Dedicated to Scholarship, Service, and Leadership
What is Pi Alpha?
Pi Alpha is the national PA honor society organized for the promotion and recognition of PA students, faculty, alumni, and honorary members. Membership signifies inductees’ significant academic achievements and honors them for their leadership, research, community/professional service, and other related activities. The society also encourages a high standard of character and conduct among students, faculty, alumni, and honorary members.
Pi Alpha Revamped: New Look and Streamlined Process
The new streamlined process enhances the user experience, simplifies program administration, and provides improved access to order information.
Here’s what you need to know:
- The Pi Alpha Policies and Procedures document has been updated and renamed to the Membership Manual of Pi Alpha. Please review the updated Membership Manual carefully.
- Program Directors and designated Account Managers are now responsible for submitting a chapter application and inductee nominations on behalf of their program.
- They have access to do so through their PAEA Member Community accounts.
- Separate applications and nominee information via Excel are no longer required.
- More information about the process and specific instructions for submitting Pi Alpha inductee orders can be found in the Member Community Guide.
- PAEA has made a modest increase to the chapter initiation fee and individual inductee fee to address rising administrative and fulfillment costs.
- Chapter charter fee: nonrefundable fee of $225.
- Inductee fee: $35 per inductee, including alumni/faculty and honorary.
- More information about the process and specific instructions for submitting Pi Alpha inductee orders can be found in the Member Community Guide.
Membership and Nomination
Chapter Membership
PAEA Voting Members interested in applying for chapter status can do so through the PAEA Member Community. Note: Only Program Directors and designated Account Managers have access to submit a chapter application and inductee nominations.
Inductee Nomination
To nominate PA students, faculty, alumni, and honorary members, please fill out the online form found in the PAEA Member Community.
Membership Manual of Pi Alpha
Before submitting a new chapter application or nominating inductees, please review the updated Membership Manual, which provides a step-by-step overview of the honor society and its function.
Updated July 1, 2025
About Pi Alpha
At the October 2003 PA Education Association (PAEA) Education Forum in Phoenix, Arizona, the PAEA membership Board of Directors (BOD) passed a motion to support the creation of a national honor society for PAs to be known as Pi Alpha. In February 2004, the PAEA BOD appointed the PAEA National PA Honor Society Advisory Committee, tasked with overseeing the development and maintenance of the Society. The committee’s faculty and student members crafted by-laws, a budget, and other documents necessary to begin the process of chapter membership.
- The motto of Pi Alpha is “Scholarship, Service, Leadership.” The organization is committed to lifelong learning and participation in intellectual life.
- The society operates as part of PAEA and as such is a non-profit educational organization. Administrative support is supplied by PAEA.
- Funds generated by Pi Alpha are devoted to the benefit and support of the Society.
PA program participation in Pi Alpha is voluntary. A chapter may be chartered at any PAEA Member Program. A completed application and fee for chapter membership must be submitted through the PAEA Member Community to the PAEA Pi Alpha Administrator for approval. A chapter establishment fee of $225.00 is required.
PAEA provides oversight of the Pi Alpha Honor Society in accordance with the Membership Manual. The PA program determines who is eligible for membership in accordance with Pi Alpha Membership Manual and submits a list of nominees to the national Pi Alpha Honor Society at least 30 days prior to the chapter’s date of graduation.
Frequently Asked Questions
The national society undertakes activities to recognize academic excellence and encourage the intellectual life of its members.
- Current PA students at PAEA Member Programs with chapter status are eligible for nomination if they are in their last year of the professional phase of their respective PA program. Students must have demonstrated excellence in academics (minimum GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale) as well as in research, publishing, community/professional service, or leadership activities).
- Full-time PA faculty who have three years’ experience with a PA program and who have fulfilled the criteria of distinguished scholarship, as well as leadership or service to a PA program or the profession.
- Alumni who have fulfilled the criteria of distinguished scholarship, as well as leadership or service to a PA program or the profession.
- Individuals who have rendered distinguished scholarship, as well as leadership or professional service to the PA profession, such as clinical preceptors, and those who are not eligible for election through other means, may be considered for honorary status.
- Students: not to exceed 15% of the graduating class
- Alumni: no limit
- Faculty: no limit
- Honorary: one per graduating class
Program Directors and designated Account Managers may submit a chapter application and inductee nominations through the PAEA Member Community. The inductee fee has increased to $35 per inductee, including students, faculty, alumni, and honorary.
- If you are not the Program Director or a designated Account Manager for your program’s membership, then the best way to submit Pi Alpha information is to compile the information and share it with the Program Director or Account Manager, who has access to submit through the Member Community.
- If assistance is needed and the Program Director or Account Manager cannot submit the information, please email PiAlpha@PAEAonline.org.
PAEA has made a modest increase to the chapter initiation fee and individual inductee fee to address rising administrative and fulfillment costs. We remain committed to delivering the highest quality services and resources at affordable rates for our members. We appreciate your understanding of this adjustment.
- Chapter charter fee: nonrefundable fee of $225.
- Inductee fee: $35 per inductee, including alumni/faculty and honorary.
- Chapter Application: The Pi Alpha Administrator at PAEA will review your application, then approve or deny it within 2 business days. If the application is approved and once the initiation has been received, a chapter number will be granted to the program and sent in a welcome letter.
- Inductee Nominations: The PAEA Pi Alpha Administrator will review your inductee information. Once the information is and the inductee fees have been received, PAEA will work with our fulfillment center to process your order. Materials will be received by the requested in-hand date.
If you misspell an inductee’s name, you are allowed one modification per order. Changes requested more than two weeks before the in-hand date will be processed at no additional cost. However, any changes requested within two weeks of the in-hand date or after the in-hand date will incur a $25 fee.
If you need to add an inductee, please complete a new inductee nomination form and order.
Although Pi Alpha is the official honor society for the PA profession, membership is not just a matter of self-esteem, an item for a resume or mention in job interviews. It implies a lifelong commitment to learning applied to benefit others. It also represents membership in a community of scholars, “a fellowship of learners, rather than of the learned.”
- Charter programs receive an individual chapter number and a membership welcome letter.
- Inductees receive a letter and certificate of membership, a Pi Alpha pin and honor cord.
Following induction into the society, students, faculty, alumni and honorary members may wear the honor society membership pin and honor cord at appropriate events.
Pi Alpha is the national honor society for PA students, faculty, alumni, and honorary members and operates as a program sponsored and supported by the PA Education Association (PAEA). PAEA designates a Pi Alpha Administrator to provide administrative support to carry out the work of the honor society and provide the Pi Alpha Membership Manual.