As the Membership Orientation Officer, you want to be sure to check in with Associate Members periodically with respect to academics because...well...we care about their success.

That said, you ALSO want to do this because every Associate Member must meet a national scholastic standard before he can be initiated — and it's your job as MOO to make sure nobody hits initiation week and finds out for the first time that he's short. This guide lays out the academic requirements, a simple check-in cadence, and how to keep your executive board informed so there are no surprises.

For: Membership Orientation Officers (MOOs)

When: From the first week of the Associate Member period through initiation.

In this article

Before initiation, every Associate Member must meet a 2.50 grade point average (4.0 scale) — either his GPA for a normal full-time load in the previous term, his cumulative GPA, or the most recent GPA information available, whichever applies to him.

📌 Policy — Per the Fraternity's Statutes (Title II, Section 17), an Associate Member must have attained at least a 2.50 GPA (semester, cumulative, or last available) before he can be initiated.

A first-semester freshman won't have a college GPA yet. If your chapter wants to consider one for initiation, the Chief Executive Officer may waive the requirement — but only if the AM has submitted grade verification (such as a high school transcript or standardized test record) showing he's likely able to meet the 2.50 standard. Flag any first-semester freshman early so there's time to request this.

An Associate Member cannot stay an associate for more than one calendar year without being initiated. If he still hasn't reached a 2.50 GPA by then, he must be disassociated for at least one full academic term. He can be initiated later if he raises his GPA to 2.50 or above, but he'll need to re-associate and pay the associate fee again — and the chapter decides whether he repeats the full orientation program or moves straight to initiation.

⚠️ Watch out — A chapter that initiates someone without him meeting this requirement can face penalties under the Statutes. This isn't a formality — check it for real, for every AM.

Academic eligibility isn't only about GPA. Every AM must also pass the National Exam with a score of at least 80 percent. It's administered by the Chapter Advisor, the Board of Governors Chairman, or another appropriate alumnus, who certifies the results in writing — with a list of every AM tested and his score — to the Chief Executive Officer. That certification has to arrive before permission to initiate is granted.

📅 Deadline — Permission to initiate must be requested at least two weeks before the initiation date, and the National Exam certification must be received before that permission is granted — so build your exam timeline backward from initiation day, not forward from "whenever we get to it." You may do this after the national exam has been taken.

Your job isn't just to know the requirements — it's to make sure every AM knows them too, from day one, and that nobody on your executive board is caught off guard later. That means:

✅ Best practice — Keep a simple tracking sheet with one row per AM: current GPA status, National Exam score, and any flags. Update it at every check-in point above so nothing depends on memory.

Don't wait for the board to ask. Give a short academic status update at every executive board meeting during the AM period — even if the update is just "everyone's on track." If someone's at risk, say so as soon as you know, along with what you're doing about it. A board that hears about a problem for the first time at initiation week has every reason to ask why you didn't say something sooner.

Does the 2.50 GPA have to be this term's grades?

It can be his GPA for a normal full-time load in the previous term, his cumulative GPA, or the last GPA information available — whichever applies to that AM. Use whichever standard he actually has on record.

What if a first-semester freshman doesn't have a college GPA yet?

Flag him early. The Chief Executive Officer can waive the requirement for a first-semester freshman if he submits grade verification (like a high school transcript) showing he can likely meet the 2.50 standard.

What happens if an AM is almost at one year and still hasn't hit 2.50?

He must be disassociated for at least one full academic term. He can be initiated later once his GPA reaches 2.50 or higher, but he'll need to re-associate and pay the associate fee again, and the chapter decides whether he repeats orientation or moves straight to initiation.

Who gives the National Exam, and what score is required?

The Chapter Advisor, the Board of Governors Chairman, or another appropriate alumnus administers it. An AM needs at least 80 percent to pass, and the results must be certified in writing to the Chief Executive Officer before initiation permission is granted.

How far ahead of initiation do I need all of this confirmed?

Work backward from initiation day. Permission to initiate must be requested at least two weeks before, and the National Exam certification has to be in before that permission is granted — so aim to have GPA and exam status locked down at least three weeks out.

Last reviewed: August 2026.