To join a sorority in The Sims 3, you need the University Life expansion: enroll a female Sim at Sims University from a phone or computer, then move her into the sorority house when she arrives on campus. Unlike The Sims 2, there is no pledging, rushing or membership test in The Sims 3, so living in the house is the membership. Below we cover what you need, the enrollment steps, how the sorority house works, and how to get the most out of Greek life.
What You Need First
Sororities come from University Life, the expansion released in March 2013. Without it there is no university and no Greek housing. The pack is sold on the EA app and Steam for PC and Mac and needs the base game with all updates. The Sims 3 is no longer patched, so what is described here is the final version of the feature.
University Life adds a new travel destination, Sims University, which has one sorority and one fraternity. The houses are single sex: sororities are for female Sims and fraternities for male Sims, according to pre-launch details EA shared with fan sites and repeated in community documentation. If you want your male Sim in Greek housing, the fraternity is his route.
Only young adults and older can enroll, so a teen has to age up first.
Step 1: Enroll at University
- Take the aptitude test (optional). Before your Sim enrolls, an NPC mascot may drop off a University kit with a banner, a T-shirt and an aptitude test. Taking the test from your Sim’s inventory scores them for each major and affects how much financial help they receive.
- Open the enrollment screen. Click your Sim’s phone or a computer and choose the University option to enroll. Enrollment can be done at any time.
- Pick a major and credits. Choose one major and how many credits to take, which controls how long your Sim needs to stay to graduate.
- Set the term length. A term lasts between one and two in-game weeks.
- Choose housing. This is the step that matters for a sorority. Students can live in a dorm or rent a house, and community documentation describes the Greek houses as single-sex dorms that students simply move into. Pick the sorority house for a female Sim.
Tuition and rent come out of the household’s funds, but students do not pay regular bills while on campus. Your Sim’s home world pauses while they study, and aging stops everywhere for the duration.
Step 2: Move In and Settle Into the House
When your Sim arrives at Sims University, she moves straight into the sorority house. Because terms in University Life are much shorter than in The Sims 2, the community wiki notes that there are no pledging or joining requirements at all. In practice the sorority works like a single-sex dorm full of roommates you can befriend.
On the first day, a meet-and-greet orientation runs at noon at the student union, where your Sim can meet classmates and collect free items. Classes start the first Monday morning.
What Sorority Life Offers
The sorority is more about the social side of university than about grades. What it gives you:
- A house full of instant contacts. Your sisters are on the lot every day, so building friendships and starting a romance is easy. Our going steady guide covers how to make one of those relationships official.
- A bulletin board. Sororities, fraternities and dorms have bulletin boards that list day jobs, social group jobs and dares, all of which earn Simoleons and social group influence.
- Dares. Community documentation notes that Sims living in Greek houses are more likely to be dared to do things by other students.
- Parties. University Life adds the Juice Kegger (which needs a juice keg on the lot) and the Bonfire party (which needs level 4 Jock influence). Our party guide covers the planning window.
Joining the sorority does not replace the three social groups. Nerds, Jocks and Rebels are separate, optional, and your Sim can build influence with any of them from the sorority house.
Tips for Thriving
- Do not skip too much class. Missing two days is tolerated, more than that brings penalties. Grades decide the career and trait bonuses your Sim takes home at graduation.
- Study before Friday. Exams run on Fridays. Textbooks, computers and study groups of up to four Sims all help.
- Plan around restrictions. Per EA’s own pre-launch question and answer session for the pack, Sims cannot marry or get pregnant while at university, so save those milestones for home.
For more University Life, career and relationship guides, see our Sims hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which expansion pack adds sororities in The Sims 3? University Life. Sororities and fraternities do not exist without it.
Do I have to pledge to join a sorority in The Sims 3? No. There is no pledging or invitation step. Choosing the sorority as housing, or moving in on arrival, makes your Sim a member.
Can male Sims join a sorority? No. Sororities are for female Sims and fraternities for male Sims.
Can teens go to university? No. Only young adults and older can enroll, so age a teen up first.
Does living in a sorority raise my Sim’s grades? Not directly. Academic performance comes from attending classes and lectures, studying and exams. The sorority helps socially, through friendships, dares and parties.