Bid Day means the University of Alabama's fall semester will soon begin.
The University of Alabama's annual sorority recruitment event, held Aug. 17 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, is when thousands of students find out which sorority has accepted their membership bid.
Bid Day is the culmination of Bama Rush Week, which began Aug. 9 at UA. Rush week gives fraternities and sororities the opportunity to host events, where new students can get their first chance to meet members.
Videos from UA's sorority rush week went viral on TikTok in 2021. The #bamarush and #alabamarush hashtags on TikTok have attracted millions of views during the past few years and continue to do so.
Sorority rush week has even spawned its own lingo, with acronyms like OOTD (Outfit of the Day) and PNMs (Potential New Members) becoming popularized.
In 2022, a film crew came to Tuscaloosa to document UA's rush week through the eyes of the students who took part. The resulting documentary, "Bama Rush: Acceptance Is Everything," premiered on the HBO Max streaming service in May 2023.
During Bid Day, the students meet inside Bryant-Denny Stadium, where they are handed a manila envelope. The students open their envelopes at the same time and then run to their new homes.
More: Bid Day at the University of Alabama: 25 phrases you need to know
After "running home," they are then greeted by their "big" (their assigned "big sister"/mentor) and new sorority sisters while they are showered with T-shirts, hats and other items bearing the sorority's Greek letters.
Bid Day marks the end of Bama Rush Week, but it's only the beginning for these young women as they embark on their college experience as sorority members.
Bid Day used to be known as "Squeal Day," after the squeals of delight from pledges as they learned which sorority house had accepted them.
So, which sororities are these young women vying to join? They consist of the following:
Alpha Chi Omega.
Alpha Delta Chi.
Alpha Delta Pi.
Alpha Gamma Delta.
Alpha Omicron Pi.
Alpha Phi.
Chi Omega.
Delta Delta Delta.
Delta Gamma.
Delta Zeta.
Gamma Phi Beta.
Kappa Alpha Theta.
Kappa Delta.
Kappa Kappa Gamma.
Phi Mu.
Pi Beta Phi.
Sigma Delta Tau.
Sigma Kappa.
Zeta Tau Alpha.
UA has traditionally been home to a thriving fraternity/sorority system.
According to the Division of Student Life website, 36% of UA’s undergraduate student body belong to Greek letter fraternities and sororities. That means that around 12,000 students belong to UA's 71 Greek organizations. In 2024, UA had an enrollment of 40,486 students.
Since 2011, UA has had the largest overall college fraternity and sorority membership in the nation.
Classes begin Aug. 20 for the 2025 fall semester at UA.
Portions of this article previously appeared in The Tuscaloosa News.
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This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Bama Rush: Sororities to hold Bid Day at the University of Alabama
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