Sigma Alpha Epsilon is one of the country’s oldest and largest fraternities, founded March 9, 1856, at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Our founders were eight men who sought to found a new Greek-letter fraternity to perpetuate through the organization the warm friendships they had already formed on the campus of the university. Since then, SAE has expanded to over 200 chapters across the United States, initiating over 360,000 brothers.
SAE has a long history of firsts. We were the first fraternity to create a leadership education program. One of the first to eliminate pledging, and were the first to ban hard alcohol from all events and activities. But, we’re not blazing new trails just for the sake of being able to say “we did it first.” We do things first because the actions we’re taking make a real difference that impacts the lives of real people.
Today, SAE continues to build True Gentlemen with over 12,000 collegiate members and a network of more than 250,000 living alumni.
Friendship is important to the fraternity experience and also includes the idea of “brotherhood.” The social connections you make with each other through SAE allow you to create memories and friendships that last a lifetime.
Scholarship is the purpose and forefront of the higher education experience. SAE recognizes that you are students first, and we want our chapters to do everything they can to help you achieve your scholastic goals.
When it comes to leadership, the fraternity wants all members to become leaders in their own way. Whether it’s allowing you to serve in a position, being a part of a committee, or helping execute an event, SAE wants to equip you with the skills and tools to be a leader.
Service is integral to the fraternity experience. Through our national service partners and your local community organizations, the opportunity to serve those in need is one that Sigma Alpha Epsilon is honored to orchestrate.
Through friendship, scholarship, leadership, and service, SAE finds men with impeccable character and helps them achieve their full potential, letting them rise up to face every challenge placed before them—today and tomorrow. We achieve this by grooming our members to become True Gentlemen.
The True Gentleman is the man whose conduct proceeds from good will and an acute sense of propriety, and whose self-control is equal to all emergencies; who does not make the poor man conscious of his poverty, the obscure man of his obscurity, or any man of his inferiority or deformity; who is himself humbled if necessity compels him to humble another; who does not flatter wealth, cringe before power, or boast of his own possessions or achievements; who speaks with frankness but always with sincerity and sympathy; whose deed follows his word; who thinks of the rights and feelings of others, rather than his own; and who appears well in any company, a man with whom honor is sacred and virtue safe.
-John Walter Wayland
Since 1856, Sigma Alpha Epsilon has been building a brotherhood rooted in the values of true gentlemen: impeccable character, self-control, humility, and leadership.
Today, with more than 350,000 brothers strong and a future brighter than ever, SAE stands as a beacon of courage, honor, and integrity. We are the leaders, the changemakers, and the role models the world needs.
Join us as we honor the past, thrive in the present, and boldly lead the future.
When you join Sigma Alpha Epsilon, you join the ranks of over 360,000 men who’ve come before you. With an extensive alumni network of more than 250,000 living alumni who are eager to support and engage with collegian members.
In addition to participating at your Chapter, you’ll have the opportunity to be involved with the Fraternity on a Province (district) and national level through SAE Third Thursday social gatherings, Province events, the National Ambassador program, and affinity groups, such as the SAE National Golf Association, SAE Hunters & Anglers, or the SAE Historical Society.
Sigma Alpha Epsilon hosts several events and opportunities throughout the calendar year to develop our collegiate brothers, engage our alumni, and celebrate our Fraternity. These events include the John O. Moseley Leadership School, DeVotie Ritual Institute, Inner Circle, and our biannual Anniversary Convention.
The ΣAE Job Board is an exclusive career platform that offers internships, part-time, and full-time positions, tapping into ΣΑΕ’s national network of Brothers for many career opportunities!
The True Gentleman Mentor Program taps into the Fraternity’s extensive alumni network, bringing together collegians and alumni of all ages from across different levels of their careers for conversations and guidance regarding their education, careers, and more.
The SAE Foundation awards merit-based scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, thousands of dollars in awards and scholarships are awarded each year.
