Phi Beta Kappa at Auburn University
Phi Beta Kappa is the nation's oldest, most prestigious, and most selective academic honor society. The mission of the Society of Phi Beta Kappa is to foster and recognize excellence in the liberal arts and sciences. Founded in 1776, its members have included seventeen U.S. Presidents, forty-one U.S. Supreme Court Justices, and more than one hundred and forty Nobel laureates. As the society's website attests: "Famous or not, all of our members have one thing in common — the pursuit of excellence."
Phi Beta Kappa celebrates and advocates excellence in the liberal arts and sciences. Its campus chapters invite for induction the most outstanding arts and sciences students at America's leading colleges and universities. The Society sponsors activities to advance these studies — the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences — in higher education and in society at large.
Only about one in ten colleges and universities that display a strong commitment to the arts and sciences are found to be of such exceptional quality that they are allowed charters for local PBK chapters. Only a very small number of students at these select institutions qualify for election each year by demonstrating truly outstanding achievement in the pursuit of a rigorous education in the traditional arts and sciences. After many years of effort, Auburn University earned its PBK charter in 2001.
Among the bare minimum requirements for membership are a GPA near 4.0, at least four semesters of university-level foreign language study, MATH 1120 or higher, and 90 credit hours in the traditional liberal arts and sciences. In most years, only about 1% of all Auburn juniors and seniors earn an invitation to join the chapter.
For more information please contact chapter secretary, Elijah Gaddis or visit the national office website.
News
Junior Eirik Mulder earned the award which recognizes outstanding students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics who show exceptional academic performance, ingenuity and potential to make meaningful contributions to their fields.
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Will Lewis, a senior double majoring in German and economics, has earned a spot in the highly competitive Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange program.
May 07, 2025
Faculty can now apply for a research venture lyceum design fellowship through the Honors College.
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Learn more about Premier Tech, a multi-divisional global company, expanding its footprint in Alabama with Honors College alumnus Cater Williams
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The central goal of, “Going for the Gold: Preparing for National Scholarships, Graduate School, and Other Opportunities," is to help high-achieving students imagine all sorts of futures for themselves and learn what steps will help them find those futures.
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The Graduate Student Council has recognized five faculty members as 2024 Outstanding Graduate Mentors.
April 28, 2025
When Abby Lin wasn't hitting the books at Auburn, she was starting the women's ice hockey club team. Now that she's retired — her jersey is in the rafters — and graduating, she's ready for another challenge: medical school.
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Rising sports media talent Vince Wolfram is using an invaluable courtside experience to spark a promising career.
April 24, 2025
Robin Weaver and Parker Megginson have won National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships for graduate study. This prestigious fellowship program ensures the vitality and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce in the United States.
April 24, 2025
Every spring, the Honors College looks forward to the opportunity to celebrate their hard-working students, faculty, volunteers and alumni through the Eagles of Excellence Awards. These awards help to recognize those who have gone above and beyond in the Honors College, and at Auburn University, in the realms of leadership, research, service and teaching.
April 21, 2025
