Association of College Honor Societies

The Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS) is a network of affiliated national collegiate and post-graduate honor societies.

Founded in 1925, ACHS was formed with the intention of limiting redundancy and competition among members. Four organizations were represented at a preliminary meeting held on October 2, 1925: Alpha Omega Alpha, the Order of the Coif, Phi Beta Kappa, and Sigma Xi. The six founding organizations on December 30, 1925, were Alpha Omega Alpha, the Order of the Coif, Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, Sigma Xi and Tau Beta Pi. Four of the oldest independent honor societies, including three of the original six founding members of the ACHS, have formed a new coordinating organization called the Honor Society Caucus.

ACHS standards include criteria for membership, governance and chapter operation. Not all legitimate honor societies apply for membership in ACHS. The honor society standards set by the Association of College Honor Societies are mentioned by the U.S. government's Office of Personnel Management as a measure for "Superior Academic Achievement" for entry into government employment at GS-7 Level: "Applicants can be considered eligible based on membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies listed... by the Association of College Honor Societies. Agencies considering eligibility based on any society not included in the following list must ensure that the honor society meets the minimum requirements of the Association of College Honor Societies." A GPA of 3.0 or above would qualify an individual for attaining "Superior Academic Achievement" as well, which effectively recognizes the achievement of non-members the same.