Membership
Election to Phi Beta Kappa
The process for election to Phi Beta Kappa involves a review in November for those who graduated the previous August and those who will graduate in December, as well as a review in late March for all juniors and seniors. Status as a junior or senior is determined by credit hours rather than graduation date; juniors are individuals with 60-89 total earned credits and seniors are those with 90 or more credit hours.
The review is conducted by the Members in Course Committee, which comprises UMD faculty and staff who are also PBK members. The committee reviews transcripts for the criteria listed below. Only students who have been elected will be contacted. We send notices to each student’s local address and email address as listed in the university's data system.
Transcripts are reviewed automatically; there is no application procedure for election to Phi Beta Kappa. You are, however, welcome to contact pbk@umd.edu with any questions or concerns, including if you believe you should have been considered for election, or if you want advising about qualifying for Phi Beta Kappa in the future.
All mentions of liberal arts and sciences courses below rely on . All mentions of a professional degree below rely on The only courses that count towards the requirements are completed courses, not those in which students are currently enrolled.
Grade Point Average
Seniors need an overall GPA of at least 3.75 as well as at least a 3.75 in the liberal arts and sciences courses they have taken. For juniors, the GPA is at least 3.85. GPA calculations include transfer credits.
Residency
Students need to have taken at least 60 hours at the University of Maryland, College Park and at least 45 of those hours in residence must be in liberal arts and sciences courses.
Liberal Arts and Sciences Credits
Seniors need at least 90 credit hours in liberal arts and sciences courses. Juniors need at least 60 such credit hours.
Non-Professional Major
Students must be pursuing a liberal arts and sciences degree rather than a professional degree.1
Mathematical Study
Students must have at least one semester of mathematics, which must be fulfilled by college-level credit hours (including AP or IB credit). There is no exemption based on SAT scores.
Language Study
Students need two university semesters of the same non-native language at the elementary level, or at least one semester above that level (i.e., at least one semester of intermediate coursework at the university). 2
Distribution of Study
Students must have at least three courses (9-10 credits) in each of the three main liberal arts and sciences areas—the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural and mathematical sciences. For the last area, the courses taken must include a laboratory science class. This requirement may not be fulfilled by AP or IB credit.
Moral Character
Students must be free of any citation for lapses in academic integrity.
2. Alternatively, we will consider candidates who completed four years of comprehensive language study in a single non-native language in high school. Students with such a high school background who wish to be considered for Phi Beta Kappa should email pbk@umd.edu with an official high school transcript prior to the month of consideration.