The following honor and recognition societies have active chapters at the University.

• Phi Beta Kappa, founded in 1776 and the nation’s oldest honor society, promotes the values of the liberal arts and sciences by inducting into membership the most outstanding arts and sciences students in the nation’s leading colleges and universities, and by advocating academic excellence, freedom of inquiry and expression, informed deliberation and understanding, and active engagement with important issues. The University’s Phi Beta Kappa Chapter, Beta of Tennessee, was installed in 1926. Students are eligible for election to the Society after six consecutive semesters.
• Omicron Delta Kappa, Alpha Alpha Chapter, is a national leadership society. It chooses members from the Order of Gownsmen who have distinguished themselves in scholarship, athletics, or publications.
• Pi Sigma Alpha, Gamma Sigma Chapter, is the national political science honor society that encourages intellectual interest and action in government. The chapter sponsors occasional lectures and events related to political science during the course of the year.
• Sigma Pi Sigma, the national physics honor society, accepts members from physics and related fields who attain high standards of scholarship, professional merit, and academic distinction.
• Omicron Delta Epsilon, Gamma Chapter of Tennessee, is the national honor society of economics. Students with outstanding records in economics are selected for membership.
• Sigma Delta Pi, Kappa Chapter, is the national Spanish honor society. Members are elected based on academic merit and interest in Hispanic culture.
• Alpha Epsilon Delta, Tennessee Epsilon Chapter, is the national premedical honor society. It rewards excellence in premedical scholarship. Associate members are welcome from all the pre-health professions, including premedical, predentistry, prenursing, and preveterinary fields. Members are elected from junior and senior associate members.
• Phi Alpha Theta, Alpha Delta Gamma Chapter, is the national history honor society. Members are elected based on the study, teaching, or writing of history.
• Delta Phi Alpha is the national German honor and recognition society. Members are elected based on academic merit and interest in Germanic culture.
• Psi Chi is the national honor society in psychology, founded in 1929 for the purposes of encouraging, stimulating, and maintaining excellence in scholarship, and advancing the science of psychology. Membership is open to students who have distinguished themselves in scholarship and are majoring or minoring in psychology or a program that is psychological in nature.