Straight answers, including the awkward ones.
Where we do not know something, this page says so rather than guessing. That includes membership cost and the advisor stipend, both of which we are deliberately leaving blank until they are confirmed.
Joining the chapter
Can I join right now?
No — and neither can we. Phi Theta Kappa requires an appointed college employee to serve as chapter advisor before anyone can be certified as eligible or issued a membership invitation. Our advisor’s position was eliminated in budget cuts this summer, so that appointment has not happened yet.
What you can do is join the interest list. The day invitations open, that list is who we contact first.
What are the GPA and credit requirements?
Phi Theta Kappa membership generally goes to students who have completed at least 12 applicable college credits at a two‑year institution while maintaining a GPA at or above roughly 3.5.
Treat those as the typical Society threshold rather than our confirmed local requirement. Chapters set specific eligibility within the Society’s framework through their own bylaws, and we cannot confirm ours until an advisor is appointed and has dashboard access.
What does membership cost?
We are not publishing a figure, because we do not have a confirmed one. Membership involves a one‑time fee set in part by the Society and in part locally, and we would rather say that plainly than quote a number that turns out to be wrong.
This will be confirmed and published here once an advisor is appointed.
Will this actually help me transfer?
That is the most concrete benefit. More than 800 four‑year institutions offer transfer scholarships specifically to Phi Theta Kappa members, and several Washington institutions are among them — award levels are listed on our resources page.
Beyond money, the Honors in Action research project gives you something substantial to write about on a transfer application, which a list of club memberships does not.
What is Honors in Action?
It is the Society’s signature research‑and‑service program, and the reason Phi Theta Kappa is an honor society rather than a club. Chapters pick one theme from the year’s Honors Study Topic, research it properly, draw conclusions, and only then design an action project that responds to what the research found.
The 2026–27 topic is “What’s Next? Imagining the Future.” Our subcommittee has not selected a theme yet — the process is documented here.
Do I have to be an officer to be involved?
No. Members participate in the Honors in Action project, the College Project, regional events and campus service without holding an officer role. Officer positions are elected once the chapter is active, and we would genuinely like more candidates — see the organizing team page.
The advisor role
What does the advisor actually do?
Four things, per the Society: certify which students are eligible for membership, submit chapter reports through the Advisor Dashboard, approve chapter activities as the college requires, and act as liaison to Phi Theta Kappa Headquarters.
Everything else — agendas, minutes, scheduling, project work, event logistics, recruitment, communications, this website — is handled by students. The full role is laid out here.
How much time does advising take?
It depends on the arrangement, and we would rather build around what you can give than quote you a number and be wrong. Co‑advising is explicitly allowed and encouraged by both the Society and Bellevue College, so two people can split the role.
A lighter arrangement where you handle certification and reporting while students run everything else is genuinely workable. The proposed meeting rhythm on the advisor page is a draft — the real schedule gets built around your availability, and an advisor is not expected at every meeting on it.
Is there a stipend?
Bellevue College’s standard advising stipend applies to this role. We are deliberately not publishing an amount, because we have not independently confirmed the current figure — please confirm it with Student Engagement directly rather than taking a number off a student‑built website.
What would I be committing to over a year?
The Society scores chapters against a Five Star Chapter Plan covering recruitment, professional development, regional engagement, a College Project and an Honors in Action project, running January to December.
We have published all five categories and where the chapter stands on each, so you can see the whole year before deciding: the Five Star Chapter Plan in full.
Is there recognition for advisors?
Yes. The Society runs a Hallmark award track specifically for advisors — the Paragon Award at four or fewer years of experience, the Distinguished Advisor Award at five or more, a Continued Excellence Award beyond that, and an Advisor Team Award for chapters with co‑advisors.
Status and history
Is this an official Bellevue College organization?
Alpha Epsilon Rho is a long‑standing Bellevue College student organization — chartered in 1979, with 11,076 members and alumni over its history. What it is not, right now, is an active chapter, because activation requires an appointed advisor.
This website is maintained by the students organizing the reactivation. It is not an official publication of Bellevue College, and we do not claim to speak for the college.
What happened to the old chapter?
Nothing happened to its standing or its record. The chapter’s advisor position was eliminated as part of budget cuts over the summer, and because Phi Theta Kappa requires a college employee as appointed advisor, activation paused when that position went away.
An earlier chapter website still exists at bellevuecollegeptk.wordpress.com, but its content dates to roughly 2011–2017 and lists an advisor who left the college long ago. This site is a relaunch, not a restoration of that one.
Who is running this?
Nam Bui, named incoming Chapter President for 2026–27 in the chapter’s July 28 officer announcement, and Sree Kokkonda, organizing officer and pursuing the Vice President role.
Those titles are incoming or in progress rather than settled. Chapter bylaws require officers to be active members elected by a simple majority of active members, and since nobody can be certified as an active member without an advisor, no election has been held.
What has the chapter actually achieved recently?
Per the chapter’s page on ptk.org, recent recognition includes the 2026 Distinguished Chapter Officer Award and the 2026 Distinguished College Project Award.
Former chapter leadership has also described a five‑star chapter evaluation and recognition tied to career‑readiness workshops. We list those as reported rather than confirmed, because we cannot verify them through the Society’s dashboard without an advisor.
How can another organization work with you?
Carefully, and not yet. Honors in Action requires that research drives the choice of action, so the chapter cannot agree to a collaboration before it has done the research that would justify one.
If your organization is interested, write to us and we will add you to what the research subcommittee considers. Our approach to collaborations is documented here.