Alpha Phi International Fraternity is more than a Greek organization. It’s a community of close-knit women supporting one another for a lifetime. Established in 1872, Alpha Phi has 175 collegiate chapters in North America and more than 310,000 members committed to lifelong friendships, leadership, academic excellence, personal growth and community involvement! Alpha Phis constantly work toward improvement and growth, both as individuals and as an organization.

In 1872, the first women to attend Syracuse University decided that it was not enough to merely participate in the classroom. Denied admission to the men’s fraternities, several of these women chose to create their own fraternity for women. From the beginning, they envisioned an expansive sisterhood, and their leadership and organizational practices set the tone for the Alpha Phi of today. Much like our present-day membership, the Founders were a group of curious women who did not back down from a challenge — women who had a vision for our sisterhood and the confidence in one another to make an impact.

From the beginning, Alpha Phi’s Founders dreamt of growth. As Founder Martha Foote Crow stated, “Now that we have founded the Alpha Chapter of the Alpha Phi Sorority, is this all there is to do? … No indeed … We have all the Alphabet to go through, and to go through again and again … Can we not be a World Society as well as a National One?” Their dream of growth was first realized with the establishment of Alpha Phi’s Beta chapter at Northwestern in 1881.

Since then, our legacy of developing confident collegiate leaders who prioritize innovation and empathy has only continued to build momentum. In the last 18 years, Alpha Phi has established 33 new chapters and closed zero of them. To ensure success, Alpha Phi prioritizes integrating the new chapter into each campus community and student body.

Our most recent establishments were at the University of Arkansas, CU Denver, Angelo State University, University of Wyoming, East Carolina University and Baylor University. Each of these chapters is healthy and thriving on their campus.

Alpha Phi has eight collegiate chapters in Virginia with the first being founded in 1970. Throughout our history, more than 12,500 Virginians have joined Alpha Phi and made a lasting mark on our organization. The River City has long been important to Alpha Phi, and local alumnae are all thrilled at the prospect of supporting a new Alpha Phi chapter at the University of Richmond. We have 1,389 Alpha Phis living within 15 miles of the University of Richmond, 1,647 within 30 miles, 2,561 within 60 miles and 6,772 within 90 miles. 

Alpha Phi has a rich history in Texas and throughout the Northeast as well. We were founded at Syracuse University and since then have established 29 additional chapters in the Northeast and welcomed more than 52,162 members from the region. We established our first chapter in Texas in 1920 and have welcomed more than 21,934 Texans to Alpha Phi. While the culture at each institution is different, Alpha Phis have found ways to amplify the campus culture and traditions while shaping personal undergraduate experiences that empower women leaders. 

Christopher Newport

University of Virginia

Virginia Tech

James Madison

University of Texas

George Mason

Texas Tech

Old Dominion