Honor’s Societies Aren’t a Scam: A Look at Scholarships
My first year at Centenary, I got an email from Professor Jessica Hawkins, a professor in the Communications Department and also the advisor for our school’s chapter of Alpha Chi, the national college honor society. The email was a warning that the messages we were getting from Alpha Chi were not spam, that they were, in fact, legitimate offers to joining the national honor society…for a small fee of fifty-five dollars.
For many students, the registration fee is enough to delete the email, marking it off as a money-making scheme. How many students had their parents pay a hundred dollars in high school to join NHS, only to receive a free car sticker and a bi-monthly email? I immediately thought the same thing—what will I actually get out of paying to join an honor society besides graduate cords and a line on my CV? Nearly every honor society boasts about opportunities to network, conference experiences, and thousands of dollars in scholarships. I applied to dozens of scholarships in high school and never heard anything back. I figured no one was actually earning scholarships from these organizations.
Turns out, a lot of people are—even students right here, on Centenary’s campus. Last year, Centenary re-launched its Omicron Kappa Delta, an honor society dedicated to student leaders. In the same year, graduating senior Athena Vasquez (c/o ’25) won a $1,000 scholarship to support her transition to graduate school. For a $94 registration fee, that’s a significant $906 dollar return on investment.
I’ve experienced the same thing. As an English major, I’ve applied to many scholarships through Sigma Tau Delta. I’ve earned nearly $5,000 in scholarships from the English Honor Society for internship work and study abroad opportunities. I’ve also earned a small scholarship from my time in Chi Omega, another society that required fees upfront for registration.
At Centenary, many subjects have an honor society. Below is a non-exhaustive list of the honor societies on campus and the amount they offer yearly in scholarships:
Alpha Chi, National Honor Society: $90,000 annually
Alpha Epsilon Delta, National Health Preprofessional Society: $60,000 annually
Beta Beta Beta, Biological Honor Society: $80,000+ annually in research grants
Kappa Pi, International Art Society: $3,500 annually
Nu Rho Psi, National Neuroscience Honor Society, $4,000+ annually
Omicron Delta Kappa, National Leadership Honor Society: $71,500 annually
Phi Beta Lamba, National Business Society: $25,000 annually
Sigma Tau Delta, National English Honor Society: $45,848 annually
Pi Delta Phi, National French Honor Society: $10,000 annually in travel and study abroad grants
Pi Sigma Alpha, National Political Science Honor Society: $20,000 annually
Don’t see an honor society relating to your field of study? It probably exists! Talk to your advisor about starting a chapter at Centenary.
Paying for college can sometimes feel impossible, but applying for scholarships doesn’t stop when you get to college. So many awards are reserved exclusively for undergraduate students, and honor societies are a great way to access scholarships that actually make their way to students. Look into what your societies can offer you—besides graduation swag.