The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi was established to recognize and encourage superior scholarship without restriction as to area of study and to promote the "unity and democracy of education". It was founded in 1897, fourth after other similar academic societies: Phi Beta Kappa for the Liberal Arts and Sciences, Tau Beta Pi for Engineering, and Sigma Xi for Scientific Research, chronologically. S
pecifically as an honor society organized around recognizing academic excellence, however, it is the third established in the United States, and it is the oldest all-discipline honor society. The society's motto is (Philosophía Krateítõ Phõtôn), which is translated as "Let the love of learning rule humanity", and its mission is "to recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others." Membership
Membership is by invitation only at a campus with an established chapter and is restricted to students ranked scholastically in the top of their class, regardless of field of study: the top 7.5 percent of second-semester university juniors and the top 10 percent of seniors and graduate students. Chapters may make membership criteria more selective. Faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction also might be eligible. "Sound character" is also listed as a requirement for membership in Phi Kappa Phi. Phi Kappa Phi claims to have over 100,000 active members, to initiate approximately 30,000 new members annually, and to have a total of more than 1 million members since its creation, from over 300 college-based chapters in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines.
