Alpha Phi Sigma FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions:
Please browse our FAQ section to find answers to questions you might have. We ask that you please review all of the FAQs prior to contacting us. Thank you :)
Undergraduate Students: Must have completed a minimum of 36 college credits that have been completed at ASU or transferred and accepted by ASU including a minimum of 12 credits in criminal justice or justice studies. All credits must have been obtained with a 3.4 GPA or higher in order to be considered. Students must have a minimum 3.4 overall GPA and a minimum 3.4 criminal justice GPA. Students must apply prior to their graduating semester. Students must be a part of Alpha Phi Sigma for at least 2 semesters in order to join and receive regalia for commencement.
Graduate Students: Must have a minimum of a 3.4 GPA or higher and have completed 12 or more graduate level credits in criminal justice. Students must apply prior to their graduating semester. Students must be a part of Alpha Phi Sigma for at least 2 semesters in order to join and receive regalia for commencement.
Law Students: Must have a 2.5 GPA or higher. Students must apply prior to their graduating semester. Students must be a part of Alpha Phi Sigma for at least 2 semesters in order to join and receive regalia for commencement.
*All students must submit a completed application, background packet, submit unofficial transcripts, and member dues. Applications will typically be processed after the deadline, unless otherwise noted. Please allow 3-4 weeks for your application to be reviewed/processed, after which you will receive a decision via email.
IMPORTANT: The Executive Board members will get our Chapter Advisor to sign the application in the appropriate section. There is nothing the applicant needs to do for that section.
This is the number of classes. It is not the number of credits. For example, most classes are 3 credit hours each. So 12 completed credits would most likely equal 4 classes.
Unfortunately, no. You must join the Honors Society at least one semester prior to your graduating semester from ASU and serve a minimum of two semesters as an eligible, active member of the chapter to receive honors regalia. We are working deligently to promote Alpha Phi Sigma so that students can join during their Sophomore or Junior year. We apologize if you find out about the organization too late in your academic career, however, there are no exceptions to this policy, as this is a chapter and national bylaw.
In certain situations, those who do not currently meet the requirements for full membership may join as provisional members. This will be a decision made by the members on the Executive Board of our ASU chapter. Typically provisional members are Freshman, Sophomore, and Transfer students.
The provisional membership program is for freshman or sophomore students or other select students (transfer) who do not currently meet the full requirements for membership. The program is meant as a step toward becoming a full member, and provisional members are expected to work towards meeting the full member requirements. Provisional members are not considered full members and do not receive the same benefits. However, provisional members may participate in all APS events and have access to tutoring and mentorship programs. The fee for provisional membership is $75.00. Once provisional members qualify and apply for full membership, an additional payment of $75.00 is required. The provisional member application is not provided on this website. Provisional members must email us at alphaphisigma.asu@gmail.com for the application.
All accepted members (including provisional) must complete a minimum of 9 hours of community service per semester (non-local and out-of-state members must complete a minimum of 15 hours of community service) and must report any negative actions taken against them by the university or a criminal court. Local members MUST attend at least 2 Chapter meetings and attend at least 3 APS events each semester. Non-local / out-of-state students must attend at least 2 Chapter meetings (via Facebook live) each semester. All members must maintain the GPA requirement.
The programs for membership typically include: Criminal Justice, Criminology & Criminal Justice, Justice Studies, Emergency Management / Homeland Securtiy, Program Evaluation, and Public Safety, Leadership, & Administration. We also accept students studying Forensic Science, Forensic Psychology, & Psychology. If your major is not listed here, please email us.
A local member is a student who resides in Phoenix, Tempe, Scottsdale, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale, and other surrounding cities. A local member is required to attend events and meetings, in person. A non-local member is a student who does not reside in the above cities / someone who resides approximately 45-50 miles or more from the Phoenix Metropolitan area. Students who are in this category can email us to ensure they can participate as non-local member. An out-of-state member is a student who does not reside in the state of Arizona.
Applicants must submit their APS application for membership, APS background packet, and a copy of their current unofficial ASU transcripts electronically, via email, AND a hard copy via mail or dropped off at the ASU Criminology and Criminal Justice Department. Applications must be filled out and submitted in their current format and are not to be copy and pasted to an email or altered. All applicants must submit a $150.00 ($75.00 for provisional) membership fee with their hard-copy application packet. Incomplete applications will not be processed.
The application for membership is an official, generic Alpha Phi Sigma application and is not school specific. All students applying for membership at ASU MUST submit their applications to our email address at: alphaphisigma.asu@gmail.com and the application needs to be mailed to the ASU Criminology and Criminal Justice Department. The address can be found here.
IMPORTANT: The Executive Board members will get our Chapter Advisor to sign the application in the appropriate section. There is nothing the applicant needs to do for that section.
No, full member applications are only accepted during the application period and will not be reviewed or accepted if sent outside of this period. *Provisional membership applications may be submitted year-round.
The application period varies per semester but is normally open for a period of 30 days during the Spring and Fall semester. Updated dates will be posted on the main page.
Yes, each application is reviewed in its entirety; meeting the basic requirements does not guarantee acceptance. Upon initial review, the members on the Executive Board have the authority to deny an application and any fees associated with the review will not be returned, only a partial amount will be sent back to the student. If your application is denied by our Headquarters Office, they will discuss any refund amounts with the student, if applicable.
On the application itself, there is mention of a one-time membership fee of $70.00. This fee is what is paid to our Headquarters office in order for students to maintain their membership, processing of applications, and receive their member certificate and pin. Our ASU chapter keeps the remaining funds to process applications, plan events and ceremonies, provide APS marketing and giveaway items, and mail certificates/pins, if applicable, etc. A total of $150.00 will need to be sent with your application and additional materials. Once your application is processed by our Executive Board, we will mail all dues to our Headquarters' office.
No, you are not a member until formally accepted by the National Office and notified of becoming a member by the chapter. Listing yourself as a member before being formally accepted will be grounds for denial of your application.
Absolutely! We have several out-of-state students as well as students who reside outside of the United States! Students who reside in another country will need to contact us for the application / to discuss additional fees.
Volunteer forms are located on our website, under the "Information for Current Members" section. Volunteer forms must be submitted by all members via email every semester, by the deadline. *Our volunteer form requires students and their volunteer supervisor to physically sign the form. Students can potentially be in violation of their membership rights if the form is not submitted and/or forged.
Students are free to choose where they volunteer as long as it is not a paid position or internship. We do not keep a list of organizations to volunteer at, however, we may be able to provide some suggestions. All members including online students must locate a community service organization in their community to volunteer with. Volunteering each semester is mandatory and an essential part of maintaining APS membership. We recommend volunteering in the field of Criminal Justice or Justice studies; however, it is not required.
The APS honors regalia ordering period typically opens up 30 days before graduation and is open for 10 days. An updated order form and guide will be emailed only. The form will never be posted to this website. Members will have to submit a complete order form, payment for regalia, verification of volunteer hours, and their current, unofficial ASU transcripts during the announced regalia ordering time frame. Regalia orders are not accepted outside of the ordering time frame. All regalia order forms that are not completed in their entirety AND according to the regalia guide will not be processed and could potentially prevent or delay a student from receiving their honors regalia. All students, whether regalia is shipped to the university or to a student directly will need to cover the cost of shipping. All local students must have regalia shipped to the university. All non-local and out-of-state students are eligible to have their reglia shipped to their address directly.
Executive Board members who volunteer their time are the only people who process all regalia orders. Once regalia order forms are processed for accuracy and completion, they are then sent to our Headquarters' office for further review. There is a standard 3-4 week processing time for regalia.