America's most prestigious honor society founded in 1776. Noteworthy members include 17 U.S. Presidents, 41 U.S.
Phi Beta Kappa champions education in the liberal arts and sciences, fosters freedom of thought, and recognizes academic excellence. Founded on Dec. 5, 1776, The Phi Beta Kappa Society is the nation's most prestigious academic honor society. It has chapters at 290 colleges and universities in the United States, nearly 50 alumni associations, and more than half a million members worldwide. Supreme
Court Justices and more than 140 Nobel Laureates. The mission of The Phi Beta Kappa Society is to champion education in the liberal arts and sciences, foster freedom of thought, and recognize academic excellence.
01/13/2026
It’s the last week to apply for the Phi Beta Kappa Society’s Key into Public Service Scholarship.
Are you (or someone you know) an undergraduate liberal arts student interested in a future in local, state, or federal government service? This opportunity provides a $7,600 scholarship plus a conference focused on training, mentoring, and pathways into public service.
Applications are now open for the Walter J. Jensen Fellowship from the Phi Beta Kappa Society.
Awarded annually to support educators and researchers studying French language, literature, and culture, the fellowship provides a $17,000 stipend and funding for six months of study in France, including round-trip travel.
Applications are now open for the Mary Isabel Sibley Fellowship from the Phi Beta Kappa Society.
Awarded annually to support women pursuing advanced research abroad, the fellowship offers a $20,000 stipend and alternates between Greek and French studies. The 2026 cycle invites applications focused on the study of Greek culture (e.g. language, literature, history, archaeology).
Are you an undergraduate liberal arts student interested in careers in local, state, and federal government service? Know a student looking for opportunities to learn from public servants in these fields? Applications are now open for the Phi Beta Kappa Society's Key into Public Service scholarship, which provides a $7,600 undergraduate scholarship and a conference that provides training, mentoring, and reflection on pathways into these careers. www.pbk.org/servicescholarsapp
12/23/2025
Happy holidays from Phi Beta Kappa!
Our office will be closed through the end of the year and will reopen on January 5. We wish you a peaceful season and a wonderful New Year.
12/10/2025
Key Connections events bring Phi Beta Kappa members together every fall, introducing recent inductees to local members and the local associations that offer community gatherings and networking year-round.
Thank you to the association volunteers who carry forward the Society’s traditions of friendship, fellowship, and lifelong learning.
Photo Credits: Southern California Association, Puget Sound Association, San Diego Association, Houston Association, Indiana Association
12/01/2025
Are you an arts and sciences student interested in careers in local, state, and federal government service? Apply for our Key into Public Service scholarship, which provides scholars with a $7,600 undergraduate scholarship and a conference that provides training, mentoring, and reflection on pathways into these public service careers. Learn more about the program and see if you qualify at: http://www.pbk.org/servicescholarsapp
11/24/2025
Looking for a new dish to bring to your Thanksgiving table? The Folger Shakespeare Library has adapted a range of early modern recipes, from sweet potato pudding to pumpkin pie, and a 17th-century precursor to the turducken!
Drawn from the world’s largest collection of handwritten early modern recipe books, these dishes offer a window into food history.
Folger Shakespeare Library is the world's largest Shakespeare collection, the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world. Shakespeare belongs to you. His world is vast. Come explore. Join us online, on the road, or in Washington, DC.
11/06/2025
We are excited to announce the winners of Phi Beta Kappa’s 2025 Book Awards, which recognize outstanding scholarly works published in the United States. The Christian Gauss Award for literary scholarship goes to Charles King for "Every Valley: The Desperate Lives and Troubled Times That Made Handel's Messiah." The Ralph Waldo Emerson Award for “interpretations of the intellectual and cultural conditions of humanity” has been given to Stefanos Geroulanos for "The Invention of Prehistory: Empire, Violence, and Our Obsession with Human Origins." The Phi Beta Kappa Award in Science has been awarded to Ayana Elizabeth Johnson for "What If We Get It Right? Visions of Climate Futures."
Each of these exceptional authors will be honored at our annual Book Awards Dinner in December where they will each receive a $10,000 prize. Learn more about the winners at https://www.pbk.org/awards/bookawards/winners-2025
11/03/2025
Today, the Society invites applications for our undergraduate Key into Public Service Scholarship! This program highlights the wide range of career opportunities for arts and sciences majors in local, state, or federal government.
In recognition of the Society's 250th anniversary year, a cohort of 20 arts and sciences students at Phi Beta Kappa chapter institutions will each receive a $7,600 undergraduate scholarship. Service Scholars will also receive mentorship opportunities and participate in a conference in Washington, D.C. with leading service organizations. Learn more and apply at pbk.org/ServiceScholarsApp
10/15/2025
In September, our all-staff retreat took us on a scavenger hunt through the Phi Beta Kappa office. Among the treasures we uncovered:
- Topic suggestions from Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s time as a Visiting Scholar
- A 1932 issue of The American Scholar
- A 1939 edition of The Key Reporter
Just a small glimpse into nearly 250 years of Phi Beta Kappa history!
10/14/2025
The Society is proud to celebrate Dr. John M. Martinis (ΦΒΚ, University of California, Berkeley) on receiving the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics for his groundbreaking discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation in an electric circuit.
"What I find is most exciting is that there’s probably a thousand or more scientists who are working on quantum computing and superconducting qubits. And they’re all getting meaningfully employed working on quantum mechanics, trying to understand all this beautiful physics. And to me, that’s kind of the most exciting part of it, is that we did some experiments that really led to lots of great science."
Please join us in applauding this accomplishment! Dr. Martinis joins a robust group of Nobel Prize winners exemplifying the values of Phi Beta Kappa and excellence in the arts and sciences.
Interview credit: NobelPrize.org, Nobel Prize Outreach 2025.
Photo credit: Photo: Jeff Liang, UC Santa Barbara.
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Since our founding in 1776, Phi Beta Kappa has championed education in the liberal arts and sciences, fostered freedom of thought, and recognized academic excellence. As America’s most prestigious academic honor society, we believe the curiosity and creativity cultivated by a liberal arts and sciences education are essential to making the most of life’s experiences.
This is why we:
Honor the best and brightest liberal arts and sciences undergraduates from 290 top schools across the nation through a highly selective, merit-based invitation process.
Advocate for the importance of liberal arts and sciences education through our National Arts & Sciences Initiative, and equip members with information and tools to thoughtfully engage in American society as leaders, volunteers, and citizens.
Connect members to a diverse network of high achievers, and provide opportunities to participate in engaging events offered by the national office, our local chapters, and alumni associations.
Engage members with quarterly publications, monthly newsletters, and podcasts, providing perspectives on public affairs, literature, science, history, culture, and career development.
Recognize the exceptional achievement of writers and scholars in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and mathematics.
