Eligibility for Participation

Students desiring to serve as a member or officer of a student organization are expected to meet the following requirements:

Students are required to be registered for and maintain at least a half-time status (6-8 hours undergraduate) to be eligible for student organization participation. Student organizations have the right to have additional requirements in place for prospective members and officers in accordance with their duly approved constitution and/or bylaws.

• Only graduating seniors needing fewer than 6 hours for graduation are exempt from this requirement.  Students with fewer than 6 semester hours due to an internship or practicum experience recognized by an academic department may request an exception to this policy by submitting an academic eligibility appeal form.

First-semester students may seek to join any student organization immediately upon arrival at Baylor University with the following exceptions:

• First-semester students are prohibited from joining organizations which utilize an intensive pledging or new member education process as determined by the Department of Student Activities.
• New transfer students may participate in recruitment, rush, intake processes, pledging, new member education and/or be initiated. A student is classified as a transfer if he/she has attended a college during a fall or spring semester after high school graduation, obtained a minimum of 24 transfer hours and a 3.00 cumulative grade point average on all transferable hours.  If the only college work completed is dual credit, an entering student is not considered a transfer student.
• Organizations which prohibit freshman student membership as outlined in their respective constitutions and/or by-laws.

Baylor University employs a deferred recruitment philosophy for first-year students participating in an intensive recruitment, rush, intake processes, new member processes, and/or to be initiated.

Requirements for all students wishing to participate in an intensive recruitment, rush, intake processes, new member processes, and/or to be initiated include:

• Previously earning a minimum of 12 hours of academic credit during one semester in residence at Baylor University
• Current enrollment in residence at Baylor University as a full-time enrolled student
• Having and maintaining a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.67
• Having and maintaining a minimum current grade point average of 2.00