Eligibility Requirements

Alpha of Wyoming Eligibility Guidelines

Each year Phi Beta Kappa elects an elite group of students for membership, based on scholarly achievement in the liberal arts and sciences, depth and breadth of cultural and intellectual interests, and good character. Election is limited to no more than ten percent of the annual number of graduates pursuing an education focused on the liberal arts and sciences, as defined below. In addition to electing graduating seniors, Alpha of Wyoming elects a very small number of juniors each year, who are awarded scholarships.

Candidates for election must be pursuing a liberal arts and sciences education. They must have an outstanding record of performance in liberal arts and sciences courses, including the fine arts, humanities, languages, mathematics, natural sciences, and social sciences. Liberal arts and sciences courses are those designed principally for a knowledge, understanding, or appreciation of the world. This excludes courses, however valuable in their own right, that focus on application of skills or knowledge, such as vocational and professional training, internships, etc.

Students are elected to membership in Phi Beta Kappa at the discretion of the local chapter, Alpha of Wyoming, which is subject only to the national Phi Beta Kappa Society’s stipulations. Please note that criteria for election are independent of the academic policies of the University of Wyoming. Election will not be guaranteed by completion of the minimum eligibility requirements listed below, nor will it be guaranteed by fulfillment of any university requirements, such as graduation with honors.

Minimum Eligibility Requirements:

• Completion of all requirements as stipulated by the Phi Beta Kappa Society (see “Stipulations Concerning Eligibility for Membership in Course”)
• Minimum overall GPA of 3.7 for seniors (95 hours or more) or 4.0 for juniors (75 hours).
• For transfer students, completion of at least 60 credit hours at UW.
• At least 90 hours coursework in the liberal arts and sciences, including satisfactory completion of at least the third university semester, or its equivalent, of a second language.
• Satisfactory completion of at least two courses at or above the 3000 level outside the student’s major.

Candidates will be automatically reviewed if they meet the minimum criteria listed above and have declared a major in one of the majors recognized for their liberal arts content.  Students who believe they meet the minimum criteria, but have not declared a liberal arts major, may provide transcripts and other relevant materials for review. Such students or their advisors must contact the Chapter President in writing for guidance before January 30th of the year in which they hope to be eligible.  Similarly, students who fulfill the second language requirement but do not show language courses on their transcript should notify the Chapter President by January 30th. This could include students for whom English is not their primary language.