This spring marks another record-breaking year for sorority recruitment at the University of Miami, with 1,250 potential new members (PNMs) registered — surpassing last year’s total of 1,076.
With that growth comes a familiar wave of anticipation and excitement alongside rumors, anxiety and, new to this year’s landscape, the potential for scams.
Sorority recruitment, commonly referred to as “rush,” is a source of stress for many students hoping to receive a bid. Although UM states that “Everyone who is registered, determined to be academically eligible and who participates in the entire recruitment process is expected to receive a bid,” the reality is that a large number of women don’t.
In previous years approximately 40% of registered students did not complete the process to receive a bid, according to UM.
As registration numbers climb, so does concern that this percentage of women without bids could rise, fueling fears and driving the rumor mill.
Much of that gossip spreads on Yik Yak, an anonymous, location-based social media app popular on college campuses. Every year during rush, the platform fills with Greek life discourse — rankings of the “top” houses, what fraternities each sorority mixes with, which houses are “not worth rushing” and sometimes hateful messages targeted at specific chapters.
New this year, however, are posts about so-called “rush guides.”
Circulating on Snapchat and Instagram, these guides are allegedly “made by sisters” and carry titles like “Top Sororities Rush Guide” or “Dirty Rush 2026.” They are marketed as insider resources offering advice on how to stand out, what to do — and what not to do — during recruitment and how to secure an “early bid.”
To access these guides, PNMs are asked to pay between $10 and $15. It remains unclear if sorority members or individuals seeking to profit from anxious PNMs are behind these guides.
In response, the UM Panhellenic Association issued a statement on Instagram, saying the guide was “published and sold without our permission, involvement or approval and it is not representative of Greek Life or the formal recruitment process.”
The Association further stated that the content is “inaccurate, misleading and falsely presented as coming from the University of Miami Panhellenic Association.”
Parker Osth, chair of the Association of Greek Letter Organizations, also weighed in, noting that the same guides exist for fraternities and often copy and paste the same information, much of which is false.
“Those are 100% scams … These [guides] don’t actually represent the recruitment events that do happen … It has events that the University just doesn’t host,” said Osth. “Clearly this was made by someone outside of the process who just wanted to make some money, and who unfortunately has probably succeeded.”
Osth added that the Panhellenic Association already provides much of the recruitment information publicly, including a detailed PNM packet designed to prepare participants, which is why he was “shocked” that people would pay for such information.
Although the guides may be false and misleading, they reflect a real level of tension and unease around recruitment, particularly rumors about “dirty rush” that surface before and during the process.
While Positive Panhellenic Contact allows sorority members to engage in “friendly, values-based conversations with PNMs year-round to promote the positive sorority experience and encourage recruitment,” UM makes it clear that the policy strictly prohibits bid promising, seeking personal information or pressuring PNMs — particularly during formal recruitment’s “strict silence” period before bid day.
Chapters that violate this policy may receive infractions, which are then “handled accordingly” following Panhellenic procedures.
As work week and sorority recruitment approach, Yik Yak rumors and Greek life discussions are likely to surge. However, it’s important for PNMs to recognize that much of what spreads online does not accurately reflect the recruitment process, and the University has measures in place to ensure it remains fair, organized and strictly regulated.
Despite misleading guides and false information spreading online, students are encouraged to focus on the recruitment experience itself rather than getting caught up in rumors, gossip or outside pressures.
“At the end of the day, [Greek life] is a club for making friends,” said Osth. “This is not about rankings. This is not about social status. This is not about what it might look like at other schools. This is about making friends that will hopefully last you a lifetime.”