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Psi Chi

What is Psi Chi?

Psi Chi is the National Honor Society in Psychology, founded in 1929 for the purposes of encouraging, stimulating, and maintaining excellence in scholarship, and advancing the science of psychology. Membership is open to graduate and undergraduate men and women who are making the study of psychology one of their major interests, and who meet the minimum qualifications. Psi Chi is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies and is an affiliate of the American Psychological Association (APA website) and the American Psychological Society (APS). Psi Chi's sister honor society is Psi Beta, the national honor society in psychology for community and junior colleges.

Psi Chi functions as a federation of chapters located at more than 970 senior colleges and universities in the USA. The National Office is located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. A National Council, composed of psychologists who are Psi Chi members and who are elected by the chapters, guides the affairs of the organization and sets policy with the approval of the chapters.

Psi Chi serves two major goals--one immediate and visibly rewarding to the individual member, the other slower and more difficult to accomplish, but offering greater rewards in the long run. The first of these is the Society's obligation to provide academic recognition to its inductees by the mere fact of membership. The second goal is the obligation of each of the Society's local chapters to nurture the spark of that accomplishment by offering a climate congenial to its creative development. For example, the chapters make active attempts to nourish and stimulate professional growth through programs designed to augment and enhance the regular curriculum and to provide practical experience and fellowship through affiliation with the chapter. In addition, the national organization provides programs to help achieve these goals, including national and regional conventions held annually in conjunction with the psychological associations, research award competitions, and certificate recognition programs.

The Society publishes a quarterly magazine, Eye on Psi Chi, which helps to unite the members as well as to inform and recognize their contributions and accomplishments, as well as the Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research, a national, fully reviewed, quarterly journal dedicated to the publication of undergraduate student research.

Students become members by joining the chapter at the school where they are enrolled. Psi Chi chapters are operated by student officers and faculty advisors. Together they select and induct the members and carry out the goals of the Society. All chapters register their inductees at the National Office, where the membership records are preserved for reference purposes. The total number of memberships preserved at the national office during the first 71 years is over 380,000. Many of these members have gone on to distinguished careers in psychology. Several persons have been bestowed the special recognition and title of 'Distinguished Member' by the Psi Chi National Council.

Eligibility Requirements

Eligibility for undergraduates includes:

  • Completion of 3 semesters or 5 quarters of the college course
  • Completion of 9 semester hours or 14 quarter hours of psychology courses
  • Ranking in the top 35% of their class in general scholarship
  • Have a minimum GPA of 3.0 in psychology courses as well as cumulative grades

Eligibility for graduate students includes:

  • Minimum overall cumulative average of 3.0 in all graduate courses

To become a member:

Your check will be cashed only if your application is reviewed and accepted. If your application is not accepted your check will be destroyed. Since your check may not be deposited immediately, please keep the funds available in your account. There will be a charge for bounced or returned checks.

  1. Apply online.
  2. Submit a check (SB 426 in the wooden box ) for $80 membership fee (which includes the $55 national fee and the $25 chapter fee) make check out to Psi Chi.

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