping. Once a Circle votes on the individuals to be tapped for membership, the selection is kept secret from all except for those who have been chosen for initiation. Once the chosen candidates are tapped, they must also keep their selection secret until such time when their selection is revealed to the campus and community in a public ceremony. Prior to this public revealing ceremony, the new members are initiated into the bonds of the society through the private ritual of the society. At some institutions where several elite societies are in place that tap new members, such as the University of Missouri, the public revealing ceremony is combined with those other highly selective or secret societies to become a large annual Tap Day ceremony on campus.